Swamped

You don't see anything out here. But you do know your way around this hospital. If you can put some distance between yourself and him, you might be able to get in and find some sort of advantage inside.

Unfortunately, nothing seems to stand out as you step inside either. There's just the chairs you searched earlier...

You feel a dagger strike your stomach. But Mantis isn't attacking yet - in fact, your conversation is just starting.

Oh hells. The stray time ether is doing something. You can't figure out what, but it seems to be going directly after you. It feels like something is pounding on your head.

Is this how the fight is going to go? Is this your future? Can you even turn away from it after events play out again?

Now it feels like something is crushing your throat. It's very hard to concentrate. You're starting to think you might need to use time magic just to push it away... but that might make things even worse.

Mantis has drawn his knives now. Where did he even get those?

And come to think of it, why do you keep thinking his name is Mantis? That's not his name, that's a... Marshguard name? What in the hells is a Marshguard?

And why have you just noticed now that the shell watch is ticking?

You retreat again, and everything seems like a blur this time around until you start to leap backwards. But that's when you realize it... you're rewinding time again, even though you don't mean to. You're even trying not to, but your body won't obey.

There's no choice. You'll have to use time ether to break out of this loop. Just as you decide that, however, you feel as though your spine is snapping.

Is the time ether trying to dissuade you? To trap you in an endless loop, and threaten you with intense pain if you escape it?

"Come now, John," says a voice you recognize despite being certain you've never heard it before. "If that were unavoidable, how would you ever learn what a Marshguard is?"

Well. Nothing for it. You have to cast something with time magic or you'll have to do this all over again.

So you'd better make the most of the spell you use.