2nd Cycle,

"It's nothing.. I'm just a bit nervous." Abel spoke calmly, chugging down the glass of water before sighing.

'This is going to be hard alone.. I shouldn't reveal the event to these two. They should enjoy the day.' Abel thought to himself before he got up from his seat.

Just then, he felt Ellen purring on top of his head.

'Yeah, I didn't manage to save Ellen last time.. Everything was so chaotic that I didn't even manage to help anyone. I'm still a failure.' Abel cussed internally at himself, rubbing Ellen's head.

"I'll show Ellen around the banquet. You two can enjoy the scenery of the ballroom. Meet the new people." Abel said calmly before he quickly rushed out of the ballroom.

"Okay.." Iliana spoke, worried about the sudden change in Abel's behaviour.

"Isn't this time to lay back and enjoy the scenery? Why is he so worked up?" Eluya

spoke, a little worried but ultimately decided to leave it at that, since it seemed like he was just anxious, and scared but that's not the emotion he ever showed.

..........

On the floor above the Ballroom,

"So what do you plan to do?" Abel questioned Austin about his motive.

"Let me take a deep breath first, okay? I died back there.." Austin spoke as he massaged his temples. He was still barely able to process the fact that he was back in time.

On his right wrist, there was the 'Mark of Regression', if it weren't for that and Abel who seems to be looking forward to what steps Austin will take, he would've thought of the past as a fever dream.

"Everyone of us died there.. You aren't alone." Abel spoke with a serious look on his face. His eyes were boring into Austin's.

"You don't look horrifying when there is a kitten perched on your head." Austin said as he stood up and walked to the one-way window from where he could look down at the crowd, who were oblivious to what happened. Since the intimidating look of Abel was not so intimidating when he was carrying a kitten on his head like a crown.

But this didn't take away from the fact that a disaster was going to occur again. It was pointless to pass everything as a joke.

"Abel, How about you take this case for me?" Austin said calmly, looking over his shoulders at Abel.

"Employing me at the first chance.. I'll take it." Abel said calmly before he began thinking.

"Let's just rule out people we trust. There are 231 guests and around 64 workers." Abel began counting down the people they knew and trusted from both groups.

The end count was that they only needed to investigate only 86 guests and 60 workers, excluding those were not even eligible to plant the seed.

"Understood. Detective Abel, I'll leave the guests to you." Austin spoke after he heard the number. The guests could be easily scanned by Abel since his position as 'Proxy of Justifia' gives him rights that Austin doesn't have.

But as a Crown Prince, he can handle the workers since they all listen to Marquez who listens to Austin.

And so they got into investigating their parts of the people. But nothing turned up.

And disaster struck Melobranch once again.

Seeing his beloved Rina suffer from that pain, Austin pushed the pen into his neck, killing him instantly as the day began for him and Abel once again.

They lived this day 47 times but they couldn't find the people responsible for planting the seed.

..........

48th Cycle,

"Abel, listen to me." Austin shouted at Abel who threw him across the room.

"Why should I?" Abel spoke, staring into Austin's eyes.

"You regressed back 24 hours.. How much have you utilized?" Abel asked, but Austin was unable to reply.

"Also, you are the apostle. Why do I have memories of your failed attempts?" Abel asked with a look of anger in his eyes.

Both of them were standing on the floor right above the ballroom and they were alone since Austin had sent away the security forces and even the female assassin caretaker of his.

"I.. I don't know. But you need to believe me." Austin spoke, trying to persuade Abel to not take major steps himself.

The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.

"For what? By now, you know that the Seed of Doom can be spread without physical touch as you just need to be in the general vicinity for 5 minutes. The timeframe is short enough that most people in Melobranch will qualify for it." Abel spoke, his eyes glowing with anger as the darkness in the dimly lit room tensed up like a cloth, stretching itself to the point of almost tearing itself apart.

"Let me clarify this, Crown Prince Austin. You are not the only one suffering here. I've seen Eluya and Iliana suffer in this as well." Abel spoke and Austin remained silent.

"Then what do you suggest?" Austin broke his silence and spoke as he stared into Abel's eyes. His own was glowing with anger laden with despair.

"I've seen my beloved die and suffer from something and I'm unable to do shit." Austin broke the calm and regal tone of his.

"Tell me what to do then. I've failed 47 times.. What do you want me to do?" Austin asked Abel as he stood back up, shaking off the dust from his clothes.

"Recruit.. If we fail again, recruit someone. Question Marquez since you have the authority to. Question everyone then recruit those who understand without disclosing any more information than you need to." Abel said calmly before he walked out of the room.

The ballroom below was filled with the sound of the slow romantic Waltz. This is Rina's favourite and she most certainly wanted to dance to it but she was unable to.

"What can I do?!" Austin shouted at himself, slamming his hand against the wall hard enough to break a few fingers and make it bleed.

