Hi Tophat,
Thanks for taking the time to play the game and write a review :) As you've found, the structure is unusual.
To 'end' the game, the player must choose to destroy the will.
This is of course counter to the game's objective. It is intended to represent a permanence of death - by destroying the will, the player is acknowledging that they can no longer affect the world. When the character dies at the start, although they think they still have some time left, the game is saying that they are wrong - they are already dead and so can't change anything.
While ever the player tries to deposit the will, the game loops, and gradually layers up backstory and character, as you found. My hope was that after so many loops, or perhaps once the player has run out of new locations to visit, they would choose the 'destroy' option. But clearly you have proved my thinking wrong, which is valuable feedback :)
Thanks again, and I'll be sure to check your game out too.
Tim