Waiting For Your Reincarnation Chapter 159

Zephyto’s awakening from a long sleep was an accident. The sensation of something touching him brought him back to consciousness after a long slumber.

 

Sleep had long since escaped him, but he didn’t open his eyes. He didn’t want to face the reality of Iris’ absence again.

 

At first, he dismissed it as just the wind and went back to sleep, but the persistent tickling sensation forced him to open his eyes.

 

“Ugh…”

 

As soon as he opened his eyes, he lifted his hands to the sensation of intense sunlight stinging his eyes. He blinked slowly, trying to decide if he was in reality or a dream.

 

“Ming!”

 

Just then, a cry came from near Zephyto’s side. Turning to look, he saw a cluster of spirits, each smaller than the palm of his hand.

 

They were not only by his side, but everywhere near his body, settling in and frolicking. He looked at the friendly spirits in wonder, then looked around.

 

At that moment, he felt his breath catch in his throat.

 

“What is this…, how can…”

 

Zephyto could not finish his sentence as he gazed out at the vast, green field.

 

The vibrant field was filled with countless souls, too many to count. At first glance, they were dazzling enough to be mistaken for small lights.

 

He must have destroyed it just before he fell asleep, but how had she managed to restore the field to a more peaceful state in his sleep?

 

And where did these spirits come from, and why did Iris’s aura seem to emanate from them?

 

The field vibrated with her aura to the point where it could be mistaken for Iris.

 

“Ming!”

 

Zephyto touched the surface of the spirit that had approached him with his eyes, and a shard of light flew out of it.

 

He instinctively grabbed it and opened his palm, confirming the shard’s identity.

 

“Soul shard? Why would I want this?”

 

A low murmur echoed across the field, and the spirits who heard it did as they were told, handing him the shard of Iris’s soul they had been holding.

 

In an instant, Zephyto had gathered more soul fragments than he had collected in many years, and as he placed them in his palm, they merged into one.

 

The spirits bounced in place and reacted with glee.

 

‘What kind of miracle was happening here?’

 

One by one, the spirits who had handed him the fragments moved on, as if their work was done. 

 

Zephyto watched where they went.

 

“Ah.”

 

Zephyto let out a small groan as he suddenly realized something. Before him, the pillar that had regained its mystical power was emitting a magnificent aura.

 

The power of Iris could be strongly felt in that aura. One by one, the souls jumped into it, preparing for the next life.

 

When Iris’s power returned, the pillar’s time stopped, and it began to flow once again.

 

Suddenly, the situation made sense. Zephyto smirked, drying his face roughly with one hand.

 

The fragments of Iris’s soul that had spread throughout the world had returned to Tanato after traveling through the ages in the bodies of souls. And its power had restored Tanato to its original form.

 

Iris still existed in the world.

 

“Iris…, you have come to see me again, and how can I let you go?”

 

*Whirring*

 

The soul fragment the spirits handed over emitted light as regularly as fireflies. At the same time, the other soul shards in his arms responded to the light.

 

Zephyto pulled out the soul fragment he had found, and it too merged into one.

 

Iris’s soul fragment floated slowly through the air, heading for somewhere. It disappeared without a trace, disappearing into the pillar as if it had found its place.

 

‘How could it have gotten inside the pillar if it hadn’t found all of its soul fragments yet?’

 

‘Would Iris be reincarnated like the others?’

 

Worry overtook him, but he didn’t panic as much as before. After a moment of silence as he stared at the pillar, Zephyto slowly raised his head. Now he could see his path clearly.

 

“I’ll wait for you here. We will surely meet.”

 

From that day forward, Zephyto remained in Tanato, tending to the spirits and retrieving Iris’s soul fragment.

 

The more fragments of Iris’s soul he placed in the pillars, the more Tanato flourished. Gradually, spirits of all kinds found their way to Tanato once again, and a center was created.

 

Zephyto changed his name and melted into the center. Waiting for Iris to return.

 

Hundreds of years passed, and he finally met Iris in the world below, when she happened to be out of town.

 

As he had expected, she had been reincarnated and was wandering the world under the name Kim Yeon-young. She was still well-liked, upright, and radiant.

 

When he found her, he couldn’t resist and possessed the body of a man who hovered around her.

 

It was a happy time, just as it had been when he first met her in the Empire. But he couldn’t keep it up for long, for the newcomer had discovered him.

 

Still, it was okay. Zephyto loved Iris and waited anxiously in Tanato for her to return.

 

When Iris finally crash-landed on Tanato as a mutant phantom, he smiled broadly.

 

He put aside the years he had spent with her and approached her as if they were meeting for the first time. So that her amnesia wouldn’t freak her out.

 

“I told you we could meet again, didn’t I?”

 

“What?”

 

Zephyto looked at Iris’s bewildered face and vowed to himself.

 

No matter what, he wouldn’t let her go in this life.

 

He would protect Iris, even if it meant dying first.

 

He wished desperately.

 

* * * 

 

With a strong white light, Yeon-young was pulled out of Ryu Won’s memory.

 

She took in a deep breath and let it out. Her frozen senses thawed one by one, and she felt the cool air of the underground caress her nostrils. It felt like she’d been dreaming for a very long time.

 

“Ming!”

 

“Zephyto…”

 

The White Sly sitting on Ryu Won’s stomach let out a single, loud cry as if to wake him up, and Yeon-young’s mind snapped back to reality.

 

She stared at the sleeping Ryu Won in her arms. It felt like an eternity had passed as she read through his vast memories, but now that she looked at him, she realized that wasn’t necessarily the case.

 

Time seemed to have stopped right before he read Ryu Won’s memories. Every part of his body had turned transparent, and he was slowly disappearing from Tanato.

 

Without saying a word, Yeon-young stroked Ryu Won’s body with a careful touch. A body that had given everything to the last to save her.

 

She hugged his body and pressed their foreheads together, the weight of Ryu Won’s heart that he had dared to hold for her finally beginning to sink in.

 

‘How many times had he had to throw himself at the world for her?’

 

What the hell did he think he was…

 

Closing her eyes, Yeon-young chewed her lower lip and clenched her fists tightly. She couldn’t let Ryu Won’s hard-earned miracle go to waste like this.

 

This time, she had to keep Ryu Won alive.

 

She felt more full of power than ever before, and with this much energy, she didn’t know if she could perform another miracle.

 

“The goddess said I have special powers.”

 

Recalling all her memories with Ryu Won, Yeon-young repeated it again.

 

The deal and conversation between the goddess and Zephyto over her reincarnation, the hidden power of the White Sly, and the energy of Iris that had restored Tanato.

 

“My power can only do that once in my world.”

 

“Since you are the first administrators I have appointed, I will share a little of my power with you. Keep it, you never know when it might come in handy.”

 

“Iris looks like those spirits, and she might be able to recognize their special powers.”

 

The words that the goddess Tanato had once said to her flashed through her mind.

 

If she had the power of a goddess… she might be able to use her power to save Ryu Won just once in this world.

 

Yeon-young drew in a nervous breath as she moved away from Ryu Won.

 

At that moment, the Sly, who had been watching, walked up to her and took her hand.

 

A heartwarming energy flowed from her touch. The white Sly was sharing his power with Yeon-young.

 

“Are you helping me?”

 

“Mi-ming!”

 

The White Sly let out a confident cry, as if asking her to believe in him alone.

 

Yeon-young nodded with a small smile. Then, she glanced at Ryu Won’s sleeping face and gently kissed his lips.

 

At the same time, all of Yeon-young’s power opened up, and the darkness underground was consumed by the light.