"It's the same as before", I muttered.It didn't carry. The wind was rather merciless that day. I felt like I could get swept away any second. And I sincerely wished I would.The same as before. Indeed, what sprawled before me only brought back the dreadful memories of that day. I could still just sit there, helpless, and hold her hand till I knew it was over. But I refused to sit down. I just went on looking down at her.But it was all too perfect. It was exactly as I remembered it. There wasn't one trail of blood that was misplaced on her. I knew there wasn't a difference. After all, even if I rewrote existence, she was the same person.How had it come to this? I asked myself over and over again and cursed myself for being so careless. I had completely forgotten my promise."Why that look, Seraph?", she asked, with what little strength she had left."Please don't ask me that, Lady", I summoned my courage too.She smiled vaguely but couldn't reply.I hadn't seen it coming. It was a w
"Sight, find Chopper, alright? Wherever he is. Only you can find him", Lady was visibly concerned.Following the morning June left, Lady called Sight and told him to prepare and set out as soon as possible."Yes, Lady", Sight answered.It was ironic that Lady should send a blind guy to look for Chopper. But Sight was the best at finding ways. Especially where Chopper was concerned, I thought only Sight and I were capable of finding him now. And since Lady seemed to have other plans for me, I figured Sight was the best man for the job.My chair was a bit crooked and placed just a little beside Lady's table. I watched Sight's face intently. I suppose everyone that had been sent out had the same expression of "Are you getting rid of us?" but Sight seemed to have some hidden knowledge of Lady's plan. His look was that of "I suppose you'll be left alone now."And I thought, despite everything everyone had said, it seemed only Sight really sympathized with Lady.He didn't take much with him
"The gloomy days are over!", someone shouted into my ear, but before I could recover from the shock to turn around and find out who it was, he'd gone.I found myself in a very packed inn in Montreuil. I rather liked the city but the tavern was chock full of fat, jobless, drunkards. Despite all the prosperity of the city, men always found reasons to be useless. But if not for these men, the very nice and hearty innkeeper would have been out of business. There was only one woman in the entirety of that huge tavern and that was the innkeeper's daughter.She was no goddess but in that difficult, disgusting place, she was like sunshine. I ended up staying in that inn and although I never spoke that much with her, I liked seeing her work."'Nother?", she'd ask every time anyone finished their drink even if they were so drunk they could drop dead any second."Did you ask the lady for dinner, Natasha?", her father would ask very often."She's asleep", Natasha would reply.I don't think this p
"I climbed up an icy mountain once", she said with perfect composure despite the changing winds, "And there I met a man, my angel of death. He'll come to claim my soul when the world goes wrong and my time is up."I stood with a distorted look in my eyes. Exactly as I remembered it. She was once again lying half buried in rubble, and the impression of a seemingly century-long struggle on her face."What triggered it, Lady?", I asked, trying to ignore her current predicament."The red sky. He must have been looking for me for a long time since then. I didn't think he'll find me this soon. It should have been harder."He was the one that delivered the blank note. "Why are you dying, Lady?", I asked, incapable of comprehending why she had given up."I promised", her answer was too honest, yet I couldn't wrap my head around it.I suppose she had more than one priorities in her life. I never really knew."Is he the one you hated?""Not him. He's the one I loved.""You? You loved?""I'm ly
"No one is coming to save you."Her mother's words rung in the air.With a blurred vision and a half open head, she stood erect on what remained of the hill. They were all dead. Valhalla was gone too. She stood alone. **************"In the end, you didn't kill him", I walked up to Lady who was standing at a great distance from Valhalla.She didn't say anything. But she probably regretted everything."Everyone died", I said, without really caring for anything.I figured I'd be redoing everything once again. This time was much sooner than I had expected. I realized I needed to be much more firm if I wanted to create a better reality."You should have let them leave", she looked at me as if all of it was my fault."Please don't push it all on me, Lady. You've had this coming for a while now", I wasn't going to take the accusation sitting down, even if she was right.She seemed like she didn't want to go on arguing about it. For one, everyone was dead but
"No one's coming to help you. Ever", her mother combed through her hair.She sat with her head down, as if she'd been caught in a snare."You were playing with that box again, weren't you? Haven't I told you I hate it when you mess with my things? How hard is it for you to understand?"She stayed silent. Her head was hurting. The mother was almost ripping her hair out.She lifted her eyes to look at the pretty box that was placed out of her reach. She had no toys to play with. The box was about the only thing she could admire in that house."You nameless child", her mother mocked her, like she usually did when she was angry, "You know why no one named you? Because you didn't deserve it. What good is it giving a name to a girl? What good is a girl, anyway? You can't go to war. Can't pull us out of this shit hole. Your existence is pointless."She was barely listening to her mother now. She was lost in thoughts of her own."You'll suffer here. Like I have. But don't worry, my love", the
