Wicked Reincarnation

The four of them sat around a table on the floor. Pillows served as seating cushions. Their legs were crammed on the table. Lily, although unwillingly towards Lia, served everyone tea.

The warm, refreshing feeling glided smoothly down Lia's throat. It was a good tea. Lia appreciated good tea. For a while, they just sat there in silence.

The occasional slurp sounds were the only signs that the people in the room were alive and not just corpses.

Lia was surprisingly patient. They were already at a point where it was impossible to refuse to share the information. Looking back at how she threatened them, she didn't mind if they took their time.

It was a shocking experience and obviously needed time to mend the scars in their hearts they've received from it.

"Alright," Xavi downed the cup of tea and licked his lips. Out of his pocket, he pulled out another lollipop.

"Young Master," Lily took the lollipop, "It's not good to talk and eat candy at the same time."

Xavi cautiously glanced at Lia. When he saw her lips curling up, he abashedly nodded. Lily stored the lollipop away from Xavi and threw Lia another glance.

The atmosphere was uncomfortable but not tense, awkward but not hostile. Compared to facing each other with malice, this was quite tame, even amicable.

"I should tell you about the hidden families and what relation this has with your power and," Xavi briefly stopped, "What it means for your future."

Lia raised her eyebrow but wordlessly nodded. She would first need to listen to what he has to say before judging his words prematurely.

"How much do you know about the Ghost King and the families?''

Even though Lia knew he wasn't a child anymore, she found his attempt at being solemn very funny and endearing.

"Not much, when the previous Ghost King has disappeared, I wasn't born yet."

"Then Elder K didn't say anything? The K family should know as much as us hidden families."

The cup Lia brought to her lips was put down heavily. Her parents have known much however never told her. In hindsight, it might've been the better decision as she was so lovestruck, she would've done and given Min everything.

"The only thing my father has told me was that the reason they didn't appoint a new Ghost King was because the world didn't need one," Lia calmly said.

"Yet you went and crowned a Ghost King! You really are shameless!"

"Lily!" Maria lightly pinched Lily's sides.

"What? It's true! If it weren't for her then young master and everyone wouldn't need to go through all of this crap!"

"If they decided to revolt, then sooner or later it must happen anyways," Xavi helplessly said in hopes to appease both Lily and Lia.

Lia drank her tea before saying, "You don't need to make me feel better. Despite Lily's frank and embarrassing way of speaking, it's indeed my fault for not adhering to my family's rules."

The atmosphere didn't only turn more uncomfortable but it also was unbearable by now. Only Lia didn't seem to mind it.

"So, you asked me to explain?" Lia continued the conversation.

"Ah yes," a lollipop was what Xavi was craving right now, "for everything there's a first. So, the first king made 16 families his followers which are nowadays known as the council and hidden families. Later, even during the previous Ghost King's reign, the 16 families have split, 8 stayed loyal to the Ghost King which make up the council and 8 have chosen to hide themselves away, which are us, the hidden families."

"Then the reason?" Lia poured herself more tea.

"Because we hidden families don't support the Ghost King anymore, instead we await the return of the true king."

Lia halted, "What do you mean by that?"

"The first king wasn't a Ghost King. The first King was called the Immortal King. Later the immortal king chose to split his duty and appointed a Ghost King to take care of the mortal world. Because the Immortal King had no successor when he passed away, no one could become the Immortal King since his powers were fundamentally different from anyone else."

This load of information overwhelmed Lia. So, there used to be a being that was even stronger than the Ghost King? Who was the true ruler of the worlds? With powers that cannot be achieved, unlike the Ghost King?

"That's why from then on only the Ghost King remained and people've forgotten about the Immortal King but not us families. We believe the Immortal King will come back."

"On what basis?" Lia thought it was foolish to wait for something that might never happen. The immortal world could be very well over millions of years old and never has an Immortal King ever appeared again. So why were they so sure of it?

"Because such is fate," Xavi closed his eyes.

"Lia, I'm the sole successor of the A family. The A family was the first to ever stand beside the Immortal King. We have passed down generations of knowledge and memories. Just like how the K family can appoint the Ghost King, we can feel when the birth of the Immortal King is drawing closer."

