Reborn For A Wish

'You've died thousands of deaths,

Each time-altering yourself to become someone you are not.

From the midst of destruction,

You became yourself the creator,

From the midst of darkness, you became your own light.'

- LOVE:less act 4 -.

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Nion opened her eyes and realized that she was back at the scene of Elpida's borders, where she had executed Pipola, the mother of Asta and Alexis.

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"I am so sorry for what I did to you...All of you. I cannot find the words to express how guilty and ashamed I feel for destroying your lives..." Nion lamented.

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Unable to move or to interact, an immersive wave of unknown emotions were filling Nion's heart. Immediately she realized that her heart and mind had been connected with Pipola's. Nion was trapped, a prisoner of her own nightmare, forced to relive the horrors that she made Pipola go through as if she were in her skin.

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The mother of two could barely breathe, fatigue engraved on her worn face. Her sorrow grew more profound with each second as she begged the emotionless silhouette of a young, silver-haired death goddess to spare their lives.

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"I am the foolish one, I am the one who brought them here! I am the one who has disrespected the great Land of Aleksithimia's order!" cried Pipola.

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For her, every day was a challenge. She was doing her best to offer everything she could to her children, from the moment she woke up until her body could do no more. Alone, without any other support, she spent her life watching over her little treasures, making sure that they wouldn't be hurt or taken away from her.

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Pipola was at the limit of her bodily capacity, the pain having been redirected directly to Nion. She could feel all the bruises and wounds that decorated Pipola's freezing body, hardly covered with ripped clothes. Her eyes became glacier blue under the sheen of the dying sun. Pipola was fully aware of what was about to happen yet she refused to pass out and leave her children to the mercy of the non-existent justice. The despair of being caught and having no strength to fight flowed through her veins and deadened her mind.

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"Please, spare their lives! I know your law is absolute!" said Pipola as she tried her best to calm her voice and intonation.

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Both Alexis and Asta were glued to their mother. Despite the difference in their age, they understood that something horrible was about to happen. Their mother's long blond tangled hair was blowing in their faces, obscuring the death goddess.

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Outcast and frightened, they had nowhere to call home. All three knew that this was as far as their path would take them in this universe of lies, injustice, and despair.

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The bloody moon hung above the evergreen forest behind them as their cries stained the autumn wind passing by. The cradle started to hover over the ground, with the sun shining its brightest light, deciding the family's dreadful fate.

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"I am ready to accept death for the unforgivable actions I've committed! I disrespected the rules and soiled your lands," said the mother of two.

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The wind crackled as Nion's shadow and the mother looked at each other without blinking an eye. Unstoppable tears of acceptance of death were endlessly flowing from Nion's eyes as she was forced to relive a scene which she wished had never existed. Agonizing, she struggled as if there was no gravity around her, she became a floating object that could not look away or even close her eye, she strained to watch the scene until it reached its climax, consumed by the desire to wind back time and slow it down so she could change every regretful action she had made. But just how far would she need to rewind...?

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"Please, leave my children alive. I beg you to spare them, that's all I ask..." Pipola begged.

"So be it..." said the death goddess as she raised her arm read to conclude this pitiful sight.

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The shadow slightly moved her wrist, triggering the solidification of the blade. Its tiny metallic wires began merging among themselves into a solid form. The solidification process looked as beautiful to its victims, as it did terrifying.

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Pipola turned towards her children and put her arms around them, bringing them closer to her chest. Salty tears mingled with the dry wind. whipping their mother's hair around. Forsaken by everyone, alone, scared, and devastated. Her heart felt butchered as she realized that she was spending the last moments of her life letting her beloved babies carry on without her.

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"Alexis sweety, from now on...You should take care of your brother... Asta, my love...Be sure to listen to your brother! Try to eat and sleep well..." cried Pipola as she hugged her boys, while all three of them wept together.

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"I will pray to the Gods and Heavens...I will pray to the devil himself if it's what I must do to protect you! Because I... cannot protect you anymore..." cried Pipola, barely able to utter words anymore.

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"Don't leave us! Please! Don't leave us!" Both Alexis and Asta begged her to stay.

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After so many years of hiding and running after a better life, the only motivation that had kept the mother willing to wake up and live another day was about to vanish. For the first time, Nion understood what was driving her to find Asta so badly. She finally realized that the feeling that was pushing her to the limit was something that is called "mother's love".

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Motherly love is the kind of love that would move heaven and earth for a child. It is the kind of love that would take on anyone, any place, any time if they threatened the wellbeing of the mother's children. And it is the kind of love that says "I would give my life for my children at any time, at any place..."

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No pain Nion had ever experienced before was as intense as the one she felt while experiencing the emotions received from the mother.

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Nion's shadow started growing, its darkness enveloping everything around. Only a little space occupied by Pipola's kneeling figure remained intact. Various shades of black, white and grey were overlapping each other. They looked like a pandemonium of wild emotions, trying to express themselves in the astral world.

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"You've done nothing wrong...The world we live in is wrong..." Pipola pronounced her last words.

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Everything turned black and distant screams slowly faded away as Nion's spirit left the physical body and the two hearts were disconnected.

