Promise

"I didn't imagine we'd ever come to a crossroads such as this", I let out a puff of smoke, standing opposite her.

"But, as a matter of fact, I always had a feeling we would", Lady answered with her signature smirk.

"Sure, you did", I said sarcastically.

It was surprising at first. But things made sense soon enough. Lady had sent all of us away on a mission. She'd isolated herself at Valhalla. Chopper had left of his own accord. She'd sent Sight to look for him. Deli had gone to see her children. And she bid Lubbock and June farewell. She'd even given her fur coat to June. Grim was on a mission, too. And I was looking for Jean V. to deliver her letter.

It was all exactly as it had been back then. When I'd return from meeting Jean V., Lady would already be beyond saving. Back then, all I knew was that the person who sent her that blank letter was the one who came to kill her. I never ventured to find out much else.

It all made sense now as I stood before Lady. We were standing right outside Valhalla, which was completely vacant now.

I took another drag of my cigarette.

"You've changed quite a bit, Seraph", she smirked, "I can't imagine what you did to get here."

"I assure you that I can't imagine it myself", I answered, "I really don't remember everything."

"What's it matter, anyway?", she said casually.

I knew she had sensed the reason I was there.

"Are you the one that sent the letter?", she asked while I busied myself with smoking away.

"I don't know. I haven't gotten to that part yet, Lady", I answered.

The wind was rather rampant that day, and yet it seemed to have calmed down on that little hill right outside Valhalla, where we were standing.

In another world, when I'd prevented all of the Valkyries from leaving her side, the attacker had killed them all. At the time, I thought he must have realized the power I withheld. On the contrary, he always knew what I was, just as he knew what he himself was. That's why he spared me.

"If you've come to kill me, Seraph, I won't resist. I have no intention to fight you", she said after a while.

"I know that", I answered briefly, "Only, even if you did, it wouldn't change the outcome."

She didn't say anything.

"I'm going to steal your power after you're dead. It'll make it quick. Won't hurt a bit", I said, as if that were the only consolation I had to offer.

"I couldn't care less. What're you waiting for, really?"

She seemed to be growing impatient.

"Since we're here, I'd like to ask. What kind of world would you prefer, Lady? A world with Jean V.? Or a world on that snowy mountain? A world where your friends Yuri and Iori would be alive? Anything else?"

She laughed.

"Aren't you so generous today, Seraph? Unfortunately, I believe you know better than that. None of those worlds would really suffice. After all, there's really only one thing I truly wish for."

"Is that so? What is it?", I asked.

"You'll have to figure that out on your own", she grinned.

I bet she did it deliberately, just so she could torment me. I looked too worse for the wear to be able to go on many more adventures just to find out what her one true wish was. I couldn't believe she was stalling for more time. On the other hand, I ached for the whole rabble to come to an end.

And yet, I was smarter than to insist she tell me.

"I don't suppose there's more to say, then", I said, making my way towards her.

She stared at me emptily with a smirk without moving an inch.

I stood right next to her as she awaited the final blow.

"I see I've cursed you rather heavily. You don't look like Seraph at all", she whispered.

Considering I couldn't even remember what I used to look like, I'm sure she was right. I was gray and weak.

"I haven't seen you in a long time, Lady", I said, thinking back on the first time I met her.

The truth is, I could never remember her face. Not only because it seemed to change so much, but also because it was just the kind of face that doesn't stick to memory. It slips out of your head the first chance it sees. The enigma around her face never ends.

"Kill me, Seraph", she wore a blank face.

She'd steeled herself for what was to come. On the other hand, I'd predicted this would happen. And just as I had foreseen, my hands trembled, and a blinding pain arose in my head. Was it fear? I couldn't exactly say. But I knew if it came to it, I would lose my courage to kill her. And there I was, losing all my strength. She must have seen it in my face too.

I stood silently for a long time. The ice that had accumulated while I created and destroyed so many worlds seemed to be melting now that it was time to kill her. But she didn't say a word more.

So I knew I had no other choice.

I was cloaked in Nasty's power. It hadn't come undone for a long time. All I'd need would be to rip her heart out. It would take but a moment. And yet, it felt like lifting the entire earth on my shoulders.

"I can't kill you, Lady", my voice trembled.

I'm sure that's not what she wanted to hear. I reached out and pulled her in. Just the warmth of a person held close to me made it all come undone. Tears streamed down my face. I didn't cry when I killed everyone else. All that time, I kept going, believing in a better end. And yet, it wasn't in sight.

I didn't know what I was doing. There was nowhere to return to. I could never go back. I had no choice but to keep on going forward, even though I couldn't see any way.

I let it all out in silent tears, holding Lady tight, knowing that I wouldn't be able to kill her.

I decided to extract her power and leave. That would fulfill my purpose.

I place my hand over her back.

"No matter what happens, Seraph, you'll be alright", she whispered as a glowing light flowed from her into my hand.

I pulled away from her, only for her to collapse. It seems death had been sitting right on her shoulder, kept at bay only by her ability. All the times she'd escaped death, it came knocking back to her in one sudden moment. She coughed blood, and her skin went pale.

I stepped away from her in horror. She writhed this way and that as her body broke down in every which way. In the end, when she'd exhausted her strength, she lay bloodied and broken on the ground, heaving her last breath.

And all I did was watch. In the end, I did nothing but mourn. I looked over at Valhalla with lifeless eyes. Even though I didn't need to, I decided to bring it down. I carried Lady to Prophet's grave on the mound and laid her there. Then I went back to Valhalla and turned it into rubble. It didn't take long to do that.

Just as I'd come there without having achieved a single thing, I left that world.

It was far too monotonous from then on. I think I lost something in that world. And it was something that I refused to erase from my memory.

I ventured for years to find out Lady's true wish. Even if she could live a life with Jean V., her friends, or all of us at Valhalla, there didn't seem to be any answer to her torment.

Had Chopper been right? Was there really no saving her? Was there no way people like her could find any happiness in existing? Was it better to just erase her existence?

I didn't care much about the world anymore. But I didn't want to give up on her. Why I pursued her case to the end of so many worlds, I don't know. But I couldn't bring myself to let her go.

There were times when I couldn't remember most things. I forgot my real name. I forgot most of my life before Valhalla. I forgot what family I had before, or if I had a family before.

Still, I held on to the promise.