The forest is strange. Especially because of the awful odor the murky swamp water gives off. Neo takes a moment to not retch before holding her head up high and gliding past the stone table and owl statue. Music notes don't concern her, especially when she can't read the letters on them.

Neo almost stabs the racist tree-person shop owner, but who knows who's around to hear him scream. Or even if trees can die.

The man at the information desk is tall. Neo never feels short, but she knows when to pick her battles. Still, with how he's muttering about his son – pretending to be a fairy? Just… no – and living in the middle of nowhere, he's likely an easy target too. Just got to deal with the tree-person outside.

Then he talks about pictographs and Neo is like, what?

"Huh? Is this your first time entering the pictograph contest? Well, the Swamp Tour Center is currently holding a pictograph contest. It's open to all ages, from children to adults. For nice pictographs taken in the swamp, a free boat cruise will be awarded as a special prize."

It all sounds nice, but realistically her goal isn't going to be found so easily. Still, a nice tour of the swamp – where Neo isn't the paddler – will narrow down areas to look for answers. Of course, it isn't so easy, what with the free prize being awarded after the requirement of already taking the tour. The boat cruise manager isn't even there.

Neo's grin takes on a scary point, frightening the receptionist as she leaves. Even the tree-person wouldn't fully leave the flower as her heels click and umbrella point drags against the wood. She is emotionally exhausted and does not have time for this.

The so-called magic hags learn this very quickly, what with the fetch quest she gets lost in the forest doing.

"Okay, okay!" the blue stoned hag cries, shaking behind her counter. "We'll do anything, just let my sister go so I can heal her!"

Neo tosses the red stoned twin over.

"Ugh, some hero you are," red-stone grumbles between sips of her sister's energy drink. "I guess you helped me from Skull Kid. I'm not grateful for it."

Umbrella point cuts into the wooden flooring like butter. The twins gulp as the dolon comes out.

Neo grins.

"I can offer a boat tour!" Neo pauses, dropping the handle back into place. The sisters breathe a sigh of relief, red stone hurrying on, "I'm the tour guide for boat tours. All I can offer you is a free tour- unlimited free tours."

The young woman takes her umbrella out of the floorboards.

"Go ask the tour guide for one," red stone continues while her sister quivers. "I'll be sure to tell him you already paid."

Neo politely waves on her way out. Maybe – just maybe – this little hunt of hers won't go so poorly after all. She even gets handed a pictograph box – it's such an old-looking camera that the young woman full-body twitches – to participate in the contest. It's such a nice boat ride, too. Red stone lady gets murderous enough to ram through a giant octopus. Neo wholeheartedly approves of this woman, even if she whined the whole time she was carried to her sister.

The smell in the air somehow gets worse, the waters turn purple. A couple monkeys corner them at the docks, badgering for someone to go look for their brother inside the Deku-only palace behind them. First off, what's a deku? Secondly, how are monkeys talking when they aren't Faunus? And finally, Neo turns to look at red stone but the hag is already gliding her boat away with a shout of, "Not my problem, hero!"

It's a good thing time can reset. Neo isn't above murdering past-loop annoyances. Now, time to go with the only lead.

The only human follows the animals in. She carefully skips across the floating wooden platforms, umbrella out to catch wind and keep her light and sashaying forward. The odor has burned away her sense of smell. Then, at the entrance, two tree-people appear from leaves and prevent them from entering. The monkeys scatter, Neo is very unimpressed by the Deku-only rule. At least one question has been answered, tree-people are an actual race. Almost certainly an Atlas science experiment gone wrong and left to breed.

Neo shows her appreciation with an umbrella upside their heads. Suffice to say, these delicate people are no match to high heels and baseball bat swings.

They are vaguely adorable, what with thinking they're a match for someone of Neo's stature.

"What are you doing?!" cries the… king? Neo's not to sure if this guy is a political leader or religions one, what with the nakedness and shaking. Oh well, she's not here for whatever this is. "Guards! Guards! Someone stop her!"

"You're not going to kill me, are you?" squeaks the monkey she doesn't so much as untie as she rips the pole from the ground and begins carrying out. Neo rolls her eyes. No one bothers them, mostly because those who don't have headwounds are scared of breathing the same air as her.

Now what? Neo blinks as the monkeys reunite in front of the palace. Hopefully it isn't a waste of a loop; she doesn't want to have to side with the saturnalia group next time.

