Aoi blinked against the harsh sunlight. He shielded his eyes and looked up at the woman standing over him. The heat was suffocating, rising from the sand in shimmering waves.
"Wait a minute," Aoi croaked, his throat dry. "Haven't I seen you before?"
He looked around. New Eidon City was gone. The skyscrapers, the asphalt, the Tra Reconciliation Authority... all replaced by an endless ocean of beige sand. Just him, the dunes, and a girl he could have sworn he knew.
"You?" The woman scoffed, looking down at him with skepticism. "Sir, I have never seen you before in my life. And I definitely haven't seen your style of clothes. Questionable fashion choice for the wasteland."
She adjusted the scarf around her neck. "Whatever. My name is Kira Yuunagi. It is nice to meet you, though it looks like your luck has run out."
"But... I have seen you before," Aoi insisted, scrambling to his feet. He brushed the grit from his jeans. "This all feels like a really bad fever dream. My name is Aoi. Aoi Takamura."
Kira's eyes went wide. The casual demeanor vanished instantly. She lunged forward, grabbing Aoi's wrist with a grip like iron.
"Say you're lying," she hissed, looking around nervously. "Don't you dare ever say that name out loud again."
Aoi snatched his hand back, rubbing the red mark she left behind. "What are you even talking about? That's my actual name. What is so bad about it?"
"That name is a death sentence here," Kira whispered. She gestured to a camel resting nearby. "Just come with me. Before someone else hears you."
They rode in silence across the dunes until a structure broke the horizon. It was a kingdom rising from the dust, enclosed by high, weathered walls. It looked ancient, yet fortified with scavenged metal.
As they approached the gates, Aoi thought about what Prime Aoi had said. Variations. If this world had a Takamura, and the name was feared, then the local version of him wasn't a hero.
"This is the Kingdom of Sand," Kira explained quietly. "A Warlord claimed this territory years ago. He killed the old king and took the throne. That Warlord has the same name as you."
"I knew it," Aoi murmured, looking at the Chrono-Watch on his wrist. "Is there any way I can meet him?"
"Sure. If he doesn't immediately try to kill you," Kira said, steering the camel through the crowded market streets. "This Warlord caused an event around twenty years ago. My mother told me stories about it. The Zero Hour."
Aoi felt a chill despite the heat. "Wait. If he caused it twenty years ago... my variants aren't just stronger than me. They are older than me."
"What did you say?" Kira asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Nothing," Aoi lied quickly.
They arrived at a massive stone structure at the heart of the city. The Coliseum. The roar of a crowd echoed from within. Kira explained that the Warlord watched the games every day, searching for a warrior worthy of his time.
Two guards stood at the entrance, arms crossed over their chests, hands resting on the hilts of curved swords.
"Warrior or spectator?" one guard grunted.
"You should participate," Kira whispered to Aoi. "You want to meet him? Win. That is the only way to get close."
"I want answers, not a reason to die!" Aoi hissed back, panic rising in his chest. "If I go in there, I am finished. I'm an engineer, not a fighter!"
The guard glared at them, his patience wearing thin.
Kira didn't wait for Aoi's consent. She stepped forward. "He will be participating. Thank you."
"Will you be participating too?" the guard asked, looking at her scrawny frame with disdain.
"Of course not," Kira said, breezy and unbothered. She walked right past the guard toward the stands, leaving Aoi alone.
"Hey!" Aoi called out, but she was already gone.
Defeated, Aoi took a right turn down the dark tunnel leading to the gladiator pits. The room smelled of sweat, rust, and old blood. Dozens of fighters were prepping for battle. Some wore heavy plate armor; others wielded strange, makeshift weapons.
Aoi scanned the room, looking for a face that matched his own. But the Warlord wasn't here. He was likely up in a luxury box, watching the ants fight.
"All fighters report to the ring for the first phase!" a guard shouted.
The gate creaked open. The blinding sun poured in. The participants stepped out, some beating their chests, others praying. Aoi walked out with trembling legs.
"I guess there is a risk to everything," he muttered to himself.
The arena was huge, a circle of sand surrounded by a moat of murky water. Thousands of people screamed from the stands. In the center of the chaos, the head guard raised a hand.
"The first phase is a Free For All! Death is allowed and encouraged. The last warrior standing will earn the right to face our Warlord!"
A horn blasted.
Chaos erupted.
Aoi didn't fight. He ran. He weaved through the battlefield as swords clashed and bodies hit the sand. He scrambled behind a crumbling stone pillar, pressing his back against the cold rock. He watched a man get tackled into the water. He watched spears fly through the air.
He managed to stay hidden for nearly twenty minutes. But luck only lasts so long.
"Found one," a voice sneered.
Aoi froze. He turned to see three gladiators boxing him in against the pillar. They had formed a temporary alliance to pick off the weak stragglers.
"Well," the leader said, spinning a mace in his hand. "Should we throw him into the water or give him a painless death?"
"Nah," the second one grinned, unsheathing a jagged sword. "I am feeling a little brutal today."
"Let's toy with him," the third added, stepping closer.
"I would rather die quickly than listen to your poor attempts at intimidation," Aoi muttered.
It was a mistake. He shouldn't have provoked them.
The three gladiators rushed him in unison. Aoi panicked. He ducked under a swinging mace and sprinted into the open. He had to expose himself to the rest of the arena. He ran past dueling warriors, his lungs burning, his legs heavy.
He hurdled over a rocks and kicked dust into their faces, hoping to lose the trio in the crowd. He landed on the other side and paused to catch his breath.
He didn't hear the footsteps behind him.
A shadow fell over him. Aoi turned around.
A gladiator twice his size stood there, a massive war-axe raised high above his head. Aoi had no time to scream. No time to dodge.
The axe came down.
The blade connected with his torso. There was a blinding flash of white-hot pain, the sickening sound of bone snapping, and then... nothing.
Darkness.
Gasp.
Aoi's eyes snapped open. He was standing next to the boulder. His hands flew to his stomach. No blood. No wound. He was whole.
He looked up. The giant gladiator was there, the war-axe raised high, beginning his downward swing exactly as he had a second ago.
Wait.
Aoi didn't think. He reacted. He threw himself to the left, rolling into the sand just as the axe slammed into the ground where he had been standing a moment before. The impact shook the earth.
Aoi scrambled back, his heart hammering against his ribs. He died. He definitely just died.
He looked at his wrist. The Chrono-Watch was glowing with a faint, pulsing light.
Prime Aoi's words echoed in his mind: With that watch, you can do anything time-related.
It wasn't just a travel device. It was a failsafe. It had reset him to a point just seconds before his death. The realization hit him like a physical blow. The watch responded to his desperation.
He was alive. And he had a second chance.