Chapter III: A Wish For Salvation

Sharp, long swords, axes, and bows were all hanging on the wall, along with other weapons that surely shined and caught your eyes as they illuminated in the sun. 

The place was old and dusty, but the shop still looked maintained, even if there seemed to be cracks in the walls.

"Is there something I could do to help?" 

A guy wearing a full-grain leather apron stood right next to him.

He puts the sword back where it was positioned.

"This…" 

Khalid spoke as he pointed out the long, shiny sword that had sharp edges.

The man who was wearing an extended apron past his abdomen to about the knees covering his shoulder stays quiet as he thinks thoroughly. He rummages some things inside his inventory and shows them to Khalid.

"If you're thinking of buying that one, then I recommend this to you." 

He then gave a flat, long sword with ancient alphabet runes carved on the middle with a protective spell cast in it.

"I'll buy it." 

Khalid hands over a few golden shillings as he walks out of the blacksmith shop. 

"Milord, where have you been?"

"You made us worried."

Reinhardt spoke as they entered the boutique shop that was located near the center of the town. 

Reinhardt sat down from exhaustion while Erwin observed the shop as he felt the roughness and the smooth, silky texture of the fabrics.

Khalid sighed as he spared a glance at Erwin, who was busy admiring all the tailors made.

"Erwin." 

He looks him in the eye.

"You can have this."

Khalid tried to hand over the sword to Erwin, but it seemed like he didn't hear him from a distance and talked back as he called Khalid with a big smile painted on his face.

"Milord, it's been a while since we have shopped; don't you still remember the first time you took me here? Ha-ha, it feels nice to be back!"

Erwin exclaimed in joy while Khalid's face turned blue.

"Milord, I think this set of clothes suits you!" 

He was so happy that he pointed every pair of clothes he saw at Khalid.

"HOHO! Child, watch where you are walking; you might stumble!"

Reinhardt laughed amusedly while Khalid was frozen on his feet as he tightly gripped the weapon he was holding. 

He bit his lower lip as he couldn't help but feel ashamed of himself every time reality tried to slap him.

"Ha, why the heck didn't I think about it sooner?... I must have been getting old."

He murmured to himself.

Khalid couldn't feel at ease as the pierces and the ineffable pain he felt in his chest became a burden. He couldn't stop but ask himself if their kindness was for him or the real owner of the body.

"Milord?!"

"Is something wrong?!"

The two were trying to call him many times, but he didn't respond; all he could hear were the negative thoughts that were trying to devour the whole of him.

"AHHH!" 

He comes back to his senses as he hears the chaos and the cry of people running out of the town, trying to save their own lives.

"Milord, please listen!"

Reinhardt holds Khalid's shoulder with both hands as he tries to get his attention.

"We have to get out of here immediately; if not..."

He paused.

"I'm afraid to lose you again."

The two hurriedly run out of the boutique while Reinhardt carries Khalid with one hand.

'Ha—are you scared to lose your owner's body? It's not like I wanted to be him,' 

Khalid absorbedly thought while Reinhardt tried to get them out of the scene.

When the demonic beast loudly squalled, it made the dust and the sand blow an enormous billow of caligo in the small little town of the Ammyrs empire. 

Many people were struck and flew away by the massive force of the demon while the two shielded Khalid with their bodies, as he was just standing at the back of them blankly.

"Damn it! To think that the demonic beast of death has awoken so suddenly!"

Reinhardt's annoyance could be seen right through his face.

"Just what are the imperial dogs doing right now in this situation?!" 

Erwin added.

The two of them look so pissed about the situation; it seems like the imperial knights already knew that this would happen and had already abandoned the town.

Reinhardt's eyes widened as he saw a little boy left in the crowd wailing while a passel of people just ran past him.

"Erwin."

He called.

"Don't ever leave his Highness's side."

He commanded as he ran and rushed to save the wailing little boy at the center of the town while the beast was slowly walking near him, but before he could even take a little more step towards the child, a boy that was the same height as him ran rantipole like lightning and passed through Reinhardt, leaving him in shock and making his face turn pale as his eyeballs shaken.

He looks back and tries to think that he was just hallucinating, but he regrets that he made that decision because, as soon as he did... Erwin was left faint, while Khalid was nowhere to be found by his side; in fact, Khalid was now standing in front of the child where he shouldn't have.

