The woman who resembled Cherish had been repeatedly murdered across multiple lifetimes.
The Rodbel family was responsible for killing her.
And...
"The woman who resembles Miracle."
The words that Selene Rodbel, who was called a saintess, had whispered to Arista echoed in my mind.
She certainly.
'She must have wanted to get rid of me and make contact with 'it' at any cost. But what can you do? You were too incompetent and foolish to accomplish anything.'
That's what she said.
It seemed that there was a connection called 'it' between the two, and Arista was driven to death by Selene when she tried to contact 'it'.
In fact.
'Every nine deaths, there was a woman who resembled Miracle by my side.'
Whether it was when I was Arista, or when I was Ellie, that woman was there in every moment.
Then... what about this life?
"It would have been the same."
Cherish said, as if reading my thoughts.
I flinched and stared at her.
A deep emotion was evident in Cherish's reddish-brown eyes.
It was.
"I'm tired of it too."
A sense of suffocation from something that had been endlessly repeated.
Fear and weariness of the possibility of repeating it forever.
"That's why I did it. Because if I didn't use Aen Rixus, this life would have been the same."
Cherish's gaze briefly turned towards the door. In that short moment, her eyes turned sad.
"Of course... I'm sorry too. Aen is really kind and caring... he would have done his best to save me."
No, Cherish doesn't know.
Aen's efforts couldn't be defined as simply 'doing his best'.
"But there was no other way. If I had recklessly approached her again like in previous lives, I would have been attacked by that woman."
That woman. Approach. This life.
Her words, stemming from a long history of experiences, confused me.
So now, it was time to get to the essence.
Her real purpose and the truth.
But...
'Why does my chest hurt so much?'
My heart was beating so hard, it hurt so much like it would jump out, making it hard for me to speak.
Actually.
'I'm scared.'
The moment I heard it, I felt like I would really be unable to turn back.
I said it was okay, there would be no more regrets, but this was a warning coming from deep within me.
It wasn't something I could control.
But...
"What were you trying to approach?"
I won't run away. I won't back down. I will move forward even just one step.
Thinking only of that, I asked the question.
"You, and the women who killed you, what were you willing to go so far for?"
"..."
"Are Miracle and I also connected to that?"
The last question was almost a certainty.
The woman who resembles Cherish.
The woman who resembles Miracle.
And me.
What are we tied to?
It was then.
"That's... Heok...!"
Cherish suddenly clutched her chest and collapsed.
I, who had been waiting for an answer with a serious face, was startled and rushed to her side.
"Cherish?"
"Heeu... there's not much time left."
"What... I'll call Aen! If I write the <Ayla's Codex>..."
"It's no use. That can't even heal the soul..."
"......!"
Cherish gripped my hand tightly.
Her eyes, seen up close, looked so sad.
"I'll tell you. The truth. But... I have one request."
"..."
"Aen, even if I disappear, please take care of him. He's more fragile than he looks, so he'll have a hard time. So..."
"Stop. Save those words for later..."
"Please."
"......!"
With Cherish's last words, the room lit up brightly.
Unable to bear the light, I tightly closed my eyes and slowly opened them.
Once again, the scenery of the room had changed.
This place is...
"My name is Arista."
I raised my head at the voice that suddenly echoed.
In the darkness, a little girl was standing, looking at a broken mirror.
The girl, who looked so much like Cherish.
"My name is Arista."
It was the young version of Arista, who had been murdered first.
I stared blankly at her standing and looking at the mirror, then cautiously approached.
Arista was only speaking while looking at the mirror.
"My name is."
Just as I stood beside her.
"Lucretia Rodbel."
She said.
"The origin of the Rodbels. The reincarnation of Lucretia Rodbel."
"..."
"No. I am..."
For a moment, Arista's eyes flashed with a different color.
"A fragment of the soul that broke away from her."
"......!"
What is this... is it a case like Bethel's?
I held my breath at the unexpected story.
Arista said in an even clearer voice.
"My mission is to find the true reincarnation of Lucretia Rodbel and make her soul complete. And so..."
She looked down at her hand.
Her fingertips were trembling.
"And so, seal Lilith."
"..."
"Save him... And I am..."
Arista's voice gradually began to tremble.
"..."
"And I am..."
"Ari-"
"I am."
The trembling looked so uneasy that I unknowingly reached out my hand.
Arista's body fell down.
She sat down, put her upper body on the ground, and clasped her hands tightly.
As if preparing for something huge to come over her.
Or as if desperately wishing for something.
"Heeuu... I want to live. I don't want to die."
She cried in despair.
I stared blankly at Arista's appearance.
How much did she cry?
The sound of crying gradually subsided, and Arista stood up.
She wiped her reddened eyes with her sleeve and looked back at the mirror.
And she said, as if vowing to herself.
"I disappear. No."
She shook her head. With an even more firm voice.
"I'm finally becoming complete. That's all I need."
She nodded and turned her head.
The place her gaze reached was a table with moonlight shining on it.
A newspaper on it.
[God's Gift, Selene Rodbel!]
It depicted a beautiful woman treating patients in the poorhouse.
"Wait a little bit. I'll go."
Arista's eyes changed.
Soon, she packed a simple bag and left the house.
I stared at her departing figure, then turned back to the newspaper.
Upon closer inspection, behind Selene, a thin woman with dark hair and shabby clothes was standing blankly.
I knew immediately.
Who Arista truly wanted to meet.
And while trying to meet her, Arista eventually...
"Huff."
The surroundings changed.
I was back in the room again.
"Cheri-"
I reflexively tried to find Cherish, but I froze.
"Haa, ha..."
She was staring blankly at the air, barely breathing shallowly.
I could immediately tell.
That Cherish's lifespan was truly running out.
"Why..."
I didn't know what to say.
My eyes were getting hot. Dropping tears on the floor.
It was then.
Clang-
The sound of glass breaking came from behind me.
Reflexively turning around, I saw Aen frozen.
He seemed to have dropped the tray, with shattered cups scattered messily on the floor.
Cherish's magic had been dispelled, and he had come inside.
"Aen..."
For some reason, I felt like I had committed a sin, and with difficulty, I called out his name.
"Cherish!!"
Aen ran over.
He quickly picked up Cherish, but the girl's body slumped limply.
"Cherish, please wake up. I'll, I'll bring the <Ayla's Codex> soon, so please just until then. Please..."
"...Aen."
Cherish called out his name with difficulty.
"Please. Just a little longer."
Aen was already pleading.
Aen was...
'Crying.'
He was crying with his whole body in despair.
I couldn't do anything.
Not words, not movement, not even breathing.
I just had to watch all of that, frozen.
Why? How did this happen?
Something is wrong. Something is wrong.
'<Ayla's Codex>... I need to bring that.'
Cherish said it was useless, but I had to do something now.
Aen had put the bag with the <Ayla's Codex> on the drawer by the door.
If I bring that, then, maybe, perhaps.
Just as I was about to move before my thoughts could be completed.
Tak.
Something grabbed my wrist.
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