10:00 am,

"Huh, why are we back here?" Eluya spoke loud enough for Abel and Iliana to hear.

"What?" Iliana spoke while looking at Eluya with a worried look.

"Abel, do you n-?" Eluya asked Abel, but before she could even complete her words, he nodded.

"Let's discuss it further, I believe you." Abel spoke calmly.

Iliana was dumbfounded but didn't comment on it, since they did a lot of things that weren't explained at first. But for the sake of convenience, she took Ellen from Eluya's hands.

"Ellen, be a good girl and don't irritate Mama Iliana, okay?" Eluya said with a smile, rubbing Ellen's back, who meowed back.

..........

The floor above the ballroom, 10:30 am

"So what you are telling me is that you two have been living the same day for the last 50 days of your memory?" Eluya confirmed what she just heard from Crown Prince Austin and Abel.

"This is ridiculous.. But I seem to have vague memories about the last 50 cycles of yours now.." Eluya said, grabbing her head. It all seems so surreal to her but it wasn't a prank and she was sure of it.

"Yes, Miss Eluya. May I ask you to investigate the scene?" Austin asked with a hesitant look on his face. He wasn't expecting her to be dragged into this since his regression hadn't affected anyone but him for now.

Abel was also only able to retain his memory because of certain conditions that no one but him and Eluya knew. The disclosing of which could lead to consequences that are far worse.

"Yeah, so we need to make sure our identity doesn't get revealed. Live as if this is your first day and take small steps in the investigation." Abel added.

"So what's the conclusion of your investigations during the last 50 cycles?" Eluya asked.

"The culprit is among the workers, not the detectives. At least the ones who planted the Seed in Miss Rina." Abel said calmly.

"I was chasing two during the last cycle but they ran away since I couldn't chase them and make a commotion." Abel added.

"Yeah, please try to make as little of a commotion, if possible then none." Austin asked calmly, since to everyone other than them, this might be the first big event of their life. It wasn't something they, who lived the same day dozens of times can ruin.

"So that's why you didn't involve me or Iliana in this during the previous cycles?" Eluya asked Abel, looking at him with a judging look.

"Yes, I'm sorry for lying but this was important. We can't let the culprits get away." Abel said apologetically with his eyes closed.

"It's okay. If it's this important then I understand." Eluya said calmly.

After the discussion was concluded, Eluya and Abel left the room.

"Osma.. Come out, I have an order." Austin spoke assertively.

"Yes, your highness." Osma appeared from the shadows and knelt down to hear Crown Prince's order.

"Investigate Rina's maid, Sisse. Do it within 8 minutes." Austin ordered Osma, who nodded and disappeared into the shadows.

'I wonder why Osma is trembling?' Austin thought to himself, since Osma isn't sharp enough to know who Eluya and Abel really are, so fear isn't something she should have towards them.

'I should ask her the next time she comes by.'

..........

11:47 am

The two onlookers, the workers of the banquet, were surprised when Eluya and Abel tapped their shoulders.

"Hey, we got permission from Crown Prince and Manager Marquez. We need to talk to both of you." Eluya said in a low voice, showing the two of them the permission letter.

The two servants, who were the strange beings in disguise freaked out internally, but they followed Abel and Eluya.

But as soon as they left the ballroom and turned the corner to go to a private room. The two strange beings turned to their deformed shadowy form and tried to run away in the shadow.

But at that instant, the shadows refused to form on the ground and walls, converging on Abel's fingertips.

"You are leaving before I give you permission to." He said as he grabbed the shadows, which converged into a small marble to trap the two beings.

"I can't believe it took you that long to find these two, Abel." Eluya spoke as the two of them entered the private room, where Austin was waiting.

"Well, I was investigating the Detectives before. It takes time to meet people and getting to know them. That takes time." Abel spoke, while applying light pressure on the shadow marble.

As soon as they entered the private room, the shadows outside returned to normal. The areas which should have had shadows but did not, were back to normal.

..........

"PLEASE! PLEASE DON'T TORTURE ME ANYMORE.. PLEASE, I will tell you everything, Give me a chance." The two shadowy beings begged as Abel was crushing the shadow marble, while Eluya healed the shadowy beings so they didn't die for being crushed.

