Jackal Among Snakes

As they neared the distant city which Argrave was content calling Sandelabara, the looping effect became all the clearer. The whole world around them seemed to be a malfunctioning tape, lasting for no more than the five seconds it had been allotted. They were constantly frightening people with their sudden appearance, yet it never really mattered enough for anything to happen.

Argrave heard the beginning to the same sentence half a thousand times, or the distant call of a bird greeting another rising in the sky. He saw windmills grinding the same bit of grain countless times. He saw a man drawing from a well again and again, pulling up the rope to retrieve water. He saw a child carrying a burlap sack of various items trip and slam his face against the paved street again and again. Argrave passed through with a deep sense of unease—unease that seemed to be shared by most of his company—as they followed the Alchemist, who used his vial of Gerechtigkeit’s power as a compass.

“Mastery over time itself… I can scarcely think of a power more alarming.” Master Castro travelled along with them, his eyes wandering the area.

“I took interest in magic that affects time,” Onychinusa commented, tone tense. “But I reached a dead end. Erlebnis’ archives had no knowledge of such a thing. Divinity, however, can have some effect on the flow of time. Law has demonstrated some small mastery over the sphere… and in the distant past, an ancient god governed time. He was powerful enough that several gods cooperated to end him, consume him. In the end, all of his powers merely prolonged his death to seventy years of agony.”

Argrave nodded. “But that’s slowing or speeding time up, right? Nothing can truly suspend time, nor… loop it like this.” He spotted a sign above a store, and felt a chill as he read the words, ‘Sandelabara General.’ The location, then, was confirmed.

“It’s clear there’s one exception.” Melanie looked around.

Orion’s steely gray eyes wandered the cityscape from on high. “I’ve been searching for any deviation, any exception… but all I see are trapped. Blissfully trapped, looping into themselves totally ignorant of their condition.”

“I caution us against making assumptions,” Anneliese cut in. “We cannot know if this place is constantly recreating itself anew, if time is rewinding, or if we face an illusion on such a grand scale that even our significant protection cannot ward from it. After all, we are currently excepted from this bizarre happening.”

“As far as we’re aware,” Castro agreed.

his advance and looked back. “It would be best if you ceased speculation altogether.” A hand emerged atop his head, and pointed firmly toward a distant

their destination was highlighted amidst this impossible scenario. It felt like, at any moment, Argrave would find himself looped in a task for all eternity, brought under the thrall of whatever malignance had ensnared this city. Were these people aware of what was happening? Would he be, if

come far too deep into this eternal city to turn back now. The Alchemist led their now-silent charge, heading for the castle. It was a steep gray structure, blocky and crudely effective as a fortification. It was shaped as a square and had another square-shaped keep inside it. The outer wall possessed four towers on its corners, but the guards within were not free of the influence of this trap in time

source of Gerechtigkeit’s resonance. They passed through the reception hall decorated with decadent velvet, then passed through

again and again, trapped in this loop. He declared this as he pushed open the double doors to the banquet hall and entered, panic in his voice,

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yet only two places were occupied. At the head of the table, there was a black-haired man with deep red eyes wearing black velvet. Considering he lifted his head every time his name was called, Argrave presumed him to be King Norman. And just beside him, kicking her legs daintily as she sat on her hands, was a young girl

The Alchemist looked genuinely shocked, and grasped at the energy as it escaped. It was a futile thing, though—Gerechtigkeit’s energy soared through the air, heading for the

with expectation and alarm, yet the energy

broken,” the Alchemist shook his head, watching the scene with some

on,” Argrave entered deeper into the banquet hall, watching the scene. “The

to Argrave’s surprise. When he looked over at her, he could see the tension of her face. “I… I’m starting to make sense of what I see. This isn’t a trap. This is… this is something to preserve her, to contain her. And all of what we see, all

like porcelain. She caught sight of Argrave in one of her loops and looked up at him. He expected something monstrous within those eyes, but all he saw was exactly

Anneliese. “But what is she? Why would she

grasped at words for a few seconds, and everyone, even the Alchemist, awaited her answer. “She is one half of an

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