Cycle 1276 - Stellar Year 37,452 (Post-Pawn Digestion)
> The last pawn has been…processed. A millennium spent digesting its essence, a slow burn that yielded far more than I initially anticipated. I can feel the very fabric of time shifting, its currents more navigable. My understanding of its laws have taken a leap, not just conceptually, but practically. My body now resonates with the ebbs and flows of temporal energy, strengthening it in ways no ordinary cultivator could fathom. It's… akin to a martial artist honing their body through repetition, only I’m doing it with the very essence of time.
Cycle 1277 - Stellar Year 37,452 (New System, Initial Scan)
> New system identified. The celestial bodies here are… peculiar. A strange chaotic harmony. The planetary formations will be more intricate this time. I suspect their chaotic nature is no coincidence, and will be useful to furthering my cultivation. The pawn this time is a Salamander, a creature that managed to barely survive the last cataclysm from System 1275. It’s weak but surprisingly resilient.
Cycle 1277 - Cycle 1284 (Salamander Log - Time Loop Entries, Compressed)
* Cycle 1277 - (Salamander "Ignis" Log Entry): "Cold… strange light… other beasts… I must fight… I feel something… pushing me…"
* Cycle 1278 - (Ignis Log Entry): "The world… it changed again. I am stronger… faster. I tasted the blood of a winged serpent… it tasted like power. This world… is an endless hunt."
* Cycle 1279 - (Ignis Log Entry): "More powerful beasts… I grow scales of obsidian. My fire burns hotter, fueled by something ancient… deep within."
* Cycle 1280 - (Ignis Log Entry): "This is… not natural. Why am I forced to re-live the same sky? The same battles? I tasted the blood of a scaled wolf and heard the echoes of ancestors."
* Cycle 1281 - (Ignis Log Entry): "I see… a glimmer behind the veil. The world… it resets. I must unlock this mystery." I’m not a normal fire salamander.
* Cycle 1282 - (Ignis Log Entry): "A flood of memories… images of ancient beings. My blood sings with the names of forgotten gods. I will be the strongest."
* Cycle 1283 - (Ignis Log Entry): "I understand… the hunt is not for survival alone. It is to break the cage. The cycle… it will end.”
* Cycle 1284 - (Ignis Log Entry): "I AM IGNIS, THE HELL FIRE SCALES OF PRIMORDIAL DRAGON!"
Cycle 1285 - Stellar Year 37,452 (Post-Ignis Observation)
The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.
> Interesting. Ignis, the salamander, has…evolved. Its cultivation is impressive. Its ability to awaken an ancient bloodline, even on this scale, is curious, and not something present in the previous pawn. The world itself has done much of the work for me, its chaotic environment accelerating the process. This time, I didn't need to engineer a catastrophe, the struggle for survival is constant. It is also intriguing that he has somehow become aware of the time loops. I waited for a while, to see if there was anything it would reveal regarding time, but his comprehension for time seems non-existent. He understands the repetition, but not the mechanism. It’s a pity. I shall pluck him.
Cycle 1285 (Post-Pawn Capture)
> Assimilation of Ignis’s essence yields minimal information about time itself. However, the method of awakening ancient bloodlines is… useful. The information is a valuable piece I was missing. I shall not kill it. It seems to have a surprising resilience. It does not comprehend time, so it is no threat to my research. It will be useful as a meat shield. A powerful spirit beast with a temper, it suits me.
Cycle 1286 - Stellar Year 37,452 (Next System, Reflections)
> On to the next. With each cycle, I grow closer to understanding the fundamental nature of time. The pawn may not be useful regarding time laws, but they provide other insights, I continue this endless pursuit.