CHAPTER 155 - MY CHOSEN ONE
The sad emotion swells from Rayne's drenched eyes. Her arms wrapped around her dying grandfather, who was now losing his strength. The sad purple eyes of the old man looked at his lifeless lover Anastasia.
The neutralized silver-haired woman slowly degraded into specks of metallic specks of dust, nonchalantly mixing with the gust of wind. Seeing that Anastasia was no more, Gawainus closed his eyes and smiled.
"She did not even talk to me at the very end… I guess she was not revived as I had planned. She was just… a vessel… of the Elder God."
Gawainus coughed out blood after that. And then he gently touched Rayne's right cheek. His blood stained the Cyber Elf's face.
"You… are more of a splitting image of Anastasia than the one I revived. Your genes, your abilities, and your soul are the same. That is why I hated the idea of having you marry another man."
"Grandpa, I'm so sorry." Rayne wept.
"Do not be sorry, Rayne." Gawainus smiled. "You made the right choice. Killing me will be the end of every madness of the accursed Treenity clan. The original's fault is also mine's."
Gawainus shifted his glance to me and gave a weak smile.
"Elzane Chaldeas… I will entrust to you everything. Live long."
Right after that, Gawainus' purple eyes became devoid of life. His hand fell, and soon, his body fell flat on the ground.
The only ones standing in this ruined coliseum are me, and the woman I love.
Everything was finally over.
Everything.
And then Rayne collapsed on the floor.
My eyes widened in shock upon seeing my lover fall. Using the last ounce of my strength, I immediately ran to her position and cradled her.
"Rayne! Rayne! What happened!?" I cried.
Rayne slowly raised her hand and pinched my cheek gently. I noticed that her skin color became pale white like a dirty pearl. Even the Gladiatrix System turned off. Her purple eyes looked weak, and her body was starting to get cold.
What… What is happening?
"You're an awful person, Zane." Rayne smiled brightly.
"R-Rayne, what's happening!?" I panicked.
"Idiot. Loafer. Reserved. Bashful. And a big pervert." Rayne joked.
I gently wiped her bangs to have a greater view of her face. Even her forehead seemed to be getting cold like ice. But Rayne continued talking.
"I know that I have already told you this… but I first met you in middle school… when you tried to rescue a cat. You tried climbing the tree just to save that kitten, but you failed miserably. I have always cheered you back then, hoping that you succeed. Even after five attempts. Even after ten attempts. You eventually gave up on climbing the tree, but you still decided to ask for somebody's help. That shows how caring and modest you are."
Rayne slowly swept away the tears welling up in my eyes.
"Even though you know you are powerless, you still find ways to help those who are in need. You do not care if you don't take pride in your achievements, even during the times you fought as my Kaiser. You became the object of my admiration. No wonder why we are always in sync."
Rayne started to poke my forehead.
"Slowpoke. Nincompoop. Jackass." Rayne laughed. "When I learned that you are one of my potential future husbands as arranged by my father, I immediately picked you. It was never my grandfather's idea, nor my father's, nor the corporation's. It is my true wish to be married to you. To govern the corporation together. To build a good family. To create a branch of the clan with the last name Chaldeas. I took all of these opportunities to orchestrate everything, from the purchasing of stocks by your family, even though Himeno hated me for it."
At this moment, Rayne's skin started to crumble like frozen mud.
"Rayne! What's happening!?" I cried out loud.
"I'm sorry, Zane… I was a clone, remember? My life force depended on the original. I have known that ending Raynevere Treenity's life would also cut my remaining time in this world. It's a surprise that I was able to hold out this long and we even managed to defeat Anastasia on borrowed time. Maybe it's the power of my love for you that I had to use all my willpower just to exist. Ahahaha."
"No, no, no! Don't go, Rayne!" I cried out loud as I tried to recover the pieces of her shredding skin. But no matter how fast I try to piece her together, her body is crumbling at an accelerated rate.
"You were always this negative, Zane. Not to mention stubborn, worrisome, and a complete pervert." Rayne scoffed. "But I love all that part of you. Your voice was softer than I thought, but you were the manliest person I have ever met. I can still remember when you went ahead and punched the Masked Kaiser with your bare fist. And you even took Arth's final blow like a champ."
Rayne gulped to wet her throat and then gasped for air, and then continued to talk with the brightest smile I have ever seen in her.
"You were also much gentler than I thought. I love all the dates we did in the Saltside Gardens. I can still taste the extra-spicy curry you made me at that Mongolian buffet. I kind of forgot the movie we watched because I was focused on staring at you and holding your delicate woman-like hand. I love the view of the Cyberflower Gardens. And last but not least, I will always treasure the moment we soar up in the sky together. Those are the things I will never forget about you."
"I will not forget you too, Rayne." I held her soft, weak hand and held it tight. "I love you."
"I love you too, Zane. Don't forget me, okay?"
"I will never forget about you! Even if I sleep, I will dream of you!"
"That's a promise, okay?" Rayne raised her pinky finger with her last ounce of strength left.
I immediately locked pinkies with her and nodded. "I promise. Pinky swear."
As soon as her fingers turned to dust, I focused more on her eyes. Rayne will be gone in any second. I never wanted to miss a thing.
"I'm sorry for being so eager in our marriage. I'm sorry for being so forceful on our dates. I'm sorry for teasing you every hour, every minute. I'm sorry if I ever annoyed you. And thank you… for loving me. I may be just a part of your life… but for me… you are my whole life. Because… You are my Chosen One. I'm happy that it's you, after all."