"We need to save the princess!" cries the monkey she saved.

Oh no, Neo realizes with dawning horror, I've fallen into a fairy-tale.

That, or she's dead and this is her punishment. The fictional story would make a lot more sense though, even if how she got here is a mystery. The stupid floating giant might have been right, this could really not be Remnant. It might even be… an isekai. Then magic would be possible.

Neo wants to stab things again. If it is an isekai, then she can get away with it with main character powers.

Right, the pirates-

;;;

The monkey summons a temple from the swamp water using music. This, unfortunately, places a tally in the magic-is-real column. Exhausted from jumping around using aura just to get here, Neo takes five and waves the monkeys on ahead. She replays and hums the song over and over, this way she won't have to rescue the animal again to access the temple. Because she might have magic if the giant was truthful and wasn't part of the hallucination. It is disappointing she can't cast any spells. Holding out a hand does not summon a fireball. Seems like this is going to be good old-fashion hard work.

Ugh.

The sun is setting by the time she gets enough power to jump across the gap. There is a green fairy hovering about the entrance just out of reach, and the insides threaten more jumping. Neo sits down for a nap. At least it's warm and not horribly offending to the nose in here.

The honest truth is that she doesn't make it far on day three. There is no motivation to actually do this temple with the loop so close to resetting. Neo is tired, emotionally drained from her anger and frustration, and has barely slept a couple hours. The monkeys have pretty much disappeared. The loneliness isn't as much trouble as the exhaustion and constant smell of poison in the air.

Neo isn't sure when the world ends, but she can feel the shaking. The walls do not crumble, and the last thing she remembers is getting bucked into the air.

;;;

Neo drops.

Morning of the First Day: 78 Hours Remaining

Revitalized, she starts the run to the temple.

;;;

It takes a bit too long to remember that the goal is to find a princess. As in, only remembering after cutting down someone several times her size who wields a sword just as big. Oh, and the thing summoned spiders because this day just couldn't get any better.

Neopolitan is pissed and not being sleep deprived means the temple reflects that with holes and scratches in every room. Her semblance is very useful with every fight. The thing has large aura pools, but everything bleeds eventually.

Only, after it bleeds out nothing happens. This is the last room in the temple, and nothing changes.

Neo leaves as nighttime begins, having found no secret passage or hidden room. What a waste of time.

;;;

Dawn of the Second Day: 48 Hours Remaining

The young woman puts her bare foot on the edge of the water, staunchly ignoring the seagulls hovering around the fish-guy a dozen feet away. She shifts her weight and-

-sinks under the ripples.

Neo sighs and tries again. And again. And again.

She has time, but ugh this is boring. Unfortunately, she knows from the pirate's report that a boat sent out into the hurricane killed their people. Paddling herself out is a no-go. This is probably a stupid idea too, but at least learning to walk on water is a skill she can use for the rest of her life. Some people can use their semblance for it, others must master the finer uses of their aura.

Neo has time. A lot of it, if this keeps going. It is very likely she won't get a foot staying on water this loop, or whenever she decides to practice next. It's rare for anyone to master their aura so well they can do feats like this.

Her foot falls in. Neo doesn't get frustrated. She's not looking for results, only a starting point. There are at least another three locations to scout for a way home. She misses Roman.

Water floods around her foot. Sand sticks to it. Next loop she'll go for the area between the swamp and ocean. Or maybe see if Giant Lady has anything to say.

Why did it have to be a fantasy land? Where are the Grimm?

Take down Cinder's group, or hunt down Ruby?

Neo's foot falls into the water. This time, it comes out dry. The woman grins.

;;;

Night of the Second Day: 36 Hours Remaining

Using her semblance, Neo walks around the hideout like she's a pirate. She steals their bedding because she can. She steals the egg in their central room because she can too. It's not like she's growing emotionally attached to it. No, this is just for fun.

After the first rough day and boring second, this is a lot of fun.

Neo grins at the moon, thinking you don't scare me.

Unsettled doesn't mean fear, after all.

;;;

Night of the Final Day: 12 Hours Remaining

Neo puts her foot on the rippling beach water. She leans forward for ten percent of her weight. Twenty. Thirty. Forty-

-her foot sinks under the water. It comes out dry.

Neo smiles. Finally.


A/N: Thanks for reading! A really big thank you to Battlesny, Olddantrucker, and Kyle for reviewing! The support means a lot.

I hope everyone has an awesome day