"Hmm.. But I'm not fulfilled." Eluya spoke, licking her lips while smiling sadistically.

"Yeah, please torture them some more." Austin spoke, his eyes were gleaming with hatred towards the shadowy beings.

If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.

"Oh don't worry, Crown Prince. The Shadow Walkers like these two can take a lot of pain due to their.. non-physical existence." Eluya said with a chuckle, while Abel increased the pressure on the shadow marble. Going as far as suppressing the sounds coming from the marble to worsen their suffering.

The two shadowy beings, Shadow Walkers, are an extradimensional existence born from the shadows of the Chaos Era, the Era during the birth of stars. They are old, mischievous and masters of deception and shape shifting.

Though old, these beings don't possess much intelligence, let alone enough to make a plan that needed Abel 50 cycles to crack and that with the help of Eluya.

Once the three of them were satisfied with the shadow walkers, Abel allowed them to speak.

"Tell us now, who gave you the orders?" Abel asked.

"IT WAS SOMEONE WHO CALLED HIMSELF 10TH." One of the shadow walkers spouted as soon as he was given the chance to, with the other speaking immediately after.

"YEAH, HE ALSO CALLED HIMSELF 'THE MECHANICAL GOD'. WE MET HIM IN TECHONIA. WE SWEAR WE DON'T KNOW ANYTHING ELSE. PLEASE LET US GO, WE WILL LEAVE THIS PLACE, NO, WE WILL LEAVE THIS PLANET ALTOGETHER."

The shadow walkers were obviously eager to save their lives, in exchange for information. But they only knew so much since that man only gave them the Seed.

And they, themselves didn't ask for much information since to shadow walkers, the knowledge of the Seed doesn't exist. They thought of this as a prank.

"Yeah, go ahead. Leave." Abel said calmly and the Shadow Walkers disappeared almost instantly.

"Uhh.. Is it good to let them go?" Austin asked, unable to comprehend the fact that they just let the shadow walkers leave. "What if they come back for revenge?"

"Those walkers and revenge?" Eluya and Abel almost laughed.

"As long as you give the shadow walkers enough pain, they won't even dare look at you again. Let alone plan revenge." Abel clarified, since that is the best way to deal with the Shadow walkers.

"I.. I see. You two have more experience so that must be true." Austin believed their words, since the shadow walkers seemed like pretty simple creatures.

..........

12:00 pm

The rest of the event concluded without any further issues.

"Thank you, both of you." Austin thanked both Abel and Eluya. Rina was standing beside him but she was a little too confused to comment, afterall the Crown Prince doesn't just thank detectives out of place, even if they are in the Top100.

Iliana was also confused. But she didn't question Abel or Eluya in front of the Crown Prince.

'I can't seem to remember Osma ever coming back with a report.' Austin thought, since it was a bit odd for Osma to not carry out his command.

IT HAPPENED AGAIN.

Rina's veins popped up in her head as emotions disappeared in her eyes. The first one to notice the change was Eluya, who looked at Rina and caught her before she fell on the ground.

"Hey, Lady Rina!" Eluya spoke loudly.

"Medical Emergency!" Austin shouted trying to get the attention of the medical personnel on standby.

But it became apparent that no amount of medicine will help Rina. The 'Seed of Doom', this time it appeared on her chest.

The Seed was now bigger than ever before, it was spreading all over her body via the spot.

'This shouldn't be happening.. Rina.. Rina..' Austin gritted his teeth before he grabbed the pen in his hand, aiming for his own neck.

'It will be fine if I regress, right?' He thought, as he was about to push the pen into his neck.

Just then, Osma came out from the shadows. And thrusted her blade in Austin's arm and throat. It wasn't a strike meant for the kill, only making Austin unable to die this being unable to activate his regression ability.

'She was in the shadows?!' Abel was surprised as he didn't even notice the presence in the shadows.

"You won't be regressing again, Your Highness.. Not again." Osma spoke clearly, clear enough for people around them to hear.

'Austin needs to die to regress.' Abel and Eluya thought to themselves before looking at Austin, as they were about to draw their weapons.

The sky was showing the signs of breaks as the descent of Rudandon can happen at any moment.

