222 Rise of the Phoenix (1/2)
Only the man in front of him had long silver hair tied in a low ponytail, a pair of glowing red eyes, and skin as pale as the moon.
He looks like a Moonchester.
Aside from that, he also noticed that they were in a cold cave that was a little too dark for his liking.
But this place feels very familiar to me.
”Once again, we owe our lives to her,” said the strange man. ”You probably don't remember me so let me introduce myself again.” He extended his hand to him. ”I'm Kalel Nystrom.”
Nystrom?
Hearing that familiar name gave a sharp pang in his head.
And then, he remembered the things that Tilly told her before he lost consciousness. His wife said he was born a god called Nystrom… then he was reborn as Kalel Moonchester… and they got married later… their first child was killed… the second was stolen… and lastly…
I killed Tilly in our previous life…
Goddammit.
”Do you finally remember who I am?” Kalel Nystrom asked, taking back his hand. ”It's about time.”
”Tilly told me in a rush the important things that happened between us in all our previous lifetimes,” he said in a confused tone. ”I still don't understand everything but I believe her.”
”I like the faith that you and your wife have in each other,” the other man said approvingly. ”It was too late for my wife and I when we realized how important communication is between couples. But looking at you and your wife now, I'm relieved.”
”Why did you kill her?”
To be honest, it felt awkward to face his previous self like this.
But he'd like to think that he was a different person from Kalel Nystrom. It wasn't that he didn't want to be associated with him because of the things that Kalel Nystrom did in the past. He just simply wanted to stay who he was without being affected of his past.
But I guess that's wishful thinking.
”You'll get the answer once you remember everything,” Kalel Nystrom said. ”You better remember the past after your wife took a huge risk to send me here, Kiho Nystrom.”
His brows furrowed in confusion. ”What do you mean by that?”
”When your wife attacked the Moon God with her dagger and crab mallet, she had no intention of killing him,” the strange guy explained. ”A while ago, she melted the marble containing your memories and turned it into a lava-like liquid that she hid in her cute iron crab mallet. When she stabbed your body with the dagger, she hit the handle with her crab mallet. At the same time, she poured the lava-like liquid containing your memories into the blade of her dagger. And thus, I was able to enter your consciousness without the Moon God noticing.”
”I don't understand a thing but that sounds like something that Tilly would come up with,” he said proudly. ”My wife is amazing.”
But at that moment, he suddenly felt insignificant compared to hers.
”How long are you going to rely on your wife?”
That question made him flinch. He was just thinking about how useless he was so hearing another person agree with his thoughts hurt.
”In the past, I left my wife's side because I thought I was protecting her that way,” Kalel Nystrom said in a solemn voice. ”When I returned to her, she was already gone.”
That made his heart thump against his chest painfully.
”I overestimated my wife's strength,” the other man said in a voice filled with regret. ”It never crossed my mind that she'd falter and fall because of me. So don't make the same mistake as I did, Kiho Nystrom.”
He clenched his fists tight. ”I won't leave Tilly. Never,” he said firmly. ”I can't. I will die if I get separated from her and our children.”
Kalel Nystrom blinked in surprise. ”You have… children?”
”Two boys,” he answered proudly. ”They're called Winter and Julian.”
”Julian,” he whispered in a sad voice. ”Kiho Nystrom, be good to Julian, okay?”
”You don't have to remind me of my responsibility as a father.”
Kalel Nystrom smiled at him. ”I'm glad that you're so different from me.”
He was about to say something but then, he hear his wife's loud and clear voice echoing in that strange cave.
”Kiho,” Tilly said in an impatient tone. ”Wake up or I'm divorcing you once I survived this.”
Hearing that made him freeze on the spot.
Divorce…?
”`Looks like you're in trouble, Kiho Nystrom,” the other man said. ”If you don't want to lose your wife, you better remember every single memory from all the lifetimes that you had. And you better not lose yourself in the process.”
He clenched his fists tight. ”I won't. I'd rather die than divorce my Tilly.��
Honestly, he knew that his wife didn't give him an empty threat. Knowing Tilly, he was certain that she would divorce him even though he knew that she loved him. He was fully aware that his wife was a very strong and independent person.
And if Tilly actually chose herself over him, he would understand why.
But of course, he would do everything to change her mind and convince her to choose him again.
”I like the resolve in your eyes,” Kalel Nystrom said, then he opened his hand. Just a few moments later, the staff that he rarely used appeared in his hand. ”Your memories will come in the form of water and they will literally flood this cave, Kiho Nystrom. Try not to die while retrieving them.”
”I don't have any intention of dying especially when my wife needs me,” Kiho said determinedly. ”Bring on the flood, Kalel Nystrom.”
***
TILLY felt so weak.
It didn't help that when she opened her eyes, she found herself in the middle of a hot dessert with black sand. The sky was orange, but its missing its sun. Still, the weather remained humid.
Worse, her whole body was soaked.
Since the rain that she got wet from came from the Moon God itself, it currently felt like a demon melting because of holy water.
Wait, why am I the demon?
Gosh, why did that evil father-in-law of hers had to have water for his dominant Mana?
”Hey, wake up.”
Tilly immediately opened her eyes when she heard the voice of a little girl. When she got up, she was surprised to see a girl probably aged five squatting beside her. The child had jet-black hair that reached the sand, purple eyes…
… and little black wings.
”You look like me,” Tilly commented in surprise. ”Do Kiho and I have a secret daughter in the past?”
The little girl just smiled at her. ”I'm Soleil Rosenberg.”
”Oh.”
”You're the future me, aren't you?”
”Huh?” she asked in confusion, then she nodded when she realized what the little girl meant. ”Yeah. I was the reincarnation of Soleil Rosenberg.”
”You're so weak.”
She flinched not because of the child's insult. Something about the little girl's big, round eyes made her feel uncomfortable.