Esmarin's POV
"Uhm… My vision has been blurry since you came… I can't actually…" Xion suddenly carried you. "XION! WHAT ARE YOU DOING?" you got flustered. "Well… I cannot fight you with an advantage for me… Doesn't it hurt?" he looked at your leg and it was bleeding. "Now that you mentioned it… Where did I get this?" you asked him clueless. "I told you, you killed them…" we arrived in a clinic. "Who do we have here?" a girl sharpening a knife. "Is she going to kill me?" I whispered it to Xion in a shaky voice. "Probably," he said it aloud in a blunt way. "WHAT?" she threw the knife at me but I manage to dodge it. "I could have died!" I felt like my soul left my body. "Nice reflexes… Ya new right?" she grabbed another knife. "Xion! I thought you'll take me to a nurse!" the girl laughed. "I am the nurse. Got a problem?" she continues to play with her knives.
This woman is crazy! Nurse my ass! I feel like she is going to murder me!
"Claire… Stop that… Just heal her" she sighs. "Ya still boring as ever Xion" she looks at your leg. "Got into a fight? Base on your body… It seems like you're lucky" she comes closer. "I feel luckier if you won't throw me any of those knives of yours!" you back up and she grabs your arm. "Hm… You scared of me?" she smirks as she points a knife in my neck. "Isn't obvious? I still want to live!" she slashed your arm with the knife. "Ouch! What is wrong with you? You are a nurse, right? Why are you hurting me?!" she walks away and seems to be finding something in the cabinet.
This chic is crazy! Mostly all of the people here are!
"Here it is" she collects my blood with a cup. "Well... this may seem weird at first but this is the only way" she drinks the cup and her eyes turned red. "Episkeví… Therapéfste aftín tin áthlia psychí!" your wounds disappeared and her eyes turn back to normal. "Impressed are ya?" Xion chuckled. "Do you enjoy drinking blood?" you heard Xion holding his laughter. "Well… That brings back memories…" she turned back at gazed at the window. "Wen… I hope you are living a good life… Unlike me…" she looked at you. "Well… This is our punishment… I have to atone for my sins for a long time now but it seems to not enough… I have been longing to be with ya now…" she starts crying. "Oops… This is embarrassing" she wiped her tears. "Claire…" you held her shoulder. "I know he is… I believe in it…" she hugged you. "Eh! Claire?" I hugged her tight. "Thank you…" you could not help yourself but smile.
It seems she is just normal after all…
"Esmarin… It is getting late… You should go back to your dorm… I have a mission tomorrow… What a pain." Claire tugged your arm. "Be careful okay?" you became confused.
NEXT DAY
Why did call me all of a sudden? This is weird…
"Esmarin Dixtrie…" you froze.
This presence is-
"For what happened last night…" you became pale and lowered your head. "Well… It cannot be helped but you are assigned to a mission…" you heard a giggle beside him. "So this is her?" you looked up and you saw a small girl wearing a Lolita dress with silky hair.
Even a kid is here?!
"Hm… Just so you know that I'm older than you think" you glared at me. "How old are you?" she put her finger on top of her lip. "I-I'm 18…" you stuttered. "Hm… Then I am older than you are. Just so you know…" her smile faded. "Where we are going is not even as near as the same here" she twirled. "I'm Tiana… I was hoping to spar with you but it cannot be helped. Another girl is coming with us" you pushed into a room and she closed it. "Change into those clothes! Consider it as a welcome gift" you changed.
Are these stockings even necessary? Moreover, this skirt is short… Wait!
You looked into the mirror. "Is this even me?" the door opened. "Well… You look better… Now… Whatever happens…? Don't you dare die…" her words struck me.
