With her silver hair sprawled perfectly, Lilith lied on the ground motionlessly with dull eyes.
Not to mention that the ground is on fire, even a demon like Lilith would die from falling at such a high place but unfortunately, as if to make her suffer, the fire is only slowly killing her.
Half an hour already passed and she's still alive after falling. She should make sure to fall at a higher place next time.
Anyone aside Lilith might have died already due to the impact of falling from a cliff onto a sea of black flames.
Now that Lilith thought of it, what heartless people had she been allied with. If someone even had the tiny bit of will to look for her below the cliff, she could've been already rescued instead of waiting for death like this.
But of course, Lilith never really expected that a knight would appear to solve her distress.
"It really hurts.." she said in a whisper, closing her eyes indifferently. Normally, she shouldn't be able to feel any pain.
Looking around her, Lilith gritted her teeth in rage.
These black flames are probably toying with her, killing her slowly... Just look at this area, except the places around her, where can you find a black flame burning within the vicinity??
Black flames are said to be rare, she will make sure to erase all traces of these black flames to extinction to make it even rarer once she's reborn.
Ah, She should also find that witch who dared to curse her.
But it had been two lives already since she was cursed, where in hell is she supposed to search on?
"I have to die first"
But even dying is such a chore now.
'Come to think of it, that man... If i didn't took the fall for him, he'd probably be the one here lying down for death to come.'
'Ahh, now that i think of it, he's really pitiful. Imagine being betrayed. Couldn't be me'.
Closing her eyes again, Lilith thought of how Theodore looked when she saved him. It was a mixture of fright and surprise.
Is it fright for her demise? It should be joy considering how Theodore had always looked at her in a bad light.
She... Detest him. Even when the witch cursed her, she didn't feel any emotions as strong as detest.
They said dying is also a form of enlightenment. Maybe that's true, everything suddenly became clear to her.
Dying for the same person twice is definitely a lesson a harsh lesson for her.
"hmm, It's coming.." just like how Lilith died in her 1st life, a feeling of lightness overcame her senses.
It's really amazing.. She felt free from the curse bounding her to Theodore.
As Lilith slowly lost all her strength and senses, she seemed to have heard noises in the background accompanied bythe sound horses galloping before falling into complete darkness.
Maybe that's Theodore coming for her?
But who cares really. She just wanna go to her third life now.
______
As Lilith opened her eyes, she found herself in an old wooden house. The night was chilly and uncomfortably gloomy that even her soul could sense the ominous feeling coming from this house.
It was destined to be a rainy and stormy night today.
Just like how she died in her first life, the rain as if it's willing to cry an ocean with the thunder as if mourning, it was all like this.
Except the rain and thunder, has anyone ever mourned for her?
"Y-you.. Who are.. you?.. " why are you in my house'. A girl startled by Lilith's sudden appearance, asked in a weak voice.
Lilith looked at the girl struggling to speak on her deathbed, finally acknowledging it's presence.
And as Lilith was still inspecting the house, she responded without much care "So you can see me?"
It was extremely silent with only some occasional thunder roaring when none of them spoke.
"O-of cou-rse.." i can see you, it's not like you're a ghost'. Having difficulty in speaking despite having the will to chat with the strange person before her, the girl, Regina can only respond shortly.
It was strange how the pretty person before her suddenly appeared, startling her.
"Well that's a surprise, as of now, i am what you humans call a ghost" She said maybe playfully with a tone of indifference.
Of course.. Lilith already predicted that the girl before her can see her. After all, she was brought here for her third trial.
Although she failed to predict that what would welcome her is a dying girl instead of being a newborn baby.
"N-no way.." if ghosts are as pretty as you, why would people be scared?'. The fact that she can't even continue her words right now, Regina felt so powerless.
This is the first time in years that she had talked to someone and she can't even converse properly.
No, maybe the girl before her is really a ghost? She heard before that you can see ghosts once you're on the verge of dying.
At the sound of her weak voice, Lilith look at the girl before Regina continued violently coughing again.
It was the first sincere praise Lilith received for as long as she remembered.
