Re... Restart?

"Lies surround me, whispering sweet nothings in my ear. Ooh~

But I know, I know~

That it's all a dream, that everything will disappear one day

And I'll be left sitting alone in front of the fireplace on my birthday"

I hummed as I strummed the last few chords of the song. The crowd clapped as they dropped some money in my guitar case.

A slight breeze blew by, my hair flowing over my mask, blowing my vision. I pushed it aside and brushed it behind my ear as the wind died down.

I got up out of my seat and bowed as I packed up my stuff. Remembering yesterday's incident, I huffed as I zipped up my case. Giving the crowd a polite smile, I walked off muttering to myself.

"A little girl, my a**. I'll show you who's the little girl."

I kicked a small rock with the tip of my shoe as I walked down the alley towards a building. Its sign big and bold on the front of the building as people happily walked in chatting.

I took a step forward before seeing a familiar group of people. I hid around the corner as they walked up the entrance of the guild.

"Jellal! How could you let her out there while she has no magic right now?" Erza yelled, clutching her *cough cough* boyfriend's *cough cough* collar.

"Do you really think she'll be happy stuck in the guild?" he retorted, making the red-head back down.

"As much as I agree with Erza, Jellal's right," Natsu sighed, running a hand through his salmon-pink hair. "She would hate it if she was forced to stay inside all 24 hours."

"It's fine. Knowing her, she'll get bored soon and return to the guild any minute now," Jellal said, pushing open the doors.

I froze. Haven't I heard these words already? It couldn't be... right? My head pounded as images flashed before my eyes. I leaned against the wall, breathing heavily. I slowly walked for the guild doors, but it felt like... something was preventing me.

Shaking, I turned on my heels and ran straight for the woods, trees blurring past me as I skidded to a stop in front of a big willow tree.

"This can't be..." I murmured. And if I was right...

"Well, well, well. If it isn't Lilith," a voice said, stepping out from the shadows.

"S-Sting?"

I took a step back. One, then two until my back was pressed against the tree. What in the world is going on? Was this just a dream?

As if the gods wanted to prove to me that I was wrong, I slowly started losing feeling in my hands, then legs. Just like before.

Darkness took over as I fell towards the floor, only to be caught in someone's arms. The orange light from the sunset was reflecting off his silvery hair, tears dripping down from his face.

"Not again," he whispered. "Please."

What did he mean "again"? Was he stuck in this loop with me? Or has he been stuck longer? The look in his eyes is no longer filled with longing but despair and desperation.

I closed my eyes to hear singing and cheers surround me.

"Lies surround me, whispering sweet nothings in my ear. Ooh~

But I know, I know~

That it's all a dream, that everything will disappear one day

And I'll be left sitting alone in front of the fireplace on my birthday"

I got up from my seat, surprising some of the audience members.

"I almost forgot to order my brother's birthday cake," I lied, packing up my bags. "I'll be back tomorrow, Magnolia!"

I waved to them as I ran off towards the willow tree only to see him waiting for me.

"How long?" were the words I wanted to say, but they wouldn't get out. My feet were rooted in place, my throat dry, and my chest pounding faster than before.

He didn't seem to have seen me yet. He just sat there, his hair covering his dull eyes, his hands motionless on the floor as he stared into the woods towards my house.

"I'm sorry I couldn't make it last time either, Lilith. I'm sorry. I'm so sorry," he whispered, cuddling up into a ball.

Just what exactly happened? My head started pounding again. I shut my eyes as I tried to endure the pain, only to hear familiar cheers and cries surround me.

"No...."

Day after day, I could only run and run until I ended up back in the same spot. Singing the same song.

I guess I could see how he ended up this way. Reliving day after day, only to have no one believe you...

I got up from my seat and walked off towards the woods, ignoring the cries of confusion from the people in the town.

There must be something that keeps this cycle going, but what? What exactly happened the first time for this loop to start?

I sat down below the all-to-familiar tree and started my thinking progress. What do I do? Think, Lilith, think!

I went on a couple of S-rank quests, but I don't think I got cursed there. That's off the list.

I sang songs at the town center. No, no one would be stupid enough to cast a spell in front of everyone.

What else is there? Today's not even special except... the potion's effects.

I fumbled around in my pockets to search for the bottle but stopped midway. I left it at the guild building. I looked up at the orange sky and sighed in defeat. It was almost time for the day to reset. At least this time, I've got a lead.

I closed my eyes as the pain washed over me like a calming wave. Hearing the cheers this time brought my spirits up. After finishing the song, I packed up my bags and ran straight for the guild building, running past Jellal and Erza, ignoring their argument.

I swiped the glass bottle off the counter and examined the bottle carefully, looking for any hidden spells, but ended up at a dead end. I sighed and put it down when a small part of the bottle reflected off and the light reflected back into my eyes.

"What the..."

Holding up the glass to the light, I saw a small smudged part. Guess she tried to cover up something. Using a wet towel, courtesy to Mirajane, the ink slowly disappeared to reveal a line. A single line that held the answer to all my problems. I could finally start making a plan on how to get out of this mess.

Now just to wait for the next day to start. Training starts immediately!

"During the time of the side-effects in this bottle, do not. I repeat, do NOT succumb to your inner demons. If you do, the spell on this bottle will automatically trigger, putting you in an infinite loop until you succeed at beating your inner demon. You will not age, but you may suffer irreversible psychological effects. Drink at your own caution."