No.

No, no, no, no, NO!

This can’t be happening, he did NOT just say that! There’s no way, right?! It can’t be, it wouldn’t make any sense! Another Re-iterated?! It can’t be real, no, it-

But…

What if…

...Is it true…?

That...would...mean…

“Everyone, leave the room, now!”

I barely heard the new voice as it barked out orders. I couldn’t see when something slithered up around my arms and legs, holding me in place. As the implications of meeting someone like me, someone who was re-iterated, hit me, my mind floated in a sea of chaos...and bloodlust.

Something was going to die.

I will make sure they die.

In the slowest, most painful way possible.

Echoes of tortured screams filled my ears, phantoms of brutalized bodies blocked my sight. I sank into the madness, wishing nothing more but to wrap my hands around a throat and squeeze until it turned cold in my grasp. I nearly lost myself completely, struck with the idea - the absolute absurdity! - that I was not alone. That there were others like me.

That someone or something made this happen.

I’ve spent countless years dancing on the edge of insanity, endlessly wondering if I was in an extended hallucination, hoping and praying and begging that I would wake up. I’ve been snatched away from my family, given a new one time and time again, only to be taken away from them over and over. I’ve watched my loved ones perish before me, repeatedly, until my heart just...gave up. There was no more room; no drive to share myself out once more; no reason to burden myself with what I was guaranteed to lose.

I surrendered my ability to love.

I came to terms with my new reality, that with no connection between each world, there was no one to blame. I have met Great Spirits, gods, demons, ‘creators’, magical and divine beings of the highest order across my lives...and not one had any clue, not about myself nor about the other worlds. They were all certain, in their ‘infinite wisdom and knowledge’ that their universe, multiverse, planes, dimensions, wherever they reigned - they were confident to the highest degree that they were alone. That they created their world, or knew who did it. That the places I spoke of could not exist.

They were useless.

And so I accepted that each iteration had nothing to do with the others. I accepted that I alone traversed the multiple realities, that I alone suffered the curse of being reborn without end. That no one was responsible for my torment.

But someone is responsible.

And that someone will answer to me.

With that thought, I slowly pulled myself out of the depths of my mind, not yet willing to reign in my emotions but recognizing that I can’t act upon them without a target. It was only then that I noticed my restraints, a set of chains made of stone wrapped around the majority of my body. I faintly remembered the feeling of something sliding against my skin earlier...just how long was I under?

There was only one person left in the room. Cornelius Maize...Re-Iterated. My bloodlust nearly flared up again, but I kept it in check, quickly deducing that he was probably no more responsible for his status than I was for mine. I know I certainly did not choose this existence. No, Cornelius is likely to be in a similar position to myself...but he may still have answers that I do not.

Noticing my gaze, and perhaps sensing my regained stability, Cornelius finally addressed me. “Are you calm now? You kinda lost it for a bit there.”

I wanted to tell him that I’m fine, but I really am not. I doubt I will be any time soon. Instead, I asked, “Why am I restrained?” My voice came out much colder and harsher than I intended, and I reflexively winced at the sound of it.

If Cornelius noticed anything, he chose not to remark on it. “I was not about to have you hurt innocent people...or yourself. With that amount of bloodlust you were putting out, I figured it would be best to restrict your movements for everyone’s safety.”

“What about your own?” I asked out of curiosity. He wasn’t relaxed, but he wasn’t poised to defend himself either...interesting.

“Even if you managed to break out of those chains,” he gestured towards my predicament, “I am confident in my own survival. My life will not be wasted here, I promise you.” Cornelius spoke with such self-assuredness that I could only wonder at what abilities he might possess. I could tell that he was not bragging or being boastful, he genuinely believed that he would survive whatever rampage I might unleash if I lost control.

Not that I ever intended to cut loose like that, not here at least, but I hope for his sake that his confidence is not unwarranted.

“And now?” I asked. “Will you keep me tied up or do I have to prove to you that I am safe now?” In reality, I wasn’t quite sure of myself at the moment, but I hate having my freedom taken away. Maybe I could break his bonds with brute force, but that would be counterproductive and might lead him to deal with me permanently rather than risk trying to contain me again.

Cornelius gave me a level stare and said, “That depends on you. I can still feel your desire to cause harm, even if not as sharply as before. You’d better control yourself some more or else our conversation goes nowhere. Again, I will not risk you hurting innocent people with your misplaced rage, wherever it came from.”

Hmm. That was quite reasonable of him. As much as I wanted to lash out, I knew that it would only harm my purpose in the long run, and I can’t have that. I nodded while looking him in the eye, then closed my eyes and focused on breathing, reigning in all of my emotions and sealing them away for the moment. I could not let my bloodlust go rampant, especially not with my Battle Intent. While my Soul Art does incorporate my bloodlust, it is so much more than just that. It weaponizes my destructive aura, hones it, focuses it, sharpens it. My bloodlust is a savage animal compared to the highly trained martial artist that is my Battle Intent, and if my Art had been inappropriately used then I would be in far, far more trouble. So I mastered myself and only opened my eyes when I was in complete control once more.

“Tell me…” I began, after making sure I could speak normally. “...how many ‘Iterations’ have you lived through?” I needed to confirm something. This would be my first true step, my first lead into finding what I seek.

Cornelius gave me a strange look, I think it was the first time I saw any sort of reaction on his face. Why are all the men I’ve met so far so emotionally withdrawn and serious? Then again, I only just met the guy and I didn’t exactly give him a great first impression.

“What do you mean ‘how many’?” he asked, clearly confused. Now I am confused too. Is this his first one? “Didn’t that...thing tell you the same story as everyone else?”

“...What thing are you talking about?” I asked, equally puzzled, but with a faint idea growing in the back of my mind. One that I did not want to acknowledge despite my quest for truth. Sadly, or fortunately, however one chooses to view it, Cornelius confirmed what my subconscious already partially worked out. “The entity that caused the Reality Break told us that we would be placed here after we die, as part of his grand experiment. We only get this one chance though, if we die here then we don’t get sent anywhere else.”

I could feel my rage struggling to break out, but I clamped down on it with an iron grip. Someone really is playing around here and I need to know why. “Did this entity have a name? Did they say what this...experiment was all about?”

Cornelius shook his head, I couldn’t tell if he noticed how tense my body was at that moment. “No one knows much more than what it told us. We don’t even know if it has a gender. All we know for sure is that it brought the System to Earth. It brought the massacre that ended the lives of 80% of the population. It brought us nothing but chaos. But it left us with one clear directive, a purpose.”

He paused and looked me straight in the eye as he said, “It told us...if we want to know anything, we have to work for it. Fight for it. Bleed for it. Become strong enough to meet it face to face.”

His look turned complicated. “And when we do...kill it.”