Instead of conversing, it was silence most of the time that occupied the small room. A conversation of mutual understanding.
"Im dying" Regina whispered, loud enough for Lilith to hear. As if making the other party understand the situation a little more.
"You are, i know" Lilith said in agreement.
Lilith can see that Regina's body has long been failing her and the fact that she hasn't been receiving treatment is obvious. The reason for this can be either genetic or she consumed something she must not.
Lilith reach her hand out to Regina's forehead, lightly touching it.
"Do you wish to die right now?" Lilith said as her violet hues glowed.
She doesn't know why she arrived here but one thing is for sure, the answer is connected to the dying person in front of her.
But there's one thing she seemed unable to understand.
Did she arrive here to end this girl's sufferings or help her get out of this situation?
"I wi-sh i could.." Regina said with difficulty as her lips still moved a few times but failed to make a sound. Living bedridden alone is hell.
But Lilith is no saint that can cast healing magic just at the thought of it, plus her healing magic is probably harmful to humans.
Lilith's mouth curled into a faint smile as she read what Regina said.
Death is also a form of freedom.
"I can help you"
"But there's no turning back for you" Lilith said as a warning. Once she helped her, Regina could never turn back.
Death is not a game that if ever Regina felt regret, she could come back to life again. Death was never like that.
Somehow and strangely, Regina felt connected to the person in front of her. It's a comfortable yet pressuring presence. Maybe because she hasn't talked to anyone else for years except the animals within the vicinity.
It was just a short chat and yet, she feels happy. At least she talked to someone before dying.
Even if Lilith says that it might be painful, Regina is determined to die.
Smiling softly in acknowledgement to Lilith's words, Regina closed her eyes as she let Lilith flicked her forehead.
"My name is Lilith".
The weakly panting girl a while ago now lying motionlessly on her bed with a ghastly pale face.
'My name is Regina'.
As a wisp of wind whispered on her ear, Lilith sat beside the body.
'I already guessed that i would possessed this body but... it feel so different'
Lilith can't help but think it's weird. Everything is weird.
It was as if this body was raised for her to use. And also earlier... She can clearly hear what Regina was thinking.
Lilith closed her eyes and put her hands on top body's head.
"It was the first peacefully calm chat i had in years" She said as her soul started taking over the empty vessel before her.
"It's amazing how our thoughts on dying is so alike" Lilith said with a smile as she remembered what Regina mouthed before dying.
Earlier when Regina died, she saw Regina's soul.. That soul has the beauty of countless faces that was merged all together.
As she took over the body of Regina, she fell into a contemplation of what Regina said. Her third life starts here.
'Even dying is such a chore'
'I've been waiting for you all this time'
It was really strange.
After merging her soul with Regina's body, Lilith performed the parting ritual for Regina before fully inspecting her surroundings. She took Regina's body so she should at least perform basic decency and bid her soul a peaceful farewell.
After looking around the house for a while, Lilith noticed that this old wooden house has many holes and cracks in the ceiling while the door is already making creaking sounds. This house could pass as an antique itself.
Just how did Regina survived all this time here?
And speaking of house..
"Was she living here all alone?" she asked quietly.
She haven't seen someone else aside from Regina since earlier... There's also nothing that hints of another person living here aside Regina.
'Well, it's not my business to meddle with other people's business'. Lilith answered to herself as she saw something that caught her eye.
On the wall, leans a full body mirror that looks like an antique. Probably the only decent thing in the house.
"Hmm" Lilith looked at her figure, a complete contrast to Regina's appearance before the merging.
While Regina has light brown hair and golden eyes, Lilith's striking silver hair and violet hues is too high key.
This was the first time she looked at her new body on a full sized mirror.
"Good thing she kept her hair long" Lilith said with a hum, delighted by the under waist length hair.
Rummaging around the closet for something to wear, Lilith only found some old dresses probably owned by Regina.
Indeed, It's not like she had to doll up when no one's around, what's the point.
Lilith decided to just pick a random dress to wear and get out of the house.
Well now, she probably has to worry for food before everything else.
The first thing Lilith did after wrapping everything up was to fly up high to see where she really was.
It was a vast sea of trees.