Reiji stayed for a while. He looked at Aki through the window who was pretending to be busy writing.
Reiji requests,'Don't stop me please.'
'I can't let you harm my Master.' Chev reluctantly said.
'I won't! I know I was wrong…I regret…' Reiji stops seeing Chev not interested in listening to his apology.
'Do you think everything can be solved if you regret?' Chev asks.
Aki stops writing after hearing their conversation.
The sound of Rei's heartbeats was irregular.
'I know I don't deserve that but…I can't give any excuses…' Reiji loses his words.
'You are so easily manipulated. You don't deserve our Master. He has been suffering for so long because of the same thing. Everytime he gets killed by his family.' Chev was not acting friendly with Reiji.
'I didn't…' Reiji couldn't argue.
'I know you didn't do it willingly. You even saved him from the sea-monsters and I'm thankful for that but that doesn't mean you can't be a threat in future.' Chev thanked him but his words were harsh.
"Oh God ! Please just leave . It's unbearable to see you like this." But on the inside Chev felt sympathy for Reiji
'Don't you agree? Leave. I don't want to hurt you but don't think that I can't.' Chev warns Reiji.
Chev turns his back.
Reiji stops Chev,'You knights are not living beings,are you?'
'Yes, from that day, they weren't.' Chev answers without any hesitation.
'Did he really…forget everything?' Reiji asked. 'Ruan Siya made him forget everything.' Chev remind him.
'He won't be able to remember?' Reiji's eyes seemed sad
"Don't ask me something where I have to lie !" Chev became irritated.
He yells at Reiji, 'Kid! Didn't you listen, what I had said?'
Reiji pleads, 'Please...tell me...I will wait...I want to apologise...I will wait till he forgives me…'
Chev became hesitant to act harshly with Reiji and tried to make him understand,'The reason he is not getting reincarnated as new…'
'Because he isn't forgiving…' Chev was astounded to hear that.
Reiji continued, 'I remember what he had said about not being forgiving...he can't feel it. It's not his fault. If you want to forgive someone, you need to feel their sincerity through their actions. I don't believe it's his fault for not being able to forgive.'
Aki's eyes grew bigger when he heard it.
A teardrop fell on his worksheet.
'He must stop believing in that too.' Reiji said, lowering his head in sadness.
'Just go...I don't want to give you any hope…' Chev didn't let Reiji in.
Reiji leaves.
Aki pressed his hand on his chest because his heart was aching. His tears were out of control. Chev could feel what he was going through. The only reason he could not free himself from this cruel cycle of rebirth is because he could not forgive anyone. Even though he didn't harm them for treating him unfairly, he couldn't really forget those and forgive them. As nobody prayed for him when he died, his soul became more tainted with sorrow. Even though he earned many gifts from the Almighty, one thing that he lacked inside him was forgiveness. He could not free himself from that one thing. He tried to purify himself, he tried to become a priest, a shaman, a healer but nothing really helped himself, he couldn't heal his soul. And a soul that has a stain from the previous life,cannot enter the purification zone.
Chev entered Aki's room. Aki was sitting silently, placing his hand on his lap. He didn't put down his pen. Aki's phone rang. It's Noah.
Aki's voice shakes, 'Noah.'
'Ya. Are you free right now?' Noah asked.
Aki became confused, 'I am…Why?'
'Someone wants to meet you.' Noah said.
Aki couldn't understand, 'Who?'
'Just get down here.' Noah insisted.
'You are here?' Aki gets up from the seat.
'Ya.' Noah answers.
'Then come on up. Tanya is sleeping.' Aki tried to understand why Noah was acting distant.
'This person doesn't want to go.' Noah said.
"Who the hell is that..." Aki went to the balcony to check.
Mei and Noah were waiting outside, on the opposite side of the road. Aki was surprised to see Mei. Mei looked at him directly at Aki who came to the balcony to check them.
Aki was confused, "That's not Mei…"
Aki came down and stood on the other side of the road.
The street lamps started to go on and off. Aki's expression was different. He came to them. He didn't hide his defence.
Noah found Aki a bit strange,'Oi! Are you ok? Why do you look like you are gonna kill someone?'
Aki tried to compose himself, 'Ah! Nothing.' 'Senpai ! Can you remember me?' Mei asked.
Aki couldn't understand why someone else took Mei's appearance. Aki observes Mei and finds his mark.
Aki looks into his eyes, 'I'm sorry. I guess….'
