Quinn jumped into the air and kicked a wooden target he had set up for training. It seemed that even though time would reverse, it didn't completely set everything back to zero. During each regression, his flexibility and muscle memory continued to increase as long as he trained. The only thing that changed about himself was his cuts and bruises being healed.

Since Quinn was capable of still training, Golden Quinn had put him through rigorous training. He practiced different moves and combos, each one coming from different fighting styles Golden Quinn had learned and interwove together to make his own style. A style of both efficiency and power.

Whenever they weren’t training in combat, he and Golden Quinn would sit and meditate. Meditation was a key part in his training. Learning to calm himself and relax in bad situations would help him to stay sane in case he died again. It also helped him to keep calm when fighting, allowing him to think about his moves more quickly and fight more effectively.

He had also learned much more about Echoes during his time training, such as his change in strength and the strength of his mind and soul. It also increased his speed and how much energy he had. This would provide helpful when he needed to run and fight later on.

“If it wasn’t for your Echoes, your mind and soul would have been destroyed, and you would have died instantaneously.”

These were the words Quinn had been told. It seemed that if he didn’t have Echoes, he would have already gone insane. Echoes had already played a part in saving him multiple times in this mansion. He had Lex… poor Lex, to thank for awakening the Echoes in him.

I won’t let what you did for me go to waste. I won’t let our companions' sacrifices go to waste. Wherever you are, Lex, I hope you are safe. We will come to save you soon.

Quinn stood up from the dirt and brushed himself off. He turned his head up towards the target he had just kicked, noticing that it was split down the middle from the impact, “These new moves are much more effective than how I was fighting back in the bar.”

It had been many regressions since Quinn had started practicing with Golden Quinn. How many, he couldn’t remember. His skills had improved greatly, and his mind and soul had become much stronger. In the event of another death, he would not go insane, he couldn’t. He had too much to live for now. His resolve to find Lex, escape the Tower of Nightmares, and leave the mansion had become too strong.

“Where is Golden Quinn?” Quinn looked around the open expanse surrounded by trees. This was the area where Quinn trained, where he started every regression. Normally, Golden Quinn would have been helping him, but for a few regressions now, it seemed he had gone missing.

Whenever time regressed, Golden Quinn was not affected by it. When Quinn regressed back to the start, he realized that Golden Quinn was no longer with him for a short moment.

He is an anomaly. He isn’t affected by this place, and his speed is incredible. Anytime he needed to return to this place from a far distance, he made his way back only a few seconds after. I’m unsure if that’s his top speed, but even if it is, it is too quick for me to even comprehend.

Quinn began trying to search for Golden Quinn. First, he checked the cave tunnel, but he was not inside. After that, he checked the woods, but there was no sight of him.

Finally, he climbed up one of the mountains. He would either be up there, or it would be a good vantage point for Quinn to look for him.

Once he reached a small way up the mountain, he spotted a small flat area that was perfect to rest at. He bent down and breathed in a breath of fresh air before looking forward in surprise.

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Golden Quinn sat in that small area, facing away from him. His legs were crossed, and his hands were on his lap as he sat on the dirt. He was meditating, and during his meditation, Quinn thought he heard him speak something quietly.

“Your eyes are so beautiful…”

Such a weird phrase to hear from someone who was usually cold and distant. It seemed that in his meditation, he didn’t hear Quinn coming up the mountain.

Quinn felt bad for interrupting him, but he decided to do so anyway, “Quinn… er, I have finished the set you taught me.”

Golden Quinn's eyes opened in surprise. He turned around to see Quinn standing behind him.

“How did I not notice him…” Golden Quinn whispered to himself.

He floated up off of the floor and looked at Quinn, “You have finished your set? Good, then you are ready to continue on with the trial. Although I would have liked going into weapons training, the only weapon is that scythe, and it would take a long time for you to run there and train you every time. It would be inefficient.”

Quinn looked at him with curiosity, “Do you think I’m ready? Do you think I can beat this trial?”

Golden Quinn gave him a slight nod, “Your performance isn’t perfect, and you still have much more to learn, but you should be ready to continue the trial.”

Quinn gave him a slight smile, “The regression should be occurring soon. We can head out once it is time.”

“Just remember, try not to die. You will last much longer now that you can control your mind and soul, but the effects will be very painful each time you die. I also wouldn’t like anything happening to soon.”

“What was that last part?” Quinn looked at him with furrowed eyes.

“It’s nothing. Just remember that your life is valuable. Death should not be your goal.”

“Alright.” They both stood there in silence, waiting as the time ticked by. As each second passed, Quinn felt more nervous. That pain, a pain he wouldn’t wish on another person, even if they had done something incredibly bad to him, was the worst thing he had ever felt. He didn’t want to feel that pain ever again. He didn’t want to die.

In one moment, Quinn’s vision began to blur, and his eyes glanced around to see that he was back at the start, right in front of the cave tunnel.

In an instant, after recognizing where he was, he darted forward towards the cave. He had planned this. First, he would go to the Inn and retrieve the key from the innkeepers box. After that, he would head to the bar and fight the puppets for the second key.

If he succeeds in retrieving the second key, he would then be able to head to the cabin house and obtain the final key. This would allow him to head too and finally open the secret door hidden underground. After that, he felt he would find the final key, the one to stop the clock and end the trial. It would finally be over, and he would be able to continue on into the Tower of Nightmares.

Quinn sprinted out of the cave tunnel and began running towards the town down the dirt path. He was beginning to grow tired as he ran, but he had to keep moving.

Finally, after ten minutes, he had finally reached the town. Once inside, he slowed down and changed directions, racing towards the Inn. He stopped in front of the Inn door, and quickly, he walked inside.

“I will be with…”

The puppet began to talk as it normally had, but Quinn quickly kicked the puppet's body, causing it to tumble into the wall. The puppet turned towards him in anger, but before it could attack, Quinn had grabbed the puppet's head.

He began putting pressure on the puppet's wooden cranium, trying to use all of his strength to crush it. After a few moments, the puppet tried to fight back, but its puppet head was smashed under Quinn’s hands. It fell limp to the ground below Quinn’s feet.

Sparing no time, Quinn opened up the box and grabbed the key before rushing out of the Inn. On his way to the bar, he stopped by the side of one of the buildings. Laying against a straw bale, the metal scythe reflected the warm sunlight. Quinn quickly grabbed it and ran towards the bar.

After reaching the bar, he stopped and took a deep breath. This was the place he died before. It gave him deep pain and trauma, but he couldn’t stop now. He needed to grab the key and defeat all the enemies so he could escape.

Slowly, he pushed open the bar door. The smell of alcohol flooded out through the crack of the door, and fresh air began to pour into the room. Quinn sighed, then took a step inside as he prepared for a fight.