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Shocked, dizzied from the heavy emotional charge she had to deal with, she was returned back into the obscurity of the void.

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Her feet touched solid ground and, as soon as they did, a burning feeling enveloped Nion's arm, then another. Nion's jacket was surrounded in orange flames. Although she could feel the heat, it was painless.

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The next time she blinked her eyes Nion found herself being engulfed in flames as she walked out from the bonfire while carrying the crisped body of the perished child. Once again, her body and mind were trapped within the unresponsive body that was moving on its own.

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Behind the flames, a thin female silhouette had jumped into the fire and was trying to pull Nion out of it. A victim of delirium, Nion thought that the masked man with the yellow crest had come back to take the child away from her. In less than a second, she unsheathed her weapon and delivered a devastating blow to the stranger, who happened to be Seànn who was trying to help.

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The attack was so devastating that Seànn flew out of the fire like a bullet and landed on her back in the watery mud. Luckily for her, she could protect her face with the metal plates that are implanted directly inside her 'Keeper' outfit so it could absorb most of the impact, therefore saving her skull from being split in two.

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Drunk in hate, Nion had fallen into an unstoppable hysteria of emotions of hatred that took over her body. Unable to recognize or hear Seànn's voice, she became an unchained beast who could not tell friend from foe anymore.

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"That is"—cough, cough— "Not good," pronounced Seànn as she tried to stand up.

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Nion carefully put the deceased body on the ground as she fixated upon her enemy and then whispered.

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"It will be over soon."

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"Operator, request an immediate connection with the HQ, Quarta is going berserk," ordered Seànn.

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Nion stepped away from the body and then walked towards the wooden cross where the masked man had left his message, carved on the human skin.

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"Everything... Everything... Everything..." mumbled Nion.

"Mitera Server is currently offline. Please ensure a stable connection to the server," replied the operator.

"Out of all times when I actually need it..." she desperately said to herself. "Got to deal with her on my own then," said Seànn.

"If only...You never existed...!" Nion hysterically mumbled then grabbed the wooden cross with her hand and ripped it off the ground. "Ah! I got it... I just have to kill you..." Nion looked at Seann with a twisted smile.

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Seànn knew that things would turn ugly very fast if she didn't calm the situation down as soon as possible.

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"Nion I came here to help you, please listen to me," Seànn called Nion.

"Who cares now...You are going to die either way, mumbled Nion as she ripped off the 3-meter long wooden cross from the ground.

"I am not your enemy," Seànn called to Nion.

"Hey...What do you feel when you kill people...?" asked Nion as she put the cross over her shoulder.

"Let's just calm down here all right? Put that thing down, I have no intention to fight you," advised Seànn. "Operator, scan for a 'Non-Lethal Takedown' option."

"Reattach the 'Kanjöga' to its wielder to stabilize the emotional pressure," advised the operator.

"Back then you said that you would enjoy seeing me suffer, huh..." said Nion.

"Nion, you are making a mistake. I am not your enemy," replied Seànn.

"TRY ME!" Nion launched the wooden cross aiming at Seànn's head.

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The projectile flew like a missile, exploding into a burned house. Seànn barely managed to evade it but, right after her evasive move, Nion closed the distance between them and appeared right in front of her face.

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"Not good!" Seànn said.

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As soon as Nion got close enough to her opponent she unleashed a devastating middle kick that connected with Seànn's chest and sent her flying into another burning house that began collapsing right after the impact.

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"My words can't reach her. I have to find a way to get closer to her." Seànn coughed, as she removed the debris that had fallen over her.

"YOU AFRAID OF YOUR DEATH?!" shouted Nion. "Because you should be! I will make it long and painful!" she yelled, walking into the house ruins.

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The house ruins were still smoking after the hooded men of the Holy Order had set it on fire. Nothing had escaped it, glass littered the floor where the windows had broken and the metal base of the grand chandelier lay blackened and twisted on the ground, surrounded by the debris.

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"Come on! You wanted to see me suffer didn't you?!" shouted Nion.

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As Seànn was removing the debris, trying to get up, Nion spotted her. As soon as she did, she jumped on top of Seànn and started stomping her with her legs. She then grabbed a wooden table leg that lay nearby and used it to stab Seànn's shoulder with it. Seànn screamed from the pain.

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"Hey! Tell me how does it feel to be crushed?" yelled Nion.

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Trapped, Seànn tried to push her aggressor away so she could stand up but Nion grabbed Seànn by her leg and threw her outside the house.

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"There is no other way..." said Seànn as she pulled off the broken table leg.

"Enough!" said Nion as she stepped out from the destroyed house. "I will put an end to your miserable existence."

"Listen to me just for a second," Seànn tried to reason with Nion. "You are about to make a big mistake."

"SHUT UP!" Shouted Nion as she removed her jacket and unsheltered her weapon.

"If my words can't reach you, then..." Seànn clenched her fists.

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With unreadable faces, no fear in their eyes, the Keepers face each other, ready for an attack that could be lethal for either one of them. Nion was slowly advancing, steadily pacing forward on the sand and dirt that was heavily stained with the blood of the former village residents.

