Wicked Reincarnation

No.

No.

NO.

At full speed, Lia ran back.

"Lia, listen, I… I'm sorry."

No. No. No!

Lia didn't want to hear it. This couldn't be Yano. It just couldn't be.

Why did he sound like he could die any second?

"I'm really sorry."

Why was there so much pain, so much sadness and lingering regret in his voice?

"It's my fault, I-"

"Yano, where are you?"

A brief moment of silence.

"Don't come."

Lia's heart beat faster. It wanted to explode, to suffocate her whole body.

Stop.

Stop.

Stop.

"Tell me. Now!"

Another moment of silence.

"Please Yano…"

Lia couldn't keep it in. Tears split. It couldn't be true. This was Yano they were talking about.

How? Who? Why? When? Just what?

"At the plaza," finally Yano's answer came.

"I'll be there soon," Lia's feet carried her faster and faster. The surroundings became a blur.

Lia could only focus on the exit. Closer. She needed to appear now.

"Don't… It's too late."

"What do you mean?" What do you mean? Didn't you promise to stay by my side?"

"Ha, you're cute…"

"Yano be serious!"

Lia was about to choke. There was no way Yano, her Yano could be- Then Lia realised.

She finally realised.

"Why? Break off this circle right now! You promised in case of danger you'll take it back and use your power!"

Why did Lia only notice it now? Why didn't she force Yano to erase this circle in the beginning? Why did she have to believe him?

"I don't want to."

"Yano! Do it now! You can still fight you-"

"I can't," these two words almost completely broke Lia.

She didn't want to cry. She wanted to be strong but-

"No…NO! It's not too late, I'll hang up so-"

"Lia, I want to hear your voice. I'm… sorry, I wanted to be connected to you…"

Lia jumped over corpses, she raced towards the entrance. Almost there. She could see the light.

"Listen Lia… I really-"

No, don't say it.

If Yano were to say what he wanted Lia really felt he would leave her forever. It couldn't be true. Every fibre in her body, every muscle, every blood cell pushed her body to the max.

Lia's hands finally pushed the door open. The light blinded her and so did Yano's words, "I love you."

Lia started bawling, "Me too, me too, me-"

The line was severed.

Nausea and devastation crept up on Lia. Tiny vicious bugs bit into her skin and sucked her blood, her lifeforce and will out. Her hands desperately reached out to the gate and SWOOSH-

pushed them away.

The plaza.

The battlefield opened up in front of Lia.

KLING. KLANG.

FIghting sounds everywhere.

Lia desperately tried to call Yano over and over again, her eyes swept across the bloody slaughter. Corpses, ghosts and immortals all mingled together and then her view fell on one particular place.

Her body that stopped was forced to move again. It felt sore as if everything inside her was torn apart. Vein for vein it was ripped open, organ for organ it was stumped into pieces and emotion for emotion it was cut apart from the worst sensation anyone could feel. Pain that not even any sins, any purgatory, any hell could ever rival.

"Go now!" Lia poured out masses of her life force and on the spot, all her corpses turned around to charge at the scene that Lia could vibrantly, painstakingly clearly see in front of her.

"Tear! Kill! Ravage!" The corpses left the ghosts and soldiers alone.

Their sudden battle screams portrayed their master's desperate feelings. Could the corpses get there in time? Could a miracle happen?

She was the Immortal King, so how could she not achieve anything? Absolutely nothing?

Fate?

"Don't make me laugh!"

If fate was what held her back then –

But no amount of prayers, threats or desires could stop what the inevitable and all imposing fate had in store for everyone. The wheels turned and turned and nothing could stop it.

The undead that all aimed for Min were too late. Just a few metres away yet Lia couldn't stop the disaster that happened right in front of her.

Before Min dealt the final blow, he spotted Lia. His lips curled into a mocking smile.

Once again Min took everything from Lia, once again Lia was helpless in front of him. A violent, disastrous chaos of emoticons swirled inside of Lia.

She laid on her knees and embraced Yano.

"Protect me!'' the corpses build a circle around Lia as Min controlled and summoned his ghosts to attack her.

"Lia, you can die with him," Min's voice vibrated through the air like walking on a thin string but even then Lia couldn't hear it.

Amidst the mountains of corpses guarding her with their backs faced, in this small private space, Lia gently yet desperately wiped the blood off Yano's face. If only Maria was here, she could heal Yano!

Lia's wanted to give her corpse another order but then Yano's trembling hand grabbed Lia's.

"It's too late."

Once again he could read her thoughts like an open book.

"It's not! If we-'' Lia denied reality. She wished she could rip a hole in time and replace it with an imaginative fantasy of hers to become real.

