The first breath after reset tasted like iron and frost.

  My fingers twitched against cold stone as the world reassembled itself. The pocket watch in my palm ticked steadily, its hands frozen at 11:59—just as they always were after a reset. Across the city, my frozen corpse still lay in the chapel ruins, Darien's glacial fury preserved in perfect stillness.

  **[Kael, Internal Monologue]** *Test complete. Tower Master defensive capabilities exceed projections by 27%.*

  I snapped the watch shut, the sound echoing through the empty clocktower. This death had served its purpose—Darien's hidden sigils, his reaction time, the way his ice had bypassed all my defenses—precious data for future loops.

  **[Kael, Internal Monologue]** *Now for phase two.*

  ---

  **Market District – New Approach**

  The scent of roasting chestnuts and sewage filled the air as I moved through the midnight crowds. This time, I took a different path—avoiding the chapel entirely, bypassing all my usual preparations.

  **[Kael, Internal Monologue]** *If direct confrontation fails... then indirect pressure.*

  Find this and other great novels on the author's preferred platform. Support original creators!

  My target: the Count's illegitimate daughter, a minor player I'd ignored in previous loops. A perfect lever to destabilize the Tower Masters' delicate balance without—

  The knife entered between my third and fourth ribs.

  **[Kael, Internal Monologue]** *...What?*

  I looked down. The blade pulsed with an eerie violet light, its edge vibrating at a frequency that made my teeth ache.

  **[Unknown Assassin]** "The Garden sends its regards."

  A woman's voice, melodic and cold. Before I could turn, the knife twisted—and my world dissolved into agony.

  ---

  **First Death – The Poison**

  Every nerve ending set ablaze as the toxin spread. My vision fractured into prismatic shards, each color carrying its own unique torment. The assassin watched with clinical interest as I convulsed on the cobblestones, her masked face reflecting in the puddle of my own vomit.

  **[Unknown Assassin]** "Interesting reaction time." She crouched beside me. "You lasted three seconds longer than the others."

  Her boot came down on my wrist, the bone shattering with a wet crunch.

  Darkness.

  ---

  **Second Death – The Flaying**

  I barely made it ten steps from the glorious tower this time.

  The wire caught me at ankle level, slicing through tendon and bone before I registered its presence. As I fell, three more strands materialized—at wrist, throat, and waist height.

  **[Kael, Internal Monologue]** *Monofilament...?*

  The pain came delayed—a perfect cross-section of my body sliding apart with surgical precision. I had just enough time to see my own legs topple backward before—

  ---

  **Third Death – The Unknown**

  This time I just step out from the front door of glorious tower.

  The glorious tower's shadows *twisted*. Something with too many joints and teeth poured from the darkness, its form defying comprehension. The last thing I saw was my own reflection in its glass-like eyes—

  —before it began *eating*.

  ---

  **Glorious tower – Final Reset**

  The pocket watch fell from my trembling fingers.

  **[Kael, Internal Monologue]** *New variables detected. Unknown faction: "The Garden". Threat level: catastrophic.*

  My usual smirk felt brittle now. For the first time in countless loops, something—some*ones*—existed outside my calculations.

  **[Kael, Internal Monologue]** *They're hunting me. Specifically.*

  The watch hands began moving forward.

  **[Kael]** "Well then..." I straightened my cuffs with forced calm. "Let's see how they like being the experimented upon."

  ---