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"DIE!!!" Nion's shout resonated across the city hall or of what was left of it.

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Nion charged directly onto Seànn. Seànn sidestepped as she backed up. Missed. Nion sped up toward her exposed opponent. Seànn countered with her arm but Nion pushed it aside. Seànn was genuinely superior and experienced in combat and had excellent close combat skills but because of her recently sustained injuries, she was gravely disadvantaged in both strength and speed.

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Nion moved like an enraged beast, mindlessly waving her weapon. Seànn could anticipate that Nion's next move would be to try to thrust her chest, so she pushed Nion's shoulder and, with the help of her leg, kicked Nion's sword away. Nion accelerated her movements, waiting to get closer to Seànn who seemed to have underestimated her opponent. Nion used her chance and delivered a dry punch in the liver of her opponent. Seànn spouted blood. A sudden gush of pain jolted throughout Seànn's body. Her stomach ached, her only available arm lost its tension and her legs began to weaken. While Seànn bent over in internal pain, Nion grabbed her neck and started kicking with her knee in the same spot, then grabbed Seànn's throat and dropped her onto the floor so hard that the ground slightly cracked underneath.

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"BECAUSE OF YOU, EVERYONE IS DEAD!" yelled Nion.

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She climber on top of Seànn who was barely breathing and began choking her with both of her hands.

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"Stop it..."

"BRING THEM BACK!!" Nion screamed as she tightened her arms around Seànne's neck.

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Seànn used her legs to block Nion's movements and took the opportunity while both of Nion's hands were busy to seal the Kanjöga around Nion's neck.

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Returning to her senses, Nion immediately removed her arms from Seànn's neck. The twisted and malevolent expression disappeared from her face and changed into confusion as Nion blinked her long eyelashes and looked at her bloody hands, her mouth falling wide open. Silence fell upon the area. The deathmatch had reached its climax. All her strength gone, Nion collapsed onto Seànn.

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"That was a close one..." Seànn exhaled with relief.

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Tears of sorrow dripped from Nion's eyes right onto Seànn's face.

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"I..." Nion was about to cry. "I am sorry...so, so, so sorry..."

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Silence hung in the air like the suspended moment before a falling glass shatters on the ground.

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"I am sorry, I could not be any help to you. If I'd noticed it earlier, you wouldn't have to deal with all this on your own," said Seànn as she gently patted Nion's head.

"I am sorry, I am sorry, I am sorry..." Nion kept apologizing.

"It is all over now," Seànn touched Nion's flushed skin.

"I am sorry. All I do... Is hurt people, I am no better than a tool, I can't be called a human!" Nion kept crying.

"You are wrong, you are one of the bravest humans I've ever met and you also have a big heart," replied Seànn.

"I am a murderer...I killed so many... So many innocent people..." cried Nion.

"You are different, unfortunately too different for me to understand your feelings and what you've been through. You were trying to make the right decision all alone, without any support," explained Seànn. "At your age, I was nowhere near as strong and brave as you proved to be. Me, I never cared about anyone else than myself... Not even once, until I found a reason to live..."

"Look around...This is the outcome of my decisions... I have no reason to live," replied Nion. "I could not protect anyone...Because of my stupid decisions, they are all gone, forever..."

"You know, making mistakes is part of being human, regardless of our emotional status, age or culture. I do have lots of regrets in my past, some parts I wish never existed, but it did happen. After years of me trying to reject my own existence, I've realized that I have to forgive myself... To forgive my mistakes and to move-on because if I don't forgive myself, who will?" explained Seànn.

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"But...I could have..." mumbled Nion.

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"Nobody can change or predict the future, and this is exactly why, if you have regrets, make sure that you don't repeat the same mistake ever again," explained Seànn. "Whatever happened here is terrible, it really is. I am barely aware of what happened in this village, but you should not take all the burden on your own, let me help you, share it with me. Even if it is a tiny thing, I would do my best to help you because you are not alone, not anymore..." Seànn's voice pronounce as it got further and further away.

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The flashback abruptly ended on the warm note of Seànn's comforting words.

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Nion was back in the void of cold emptiness. For the first time since she had arrived in this dark and empty place, she felt warmth. Thousands of people began appearing everywhere around her like small candles being lit. People from a young age to adulthood were scattered everywhere around her. All of them were looking at Nion as if they were waiting for something, as she was a source of light that had been lost forever in the middle of never-ending darkness. The warm-hearted feeling enveloped her body. All unpleasant and aggressive noises that had been haunting her mind were gone; she could freely move her body...

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The darkness shattered like broken glass, one piece at a time leaving space for a bright ray of light to illuminate the void from outside. Everything around Nion became engulfed in light and she began falling asleep, exhausted from the tiresome journey she spent in that mysterious place.

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She lied on the warm ground and prepared to close her eyes, fading away but, this time, back to reality. She heard steps approaching her and soon there came a young child's voice that spoke to her.

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"We are part of you. All of us," said the child.

"Creator, watch us... Creator, embrace us..." Voices chanted to Nion as she fell asleep.