Waiting For Your Reincarnation Chapter 142

“…Ryu Won?”

 

She called out to him urgently, searching for the white pupils that she could no longer see. But Ryu Won didn’t respond, as if he had fallen into a very deep sleep.

 

The Divine’s effects had drained the snarl’s aura, but the light from the core seemed as precarious as a dying candle. Soon his hands and arms became transparent. There really was no time.

 

Yeon-young stared at Ryu Won’s hand, which was still clasped tightly in hers, even in his unconscious state. A pale light pink glow was emanating from between his fingers.

 

She lowered her hand to his stomach, her eyes filled with wonder. She carefully took Ryu Won’s fingers and opened them one by one.   

 

When she moved her graceful fingers away, she revealed Ryu Won’s ring on his ring finger. A light pink light was emanating from his ring egg.

 

“This…, this isn’t my energy…? Is it?”

 

The light was all too familiar. With embarrassment in her eyes, Yeon-young pulled the ring off her finger and examined it closely.

 

The lustrous ore that had adorned the ring was long gone, replaced only by the pale pink shard that had been hidden within the gem.

 

Even though Ryu Won’s aura was still tinged with it, Yeon-young could tell at once what it was. It was a piece of her soul.

 

“Why is this…, in Ryu Won’s ring…”

 

Yeon-young didn’t even have time to ask why there was a soul fragment in his ring. After meeting its owner, the fragment naturally seeped into her core.

 

Yeon-young felt more empowered than ever before. She felt like she was looking into a dry well, but now it seemed to be gushing with water.

 

The aura of power was leading her somewhere. It was an unfamiliar sensation, but she wasn’t afraid. She closed her eyes, surrendering to it.

 

As she opened her eyes, feeling the light flood in, she saw the space in her memory.

 

A giant flowering tree with pale pink petals and the one chain she couldn’t break.

 

Yeon-young strengthened her legs and slowly pushed herself to her feet, savoring the power that surged through her body from her toes.

 

“With this much power, I think I can…, break it this time.”

 

She turned toward the chains. Reaching out into thin air, she struggled for a moment, then grasped the solid, thick chain.

 

The icy sensation was sharp, but it only strengthened her grip. Soon, like an old corroded object, the chains lost their shape and broke.

 

The chains that had seemed to oppress her forever were now completely gone from her memory.

 

When the chains were gone, a brilliant, sun-like light emanated from the flowering tree. The blindingly bright light made Yeon-young squint her eyes and turn her head slightly.

 

“Is this the power I originally possessed?”

 

As the light from the flower tree faded away, a wave of memories washed over her. She pressed her hands firmly against her temples, trying to keep her mind clear.

 

The memories ran backwards from the present to the past, like a tape running backwards.

 

“Iris.”

 

It was a pleading call, searching for her through the dizzying moments. She focused on the voice, low and sweet.

 

“…Iris!”

 

At that moment, countless petals surrounded her, and she grabbed one of them as it fluttered randomly.

 

At first, she wondered if she had seen the wrong one, but she hadn’t. It contained Ryu Won’s white aura, mingling with her own.

 

She wondered if it was because he’d been holding a fragment of Yeon-young’s soul for so long that it had his aura on it.

 

Each time the petals touched her back, she felt as if someone was pushing her forward. She shook her head slightly and moved in the direction they were leading.

 

The further she stepped forward, the clearer the voice calling her became.

 

She listened to the voice, and before she knew it, the petals had disappeared and she was standing in the center of Ryu Won’s memory.

 

Yeon-young stood in front of a bookcase, her eyes dazed. For the first time, she had arrived at the beginning of her memories, unlike the center of the parade of bookshelves.

 

‘Could this be our beginning?’

 

She took a moment to look out at the warm field and catch her breath. She couldn’t spend too much time in the space of her memories. Even at this moment, Ryu Won’s body was losing its shape.

 

But there was nothing she could do to turn him back.

 

‘Why would Ryu Won return the soul fragment he had secretly kept for so long?’

 

Whatever it is, there must be a reason.

 

“You’re only halfway there.”

 

Ryu Won’s words to Yeon-young in the past came back to her. She still had half a share, and in that half, along with the memories, there might be other abilities she didn’t know about, or ways to save him.

 

Perhaps it would be best to check these memories.

 

“Ryu Won, please hold on a little longer.”

 

With that conclusion, Yeon-young reached for the topmost book. Then a gentle breeze gently lifted her body upward. It was as if Ryu Won was helping her.

 

She had a strong intuition that this was the right choice. Clenching her fists for a moment, she held Ryu Won’s earliest memory in her hands.

 

The world went white as a sheet of paper, and she heard a low, raspy voice.

 

“Wildflower…”

 

It was the voice of a young boy, and it seemed to be calling to her. She felt herself being pulled toward the voice, but she didn’t resist. Slowly, she slipped into someone else’s body.

 

It was time to go meet the first of them.

 

* * *

 

“Hey, are you okay, sweetie!”

 

“Ugh…”

 

The clear voice, as unspoiled as a bird in the woods, insistently woke him up. He slowly opened his eyes as he struggled to steady himself.

 

The first thing he saw was a girl standing beneath an irregularly growing tree in a dense canopy of trees.

 

Black hair that shone like obsidian, dark brown eyes that held a blond boy’s, and a frown that naturally creased whenever she smiled.

 

When he first saw her, he instinctively recognized her as a wildflower in the forest. The kind of flower you think is common, but when you find it, you can’t have it.

 

‘Why do I think of that when I’ve never seen her before?’

 

Zephyto pushed himself to his feet, clutching his flesh-ripped chest. His brother, Ragnar, had decided that he didn’t need any more public embarrassment, so he had relentlessly beaten him.

 

His violence became more blatant and pervasive after their mother’s death. On the outside, he wore a mask of nobility and respectability, but on the inside, he was no better than a rat in an alleyway.

 

‘I’m afraid the bastard will be the next crown prince.’

 

He suddenly realized why he was in the forest. He had snuck out of the castle while Ragnar was in class, hoping to catch up on some sleep. He hadn’t slept much the night before.

 

“Uh-oh, I’ve put up some herbs…! Lie down for a while longer.”

 

The girl stared at him, lost in thought, and then pointed a finger at his chest, and Zephyto realized that his shirt was half unbuttoned, with the herb on top.

 

“There was blood on your clothes. I thought it was a dead body, so I looked at it. The wound was deeper than I thought.”

 

“You just stripped a man naked without any fear. What do you think I’m going to do?”

 

“Why? What were you going to do?”

 

The girl asked, cocking her head, and Zephyto, who had been somewhat annoyed by the innocence of her question, was at a loss for words. He was at a loss for words, for he felt that he had helped himself by not really knowing anything.

 

The girl, her glassy eyes scanning the forest, turned and walked closer to him, her warm, cozy, earthy scent lingering in the air.

 

Her small, delicate hands brushed away the herbs on his chest, as if she were ashamed.

 

“This is the first time I’ve seen anyone here besides me. What’s your name?”

 

“I don’t think I’m obligated to answer just because you helped me.”

 

“I’m Iris.”

 

Zephyto didn’t answer. The girl, Iris, stood up with a nonchalant look on her face, as if she didn’t expect an answer.

 

He struggled to keep his nerves under control. The wound on his chest had long since stopped bleeding and was covered in black scabs. He doubted it was his brother’s, but it was indeed a passerby from the forest.

 

Iris picked up the basket she had carried and prepared to leave the forest. But then an arm peeking out from under a rolled-up sleeve caught his eye.

 

“Hey, your arm…”

 

A dark blue bruise covered Iris’s slender arm.