Then he took a deep sigh, his raging thoughts now calmed down as he began remembering the investigation reports that Abel made during the last 47 repeats.

"No one among the servants was suspicious, no one among the working staff, It's not Abel's group, It's not Morel's, It's not Howard's.." He recited the name of every single person who Abel conducted an experiment on.

"Either the culprit is very good or not here at all." Austin spoke calmly as he walked over to the window. The one way window he used to look down at the ballroom.

He saw his beloved, Rina, sitting in the ballroom, surrounded by women swarming around and praising her.

Just then, Rina's maid, Sisse, came to pick her up due to Rina's father calling her. Then his gaze turned to anger as he thought. 'That maid was with her the entire journey right? What if she was the one who planted the seed?'

Austin realised that, but Abel had investigated Rina. There was no possibility of him not getting anything suspicious from her, If there was any.

'But what if the seed was planted before he could investigate?'

The thought of Sisse's mysterious nature and the fact that Abel told him to recruit people, filled his head with a thought.

'Maybe it was her. She's the closest one to Rina.'

"Osma.. Investigate Sisse. Don't hurt her yet." Austin ordered his servant, who stepped out of the shadow, trembling due to the display of anger from Abel.

"Yes, Your Highness." Then stepped into the shadows, and went out to investigate as Austin ordered.

..........

'Shit, shit.' Two strange beings, their bodies were deformed and could clearly be said to be not-human were running in the shadows.

"How did he even suspect us? We were doing everything perfectly." The feminine being screeched as the two of them escaped from Abel.

This was only possible because he was walking around slowly and didn't make a commotion.

"It's our fault for changing into this form. Thankfully he didn't see our human forms." The Masculine being screeched before the two of them seperated path to go back to their work stations.

"It seems I lost them. But hey, I found them." Abel said calmly, before he ran into Morel. This was the 48th time he had met him in this exact corridor but Abel acted like he had met him after a very long time.

He might have lost the two strange shadowy beings but he was sure now. There was someone or something planning this and it knew exactly who he was.

........

"Hey Abel, why have you been walking around the banquet? You even missed the ranking reveal. I am now 3rd, You 5th and Iliana 99th!" Eluya said, happy about the reveal. Her smile got even brighter when Ellen jumped from Abel's head into her arms, nuzzling against her neck.

"Aww, My little baby, are you happy for Mama?" Eluya talked to Ellen like she was her child, which made a lot of people around jealous since they had a crush on Eluya.

"Yes. We are worried that something has happened, Abel and you are not telling us." Iliana spoke, worried that Abel was hiding something again. Though it didn't look like he was in any pain, the blank expression didn't look right when they were supposed to be happy.

"I was just talking to someone privately. I'll reveal the details to you when the time comes." Abel dodged the question while maintaining a straight face.

'No, I won't do that. You two should enjoy the day.. I don't want to ruin this day for you.' Abel told himself.

"So are you going to dance with us or not?" Eluya said, pouting as she put her hand on her waist, waiting for Abel's reply.

"You remember what happened when we last danced, right?" Abel said calmly. He was surprised that she would even ask him to dance after the disaster of a dance that happened last time.

Eluya, who suddenly remembered it all, started sweating and took small steps until she stood between Abel and Iliana.

"Enough of a reminder. Please don't dance with Iliana either." Eluya said as the dance that happened that night resurfaced in her mind.

..........

157 years ago, during the banquet celebrating the ascension of 10th and 11th

"Why is everything burning?!" 11th was shouting as he used his powers to put out the flames.

6th or Eluya, was laying on the ground on top of 5th or Abel, as her heels broke, her ankles twisted and turned.

"Don't dance or at least take dance lessons." Eluya spoke, annoyed and horrified at what had happened from just a dance.

Her heel broke because Abel's footwork was disastrous. The broken heel flew into the fireplace at such high speeds that burning wood flew all over the place and was burning not just the curtains but also the wine prepared.

"Oh, don't worry. My disciple is going to take dance lessons." Lady 4th looked down at Abel who was unable to get up because Eluya had fallen on him and the fact that his knees popped out of the joints.

"You will take the dance lessons, you little brat." Lady 4th looked at Abel with her eyes glowing, she really wouldn't take No for an answer.

Abel could do nothing but nod. He couldn't dare say No to Lady 4th when she was so angry.

That was also the day that marked the ascension of 12th.

Since that day, none of the Numbered ever asked Abel to dance. Though after the dance lessons, Eluya did dance with Abel in private once or twice but she was so traumatized that they didn't do it for almost a century again.

And even today, the fear still lies within her. Though Abel has improved significantly since he took the dancing lessons.

..........

But right as the ball dance was proceeding, it happened again.

"This will be the 50th time, we failed again." Abel spoke to himself, since he understood what was coming now.

Morel, who was sitting beside Abel, looked at him but before he could question him. The entire world was covered in a black mist.

And the day began again.

But this time, something was different.