As Alex was on one knee, his body slowly transforming while an agonizing pain wracked his senses, he found himself realizing with displeasure just how wrong his conjectures had been. From the beginning to the end, he had it all wrong. Glaring hatefully at the Many-Headed Serpent, he remarked. "You had nothing to do with the loop." "I didn’t?" The Scourge seemed genuinely confused by his words. "No," Alex muttered as he struggled to get back on his feet before pointing above, towards where the Timeless Serpent was slowly rotating. "It was the source of the loop." Then, a mocking chuckle escaped his lips as he breathed out. "To think that I actually believed Thera’s rubbish. Arwen was right, I shouldn’t have taken her words as the gospel truth." "What are you talking about?" The Scourge still couldn’t grasp what Alex was talking about, prompting the Mystic to reply. "The loop wasn’t created because of some dumb notion that you would be able to figure out how to escape your fate. It was created to torment me." Then, turning to the 2nd-Class Otherworldly in the sky, he loudly asked. "Isn’t that correct?" There was no response, but the increased pace of the transformation happening within him served as enough proof to back up his words. "What are you talking about?... I created the loop to save myself." The Scourge argued. Alex sneered. "You must be a fool to think that with your meager strength, you would be able to take on a creature that’s equal in strength to a Demigod." "You said it yourself, they are tormenting us. Perhaps the only thing wrong with that statement is the us part. They aren’t tormenting us, they are just tormenting me. That’s why Thera chose Sklaviunt to carry out the ritual. That’s why the loop starts when it does, giving me the faint illusion of victory only to take it away from me." Gritting his teeth, Alex dropped back on his knees and this time, when he tried to get back up, he only succeeded in falling face flat on the ground. The Many-Headed Serpent looked down at him, not bothering to say a word. Chuckling, Alex breathed out. "That’s why you haven’t killed me. Because you can’t." "So that’s how it is." The Many-Headed Serpent muttered. "I already lost." As those words left its mouth, its eyes turned dim and its body hung limp, while still going through the process of death and rebirth. Alex couldn’t even raise his head to regard the sight properly. As it was, he was minutes away from suffering the same fate, though considering what he was feeling inside, it was more like he would end up becoming a vessel for some abomination, just like how Emily was a vessel for their Abyssal Savior. There was no fighting it despite his identity as a Fifth Lock Mystic. The gap in Authority between him and the Serpent left him completely helpless. Was this what it meant to be weak? Time and again, Alex had been forced to experience weakness. He tried to act like it was okay, but deep down, he knew it wasn’t. Why did he have to be faced with such opponents all the time? Couldn’t he be paired up with a street thug or some low-level Mystic? Since he arrived in Eventide, it has been from one powerhouse to the next, and in truth, it was a miracle that he was still alive. Not because of his intelligence, not even because of Nyx’s support. It was a bona fide miracle, and there was no arguing with that. Perhaps, truly there was someone else pulling the strings in the background, helping him along in his journey. But then who could it be?... And was it possible that they would lend him a hand once more? Alex was out of options. All he wanted to do now was preserve his life, because he didn’t wish to die, and even more than that, he didn’t wish to become a vessel for the Abyss, as that was a fate even worse than death. Recalling Emily’s dying look, Alex let out a tired sigh and closed his eyes. "I’m sorry, Bella." He muttered. "I’m sorry, MJ. Daddy won’t be able to come home." Following that, Alex stopped breathing while reaching for his throat. Since he was going to die anyway, he would rather go out on his own terms. The next moment, he heard a soft, familiar chuckle in his ear, causing him to pause. Following that, the voice spoke. You owe me ten years. "No!" Alex exclaimed instinctively only for a pillar of darkness to surge forth, completely engulfing him while reaching towards the sky. The Timeless Serpent’s rotation paused before changing its movements from a circular loop to an infinity loop. Almost immediately, time began to move backwards, forcing back the darkness that sought to cover everything. From within the darkness, a pair of feminine eyes opened, and then a voice was heard. Bold, using Time in such a manner. But then, what if there was no time to use? Then, the darkness that once only sought to cover everything began to devour the very concepts keeping the surrounding area in order, from space to time, to even reality itself. This content belongs to NovelHub(.)net The chaos that followed was beyond mortal comprehension as the Timeless Serpent tried to maintain the concept of time in the vicinity only to fail time and again. Strangely enough, even the Tenets of Order tried to do the same, marking it as the first time the Abyss was working in tandem with the rules governing Eventide. But even then, nothing could stop the darkness from completely disfiguring the concept of time in the area, ensuring that even if time remained, the Timeless Serpent would need to untangle it to make any moves. You gave me an opportunity to act unhindered. I must thank you. Now you decide; will you fight or will you return? The question was a simple one and the answer required was simple as well. A moment later, the Timeless Serpent made its choice.