[Volume 1 - Chapter 1]

[To Wound Back The Clock Of Time]

Subaru stumbled forward, his heart pounding in his chest as he made his way towards the witch known as Pandora. She was said to be the most vain and prideful of all witches which was saying something. He had been warned by Dona not to approach her. But Subaru was nothing if not stubborn, and he refused to be intimidated by a mere witch.

It was the final battle. The Witch of Vainglory stood a few paces away. To others it was the final battle but for Subaru Natsuki it was the first in the line of many that were yet to come.

Just like before, he convinced his friends to let him go talk to her. Emilia resisted at first but seeing Subaru's firm gaze, she let him do as he wished. Afterall, Her knight was her hero, her friend but most of all he was her love. Surely he would just make a foolproof plan and they would become victorious as they had been before.

Subaru looked away from his friends and turned his face in the opposite direction. "One hundred and ninety seven. If it was the old me i would have lost my mind at this many reiterations."

As he made his way towards the witch, he shouted. "Still what about another one. And the one after that."

He was suddenly struck by a fierce blow that sent him flying backwards. He hit the ground with a sickening thud, his body writhing in pain. He groaned but unlike his body, it was annoyance that made him groan.

"C'mon! My jokes are a little funny. It wouldn't kill you to laugh a little."

Struggling to his feet, only to be struck down again and again. No matter how many times he tried, he simply couldn't defeat Pandora.

It wasn't just Subaru that was suffering, either. His friends were all falling, one by one, in gruesome yet creative ways. He had seen some truly sickening sights, and he couldn't help but wonder why he was even bothering to continue.

One by one he heard warcries of his friends for the last time. At least in this world.

[Al Shamak] was the last word he heard before utter silence reigned supreme once again.

Just as it did in the previous cycles.

As he lay there on the ground, groaning in pain, he couldn't help but crack a smile. "Well," he said, with a snarky grin, "it looks like I've been knocked down more times than a blind witch's broomstick."

With that, he picked himself up and continued his efforts, determined to bring Pandora down, no matter how many times he had to die to do it.

As Subaru continued to push forward, he found himself falling again and again. In each cycle, Pandora would appear, taunting him with her insults and jeers. She called him a disgusting monster, and laughed as she played with the lives of his loved ones.

Despite his repeated failures, Subaru refused to give up. He was determined to save his friends and put an end to Pandora's existence. But no matter what he tried, he simply couldn't win. He was always met with defeat, always struck down by her powerful magic. No... It was not magic. It was something else.

With each loss, Subaru grew more and more frustrated. He felt like a broken record, repeating the same cycle of death and defeat over and over again. He was sickened by the way Pandora toyed with him, and the thought of losing his friends was almost too much to bear.

Still, he refused to give up. He kept fighting, even as Pandora's taunts grew more and more cruel. But every time he thought he was getting close, he was struck down once again. It seemed like there was no hope for him, no way for him to win.

And yet, even in the face of defeat, Subaru never gave up. He kept pushing forward, driven by his desire to protect those he loved. He may never win, but he would always keep fighting, no matter what Pandora said or did.

Subaru did not knew for how long he had been fighting. It did not matter for time was only a suggestion to him anyways.

He just held onto the slivers of hope in his heart and pushed his feet against the ground. Before he could move forward, Pandora waved her hand. This resulted in him getting shredded to fibers. Once again the world went dark for this unsung hero.

'Natsuki Subaru! Ah! Such a sickening being. To have controlled fate for so long. Such CoNtRoL. SUCH POWER. To use without remorse. What a monster you are.' Exclaimed the platinum haired girl with a hint of mangled love.

If there was someone was left alive, they would question such a strange sight. A man of considerable stature and a small girl duking it out on a plain field. Someone with common sense would think that the girl is in danger but such a thought couldn't be further from the truth.

On one side there is a defenseless girl and on the other is a black haired man who seemed to be erratically moving. Yet his movements were not erratic. If one were to look closely at the place he was standing just a moment ago, they would see ground turned to cracks through sheer force.

It was a battle fought not with instinct but with experience.

Everytime the man seemed to be making an amateur mistake, he would dodge and cover up the distance between him and his enemy.

The man with the grin of a wild animal, covered distance even faster. Yet the girl was not worried. Just intrigued.

The man was in reach of her now. Still it was impossible for him to hurt her. Afterall she had not seen such a thing in any possible future.

'THUD!!!'

The man, exerted such force that would have easily killed any normal girl. Instead the girl took the brunt of his attack without flinching. This resulted in an unnatural bent in her neck.

She rubbed her neck, a pouty expression on her face. "That was mean," she said in a childish voice. "It's not nice to hurt a lady as cute as me."

But the boy was not affected in the slightest. "Oh, please," he snorted. "You're about as cute as a certain bunnies that i am quite familiar with."

As he spoke, her wounds began to heal, her body mended itself in a macabre manner. The sight was unsettling, but he refused to let it intimidate him. And with a snap, her unnaturally twisted neck returned to its normal state.

"You know even i have lost the count of how many times you have done this. I don't know how are you doing this but know this that there is no way to win." The girl said as she tilted her head.

"Does it matter?" The boy asked, a haunting smile stretching across his face.

"You impudent-"

But before she could complete her sentence, the man in front of her erupted into light. Slowly the light went dimmer yet not a speck of the boy could be seen.

"Where has my toy gone to? " The girl used her powers to find the answers to this dilemma but to no avail. Her toy did not return this time.

Subaru suddenly felt a sharp pain in his head, and his body went rigid. He was surrounded by a bright light. He felt like he was being pulled in a million different directions at once.

Slowly the light faded. Or was it his eyes getting used to such brightness. He was not sure.

'Huh?... Where am I?' He looked around only to find a familiar sight. A sight he thought he would never have been able to see.

A pair of evil yet gentle looking eyes gazed at him.

He had found himself back in his mother's arms, a tiny newborn once again. He was confused and disoriented, struggling to make sense of what had just happened.

But as he lay there, surrounded by his loving family, he knew that this was his chance to start again. He would use his knowledge from his past life to plan for the future, to prepare himself for the battles that lay ahead.

He would train himself, honing his skills and his resolve. And when the time was right, he would return to Pandora, ready to take her down once and for all.

For now, though, he was content to simply rest, basking in the warmth and love of his family. He was back home, and he was ready to start anew.

He was ready.

Ready to start this life from zero.

No! He would go beyond zero.

Before it all begin.

AUTHOR'S NOTES:

Hello! Yes I am talking to you. The one behind the screen. Yeah I am talking about you. Stop smiling and listen. Join my discord and help me brainstorm ideas.

Weapon, abilities, scenes or really anything which will help me write the story.

If you can take a little of your time off and join my discord channel, I will really appreciate it.

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