1 hour later
"Hey… Where are we?" you whispered to Tiana. "Well… We are in a Zen area… Oh, right… I have not explained it to you yet… Zen areas are where SOA harms civilians and us…" she grins as something was coming. "We are After Death… We fight SOA that have not realized their second chance… Laura… Is it confirmed?" a girl appeared behind you. "Lady Esmarin… A pleasure to meet you… Targets are confirmed to be here." the ground was shaking. "Too late! Awaken your sensius now!" Tiana's and Laura's eyes turned red. "Playtime!" she summoned human-sized dolls. "Lady Esmarin… I suggest you fight…" you started to cry. "Laura… I don't know how to awaken my sensius…" her eyes just widened. "What's with these two?" a girl with a box is approaching. "You guys are so full of ourselves, aren't you?" her expression begins to change. "Esmarin… Hehehe… Stop joking around!" she fights the other people. "My dear… You want to play?" she opens her box. "Get away from her!" Tiana still holding off the other people. "Ouch!" a fire by one of the people ruined her dress. "My dress… You'll pay for this…" she raises her arm. "Litherous version!" she became furious. Your vision is becoming blurry. "ESMARIN!" Laura pushed you away. "You! I don't want you!" Laura is in her clutches and strangles her.
No… Why…?
"E-esmarin … Run…" the girl just laughed at her in a psychotic way. "Hm… Next, lets you see a glimpse of the future right? Why didn't you let her die?" Laura has just been to spew blood from her mouth. "I swore… to my lady… To… save…" she looks at me. "I'm sorry… I'm going to my lady…" she smiled and stopped moving. "See you're boring" she threw Laura aside. "My dear! Get her next!" she pointed at you.
Laura?
She opened her box again and you appeared in her clutches. "You crying?" she signaled a person disintegrate Laura. "No…" you tried getting away from her grip but Laura smiled. "Lady… Hikaru" the person aimed at Laura.
Hikaru's POV
"Abyssal weapon! Izanami no kami!" your eyes changed. "You… What are you?" before she realized anything, you ran to Laura. "Laura! It is I! Hikaru!" you reached for her but it was too late. "Lady Hikaru… I am sorry… I failed…" you see her being turned into ash. "MY ARM!" you hear her suffering in pain. "You'll pay for this! My dear-" she stopped as she saw you killing her subordinates. You pointed your abyssal weapon at her. "Once more!" you started crying. "I failed to protect them! I hate people like you!" you cut her neck off.
The ashes of Laura fall like snow.
You knelt to the ground. "I didn't mean this kind of exciting Esmarin…" you slashed the blood away from your abyssal weapon. "Esmarin?" you pointed your abyssal weapon at her. "Hey! I'm on your side okay!" she raises her arms. "We're leaving" you started to walk away. "Hey! Just-" she stopped talking. "When I say we leave, then we leave. Got it?" she started walking. "You're a meanie… And just so you know... It gets bloodier every time." you grabbed her collar. "Don't you dare be mad at Esmarin... Got it?" she looked confused.
Tiana's POV
I knew that she was a special case but referring to herself as if she is a different person.
"You are with her so I'll spare you" she glared at you. "Who are you then? Are you still Esmarin?" she snickered as her eyes were full of torment and despair. "We have the same soul but…" we were being transported to headquarters now. "We are different in terms of our memories..." we arrived back and she just walked away.
I am confused but she had a hard time too. Hasn't she? This is our fate right. I mean we did do sinful acts but she seemed… As I walked around in the hallway and saw a familiar face.
"Gatekeeper? I mean boss… Why are you here in the human world and not in the abyss?" he just stared into the window and the moon was shining upon him. "It seems like I'm needed here more for the meanwhile" his sensius is awakened.
It seems like something bad has happened again.
"My sensius Reminisce lets me see into a person's memories and lives… I decide whether you enter or exit. As a gatekeeper, it seems like my time is coming to an end…" he just smiled. "What do you mean?" my eyes are about to tear up. "Tiana… Sensius is Playtime so it allows you to summon three dolls and let them imitate a person. You have committed crimes of kidnapping and murder because you were lonely. I presume" his words were stabbing you like knives. "So what? That is why I am here right? I'm doing this for you-" he cuts me off. "Tiana. As I have said before. I am not human, angel nor devil. I am not interested in your human emotions" you could not hold your tears anymore. "Gatekeeper! Moreover, as I have said before as well! I cannot help but love you! I don't what you are!" he just snickered. "Pitiful human just go to sleep now. I have things to do" he felt you crying. "I'm doing my best to satisfy you but why am I still not enough?" you clutched both of your hands.
