My eyes opened, and I was back where I had been, my hand wrapped around the door handle of the sweet shop.

"Miss? Are you okay?" Katharina asked, tugging on my sleeve.

"I, uh... yeah!" I stammered. What the hell just happened? I rubbed my head, relieved to find it intact and not crushed. Was this the afterlife? Everything looked exactly as it had before.

"Master, after analyzing your memories, it appears you have traveled back in time," said Aloy, the voice in my head. I preferred it when it stayed quiet. Why did this spine have to evolve?

"So, I've traveled back in time? Did I return through death? Is that an ability of mine?" I asked, still trying to make sense of everything.

"Negative," Aloy responded.

"Then what caused it?" I pressed.

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"Time resets only occur when a death is not meant to happen."

Ah, that made a strange kind of sense. "Do you have any theories on whose death it might be?" I asked.

"Negative. However, there must be a reason why you still retain your memories," Aloy concluded.

"Really now?"

"Affirmative. Master, the time reset will last until 12:00 a.m. During that time, the individual will have to survive—" Before Aloy could finish, I was back again, holding the door handle.

"Shit, hey, Aloy!"

"Yes, Master?"

"Do you remember our conversation?"

"Negative. What would you like to discuss?"

"Look into my memories."

"One moment, please." There was a brief pause. "Master, you'll need to survive during this time. For now, you must stop or eliminate the hooded figure before going to the castle to return Katharina to the princess."

Oh great, so just the obvious advice! But how am I supposed to stop the hooded figure? As a million thoughts raced through my mind, I felt a tug and remembered who I was with—Katharina. I must protect her.

"Miss, what are we waiting for?" she asked so innocently. It was adorable, honestly.

"It's nothing, I was just thinking," I said, heading out of the shop with her in hand.

This time, I decided we'd take a different route. I could theorize all day about which paths to take, but honestly, I was more surprised that I hadn't lost my sanity this death.

Lost in thought, I realized we had made it to the castle without even encountering the hooded figure. Odd. Suspicious, even, now that I thought about it. The sun was already setting.

"Why is it so empty—" My words cut off as I found myself back at the entrance of the castle. I'm guessing the unknown person triggered the reset again?