Chapter 1434 Stuck In A Loop Author's Note: Unedited Chapter ---------------- While it was difficult to tell locations apart in space since the expansion of its reaches was beyond imaginable, there were subtle noticeable hints in the surroundings. Even Ria could spot an orbital body he had seen in the past, much more Gustav who never forgot anything or any view. "What exactly is going on?" Ria voiced as an ominous feeling spread through the spacecraft. "We just got set back by five days," Gustav answered sounding perplexed. "What do you mean set back by five days?" Ria questioned looking baffled. "I don't completely understand what you mean as well Gus... if you're saying what I think you're saying... it shouldn't be possible," Aildris analyzed with a disturbed look. "Look at the time on the ship," Gustav pointed at a corner that displayed a calendar. The concept of time was difficult and elusive to understand especially when one was traveling through space but the calendar and time display within the spacecraft had been finetuned to mirror that of Earth. Before the hyperjump, the time displayed was < 03: 25 > and after the jump, it changed to < 17: 01 >. The calendar was also five days backward explaining how Gustav got to the conclusion that they had experienced a set back. "So we went back to the past? When we just got through the dead man zone?" Aildris's voice tinged with apprehension. "That's the only explanation but I don't understand how this happened," Gustav responded from up ahead. "It has to be the faceless one... it must have used one of its freakish abilities to do this to us," Ria voiced in horror. "It shouldn't be able to send us five days back... that sort of time-related ability is unheard of and the fact that we lost it, what does it gain from..." Gustav's eyes suddenly widened. "Since we got setback by five days, it also means we will bump into the faceless one again," Gustav came to a sudden realization. He turned the spacecraft west to continue their journey in another direction. "That is not the way, is it?" Ria questioned. "We don't have a choice. For all we know, if we had continued on the same route, we would have bumped into the faceless one again and who knows what it might have done differently this time to get us. What if memories from the original timeline stay in its head, it probably won't make the same mistakes as last time," Gustav wasn't willing to risk it. Taking a different route would double the distance of their journey but he felt it was a better option. .... In the cold, silent expanse of space, a spacecraft, sleek and angular with a distinctive pentagon shape, glided through the star-speckled darkness. Suddenly, the void itself seemed to pulse, a ripple in the fabric of space and time, heralding the arrival of an extraordinary entity. From the void, the being with the Crimson hair emerged, its appearance was as sudden as a starburst. The mane of vivid, tree-like hair billowed and flowed around it, casting eerie shadows and reflections off the metallic surfaces of the spacecraft. For a moment, the universe held its breath as two vastly different forms of existence confronted each other in the silent vacuum. "He found us again?!" "How is he here?!" "I don't know, we passed a different route!" The appearance of the faceless one brought shock to their faces. The spacecraft's sensors flared to life while alarms blared within the cockpit as Gustav pushed the engine to power at full throttle. The spacecraft leaped forward as it attempted to escape the incomprehensible being before it. The faceless one followed right after without so much as a millisecond's delay. A chase ensued, a spectacle of light and motion. The spacecraft zig-zagged through space, utilizing every maneuver in its arsenal, pushing its engines beyond their limits. It darted past asteroids and weaved through debris fields on its path in a desperate attempt to shake off the relentless pursuit. The faceless one gave chase with an eerie grace, moving through space as if it were but another medium like water or air. It closed the distance between them with ease, unaffected by the physical barriers that impeded the spacecraft. For a moment, it seemed as though the being would overtake the fleeing vessel, its outstretched tendrils of hair almost brushed against the ship's hull. But Gustav refused to let things end that way. Utilizing a risky slingshot maneuver around a nearby gravitational well, they manage to exponentially increase their velocity, propelling the spacecraft forward with a burst of speed that strained every rivet and panel. Gustav also activated a cannon blast that rippled through space and exploded right before the faceless one. The faceless one, caught off guard by the sudden acceleration and the clever use of celestial mechanics, slowed its pursuit. For a moment, it hovered in space, its crimson hair swirled around it as it contemplated the spacecraft's escape. With an inscrutable gaze, it watched as the pentagon-shaped vessel turned into a needle that streaked into the distance. The spacecraft finally managed to elude its extraordinary pursuer. The faceless one floated in space silently for a while. Just when it was about to move, something attracted its attention. Drawing a small line with its fingertips that ripped through space like a zipper, the faceless one put its hand through the rip. It then pulled out a small device and created an air bubble around it. "Have you caught the fugitive?" A voice came from the device. "Skurrn veto wali dli~" The faceless one responded in an unknown tongue that immediately got translated through the device. -"What a terrible excuse. You said you could control what fruits your tree bears to give you a desirable ability to help capture him and I provided you with the means to keep bearing the same fruit constantly... Yet you disappoint me!" "Exliro miv efco intu leqw sxroti..." "Get him if you want to know how to bring new offspring. I have the answer, but if you don't stick to your end of the bargain, you're never getting it!" At that moment, the voice from the device vanished, leaving the faceless one alone within the bubble. A strand of Crimson hair that looked a bit similar to his appeared before him. The strand glowed brightly and the faceless one started moving strangely. .... .... .... -Ten Days Later- "What are we going to do? He keeps finding us," Ria questioned looking tired. "We've been at this for another ten days and every time, we end up at the same location and time as before," Aildris mumbled in contemplation. "Five days set back... it never goes beyond five days before we are returned to that point in space beyond the dead man zone," Endric was just as troubled as well. "That's because we're not necessarily time traveling. I understand what it is now," Gustav stated. They all stared at him waiting for him to spill even though Endric already had an idea of what he was going to say. "It's a loop," Gustav revealed. "We're stuck in a time loop?" Aildris's eyes widened in realization. "That is so cool..." Ria voiced in excitement but soon noticed them shooting weird gazes at him. "If only we were under better circumstances and we weren't getting chased by one of the strongest beings in the universe..." He added with a small cough. "How did this even happen?" Aildris inquired quietly. "We must have walked right into it the moment we got out of the dead man zone," Gustav pointed out firmly. "He was waiting for us... I guess the faceless one must have set it up then and we had no idea," Aildris shook his head in disbelief. "What we should be concerned about now is getting out of it so our course of time can continue undisturbed," Endric stated. "I can only think of two plausible options... we find the focal point and see if we can undo it or we face the faceless one," Gustav listed out. "Facing the faceless one shouldn't be an option unless we know how to beat him," Aildris shook his head. 'I can only think of one way of beating him and it would be unwise of me to do that since the alliance could track me with it...' Gustav decided to put the thought of facing the faceless one to the back of his mind. "So we find the focal point then?" Ria inquired. "It is easier said than done... There is also no guarantee that we will be able to undo it after finding the focal point," Gustav responded in uncertainty. 𝒇𝙧𝙚𝓮𝙬𝙚𝓫𝒏𝓸𝓿𝓮𝒍.𝓬𝙤𝓶 "But it is a better option than facing you know who," Ria voiced. "I suppose it is," Gustav steered the spacecraft around at that moment. Endric's forehead emitted a green glow as they traveled towards where it all began. "You'll have to stop when we reach the region after the dead man zone. I want to try something," Endric stated.