"Bilgart told you that he created you and he even gave you a reason but, do you know what you are? A human? A parasite? Or something like the Twelve, who are born to be creators and forever eternal."

The man's smile widened as he gazed at the quiet and listening Arthur.

"Did you know? 'God' wasn't the one who created humans, neither did Medtris create Demons, it's all a believable lie convince the future generations. Sure, there were Races that were created but they were very twisted and defected, like the Cthulhu. It is possible to create a temporary living thing but to create a whole race out of nothing? That's absurd and is against the Natural Laws, which even the Twelve are shackled by.

"What about parasites, then?"

"Parasites? They weren't created, per se, but are a part of the Zaarae. I'm not talking about all of them, of course, just the main and first ones. Just like a Tree grows on its own and can produce seeds, parasites can multiply. Humans copulate and Phoenix's lay self-created eggs, each Race has a mean to keep itself alive."

"You said you are me, how do you know things I don't?"

The man took out a feather that had some ink on its tip and then drew a line on the table.

"To explain it to you, I'll have to teach you a bit about time."

He pointed at the line and continued: "This is a timeline…" He drew circles on the line, all small and have the same size : "These are cycles, with a beginning and an end. A single timeline can have a limitless amount of cycles, however, the opposite is not true. A cycle can only have one timeline… the one it exists in. It is possible but very difficult to jump from one timeline to another and the consequences are irreparable even to mighty beings like Bilgart. Each Timeline is very different from the other and they're all parallel, meaning that they never interfere with each other, unlike cycles.

To give you a good example, cycles are similar to books. Living through one is like reading a mystery book, when you jump into another cycle, it's like reading another book but with the same genre. In your case, your life is separated in two parts that exist in the same timeline, obviously. However, your life didn't begin when the first cycle started, after all, there's Zodiak, who's your reincarnation but is still considered part of you. I, the person you're speaking to, am you but slightly different."

"Different? How so?"

"While you experienced only one cycle, I've experienced 62."

"62? How is that possible? I thought I'll only live through two."

"Yes, but when the second cycle ends, that doesn't mean your life ends, it just repeats itself. The memories of the past repeating cycles are always stored, that is, to not repeat the same mistakes. My existence is to assure that you reach the true end and leave this never-ending spiral of life and death. This means that I have the memories of 31 Arthur, who, just like you, lived what you went through and ended two cycles but were not able to complete them and break out."

"So, what's your point? How did I fail?"

"There many, many reasons but if I had to point out the one thing that traps you here then it's definitely Leiu, your brother."

"…" Arthur didn't say anything, he just stared back at his carbon copy, still processing everything that was being said.

"I see that you're still confused and that's a normal reaction. Let me explain, again." He pointed at Arthur's heart and stated: "The soul inside your consciousness is not complete, yes?"

The parasite shook his head in confirmation.

"As far as you know, Zodiak is in possession of the other half but that is also not the truth. You've got one third of the main soul, Zodiak has a third, and **** has a third."

The moment he said that, Arthur's pupils shook and he shot up from his seat, glaring at the man.

"What makes you say that? Do you have proof?!"

"Of course I have, otherwise I wouldn't be sitting here and telling you the sad truth. You must not repeat the same mistakes and end it whatever the means… even if it means sacrificing your loved ones."

As he heard that, Arthur was further angered, he grabbed the man by his collar and raised him in the air. The man didn't retaliate and his expression didn't change, not minding any of Arthur's aggressive actions.

"If it means Lucy and Saly live, I will sacrifice anything, even myself."

"And you think your death will save them? Mind elaborating how?"

He shook off Arthur's hand, calmly sat back and poured some tea for himself.

"You'll get provide them with a peaceful place to live in after you acquire enough strength? You'll hide them somewhere? You'll protect them somewhere? The reality is not as easy as you portray it to be. Even if you're the strongest person, there will always be a problem. Your brother is a living example of that. He can defeat anyone but why is he struggling? Why can he not get rid of Sol'khin? I'm sure, by now, you know why, or at least must have some idea.

In those 62 cycles, Saly and Lucy died many times and they were a reason for your failure. Their deaths destroyed you and made you someone without a goal so you did not seek an end. In this cycle, there may come a time when they'll die, it's only a possibility but if it happens, you must remember my words and never give up."

"So I'm just supposed to forget about them and end the cycle so you can get the memories again?!"

"No, if you end the cycle for good, I will disappear. However, if you sink into oblivion, what happened to all your predecessors will happen to you, without a doubt."

"You keep telling me to succeed but what am I supposed to do?"

"Rejoining and closure. First, complete your soul then you'll know how to break free. You may try to live peacefully with your family but you'll soon understand that tragedy will follow you everywhere, it's just how cycles work."

"What about Wolfram and Leiu, are they trapped in the cycles too?"

"It's not their cycles but since they willingly entered them, they're imprisoned and can only escape when you do. Unlike you, they don't die and repeat but travel back in time and orchestrate the whole thing, trying a different ending. They made this meeting happen by using the Red Tower, they also reincarnated you in Astria by threatening Fate."