Nexus Re : Time

Chapter 55 : Loop 17

This chapter is insanely long. I am sorry if it's too heavy. Please let me know, should I keep it in one single chapter or should I break it in two.

Give me your opinion valued readers.
Enjoy

Nexus Re:Time — Chapter 55: Loop 17 (Kael’s Sin)

Scene I — The Hesitation

A low circle of runes glowed at the center of the ancient hall, carving flickering shadows into the vaulted stone. The altar stood ready – a crystalline dais webbed with cracks – humming with an insistent thirst. Stella stepped forward toward it, pale and resolute, but not far enough. She stopped just short of the central sigil, trembling in the eerie blue light. One more step and the ritual would claim her. One more step that Kael alone could force.

Kael’s heart thundered as he hovered behind Stella, one hand half-raised at her back. He knew what the altar demanded; they all did. It wanted Stella – a life to appease the loop’s law. The blood in Kael’s ears was a roar as he warred with himself. If he just... pushed her, this would end. The others – Yuna, Minji, Hiko, Ara – they’d all be safe.

His gaze darted around at his friends. Yuna’s foxfire-lit eyes were wet with dread, her fingers twisted in the ribbon of her idol uniform. Minji gripped the hilt of her broken blade so tightly her knuckles were bone white, lips moving soundlessly between a prayer and a curse. Little Hiko clung to Ara’s side, the boy’s shoulders shaking, while Ara’s foxes circled her ankles with soft whines – two spectral fox-forms, noses low, sensing the danger in the air. Every face was drawn in fear and disbelief at what was being asked of them.

Stella turned her head slightly, looking back over her shoulder. In her eyes was a desperate resolve – and hope. Hope that maybe there was another way. Kael met her gaze. Don’t, she mouthed silently. A tear glistened on her cheek in the altar’s glow. Kael felt something break in his chest. He couldn’t do it. He did not push her.

Scene II — Stillness Before the Storm

Stella stepped back from the sigil, and Kael’s hand fell to his side. The glowing runes on the floor sputtered uncertainly, as if confused. For a single heartbeat, nothing happened. The chamber fell deathly silent, save for the drip of condensation from the ruined rafters above. The world held its breath with them.

They waited… one second, two, ten. No lightning strike of judgment, no sudden collapse of reality. Kael dared to exhale. Perhaps mercy had cheated math. Perhaps the loop would forget to collect its due. In that fragile stillness, hope tiptoed in. Yuna let out a shaky laugh of relief that sounded more like a sob. Ara knelt to hush her restless foxes, running trembling fingers through their silvered fur. Minji closed her eyes, a half-whispered “thank God” on her lips.

Kael forced a smile he did not feel, trying to steady his breathing. He reached out and squeezed Stella’s shoulder. “It’s alright,” he managed, voice barely above a whisper. Stella’s hand found his and squeezed back. He could feel her shaking. Behind them, Hiko sniffled, wiping his nose on his sleeve, not understanding exactly what almost happened, only that a dread moment had passed. In the hush, Kael realized his own palm was slick with sweat against Stella’s cloak. Still, nothing moved. Stillness hung in the air like an uneasy truce.

But too much stillness is its own warning. With each passing second of quiet, Kael’s stomach sank further. This silence wasn’t relief; it was the gathering of a storm. Something was wrong – profoundly wrong. He caught Ara glancing into the dark corners of the hall, her foxes’ ears perked and throats rumbling with a low, uneasy growl. Yuna’s foxfire eyes narrowed as she scanned the shadows beyond the fractured columns. The hair on the back of Kael’s neck prickled. It felt like unseen eyes were watching from the blackness above. Waiting.