Mei smiles, 'Ah! I see! I thought you would recognise me. It's ok...doesn't matter. I will be off then.'
Mei starts walking.
'Mei! What the hell..sorry Aki,this kid…' Noah was shocked at Mei's behaviour.
'It's ok.' Aki said.
'I will be going…' When Noah tried to leave,Aki grabbed his hand, 'Where are you going?'
'I can't let him go alone…he is a bit disturbed.' Noah looked worried.
'No need…just let him…' Aki said.
Noah found it strange, 'Are you really ok?'
Aki didn't want Noah to get suspicious or get in trouble so Aki said, 'Let me go with you too then.' 'Are you crazy? You want to drive all the way to the dormitory…Now? Go back. It's late.' Noah brushed off Aki's concern and left with Mei in his car.
'Joana.' Aki calls one of his knights.
'Master!' A beautiful lady appeared behind Aki.
Aki commands her, 'Go.'
'Yes,Master.' She leaves in a bird form and follows Noah's car.
Mei noticed that and smiled.
Aki goes inside. He checks on Tanya. He saw she was sleeping but when Aki left, she opened her eyes. Turns over to her other side and Ruan Sayo appears.
She sits beside Tanya and holds her hand.
'Do you really have to do this?' Tanya asks.
'I have no choice. I trusted Aki, that's why I didn't say anything but he is not just Aki anymore. And he has a part where I can't enter.' Sayo pats on Tanya's hand.
Aki stayed standing beside the door for a while silently,"She hasn't changed at all."
Aki asks Chev,'How long has she been here?'
Chev seemed uneasy while he answered, 'When you went down.'
"Did they plan it out? But Rose is not someone who would be afraid…" Aki's thoughts were halted when he saw his watch that he had left in Rei's bed on his table.
'He came again?' Aki was puzzled.
'He said you forgot it in their house.' Chev explained.
"Stupid Rei! I left it purposely. So that it reminds you of me. How silly I was!" Aki sits on the sofa and keeps the watch on his side.
Rei's words commenced to echo inside his mind.
'What he said was true,Master. Even though you wander in the Soul Desert with regrets, you won't be purified unless…' Chev couldn't continue talking.
Aki sighs, 'Hahh! I know. I know,Chev. Even if I enter the soul desert, it won't accept me. I go there just to watch them getting purified,to watch them getting a second life...while I can't.'
Chev seeing Aki getting back to Aki's old self, panics, 'Master! Please! Please let it go! Why won't you listen to your children?'
Chev sat down on the floor and placed his forehead on Aki's knee.
Chev's appearance changes from a mature guy to a younger boy with shoulder length silver hair. His body built changes too.
Aki tries to fake a smile and pats on Chev's head, 'There's just too much to let go,I tried didn't I ?!'
Chev went silent for a while. He sat there how a kid would stay pleading to their father, 'Why was I even awakened! I can't even die and have another rebirth or reincarnation till the world ends. I really want to die.'
Aki scolds him, 'That's a dangerous thought, Chev. Think of the sins you had committed and thank the Almighty that you were given a second chance and a purpose.
Chev whines like a baby, 'I am thankful..but every time you are gone,I feel at loss.'
Chev's kind was awakened to pass down our ancestral history to humans. To help Human and Jinn generations.
Aki consoles him,'Your kind acts as protectors of these two mortal beings. Don't hate yourself just because you are immortal.'
'I don't care about that. I get worried every time when your soul fades away. I wander here and there looking for you. I also get disappointed when I see you didn't get reincarnation but feel relieved that you didn't.' Chev seemed confused.
'I don't mind if you feel like that. Don't let that bother you.' Aki smiles, 'I just haven't reached the time where my soul's liberation is.'
'I hate to stay immortal when you are not. I don't even know if I have a soul or not,if we will meet after the judgement day or not.' Chev sits up and looks at Aki.
He returns to his usual face when he sits away from Aki. Aki takes his hand and again he reverts back to his boyish appearance. Aki strokes and puts his hair behind his ears, 'Just because you were awakened to serve me, doesn't mean you don't have any other purpose. I chose you because you had loyalty in whatever you do. So don't waver from your decision.'
'Yes,Master.'Chev suddenly sat up straight. Aki was looking outside.
'Joana!' Chev frowns as Joana tries to contact them.
Chev hadn't completely disappeared when Aki got a hold on him.
'Wait…You stay here. That person must have something that he wants to talk about with me.' Aki said.
