The ruins were quiet now. Harvie sat by the fire, staring at his hand. The god-sigil burns glowed faintly under his skin. The kiss with Edna still echoed in his mind, like warm sunlight on a cold day. But something was wrong. He could feel it. Like a storm hiding behind calm clouds.
Edna sat beside him. She didn't speak. She just leaned against his shoulder, letting the silence hold them. It was peaceful. But peace never lasted long for them.
Suddenly, a loud crack tore through the night.
The fire flickered. The sky above shimmered—like glass being scratched.
Then a man appeared.
Tall. Pale armor. A long black coat that moved like shadow. His eyes were cold, silver like moonlight. He held a strange weapon—a curved blade glowing with runes.
Harvie stood up fast. "Who are you?"
The man stepped forward. His voice was calm, but sharp like ice.
"My name is Lucan. And you are out of time."
Edna drew her sword. Flames danced across the blade. "You're one of them. Another Seal guardian?"
Lucan shook his head. "No. I am a Seal Hunter. I don't protect the Seals. I destroy them—and anyone who carries them."
Harvie's eyes narrowed. The sigils on his arm pulsed. "You're here for me."
Lucan nodded. "You broke time. You cheated death again and again. Now it's time to pay."
Harvie opened his status screen.
> [WARNING: SYSTEM ERROR. REWIND ABILITY CURRENTLY UNSTABLE. USER HEALTH: 62%]
He gritted his teeth. "You're immune to the rewind… aren't you?"
Lucan smiled. "Very good. I exist outside the loops. I was born from a timeline that no longer exists. You can't rewind me. You can't run from me. You only get one shot."
Harvie's heart beat faster.
Lucan charged.
Harvie dodged, barely. The blade sliced the air, leaving behind a trail of blue light. Edna attacked with fire, but Lucan moved too fast. He blocked, kicked, and vanished—reappearing behind Harvie.
Blood sprayed.
Harvie gasped. He'd been cut—deep.
He tried to use [Echo Bind]—locking time for five seconds. But Lucan didn't stop. He walked right through the frozen moment.
> [ECHO BIND FAILED. TARGET IMMUNE TO TEMPORAL EFFECTS.]
Edna screamed. "Harvie!"
She unleashed a wave of fire. Lucan raised his hand. A symbol glowed on his glove—a reversed Seal. It absorbed her magic like smoke.
"You think you're strong," Lucan said softly, "but you are just the echo of someone else's sin."
Harvie fell back, using [Flame Suture] on himself. The fire stitched his wound with burning pain.
Lucan stepped closer. "Each time you rewind, you rip this world more. You awaken the thing that sleeps beneath. The Buried God. Do you understand what you've done?"
Harvie's hands shook.
Lucan aimed his blade. "I've killed Seal Bearers before. But you? You are the worst. You carry the God's curse. You need to be erased—fully."
He raised his sword.
Suddenly, Edna blocked him. Her eyes were full of fire and tears. "You'll have to go through me."
Lucan tilted his head. "That can be arranged."
Before he could move, a loud crack shook the sky again.
> [SYSTEM INTERFERENCE DETECTED. UNKNOWN FORCE… SLOWING TARGET.]
Lucan paused.
Harvie's eyes widened. "Chrono Drain…"
He had died so many times… that the time around him was breaking.
Lucan hissed. "The world is rejecting you, Harvie."
Harvie stood, shaking but alive. "Good. That means I still matter."
Lucan stepped back, eyes narrowing.
"Next time," he said. "You won't be so lucky."
He vanished—leaving behind a single black feather.
Edna rushed to Harvie. "Are you okay?"
"No," Harvie whispered. "We just met the first real enemy. One I can't beat by dying again."
The fire burned low.
In the shadows of the ruins, something stirred.
The Buried God… was watching.
---
Power Gained:
[Chrono Drain] – Nearby enemies slow more each time Harvie dies.