'NO!…' 

He tried to reach Khalid, but then he was already far away from him. It's as if no one could stop Khalid or so-called Lee Hyun from fulfilling his desire to be resting like a rotting corpse buried deep in the sand.

"Milord! Khalid!" 

Reinhardt exclaimed at the top of his lungs, but that wasn't enough for him to stop and give it a second thought.

"That wasn't my name, so you can stop calling me that." 

Khalid didn't look back, no matter how many times he called him.

'Kindness and good treatment?! Ha, I don't need all of it, so you can free me now.' 

Khalid looked at the mummified demon with a soulless expression, and his aura started to fade.

He was sure and desperate about one thing.

"I get it now. The reason I'm here is to suffer."

"I only came to this world to feel another pain, am I right? And it's not like the first time I tried to kill myself."

The memories of him burning alive, the pain he felt, and the second death he experienced after he tried to poison his new body, but still regained consciousness after a week as if nothing had happened. 

Khalid was so lost in himself and couldn't think of anything anymore.

He then slowly walks towards the scene as he stretches his arms toward the demonic beast.

"I had enough, so... let me rest!"

"For f*ck sake, set me free!" 

Khalid's plea can be heard. He was so desperate and ready to die, but what made him do so? Even though he can't tell, he just doesn't want anyone to know the real pain he feels.

He looks up and looks straight into the demonic beast's eyes without fear or any emotion in his eyes. 

'Oh God, I'm begging you. Please let me rest, for I'm not worthy of your mercy.' 

He absorbtly thought.

As the vad demonic mummy turned into a billow of ash, Khalid's mask fell off the ground, revealing the soulless expression on his face and the sadness he felt for hoping to feel salvation.

Khalid closes his eyes as he waits to be devoured by the demonic beast that enters his small and thin body.

"Thank you, mister."

Khalid's eyes widen to hear the horrifying demon's gratitude.

He was left blankly dumbfounded by the scene before he felt pain; it was too painful for his frail body to bear. Khalid started to feel his head become light and dizzy; his eyes had turned cloudy, and it felt like his energy was being drained like a leaking drum. A lot of blood had run out of his nose as he began to feel weak, and it all happened before he passed out.

It was the same as before, again with the feeling of being held, and the warm touches he felt were not just a dream.

"W-who?" 

Khalid's voice was cracked, his vision was so clouded and dim, and he could not properly see the person sitting in front of him.

It gently cares for Khalid's hair as it looks at him with a serious face.

When Khalid's vision slowly turned back to normal, he saw a beautiful girl with such surreal beauty sitting in front of him.

"Am I dead?" 

He confusedly asks.

"…." 

The person didn't reply, but her eyes were stuck on Khalid.

"Why wouldn't you answer?" 

He frowns.

"Milord!"

The silence was now eaten by the loud noises of the two people in Great Charmolypi, and the unknown person he was just talking to earlier suddenly disappeared as if it didn't exist in the first place.

Khalid blinks as he can feel the lassitude of his mind, and when he looks at his hands, that's when he feels the mirk of despair as he leaves with a dejected appearance. He sits up and puts his palm on the other side of his eyes.

The two were startled when he suddenly burst out laughing as if he had already lost his mind.

"HA-HA HAHA!!!!¡!

…Hic-"

"F*ck, this sucks."

He grits.

"M-milord?"

Khalid took out his hand and slowly turned his gaze at the two. They were so shocked to see how Khalid's eyes filled up with water as he trembled in anger. His soulless yet pitiful expression was enough to leave them stuck in their minds.

"Tell me…."

His voice trembles and his right eye has changed into a black sclera that covered both of his eyes and iris in a fiery vermillion that was like a jewel melting on the fire.

As he talked, they couldn't do anything but listen to every word that came out of his mouth.

"What do I need to do to die?"

Khalid seems to not understand the fact that again...

...he came back to life.

As they heard him say it, they felt hopeless at the same time, as they couldn't do anything but watch Khalid with such a crestfallen expression. He blamed and cursed God for giving him another life that he thought he didn't deserve to have, but the actual feeling they felt was nothing compared to Khalid's pain.

"Tell me. Do I need to suffer again this time?" 

Tears fell out of his eyes like a broken faucet, but seeing his pitiful smiling face looking at them was what hurt them the most.

*Khalid De'l Urchtdorf, a curse of immortality has passed down.*

"F*CK."