The Loop Shop

The Thousandth Time

The sound of the door bell ringing cut through the air.

Julian stood frozen in the corner of the dusty pawnshop, watching the past repeat itself right in front of his eyes. His younger self kicked the heavy wooden door shut, shaking the rain off his jacket, and dropped the writhing canvas sack onto the counter.

You are late, Julian, Old Man Marrow said, his voice flat and tired.

Julian opened his mouth to shout a warning, but no sound came out. He tried to take a step forward, but his boots felt glued to the floorboards. He was stuck here as a ghost, forced to watch the nightmare start over again.

He had lived this exact moment thousands of times.

At first, he had tried to stop himself. In loop number four, he ran forward and told his younger self the truth about Maya. But the second he spoke, the room filled with white fire, time snapped like a dry twig, and he woke up right back at the door with the bell ringing. In loop number five hundred, he tried to kill Marrow before the shop exploded. That only made the floor open up early and swallow him whole into the dark void.

He could not change what happened. He could only watch.

The younger Julian traded the live tunnel crawler for the glowing glass bottle of medicine. Then, the front window shattered into a million sharp pieces. Commander Eleanor Vance stepped through the smoke, her dark grey coat swirling around her ankles. She delivered the exact same speech about Maya leading the Red Syndicate, word for exact word.

Julian closed his eyes, but that did not help. He could still hear every line echoing in his mind like a broken record.

She is not sick, Julian, Eleanor said to the younger version of him. Maya is not dying. She is the boss of the Red Syndicate.

The younger Julian yelled back in denial, his face twisted in shock and pain.

Julian turned away from them and stared at his own hands. He pressed his fingers against his face, feeling the warm skin, the nose, the jawline. For twenty-four years, he thought he was Julian Vance, a loyal brother trying to save his sick sister. But the final words Old Man Marrow had spoken before the world shattered last time echoed in his brain.

You are not even Julian. You are one of the ancient bosses trapped inside the prison of time.

If he was not Julian, then who was he? Why did his memories feel so real? Why did he feel the pain of every cut and every broken bone if he was just an ancient prisoner stuck in a magical loop?

A heavy hand landed on his shoulder.

Julian jumped and spun around, raising his fists.

Old Man Marrow stood right behind him. The old shopkeeper was not looking at the younger Julian or Eleanor. His cloudy, scarred eyes were locked straight onto Julian's face. Marrow was not acting like a normal person caught in a memory. He looked awake, aware, and completely present.

You are waking up earlier this time, Marrow said quietly. His voice did not sound like dry leaves anymore. It sounded deep, heavy, and very old.

Julian stared at him, his heart skipping a beat. Marrow? You remember the other loops?

I remember all of them," Marrow said, stepping closer. He reached out and tapped Julian hard on the center of his chest, right where his heart beat against his ribs. "Every single time the glass breaks, every time the girl turns to ash, every time you fall into the dark. I am the anchor of this shop, boy. I keep the door locked while you play your little game.

Across the room, the younger Julian was currently turning around to face the broken window, yelling at Eleanor about his sister. The argument played out like a play on a stage, completely ignoring the two men standing in the corner.

What game? Julian demanded, grabbing Marrow by the collar of his shirt. What am I? Tell me the truth right now, or I swear I will tear this shop apart with my bare hands."

Marrow did not look scared. He just smiled, showing yellow teeth through his thick beard.

You want the truth? Marrow asked, his voice dropping to a harsh whisper. You are not a brother. You are not a human from New Oxford. Centuries ago, your real name was Malakor. You were one of the seven high kings of magic who tried to steal time itself. The Vance family caught you, stripped your memories, and locked your power inside this endless loop so you could suffer forever.

Julian let go of the shirt collar and stepped back, shaking his head. "No. That is a lie. I have scars. I bled in the train tunnels. I loved my sister!"

"Maya is not your sister, Marrow said, pointing a bony finger toward the center of the room.

The younger Julian had just pulled out his iron knife to face the incoming attack. But suddenly, the background of the pawnshop began to melt away like wet paper. The walls of the shop turned into bright red neon light. The rain outside stopped, replaced by the heavy roar of an underground train engine.

Maya stepped out from the melting shadows of the corner. She was not sick. She wore her clean black leather jacket, and her eyes burned with that same cruel, beautiful power.

She walked right past the younger Julian and Eleanor like they were made of glass. She stopped directly in front of the older Julian, looking up at him with a cold smirk.

Hello again, big brother," Maya said. Her voice sounded like glass chinking together. "Or should I call you King Malakor?

Julian stared at her, feeling a strange, dark power begin to wake up deep inside his bones. A heavy heat spread through his arms, making his skin tingle and glow with a faint purple light. Memories that did not belong to a twenty-four-year-old boy flooded his mind, castles made of black stone, wars fought in the sky, and a betrayal by the very family that raised him.

Maya, Julian said, his voice changing, dropping into something deeper and much more terrifying. You set this trap.

Of course I did, Maya said, stepping even closer. She reached out and touched his glowing chest. Every time you almost remember who you are, I turn to ash, the world resets, and you go back to being my obedient little dog. But you are waking up too fast this time, Malakor. The loop is breaking.

Before Julian could grab her wrist, the floor beneath them split open with a deafening crash.

The entire pawnshop collapsed into a roaring river of white fire and jagged steel. Eleanor, Marrow, and the younger Julian vanished into the bright light, screaming as they fell.

Only Julian and Maya remained, floating in the middle of a massive clock face made of glowing golden gears that spun in reverse.

Maya smiled, stepping backward into the spinning gears.

Let's see if you can break the curse before the clock strikes zero, she said, and let herself fall backward into the blinding light.

Julian roared in fury and leaped after her, his hands outstretched to catch her throat.