For Lina, Major Richardson’s disappointment is the worst reaction she can get. He can be angry with her, irritated, or even diss her for being a reckless soldier
His disappointment is her downfall
She didn’t- even once, let her uncle feel disappointed in her past life
Even if he demands her to do a suicide mission, infiltrating the enemies’ place- she knows that she will do a great job being a spy. She did that to impress him
All her life, she worked her ass off so that he can be proud of her
“You want to remember what happened?”
Smirking, Alahim looks at the girl with anticipation but the latter one just shakes her head- not wanting to do something her uncle didn’t ask her to do
“Oh, your father didn’t mean to leave you broken-hearted… you see, he’s just- bothered, the fact that he knows when and who will kill him made him crawl in fear”
The man’s face is showing a great expression of worry “you don’t want that… aren’t you?
Looking for an answer, Lina held her chin up and ask “then what should I do?”
“You know my ability, right?”
“You’re the one whom God favors”
“And I can ask anything to God- He will give it to me!” he then laughs aloud
Lina just look at him ‘then why can't you ask them to save you from being killed?’ her urge to tell him this was being held back by her good nature, she can’t be rude to a former high general
“I can ask the God to make you remember your past life” smiling, the old man doesn’t know how to hide his intentions
Sighing, the girl looks at the bloody water- she’s now having cramps because it’s cold and half of her body was drowned in it but she can’t get out of this water… if she did, the unbearing headache would attack her again
“You know what this water is called?”
“It’s the fountain of desires… it will show you what you always wanted”
Knowing this water’s power is a great delusion for fools like her, she’s obsessed with this water right now “Yes, and right now- I still can’t remember everything that happened despite bathing this water… do you know what this means?”
The man’s face showed a sour expression, Getting on to her point “It means that I don’t desire to remember anything when I’m a spy from demon’s world… should I change my desire to know what happened to your death?”
Left in silence, Lina felt the satisfaction and just float around the pool of water
Astran doesn’t know what to do, it feels like they forgot him even his body is just right there… watching them do their own tricks of fooling each other
It feels illegal watching humans do what demons are so fond of, he knows that they are much capable of playing with their words and emotions and he also expected that this situation will got worse if they want to
Laughter was heard when the man’s lips was opened, he sounds like a crazy psychopath- who just found his own prey “Actually I’m glad that you didn’t remember all those things you’ve been through”
Stepping closer to her, his feet and clothes were soaked by the water “but I’m in grief… knowing that I can not do what you made me promised before”
He look at her affectionately, caressing her soak hair which she just slap
“I made you promised what?”
Instead of answering, he just chuckled “I can’t do anything against your will… if you really desire to forget everything- who am I to meddle, right?”
Lost of words, Lina doesn’t know if he only saying these things to made her remember their deaths or is it because of ‘that’ promise
‘What promise?’
Smirking, it seems that Alahim pricked her curiosity “It’s more of a favor than promise… actually, I really don’t mean to help you despite making that promise. But, the gods keeps on pestering me to fulfil that favor”
She look at him in the eyes ‘gods’ it means that he is not only connected in one god… There are many!
Laughing, she looks above- in the sky
‘If gods are true… then, why? Why is this world so fucked up?’
She’s an atheist- not believing in the illogical thing called god is her thing. But maybe, if the Islands exist, humans with unbelievable abilities were alive… maybe, the gods are also true
Demons exist, what more if the gods do too?
“You begged me to stop you if you do or even plan something evil against your child”
Blinking, Lina feels numb ‘I have a child?’ she asked herself
The man saw her reaction and was also in disbelief “You also forgot your son?!” he then gasped, turning around just to see Astran “Hey, demon! Can you believe it? She forgot her son!” he cheered like it’s the greatest news in the world
“Oh, yeah! You also did not remember anything from ‘that’ past!” he looks much happy now, knowing that he’s the only one who remembers
Astran is also in confusion “she had a child? Then, who’s the father?! Is it…” he gasped, covering his hands to his mouth “No! it can’t be Nath- my Lord… he can’t be the father”
Hearing what the demon said, Lina abruptly look at the former general “WHO’S THE FATHER?!”
Shocked by the sudden volume of her tone, he slowly moved his shoulder up and down “I don’t know, we didn’t ask who… You’re the mother! You should know who!”
“BUT I CAN’T REMEMBER EVEN HIM!”
“wait… you know she had a child! Is it girl or boy?!”
“THEN REMEMBER IT!” the soldier held her hands “remember your child. How he cried in your arms, how he smiled- remember how you did not want him out of your sight!”
“Hey! She’s already crying- stop it!”
“REMEMBER HIS FIRST LAUGH, SERGEANT! Remember how he first said his words… how he walks towards you”
Hearing how desperate he sounds, Lina doubted having a child…
The heavy atmosphere suddenly broke when someone made a dramatic entrance “BANG! I felt Astran’s presence here! Come here! Come here!”
“Aghh… I want to see our Lord’s apprentice”
“Awwww I also miss her”
Astran rushed through the door and eventually locked it, even blocking it by the table he saw inside
Not long after hearing the unfamiliar voice, explosions emerged “NO! they’re already here”
“SHIT! Already?”
Alahim helped Astran block more objects from the door “what are you doing? Even if we block this door, no one can stop those damn cardinals”
“OH! SOMEONE JUST CURSED US!”
Their eyes grew bigger before looking at each other “What the heck! If you remember anything about the past, you should know that those damned things can know if someone’s talking about them- even from afar!”
“Oh! Not only one creature cursed us!”
“Really? It seems that they already know us! that’s fun!”
Lina just watched the two panic but still piling up the items in the door “NO! DON’T YOU DARE SPEAK! NOT A WORD!”
Closing her mouth, Lina didn’t dare to ask a question and instead- she read the entry in the diary about Cardinals, again
‘The cardinals keep on pestering me to play with them, they’re obsessed with playing games even though they know that they’ll always win. Despite their playful attitude, they can’t disobey Nathan’s order’
She touched the journal and felt the stroke of her writings… despite the annoyance in her tone, she felt her heart on it- it’s as if, she’s fond of them
‘And what? They… missed me?’
An urge to suddenly come out rushed through her
“NO! this isn’t the right time for this! YOU! Child, come here… you want to remember your son… aren’t you?”
The man jumped into that water and desperately asked her answer
“Yes… but”
‘This is also not the time for this!’
The man urgently put his hands in the air and pray “YOU HEARD HER, O GREAT BEING! PLEASE GRANT US OUR LONGED DESIRE!”
Astran stops his movements to see the great power of the gods. After coming out of his chambers- this is one of the moments he longed for
To see the power of the gods who want him to be locked away
He waited for this moment
But after waiting so long, nothing happened
Light flashed from the ceiling but… nothing happened
The demon laugh so hard that made Alahim’s confusion turned into anger “STRENGTHEN YOUR DESIRE TO REMEMBER HIM!” he blamed Lina for that
Astran’s laugh burst more hearing his remarks “great being! He has forsaken you!” tears started to appear in his eyes
Alahim can only glare at him
“I told you, the being who just cursed us is right here”
the demon’s laughter was stopped by the great presence of the newcomers “Oh! As I thought, Astran is also here”
Lina’s attention turns to the demons who just came in
“Don’t be so shocked! I expected you to hide, but” the unwanted visitor glanced at the door just to shake his head in disapprovement “what’s with this lame hiding?”
Counting them, Astran heaved a sigh noticing that they are only 5 in this room
The most troublesome in the group of cardinals is not here, he can still breath