But this couldn't happen. Because life and fate were never benevolent. Lia tried her best to stop Yano's bleeding but to no avail.

Yano just stared at Lia with a faint smile. Until the end, there was nothing more dazzling, more beautiful than her in his eyes.

"I'm sorry," in the end Yano decided to whisper these last thoughts but it wasn't what Lia wanted to hear.

His reassurance, his teasing, his cheesy comments, all of this, what would Lia give to turn back time and appreciate him more, everything he's done, let him spoil her in his love, let him indulge in her love.

The more Lia thought about it, the more it was breaking her apart. Completely.

The tiny shred of sanity Lia still had was in her arms. If Yano was really going to disappear, no amount of saving and grace could heal Lia. She was already becoming an empty shell that shed tears with anguished and useless efforts to save a single person who she meant everything to and who meant everything to her.

"Yano, please don't go… I … I want to spend the rest of my life with you," as Lia's words fell, a brilliant smile appeared on Yano's face making him even more handsome than he already was.

"You finally said it."

"I'll say it again and again and again if you want, so just stay with me!"

But the fading glint in Yano's eyes told another story Lia didn't want to hear but her hand stopped on her own.

She couldn't save Yano and this realisation was a ruinous blow to her. It destroyed her brain and pulled out all senses of reason within her.

"Lia…Lia..." with the last bit of effort Yano wanted to pull Lia back.

He could see what his death would do to her, so he wanted to sort it out by not seeing each other.

Only letting her hear his voice. But he didn't anticipate she'd come running towards him so quickly.

And Yano couldn't lie when he said he was happy about it. Happy to see she cared about him, happy to have her accompany him in his final moments.

Maybe that was the true reason why he called Lia in the first place, because he wanted her to come. Yano could've just died quietly without telling her. Maybe this way his death was easier to process.

So, Yano wondered as he looked at his Lia, was he indeed selfish for doing that to her? Wanting to see her even though he knew it'd destroy her?

But it felt so good to be with her. Even though her body was shaking, her warmth and care magically, comfortably lulled him into a long sleep. An eternal slumber, he wanted one day to break out of.

Yano felt his consciousness slipping, he wanted to hold on a little bit more. Lia's tears dripped onto his face and rolled down mingling with another warm sensation. This was the first time Yano cried.

Yano wanted to say something but was finally unable to do so. He said his prayers as Lia's face got blurrier and blurrier but then felt a soft touch on his lips. And in that moment a variety of memories flashed by for both of them to see.

The first time Lia met Yano in person.

"Quiet the way to peek."

The first time Lia heard Yano's voice, seeing that handsome male in front of her with a playful smile. The person she could turn to whenever she had a problem or needed someone.

A person who managed to infuriate Lia but brighten her day. Who made her boil yet her heart beat faster.

The first time Yano saw a strange woman with blonde hair and blue eyes, he was perplexed about what she was doing there. He wanted to be friendly but then saw the necklace she wore.

He instantly knew it was his dad's and what purpose it served. Then a doll-like beauty stood in front of him, delicate with black hair and big eyes that contrary to her looks were slightly filled with determination and confidence.

He immediately knew who this was. Lia.

"So, it's like this," were his words.

Was it fate? Meant to be? Of course.

Yet he had to pretend not to know her and went along with her lies.

Her confusion and her search for immortals, all of it was incredibly adorable in his eyes.

"Here I thought you hated me but in truth you wanted to get married. This is a bit fast but I don't mind."

"I need the ring."

"And I accept your marriage proposal."

More and more words flowed around them.

"I was afraid you'd be lonely without me."

"Even if, I'd never turn to you."

"Ah, my clothes are completely wet and your eyes are still red. I wonder."

"Because you're cute."

"Because… you're my purpose-"

All of these words, all of these memories, these cursed yet beautiful times danced and danced around Lia and Yano replacing the corpses to form a protective wall around them.

"Say it again."

"Please Yano."

"Again."

"Yano."

"It doesn't matter if you turn out to betray me because I'll always trust and will support you. So trust me a little bit more."

And then finally, "Wait for me."

The words emitted a golden light and shone brightly upon the battlefield.

Just how long would Lia have to wait for him?

Just how long should she endure?

Just how long?

For how long, for-

And then it was over. It was all over. It disappeared, leaving behind nothing but torture and suffering.

And so amidst the blazing battlefield, a wave of silence took over.

For everyone to hear.

As clear as water. As disastrous as hell plunging onto earth to thwart heaven.

Yes, they could hear it.

So loudly and ear-defying.

Those heartbreaking cries of anguish.