"What're you up to, Seraph?", Chopper asked, taking a seat beside me.I myself had no clue what I was up to. Everything looked fine. Lady, the Valkyries, and Valhalla too."What happened to the letter?", I asked."What letter?"I didn't yet know where to place myself. I stayed silent."What's up with you, kid? You know I can tell that you fought someone", he scrutinized me.Even I didn't know that I had fought someone. I looked at myself. And though I didn't find any trace of being out of place, I realized that I was aching all over. I could tell I had gone all out. The remnants of Nasty's grip caused my body to hurt this much.I was sitting near Lady's bathing pool and Chopper had joined me. He'd never been here before. But most importantly, Lady didn't know we were here. If she found out, she'd have sent us on another grueling mission."Oi, kid, I'm talking to you. You good?"I think it was then that I lifted my gaze finally and looked at his face. At first it felt like I couldn't r
"You must have realized by now, Seraph, that there is indeed a way. But I suppose you are far too hesitant to take it", Grim said, casually.The sky looked nice and blue. He and I were in some place that I couldn't seem to recognize. He was lying in the most green, luscious grass in the history of grass and I was sitting just beside him under a tree.I found myself outside once again.To be honest, it had become hard to keep track of how many times I had done what I was trying to do. I thought that as long as the future kept moving forward, albeit slowly, I could reach the end. I'll just keep making sure everyone was alive until they were old and grey and died peacefully.But the idea was ridiculous when I thought about it long enough. For one, what if I died before them? It would all come to nothing. My life would have been a waste."Where do gods exist?", I asked Grim, simply because I had nothing to say."Everywhere you turn", he replied, "They're very good at hiding it.""I don't
I would like to think to myself that this isn't the end. But seeing as her story went back to where it all started, I realized that my role wasn't saving her at all. I just made sure she'd continue to exist, eternally.In eternal suffering and forgetfulness and new encounters and the last times, in every world, she'll continue to exist.As for me, I couldn't bear to live in a world knowing she was somewhere out there, helpless and torn, just as she'd been when I first found her.When did I first find her?Who can say? I had always been talking about how I wished I'd met her sooner. In fact, I had always known her. Our existences were intertwined so much that I don't think either of us could just pull away and be happy all on our own without thinking of the other.After I'd returned Lady's power to her, I floated away in an empty space for an eternity. I was foolish enough to think that the sorrow would fade away one day. But no matter how long and far I floated away, the memory and th
It was the coldest I'd felt in ages, and there was an aching heaviness in my head that I simply couldn't seem to shake off no matter how much I walked. I don't know when, how, or why I was walking through the snow towards the top of some hill I didn't even know.For that matter, I didn't remember who I was, how I'd gotten there, or where I was going.And just like that, before I knew it, I had collapsed in a den of wolves. Luckily, it looked abandoned, so I didn't get eaten off right away. I figured it'd be a long, slow death. I found the idea of such a gentle death appealing, despite the fact that I was walking mindlessly just seconds ago.I must have passed out, for when I came to, I was stiff as a rock. And yet, I wasn't that cold anymore. I lifted my head to find myself covered in a bear pelt. Someone had been so kind as to cover me up. And yet, the pelt was rather old and shoddy. Who cared as long as it could keep me warm?I stood up, looking around, getting accustomed to my surr
"I didn't imagine we'd ever come to a crossroads such as this", I let out a puff of smoke, standing opposite her."But, as a matter of fact, I always had a feeling we would", Lady answered with her signature smirk."Sure, you did", I said sarcastically.It was surprising at first. But things made sense soon enough. Lady had sent all of us away on a mission. She'd isolated herself at Valhalla. Chopper had left of his own accord. She'd sent Sight to look for him. Deli had gone to see her children. And she bid Lubbock and June farewell. She'd even given her fur coat to June. Grim was on a mission, too. And I was looking for Jean V. to deliver her letter.It was all exactly as it had been back then. When I'd return from meeting Jean V., Lady would already be beyond saving. Back then, all I knew was that the person who sent her that blank letter was the one who came to kill her. I never ventured to find out much else.It all made sense now as I stood be