"So, there will be a new Immortal King?" it was hard to digest yet Lia could see Xavi wasn't lying.

"Yes, I can feel it and we have long waited for the Immortal King, because much has been sacrificed for the Immortal King. That's why your father refused the birth of a Ghost King. But of course, this info can't ever reach anyone's ears."

"Then when will the Immortal King appear?" Lia's words were carried in the air and vanished. No one answered. Xavi looked at her and his hands trembled.

He broke out a weird smile, "The Immortal King… his power, it's complicated. The Immortal King can purge ghosts as part of his powers but he's the Immortal King. He's the king of the immortals and no true king would ever let his people die, he's also the king or the God for the mortals. Simply said, he's responsible for guiding the dead through the process of being reborn."

"I don't understand," Lia didn't quite catch on what Xavi was trying to tell her.

"Once mortals die, their soul leaves their bodies, they either become ghosts or pass on. The same applies to us immortals. During the reign of the Immortal King, everyone had powers, so immortals died as easy as mortals. The Immortal King would judge the dying people and accordingly put their souls back into their bodies. He would revive them again or he could pass them on to the afterlife or through rebirth."

Seeing that Lia didn't say anything, Xavi nervously pushed the cup away from him, "What I'm trying to say is that your powers are similar to the Immortal King's. No, it's part of the abilities he used to have."

A needle could drop on the floor and everyone in the room would be able to hear it. Inside Lia's head, her brain froze and her movements slackened.

"Are you saying I'm the Immortal King?"

"Potentially, you could become the Immortal King. If your powers evolve then you might be able to use the Immortal King's full power," Xavi didn't deny but he also wasn't sure.

When he first saw Lia controlling her powers, his only thought was that she had the potential to become the Immortal King and he understood that it might not necessarily need the birth of a new Immortal King but someone who could attain his powers, was already qualified to become the Immortal King.

The Immortal King wasn't born as a king. He trained his powers and abilities and then was graced by heavens to rule over both worlds. Lia also needed to train and she could follow in his footsteps. A path always needed to be paved, if it didn't exist yet.

"I could become?"

"We will help you train. There's no one in the universe who knows more than me currently and there might never be."

Xavi wasn't lying. In the immortal world, the most knowledgeable ones about the past were the hidden families and amongst them all, the A family had the closest ties to Immortal King.

Xavi closed his eyes for a second and various images flashed across. The Immortal King and the previous Ghost King's sure had to endure tragedies because of a single decision. If the Immortal King then had chosen differently, had valued certain things differently, then could all of this have prevented?

However, the Immortal King was also a person. He also had the right to decide based on his emotions and desire. In that case, it was hard to determine who was right or wrong.

One desire against another one. One mistake led to another one. The Immortal King was truly a sad being. From the beginning to the end, his suffering was endless. No one could fault him for wanting something that didn't align with everyone's wishes.

This time things should be different.

"Lia, tell me how did you get your powers? What happened on the night the K family was... murdered," in order to know how Lia fit into the category of the Immortal King, Xavi needed to hear the origin of her powers.

Lia also understood this. From here on, she told them about her tale- the four families and Min conspiring to take down her family, the time in the abyss, gaining her ability to her revenge until now.

As those words endlessly flowed out of her mouth, Lia never shed a tear. Instead Lily and Maria silently wept for her. Lia didn't pity herself anymore nor did she crave for anyone to feel bad for her.

However, all these pent-up feelings, things she had to suppress, no one to talk to, they came bursting out and this liberation that came with it made her heart lighter.

After more than ten years for the first time, Lia didn't have to endure it alone anymore. For the first time, she could share her burden and lift the chains around her heart.

It wasn't trust towards them which she displayed. It was a little girl's cry for help and wails for understanding that sought to be mended.

Lia didn't know it but subconsciously she wanted to be weak and vulnerable and stop pretending to be strong. In the end, who could shoulder all of hell on their little, fragile bodies and delicate hearts and not be affected by it?

For the first time in a long while, everything seemed alright.