The moment the word left my lips, the collapsing dimension froze.
The fourth and fifth walls shattered like glass around me, fragments of reality hanging in the air as if even causality forgot how to function.
A void of blank nothingness yawned beneath my knee, hungry enough to devour the soul of a god.
And yet, all I could think was one simple, pathetic question:
Why?
Why did my comrades betray me—again?
This was my sixth death.
My sixth failure.
My sixth time watching the Neon-Lit Force tear me apart because I always play my cards wrong at the final moment.
Lucky for me, I had a cheat skill.
I smiled—broken, tired, a little insane.
"Reset for me… one more time."
The world rewound.
…
Now, you're probably confused.
Why is a guy like me kneeling at the edge of a forgotten parallel dimension, getting eaten alive by narrative physics?
To answer that…
We need to go back.
Not to last year.
Not to my first death.
Not even to the time I accidentally rewound into the moment my parents started flirting—still traumatizing, by the way.
No.
Let's return to the true beginning:
Planet Howl, Universe Latvia, Realm of Elyria.
Before I died six times.
Before betrayal.
Before destiny cornered me like some cosmic joke.
Back when I was just… Lex Lockhart.
A two-year-old with a golden spoon, a dangerous bloodline, and parents who loved me enough to accidentally ruin my life with training.
Yeah. The good days.
Elyria…
My home realm.
Peaceful, dignified, harmless.
Which is exactly why the other realms will crush it in twenty-five years.
I know this because I've lived through it.
Five times.
Each life ending with the same scream, the same betrayal, the same devouring collapse of fate.
But in this timeline—my sixth—everything begins here:
Universe Latvia, Planet Howl, the Lockhart family villa.
I remember opening my eyes in that tiny body again, the air warm, the distant scent of blooming star-lilies floating in from the garden.
And of course, I also remember the voice that greeted me every morning.
"Son. Push further."
There he was—my father, Alexander Lockhart.
Tall. Broad-shouldered. Golden eyes sharp enough to cut through dimensions.
An Arcanian.
A man who could terrify entire legions… yet somehow always lost to my mother.
"Alex," she said sweetly—and when my mother sounded sweet, that was a threat—
"Give our son a break. He's two. TWO. What part of that do your Arcanian ears not understand?"
My father froze.
The terrifying warrior trembled like someone had placed a blade to his throat.
I didn't need REWIND to know what he was thinking.
Mom was the real boss of this house.
She stood there with her long white hair, white tiger ears twitching, blue eyes glowing with stars.
Sayonara Lockhart, Neonborne queen, gentle and affectionate… until provoked.
She scooped me into her arms with a hum.
"That's enough training for today."
As she carried me away, she shot Father a glare so lethal it could've folded a universe.
Father instantly looked like a scared little kitten.
I smiled at him—my baby face stretching into the smuggest grin imaginable.
He glared back.
I winked.
He panicked.
Ah…
Good times.
I really missed bullying him with Mom.
Inside the villa, she gently laid me on my tiny bed.
"There, there, Lex. Don't mind your father. He's always obsessed with power. Who cares about getting stronger when there's no threat? I just want a peaceful life for you."
…Funny how that turned out.
She stroked my hair.
"Take a nap, sweetie. Mommy will be right here when you wake up."
This was the part where I was supposed to act like a normal baby.
So I tried.
"Goo…goo… Ma…ma…"
Silence.
Even I wanted to rewind time after that one.
But then—
"Awwwwwwwwww, he's so cute!"
Cue my mother crushing me with affection.
And cue the annoying voice in the doorway.
"But I'm cuter, Mom."
That was Rand Lockhart, my older brother.
White hair, blue eyes with a streak of gold, a face that girls apparently swooned over even though he wasn't half as handsome as Muhan.
Yes, the famous Muhan Lockhart—my cousin, my benchmark, my personal headache.
Rand walked over and poked my cheek.
"Look at him. He's so tiny."
I wanted to tell him that I'd outlive him by four timelines, but babies can't talk, so I glared instead.
Somehow that only made me look cuter.
Life is unfair.
"Oh hush," Mother sighed. "You're cute, but your cousin Muhan… sometimes I wonder if I should just marry him."
MOM.
I'm RIGHT HERE.
Rand flinched.
"Seriously?!"
"Yes," she said calmly. "He's adorable."
I wanted to scream.
Before the universe could collapse from second-hand embarrassment, Father appeared in the doorway.
"Now now, my lovely wife. You don't need to trouble Rand. I'll gladly accompany a goddess like you."
Mother's cheeks immediately flushed pink.
"Alex… stop flattering me…"
Smooch.
Smooch.
Smooch.
My parents entered their daily love rant.
Rand sighed.
I sighed.
Somewhere in space, the gods probably sighed.
"Can you two NOT?!" Rand complained.
They ignored him.
I covered my baby face with my baby hands.
Rewinding time didn't prepare me for THIS.