The Reincarnated

Chapter 16: Deathly Halo

It was indeed a sudden turn of events. An intended déjà vu.

But this time, the roles have changed.

The missing man who just appeared before my eyes, caught bought of his arms, the same way I trapped Lance. I ran towards him, only to stop and kneel down to scream again. "NO!"

I watched with wide-eyes as Lance plunged his sword to Damien. I watched as he took it out from his body. I watched as Damien fell limp on the ground.

I froze.

I couldn't breathe.

My eyes burned like fire.

Every part of me quivered.

The pain was excruciating. But yet I was numb.

Something inside of me snapped.

My mind was flooded with a strong impulse to kill. The pain of losing him overwhelmed me enough to shut down every bit of humanity left in me that felt mercy and compassion. My thoughts dwelled on pain, wrath, and vengeance.

And I let it take over me.

The midnight breeze turned strong. I could hear the loud rustling of leaves. The wind became heavier by the second and it was swirling in circles around me. No matter how cold and strong the air blew, it didn't dry my tears. It became powerful enough to look like a tornado. I didn't know where it came from, but I wasn't afraid of it.

I wasn't afraid of it when I saw the look of surprise on Lance's eyes. His only subordinate advanced at me, holding his sword firmly. An invisible force made him immobile, stopping him half-way before he could get to me. The winds engulfed him and threw him to the trees with a crashing force, sending his body tumbling down until it hit solid ground.

It fascinated me that the winds were abiding on what I intended to do.

Lance stood there in disbelief. His eyeballs turned back to me. I saw a sly smile on his face. It sickens me.

"Oh, my. You should learn how to control your temper," he mentioned. My blood was boiling at the sight of him.

I wanted to inflict pain to him and make him suffer. I wanted the winds to devour him.

The dense thick air spun around him, lifting him high up on the ground. Countless stones rose above, hovering in the air as if transparent strings were holding them while surrounding him. Could I be the one controlling this?

The entertained look on his face didn't waver. It infuriated me even more. The stones darted off towards one target: the devil's incarnate. At first it was one at a time, then more followed. I heard Lance wail and cry, but I didn't stop. I don't want it to stop. It was like a meteor shower but horizontal instead of vertical. He was covered with it, until I couldn't see any part of him. When it finally stopped and died down, there was no sign of him.

I heard an agonizing groan from behind me. Damien.

I couldn't run fast enough to his side. His white shirt was stained with blood and it was still seeping wet on the ground. I tore a piece of my tattered dress to stop the blood from spilling but when I touched his gaping wound, he screamed in pain. My eyes filled with new tears at the thought of his terrible suffering.

He moaned and shifted. Every sound of agony coming from him was killing me.

"Damien look at me!" I caressed his face. His eyes twitched feverishly before it opened. His emerald eyes were dimmer. It had lost its luster. "Don't you give up on me!" I cupped his face. He was shaking.

I couldn't let him die. No. He's not going to die. I wouldn't bear it.

"Help!" I started yelling desperately. "Somebody!" There was no sign of aid. Just Damien's raspy breathing.

"I don't know what to do. Tell me what I should do. I need you. Damn it! Say something!" I panicked. My throbbing heart couldn't take it. I needed to hear his voice.

He was coughing up blood. "Y-You," he choked out. "You... still...owe... me," he finished.

"What?"

"That...game," he struggled on his words.

The first thought that came to me was that game he initiated. The one where I lost because I was mistaken on his identity. Of all things...

"What do you want me to do?"

"Stop...being... so... s-stubborn," his lips twisted on what was supposed to be a smile, but looked more like a grimace.

"This isn't funny Damien!" I wanted to shake him, but the thought of his injuries warned me not to.

"Keep...l-living," he breathed.

"Hold on. You're going to be okay. We'll get through this like we always do, right?" I held his hand. They were cold. When he didn't respond, I frantically repeated it again. "Right?"

"I don't t-think I c-can. N-Not this t-time," my heart sunk at his words. "I'm s-sorry, C-Chesh."

"No! Don't do this to me. You have to hold on!" Damien was bleeding badly. I knew it was selfish and unfair to force him to hold on when he's body was on the verge of shutting down. But he needs to. I need him to.

"I... love... you," a tear dropped from his dimming eyes. "So much..."he gasped. No. Not yet.

"I-I..."

I couldn't finish it...

It doesn't matter anymore.

Not when he already closed his eyes. Not when he was lying so still and motionless. Not when he isn't breathing anymore. Not when I couldn't accept that he was gone. Gone forever.

Forever is such a long time.

"No, no, no." I pressed my hands on his cheeks. My instinct made me check on his pulse. It only crushed me even more when there was no progress. I embraced him in my arms, rocking him back and forth.

I cried.

I shrieked.

I cursed.

My brain was elsewhere. It was on a time machine of moments he was there for me. Every memory was a dagger to me. My heart erupted like a volcano. I couldn't cry enough. The pain wasn't enough. I let myself rot in misery.

"You don't deserve this," I kept on muttering.

I didn't know how long I was holding him. I couldn't let go of him.

The first wave of exhaustion filled me. But the physical pain cannot compare to my flaring emotions. My head throbbed as if a bomb was going to explode. The adrenaline rushing in my veins had been washed away. Everything was intolerable. I just noticed the blood trickling down my head. I can feel my mind shutting off.

Blood loss could eventually lead to death... a thought occurred to me. But it didn't bother me like it was supposed to. So I closed my eyes, and waited for the Grim Reaper to take me.

The last thing I felt was warmth.

Maybe I was falling in hell's toasty atmosphere. I wasn't sure if it was just my imagination, or a memory, or probably a welcome on the staircase to heaven. For the last person I saw when I slightly opened my eyes, is the person I wanted to see. The last memory I had were emerald eyes looking right at me and an angel's voice of velvet, whispering softly on my ear.

"It's going to be okay."