"YOUR MAJESTY PLEASE FORGIVE ME!! I DIDN'T MEAN TO DO IT!" Yelled the man from the outside of the gates of Obelia.

A little girl with curly blonde hair walked by, curious about where the screams came from. Her jeweled eyes met the man's teary ones.

'Who is that man?' She thought. 'Why is he crying?'

The little girl walked closer, the man stops screaming as he notice her walking towards him. His eyes filled with hope as he realized who the girl was.

The princess, Athanasia.

"Ah! Princess!!" He cried, kneeling to her level. "You are the only hope!! Can you please call your father for me, princess?? It is very important! Not only to be but for 'you' also!"

Athanasia tilted her head in confusion. "Why is it, mister? Did someone bully you?"

"Princess, there's no 'time' for this!!" The man yelled, gripping the bars angrily.

Athanasia immediately took a step back in fear, she hugged her teddy bear close as she stare at the crying man. "Y-You're scaring me..."

"P-Princess, you have to listen to me!!" The man tried to soften his voice. "Only 'you' could save this world's time!"

"Mister, you're saying nonsense..." Athanasia sniffled. "I-I want to go back home..."

Athanasia was about to walk away but she was grabbed by the man and pulled her body to the bars, making her yelp in pain.

"M-Mister, you're hurting Athy!!" Athanasia began to cry.

"Princess listen!!" The man hissed, holding the child tight. His brown eyes burning through the latter's jeweled ones.

"You have to die!!"

"STOP IT!"

Athanasia woke up with cold sweat, her eyes were flooded with her tears. She was gasping for air as soon as she sat up, waking from her sleep.

"W-Where..." She huffed, looking around. She found that she's in her room. "What was that...?"

Hope?

Time?

Death?

Athanasia's breathing became heavier as another flash of memory came into her head.

"Head Magician, Nicholas. You are being punished to watch your loved ones getting tortured until they die for hurting the crown princess."

Athanasia immediately covered her ears as she heard the cries of a woman and a child echoing in her head, she can also hear that man's crying voice, pleading for mercy.

She tried to cover all the noise but nothing works.

"I only wanted to kill you for the sake of this world's time not to destroy, but after their- their deaths... I decided not to..."

Athansia's breathing hitched as an image of a man glaring at her with bloodlust as he hovered over her.

"I want to show Claude what it's like to have his child getting tortured in front of him feels like..." The man grinned.

"AGH!!" Athanasia rolled down from her bed, clawing her head in pain. "STOP IT!! IT HURTS!!" She cried.

No one even touched her but she felt pa8n all over her body.

"This is your punishment. This is your loop."

What loop? Athanasia thought as she fight through the pain. Mine?

"Remember the past Athanasia."

The pain suddenly disappeared, Athanasia flinched. Some strands of her hair fell from her head, slowly she look up to see the sky lit up with the brightness of the moon.

Her jeweled blue eyes reflected the moon as if she was communicating with someone up there.

A magic circle suddenly appeared beneath her, shining brightly in the darkness.

Ah... I know this... but I don't remember...

"R-Restar..." Before she could even say the full word, she fainted. The magic circle immediately disappeared.

Her body suddenly floated back to her bed, tucking her in her blanket.

"Poor mortal... she has to go through this loop..."

The fatigue soon disappeared from her face, her lips then curved up into a soft smile as if she didn't just have a nightmare.

" end is near."

-

Another short but interesting chapie

we're closing to the truth~