"Ah, it seems that I won't be able to stop you two, 5th.. 6th. But don't worry, we'll meet again anyways." Osma spoke.

The way she spoke, the names she used were all not something Osma used.

Which is why Eluya stopped midway, but Abel didn't as his blade cut through Osma's blade and ended the life of Austin.

Then the black mist gushed out of Austin's dead body, covering the entire world.

During the final moments, Eluya spoke. "So you were alive and well, 10th.."

"Aww, do you still remember this fucker? Don't worry. I'm not him but I do have his memories.. And I am in the regression cycle too." Osma- no, the being in possession of Osma for now, smiled sadistically as everything phased out.

..........

10:00 am

Iliana glanced at Eluya, who stopped getting out of the car with just one leg out. Her tears confused her and more than it worried her.

"Hey, what happened? Why are you crying?" Iliana spoke as she helped Eluya step out of the car and wipe off her tears.

"Nothing.. I just remembered something important." Eluya spoke as she wiped the tears off her face and smiled.

"If it's eating away at you, then you can speak." Iliana smiled, rubbing Eluya's back to comfort her.

'This is gonna be a problem.' Abel thought to himself while wiping the tears from Eluya's eyes.

Then suddenly a black mist covered the world again, it was the same as the time when Austin regressed.

The day began once again.

'This is going to be complex.' Eluya thought as the time had returned to when she just stepped out of the car.

The world got covered in black mist again. Austin had regressed twice in less than an hour, which meant that 10th who was clearly possessed by something was using Osma's body to kill Austin over and over again.

"At this point, Only Austin can help himself. We are not fast enough and even if we somehow save him, we will have to expose our identity." Abel spoke as he helped Eluya step out of the car before the black mist reverted to the moment Abel stepped out of the car again.

...........

"It's so much fun!?" Osma smiled while killing Austin over and over and over and over.

Though regressors cannot be killed by normal means, they can be neutralised as long as you break their mind. This was the knowledge that 10th had access to.

10th of the Numbered Vampires, who went missing over a century ago. Currently his body and mind were being possessed by an Evil God. One that refers to itself as 'The Mechanical God'.

With the knowledge and powers of 10th, he had mind controlled Osma. He watched Austin regress back, trying his best to save Rina.

Though he wanted to see this show until Austin eventually lost his will to live, Abel and Eluya solved the problem by torturing and banishing the Shadow Walkers who were going to plant the seed in Rina.

So in the end, he had to step up himself. To break Austin's mind bit-by-bit.

'Just do this once more.. For me, for everyone.' Rina's optimistic words of the past melted into Austin's ears as he tried his best to not be killed by Osma.

But the experience of a Numbered alongside the enhancements of an Evil God, made it so that he couldn't defeat her even if he could regress.

It was a losing battle, he only held hope as he died again and again. Hoping that he will survive at least once.. That he will get to see Rina once again.

But that dream and hope were slowly dying.

Slowly..

Painfully..

Sometimes, THEY used Osma's dagger to split open his stomach, sometimes THEY watched Austin's intestines leak out from his guts.

Some other times, THEY lodged a dagger in Austin's ear and wiggling it to slowly poke his brain to death.

Every painful death, ranging from pulling out his spines to cutting off his fingers, toes, eyes, reproductive organs. There wasn't an end to THEIR tortures, attempts to break Austin's mind.

THEY were killing Austin in ways considered inhumane, prolonging his suffering just enough that Abel and Eluya don't reach their location without exposing their identities.

'This is impossible..' The thought stuck in Austin's mind as he died again and again. Every consecutive death, more gruesome, sometimes THEY did dial back on the pain, only to increase it further.

But during the 1212th cycle, he heard Rina's voice in his mind again.

'My Love.. Just hold on a bit longer. I will save you.'

Rina had never spoken these exact words to Austin, not even anything close.

'I can try.. I can still die a lot more.' Austin thought as the cycle of regression continues, he suffers a bit. By now, he started biting his tongue hard enough to die of blood loss before the pain kills him, relieving himself of some of the pain as he holds his sanity just a bit longer.

His hope, alive on the fact that he could hear Rina's voice at every death. It wasn't an illusion, he knew it from the very bottom of her heart. Rina was doing something.. something..