"Must you leave without fulfilling my wish, Seraph?"He had some guts to ask. I looked up at the red sky. There was nothing but barren, burnt land all around us."What else could you ask for?", I looked back at him."You look so old, Seraph", he chuckled, "What exactly did you give the others?"I looked behind me without answering his question. There was no one and nothing."What? It's a long story", I answered without looking at him."We've got time to kill", he grinned."I don't", I said, but went on to answer him anyway, "I gave everyone what they wanted.""Really?"I glared at him, "Yes, really, Grim. I took a fee, of course."He laughed."And what will you take from me?", he asked, grinning.I looked around and then rested my eyes on him."There's really nothing."He seemed to agree."So how'd you manage?""Well, Grim, you could almost call it travelling back through time. Though, it really isn't that. I split the worlds to create new ones. Time doesn't exist for me anymore. Ever
"I will take death in any way and form it comes to me, anywhere and anytime."That had to be the most brazen statement I'd heard. It took me a bit to take that statement in."You really have no special requests? If I can, I'd like to make it up to you", I sat down and stared at his bloodied face.He shook his head."Make up for what?", he asked.He didn't know me yet to call me "boy" but I suppose that's the way it had to be.I had become better at rewriting the reality. I could write quite far back in certain cases. For example, in Sight's case, I made it so he never met Lady and Chopper on the night he killed the prima donna, Czarna Dalia.Before meeting them he didn't know anything about what he'd been doing. He didn't know what an outcast was, even though he himself was an outcast. Ignorance is indeed the greatest of all blisses. And I thought for Sight, it had to be the biggest saving.Lady was right. People who see things differently are the most dangerous of all. Especially tho
"This isn't what I asked for, Seraph", she complained, fixing her glasses on her tiny nose."I don't get what the hell it is that you want exactly, June", I was beginning to get tired."You don't understand at all", she folded her arms."You're damn right, I don't. What kind of crazy a-""One thing.", she looked at me sternly, "One thing I'm asking for is a place to be happy. Not a mother, not a wife, not a hero, not any of the other things you're trying to come up with.""What'll make you happy, exactly?", I folded my arms and leaned against the wall of Valhalla.Everyone else was off to fend the red sky off. June had been left behind in a protective barrier.She fell silent."How about Lady? Isn't she your favorite?""I could care less about her", she answered, bluntly, "I hate her.""Huh?", I wasn't sure I'd her heard her right."She does everything on a whim. She claims to understand everything when rea
"They are waiting for you, Monsieur Lubbock", a dark woman poked her head into the dressing room, "It's almost time for the show."The bajillion young ladies that were powdering his nose scattered away.His face was pink with heat and he wore a long fancy coat. It almost looked odd on his somewhat small figure."I'll be right there", he answered, gussying up in the mirror."Aww, you're leaving already, Monsieur?", some of the girls came up to him.He chuckled modestly."What can I say? The life of the greatest singer in the world isn't so relaxing, my dears.""You might be the greatest singer, but Monsieur is also the life of all women's hearts", one of the cheekier ones commented.Lubbock laughed. He didn't try to hide how much he loved being pampered like this."I'm sorry, girls. My audience awaits!"Saying so, he shot out of the room and hurried towards the stage. Backstage was always heated just before his shows. He was the one star that every theater wanted to have. But he was a
"Do you blame me for mother's death, father?", she asked, placing the empty cup of tea on the little side table.Her father wasn't facing her. He was still locked up in his study, reclining on his chair and looking out of the window at some distance lands.She sat straight, with her back erect. The weight of her gown was enough to tire her but she was made up, as befitting of a noble. She had to look all the more perfect since she was visiting her home for the first time since her marriage."Blame you?", the lord of the house spoke in his grave voice after a while, "I simply don't think you were worth her death. Esme was a wise woman. A level headed, understanding, noble woman."Faye looked at her lap."You refuse to carry out the will of the house of Vlad. You'll go as far as to commit a heinous crime to that end. I'm disappointed beyond measure."Faye pursed her lips. No one but she herself had been hurt the most by what she'd done."Vlad was born to you twice. And yet, you ungratef
"Tell you what, Seraph, this one time, I met a girl and she had these enormous scars all over her arms and legs. I couldn't help noticing her, of course. When she told me she did it herself, I couldn't help it. I killed her then and there", he chuckled to himself, "I didn't want to do it, of course. Something just came over me. It wasn't that she told me she did it herself. It was how she said it. She was smiling.""I'm sure she wasn't smiling because she was happy", I answered, with a solemn look on my face."I'm sure of that too. I was sure of it back then too. That's probably why I killed her. But do you know how many people I've saved?"He looked at my face. I stayed silent."I've saved more people than I've killed. I've been counting since the beginning. I know, for sure, that my atonement is over. At least, it ought to be. But does it look like I'm still repenting?", he asked, smiling vaguely, knowing my answer."You do.""That's because I am. No matter how many I save...the ato