Esmarin's POV
Why can't I just be like everyone else? Why do I have to be beaten every day? How can I be normal? How?
"You loser! Don't you dare show up in front of us again!" you are being beaten in an alley. "Let's just leave this loser here" they left you and you could only see their shadows as they go further.
I never did anything wrong. I cannot even speak up to them! I am a loner and I have no one that I can show my vulnerable and breaking self. Be normal and hold on they say.
"Sister! Your home!" Rin ran to you and gave you a big hug. "Why do you have bandages again?" you hugged Rin tightly.
His hands are so warm… This warmth is all that I need in this world. Our parents are always fighting but we still have each other.
"I fell in my PE class again today" he became sad. "Sister. Please take care of yourself more… I want you to be happy and healthy" you caressed his hair. "I will Rin… Just call me if you are in trouble okay?" you kissed his forehead.
Everything changed ever since I woke up in blood seeing my classmates that bullied me are lying in front of me dead. My father was arrested the next morning and Rin was not the same anymore. He smiles but I can see that he is just hiding his sadness.
"From a loser to a daughter of a murder. Stay away from us." their faces are so vivid.
I never cared about them but…
"Rin… I'm a sorry excuse for a sister" you hide in a corner and cry. "I'm so sorry… It's my entire fault that this has happened…" you just saw an elegant woman in a kimono. "Esmarin… I can help you" she held out her hand and showed off a beautiful smile.
I have seen her before… She was also the one who was with me. When I saw them dead.
"Let's go?" you grabbed her hand and felt that warmth once more.
However, little did I know… Whenever I see her, I always see the same scenery. My hands were covered with blood and the bodies of dead people. I wanted to stay away from her but that warmth. I have been yearning for it and I can always be myself when I'm with her. I do not know her name.
"Who are you?" she begins to fade away and she gives me a gentle smile. "I am you Esmarin…" she held my hand. "However, memories make a person… We are not the same but we are one" she disappears and white dandelions spread. "Wait! What is your name!" you just heard a chuckle. "We will meet again…"
END OF DREAM
I held my cheek and felt teardrops. You wiped your tears.
"I am you… You are very different from me… I am the complete opposite…" you fixed yourself and wore the new clothes that Tiana had prepared for you.
You wander into the complex and no one was around. It is still early but I cannot sleep anymore. You found yourself in a field with dandelions and grass.
"I never expected this place to be here…" you lied in the grass and closed your eyes. "I wish that I stayed like this forever… I just want to be at peace for once" you fell asleep.
Litherious's POV
The last thing that I want to hear is that gatekeeper blabbering nonsense. I get it! I'm the first SOA so what?! What a jerk. I should probably go there now. As you arrive the dandelions are spreading everywhere and the scenery is just breathtaking.
"I hope that you're in a good place now… I know even if I say this repeatedly for 1,500 years. I know that you cannot hear me… I can't take you out of my mind…" you snickered as the wind makes the dandelion spread even more. "I keep this place but every time I come here. I remember that day. You were injured and lying in the grass. I could have just left you there but I helped you anyway. You mesmerized me and I know it is crazy. Nevertheless, I still hope that I could see you again… You gave me meaning to my life but… Can I hold you in my arms again? Like we always did before. Your warm smile just that would be enough for me before I die" you laughed hysterically. "Give it up… This your punishment… Unable to die and living here in this cruel world without you" you caressed your hair. "I should be going then" you heard groaning nearby and the sun was rise. "Who's there?" someone rise from the grass and her face was shined by the rising sun. "Who are you" your eyes widened as you hear those words come out of her mouth.
The wind passed by and the same scenery came back to your mind. That faithful meeting with her.