Waking in Pain
Neo's eyes fluttered open, the sunlight piercing through the trees. His body ached with every movement, his head pounding like a hammer against his skull. Slowly, he sat up, feeling the bruises along his ribs and arms from the fight with Alden.
He winced as he flexed his fingers, the memories of Alden's relentless strikes flashing through his mind. "That man... he didn't hold back at all."
Looking around, Neo realized he was still in the forest clearing where the battle had taken place. The trees bore scars of their confrontation—slashed bark and broken branches scattered about.
"How long was I out?" he muttered, his voice hoarse.
As his vision cleared, his eyes landed on something unexpected: Alden's black horse, standing a few feet away. The animal's gaze met his, its dark eyes calm but unreadable.
Neo's heart raced. "He didn't take the horse? What happened?"
Piecing It Together
Neo struggled to his feet, using a nearby tree for support. Every muscle in his body screamed in protest, but he forced himself upright.
He glanced at the horse again, his mind racing. "Alden... he's gone. But the horse is still here. That means..."
The realization hit him. Alden hadn't escaped the loop. Somehow, only Neo had been left behind.
A sense of relief washed over him. "It worked. I don't know how, but it worked." He looked down at his journal, still safely tucked in his bag. The leather cover seemed almost warm to the touch.
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"This thing... It's not just recording what I see. It's changing things."
A New Ally
The black horse let out a soft snort, drawing Neo's attention. Its sleek coat gleamed in the sunlight, and it stood perfectly still, almost as if waiting for him.
Neo approached cautiously, his hand outstretched. "Hey there... you're not going to kick me, are you?"
The horse didn't flinch, its calm demeanor unnerving yet reassuring. Neo placed a hand on its neck, feeling the warmth of its body.
"Well, I guess we're stuck together now," he said with a faint smile. "I'm lucky to be alive, and lucky to have you. Let's hope you don't throw me off."
Carefully, he climbed onto the horse's back, wincing as his sore muscles protested the movement. The horse shifted slightly but didn't resist.
"Good boy," Neo muttered, patting its neck. "Looks like I've got a ride to Kurogane after all."
Reflection and Preparation
As the horse trotted forward, Neo's thoughts returned to the journal. He pulled it out carefully, flipping through the pages. His mind lingered on Alden's "Still," the overwhelming aura that had paralyzed everything around him.
Taking his pen, he scribbled a single word into the journal: "Still."
The moment the ink dried, the world around him seemed to change. The air grew heavier, and the forest fell eerily silent. Neo's heart raced as he glanced around.
Animals that had been wandering nearby suddenly bolted, scattering into the trees. Even the leaves on the branches seemed frozen, caught mid-sway.
But Neo was unaffected. He could move freely, though the stillness around him was oppressive. His breathing quickened as he realized what was happening.
"This... this is 'Still.' The journal just recreated it."
He looked down at his hands, then back at the frozen world. For a brief moment, he felt a presence—an intangible weight that seemed to shift the balance of power in his favor.
The horse beneath him shifted uneasily, breaking the spell. The world around him returned to normal, the silence lifting as birds resumed their chirping.
Neo let out a shaky breath. "I must have looked like how I saw Alden's presence..."
He closed the journal, his mind buzzing with possibilities. "If I can do this... what else can I do? I need to know. I need to be ready. I don't know who or what I'll face next, but I can't risk being unprepared again."
Practicing the Unknown
Over the next few hours, Neo experimented cautiously with the journal. He wrote down different words and phrases, observing their effects.
Some entries seemed to do nothing, while others caused subtle changes in the environment. He discovered that the journal's power wasn't limitless—it required focus, intent, and perhaps a deeper understanding of the word he wrote.
When he wrote "Loop," the pages of the journal flipped wildly, but the world around him remained unchanged. It was as if the journal acknowledged the concept but couldn't act on it without the right conditions.
"This thing isn't just a tool," Neo muttered, running a hand over the leather cover. "It's alive in its own way."
Onward to Kurogane
As the sun began to set, Neo spotted the faint outline of a city on the horizon. Kurogane, the lawless metropolis, loomed in the distance like a beacon of opportunity and danger.
He tightened his grip on the reins, urging the horse forward. "Let's see what this place has to offer," he said, a flicker of determination in his eyes.
With the journal safely tucked away and a new sense of purpose driving him, Neo rode toward the unknown, ready to face whatever awaited him in the city of shadows.