Framed Every Lifetime

I spun around abruptly.

Through my blurred vision, it was Elan walking toward us with steady steps.

My whole body jolted. My eyes filled with disbelief and fear.

Elan stopped in front of me, thought for a moment, then said, "She looks really scared. And honestly, I’m a little curious about why she kidnapped me. So… why don’t I go to the station with you?"

The police froze for a second. "We don’t recommend that the victim stay with the suspect."

Elan didn’t back down. "And didn’t she say I’d be in danger soon? I also want police protection. The station should be the safest place for me."

That reason left the officers with no way to refuse.

By the time both Elan and I got into the patrol car, I still hadn’t fully processed what had happened.

The officers in the car whispered among themselves in amazement. It was their first time seeing a kidnapper more afraid than the victim.

I looked at Elan, trembling. "You… you spoke to me on your own?"

This had never happened in any of my countless previous rebirths.

In every past confrontation, no matter how desperately I told him the truth or begged him to leave with me, he had always stayed silent, shrinking back into the crowd. He had always looked timid and frightened.

The Elan in front of me simply tilted his head in confusion. "Did something happen?"

It hit me then. I had changed something. Even if only slightly.

So in this rebirth… could the ending be different?

Elan and I were taken to the station, and we gave brief statements. Because he insisted on staying with me, we were placed behind the same iron bars.

I asked him seriously, "Have you offended anyone recently?"

He shook his head. "I’ve never liked talking, and I’ve never liked causing trouble. Even when I’m treated unfairly, I just endure it."

A textbook invisible person. Someone like that rarely drew attention, let alone hatred.

So who was it?

Who could possibly have a reason to want him dead so badly?

Seeing there was still some time before nine o’clock, I told him everything I had experienced.

All of it.

"Whether you believe it or not, my doppelganger will appear and kill you."

Elan looked unconvinced. "Doppelgangers only appear once every few centuries. And like you said, night-shift officers pass out, surveillance just happens to fail… How could those five minutes be that special?"

I stared at him intensely. "That’s exactly why I’m asking you. What’s so special about those five minutes?"

He paused. "I wouldn’t call them special. It’s just that I noticed a long time ago… Every night during those five minutes, I feel strangely hollow. Like I’ve… Lost something."

The room fell silent. The wall clock ticked relentlessly forward.

It was an answer I hadn’t expected, one that only pushed everything into deeper ambiguity.

I fell quiet too.

Then Elan volunteered his background. He said he was a fresh graduate hired this year. He looked a little embarrassed as he explained, "The department didn’t recruit enough people, so I was accepted as an exception and brought into the company."

I kept an eye on the time, planning to brush it off with a few reassuring words.

Then suddenly, his body stiffened. He muttered to himself, "Right… I only graduated with a bachelor’s degree this year. And yet, I joined the company."

His usually quiet, unassuming eyes suddenly filled with terror, becoming bloodshot and wide.

I jumped back in alarm.

"What’s wrong with you?"

Elan was shaking all over. "I get it now. I know why all of this is happening."

Every hair on my body stood on end. I shot to my feet and rushed to his side. "Why?"

But before Elan could say anything, the clock struck nine.

Ding, ding, dang—

In that instant, Elan and I saw our own fear reflected in each other’s faces, twisted and distorted.

The next second, my eyes widened violently. I stared at the horrifying scene in front of me, unable to believe it, and screamed.