"Did you finally wake up, you bastard?"

What is happening?

I asked quietly in my mind because honestly, what else was I even supposed to do in a situation like this?

Faint memories of thirteen repetitions of the same night, same actions and the same outcome flooded my mind, everything ending the same way with sky cracking and me dying. The only difference… was the last loop where that blind boy Winter had appeared somehow and woke me up.

But who was he really?

Before I could dig any deeper, Ra's voice echoed inside me again sharply. Just from the irritated tone, I could understand how unmistakably angry he was.

"You're being harvested by that Eldritch fucker inside the Divine Treasury."

The sheer venom in his tone told me one thing clearly. Whatever this was, it was bad.

'What the—? When did the Treasury descend and when did I even enter it?' I pressed, unable to hold back my curiosity.

Ra clicked his tongue. "Fucker, I will explain everything but for now, do exactly what you did last time and don't zone out."

His voice dropped, sharp and serious.

"The moment you do anything different from the previous loops, that bastard will notice, shatter this whole setup, and send us straight back to the beginning and who knows if you would even remember anything this time."

I sighed and moved my body on autopilot, repeating actions I had already performed thirteen times before.

But I didn't stop talking to Ra because my mind felt weird… and awfully a lot dumber than normal as if something had pulled all my logic from me but I could feel it recovering slowly now as if some invisible string on my body were cut off.

So, I asked internally, care to tell me what exactly happened?

The same events were happening around me without a single change. Noah gawking at Viola and Arthur looking at Sylvie.

Ra's voice echoed in my head.

"Do you seriously not remember anything? The attack at DD's Wonders? The elves? And finally, the Treasury descending far earlier than it was supposed to?"

Bastard, if I remembered any of that, would I bother asking you?

I snapped at him and it wasn't even an act as I genuinely couldn't recall a single thing he had mentioned.

Even as I spoke with Ra in mind, I didn't forget to say my dialogue.

"Hey, Viola," I called out impatiently. "Where are Arza and Sera?"

Viola's reply came just like before with the same hesitation and same expression.

"That, uh… well, Sera is helping the princess get ready," she muttered. Then, after a brief pause she added, "I will go check on them."

As I waited for them to come back out, Ra began explaining what he knew.

"You were inside DD's Wonders when a group of humans attacked." He said smoothly. "Their goal was to capture you all and sell you to the elves."

His tone was disturbingly calm.

"They were strong and because the attack came without warning and there were a few A-Rankers, your group couldn't respond properly. You resisted but it wasn't enough and all of you were captured."

I clenched my jaw.

"But before the elves could even celebrate their success," Ra continued, "the Treasury descended suddenly and far earlier than it ever should have."

My eyes widened instinctively but I controlled it immediately, forcing my expression back into place.

I never thought that chasing a little money and some gambling thrills would put my life on the line like this but in my defense, how was I supposed to know something like that would happen?

DD's Wonders had always been a reputable business at least for its customers.

Seems I trusted that novel far too blindly.

…Fuck.

After listening to Ra , I finally recalled faint memories of that night but still there was one thing I couldn't wrap my head around because my memories stopped right at the moment I was knocked unconscious by the elves.

'But how the hell was I pulled into the Treasury?' I asked internally. 'Wasn't the requirement to enter at least D-Rank?'

Ra was silent for a moment before replying.

"I don't know that either." He admitted. "In the end, I am just a part of you. I only remember the other details because I was inside the domain and my memory is unaffected by those parasites sucking on you."

His tone darkened slightly.

"But why were you dragged in… that's a mystery even to me."

Then he added calmly.

"I do remember one thing, though."

My focus sharpened instantly.

"Your body was glowing strangely when the Treasury began descending, wrapped in all that divine glory."

…Yeah, that didn't sound reassuring at all.

Before I could ask anything else, Viola stepped out of the room with Arza and Seraphina right behind her. They wore the same dress and just like before, coming out was umbra Seraphina instead of normal one.

Right on cue, the white-haired intruder appeared as well.

Alya walked toward us casually as if she had merely stumbled upon the group by accident.

"Where are you all going without me?" she asked calmly, before adding, "Don't tell me, you are heading to the banquet too?"

"Yes, senior." I put on the same polite smile I had worn in the previous loops. "Would you like to join us?"

She nodded and accepted just like before but as my gaze lingered on her, I noticed something off. Her dress which had been white in all previous loops had changed colour.

It was red now.

Why did it change?

I didn't know the reason but I knew one thing, this wasn't a good sign and Ra confined my doubts almost immediately.

"Your soul is getting sucked out faster now." He muttered in my mind. "Did the mothers of those monsters forget to breastfeed them or something because why else would they be sucking so hard?"

He even tried to crack a joke to lighten the mood but like hell that was going to work. So I ignored it and asked the only thing that truly mattered.

'How the hell is this magic affecting me? The Card of Arcana made me immune to all forms of mental intrusion and erosion. So why is it working on me?'

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