'Joana!' Aki intervenes.
'Master!' Joana responded while she was holding her arm that was injured.
Her eyes glowed and so did Aki's. She transferred her vision to Aki, showing him where she was.
'Who are you communicating with? Your Master?'A lady was holding a weapon in her hand but it was not visible.
She moved the edge that she had in her hand and a cord became visible. A whip. The cord was so thin and unnoticeable. She walked closer to Joana and hit her with that. It cuts her other arm.
'Why were you following them?! Answer me!' The lady was screaming.
Joana's silence made her more angry. She slapped her. Joana's veins were turning purple. She was suppressing her anger. She grabbed Joana's hair and made Joana look at her face.
'You have a very pretty face.' Her whip tied Joana's throat tightly, 'I would have forgiven you, if you had spoken up.'
Suddenly a force threw the woman away. She flew way too far from Joana. But she landed herself safely to the ground. She came fast to Joana. But she couldn't step forward after a few steps. Something was blocking her.
'You dare to…' She stops seeing Aki standing behind Joana.
Joana looks back and kneels down, 'I'm sorry Master,I have failed you…I will be following them again.'
'No need…They have reached safely.' Aki felt really bad to see Joana hurt like that. Aki touched her head.
The woman recognised Aki,'Akio Azusa?!'
He was confused to hear her. Aki couldn't recognise her.
But he was angry, 'Who the hell are you!?'
'You little!' The woman became furious.
Aki was about to leave. That woman appeared in front of him. Aki remembers the face now. It was Mei's mother, "What is she doing here?"
'Akio Azusa! You didn't forget anything?' She asked but with a little confusion whether she was right or wrong.
'I have no idea what you are…'Aki sees the blood weapon in her hand, "Ashrith?! Why is she welding it? Does that mean she is the one who killed Sora…" He looked at her with disgust.
His eyes turned blank. A thunder rumbling could be heard faintly.
Joana became worried, 'Master!'
'What?' Aki was angry enough to not hear anything.
'Master, it's mother.. !' Joana turns pale.
'So?! What of it…' Aki's eyes grew bigger.
Aki looked at the sky. So did Kinari. A large bird was flying towards them. Both of its wings were absorbing lightning bolts from the clouds.
'No, No! No! Levka No!' Aki became restless.
The phoenix was circling them. She was throwing fire to Kinari who was petrified but Aki blocked them.
'Levka! Calm down.' Aki casts something over Kinari.
Kinari couldn't do that because of fear. Aki was angry but he didn't want to kill her yet because she is Joshua's wife.
'Try to breathe as little as possible…' Seeing Levka not stopping,Aki touched Kinari's forehead and her soul left, leaving her body on the ground.
'What did you do to me?!' Kinari screams in fear. 'Do you know what situation you are in? You have hurt her daughter. She will burn you to death.' He sent her somewhere through a portal attaching a thread on her, 'Don't let go of it. If you do, I won't be able to find you.'
She vanishes from there. She found herself in a lake.
Aki looked at the phoenix with his glowing jewel eyes, 'Levka! Calm down.'
Levka's red eye iris closes its pupil and then reverts back as Aki's eye colour. Levka was interrupted. She observes Aki. She focused on his eyes.
"Father?!" She observed Aki.
"That's right ! It's me!" Aki smiles as she recognizes him.
The Phoenix turned into a beautiful woman, ran to Aki and hugged him. She cried for a while.
'Did you miss me that much?' Aki smiled as his heart was surprisingly at peace.
'I did. I missed you so much. You took forever.' She cried.
Aki pats over her hair, 'Sorry...for not remembering.' 'It's ok. I'm glad that you didn't reincarnate.' she said.
'What a cruel thing to say!' Aki scoffed.
Her eyes are now just like Aki's. She released him from her embrace.
'Have you calmed down?' Aki wanted to be sure. 'No!' Her eyes flamed up, 'Where is she?!'
Aki looks at the body that was lying on the ground. He suddenly noticed a light getting closer to them. Joshua comes down and stands next to his wife.
"Shit! Why!" Aki found the situation going out of his hand.
Levka turns into her beast form seeing Joshua being hostile towards Aki. Joshua got close and was stupefied to see Aki there with a Phoenix. She tried to attack Joshua.
'Levkaa!!' Aki stopped her.
Her wings wrapped her body. She didn't stop so Aki held her with a string and she couldn't move. But still screams towards Joshua.