The world was quiet.
No wind. No sound. No color. Just white.
Harvie opened his eyes and found himself floating in a place that didn't feel real. The ground was like cracked glass, and the sky was made of frozen time. He looked down at his hands—burn marks glowed with symbols he didn't understand.
"What… is this place?" he whispered.
His voice didn't echo. It just disappeared.
Then, a voice replied.
> "You finally arrived, Harvie."
It wasn't the System. It wasn't a monster. It wasn't even human.
A giant figure rose from the broken sky. It looked like a god made of fire and ash, with chains around its neck and eyes that burned like dying stars.
> "I am the Buried God. And you are the thief who took my time."
Harvie stepped back. His body ached. His soul felt heavy. He could feel all his rewinds pressing down on him. The Buried God stared at him with anger—and sadness.
> "Each time you rewound, you burned a piece of me. Each second you lived again, I died again. My memories… my world… my name… all erased for your second chances."
Harvie shook his head. "I didn't know. I didn't mean to hurt anyone."
> "Intentions don't matter. Only results."
The God raised one hand. Flames bloomed from its palm. But it didn't attack.
> "I offer you a deal."
The air grew colder. Time slowed.
> "Erase your name. Erase your memories. Erase Edna. In return, I'll give you full control of the timeline. No more pain. No more loss. You will become the Master of Time."
Harvie froze.
Forget Edna?
Forget the girl who smiled even when everything was falling apart? Forget the warmth of her flame, the comfort of her presence, the only thing that made this cruel world feel real?
Harvie clenched his fists. "No."
> "You'll die without this power."
"I'd rather die than forget the people I love."
The Buried God's flames flared. But they didn't burn Harvie.
Instead, the God let out a soft sound—a laugh, full of pain.
> "Then suffer. Until the end."
The world shook. Cracks ran across the sky. Time screamed.
Harvie felt his body being pulled back. Back to the world of the living. But he didn't return whole.
When he woke up, Edna was holding him.
His body shook. His skin burned. Strange marks glowed across his chest and arms—god-sigil burns that wouldn't fade.
Edna touched his cheek. "Harvie… what happened to you?"
He looked at her, tired but sure.
"I met the Buried God."
Her eyes widened. "And?"
Harvie gave a small, sad smile.
"I said no."
Tears filled Edna's eyes. She hugged him tightly.
The world outside was still broken.
Lucan was still hunting.
The timeline was still bleeding.
But for now… Harvie had made his choice.
As he closed his eyes beside Edna, he whispered:
> "I don't know how much longer I can fight this."
But he would try.
He would try until the end.