C47: Liana

'Where's Aether?'

Alan looked around to see if anyone had noticed him missing, but... Surprisingly, he didn't think that even one of them knew about his disappearance.

"Huh? Strange friends..." he told himself, helping Lucy with the bags she was carrying.

However, Elijah looked around and she was missing something. What was it? She thought.

"Are you all done, guys?" She asked from the team, who was climbing up to the carriages to head off.

"I think —"

BOOM! A massive booming sound came from the skies, making everyone gaze above. "What in the name of God..." Rick muttered, upon seeing the shining golden gleam above him.

The radiant figure slowly glided down to the ground, landing in front of their carriages.

"Who the fuck are you —" before Luke could finish, the light faded away, letting the guy who was covered in the light visible.

"What!? Aether!!! Holy shit!? What happened to you!? Where were you!!??" Upon seeing his face after a long time, Luke was astonished.

Come to think of it, they hadn't seen him in more than a day, and during that time, he had been 'forgotten.'

"Oh my God..." Elijah covered her mouth upon seeing the boy. "I — I didn't come for you..."

However, Alan wasn't astonished to see the boy's return, but he was astonished to see the new power he had inherited during that short time.

For a long time, Aether was speechless.

'Everyone... You forgot me. I was... Useless after all.' The boy looked down, almost in tears. 'I —'

Pat! Pat! Alan patted him on the back, putting an arm over his shoulder. "My man... Sometimes, life is like this. You're been forgotten and the next day, you awaken a power and go beyond your limits. Don't be crushed, be motivated. You're... A true... Shadow Phoenix."

'Eh?' Upon hearing this, Aether was confused. "The Shadow Phoenix?"

"Yeah, man... The Shadow Phoenix. We disbanded the Foxes and removed the cloaks. And why the hell are you still wearing that... Pull that thing off!" Alan pulled out the cloak which Aether was wearing and threw it down.

"Ehh!??? You disbanded the group without me!!?? And I wasn't there..." Aether looked at his hands, tears filling his eyes. 'I'm not worthy....'

Pat! Pat! With another pat on the shoulder, Alan smiled at him. "You've got a lot of catching up to do... First of all, we're heading out from this place!"

***

(On the trip to Horne...)

The trip to Horne was a day long. Horne was the closest village to the castle of Monorith. Every traveler who travels to Monorith rests in Horne, and once again begins their travels to Monorith.

So, the Shadow Phoenix did the same.

The road was slightly rugged, but, that didn't bother their travels. Nightmares were lurking in the shadows, but there was no effect from Nightmares because every traveler enchants their carriages for a ride in the night. So, the Nightmares could not harm the travelers.

Alan placed his head back on the carriage, and Winry was sitting right next to him, hugging a book of spells. To his right, was Lucy, who had already fallen asleep on his shoulder.

Moment by moment, he was getting wearier and wearier. And finally... He passed out.

***

[Hi....]

[Don't you remember me?]

[Lu... Or should I say, Alan... Wake up!?]

"Heh?"

Alan opened his eyes, only to see an endless pale sky above him. However, he wasn't lying on the seat of that carriage, he wasn't inside the carriage, to begin with!

"What happened..." he asked himself, sitting up on the surface he was lying on.

His hand felt a certain chill and some moisture. Suddenly, his whole body felt it.

When he looked down, there was water surrounding him. And be was naked entirely. "Wha... Wait a minute... This feels like —" he thought about it.

'It was just like the time when I got reincarnated... Wasn't it?'

"No, you didn't reincarnate again, dummy!"

For Alan, there was no familiar voice than that. He looked up, only to see a blue transparent figure standing in front of him. But that figure was of a human he knew for more than decades... His first love, Liana.

"No way... Liana..." Alan muttered, looking at the tall figure standing in front of him. "How?"

He was still sitting on the water, not being able to stand up. He was too shocked to see his dead wife once more.

"I thought... I was imagining things..." Alan slowly got back to his feet, staring at the transparent figure. For days, he thought that the voice in his head was just his old memories eating him up alive.

He gobbled upon seeing her face. However, she wasn't entirely herself.

Her whole body was made up from a transparent blue gas-like matter, almost as if she was a spirit. But her figure and shape were all alike.

Her long hair fell to her waist, her body in the exact shape, and even the tiara he gave her to wore, which was made up from a bright white light.

She stood there, closing her eyes. A tear ran down from her beautiful eyes. Even her tears gave off a very strange white glamour.

"Is this a dream?" Alan asked her once more.

Drop! Her tear fell into the water, making a splashing sound. "I — I did die... Lu. But my love to you, and your love to me... Came with a prize."

For so many years, Alan had sobbed upon memorizing her death. In his past life, the thing he regretted the most was losing Liana.

"I — I'm sorry, Lu." She said, raising her hand to touch Alan's. Alan raised his hand and their hands met, but... Her transparent body was not just transparent.

Alan's hand went through hers.

Upon seeing this, Alan figured out what the cost was. A living spirit inside him... A spirit bound with one's ambition.

As Alan was transmigrated into the body of a boy, she had reincarnated as a spirit within her loved one. That was the cost of her true love, a twisted fate.

"I was reincarnated as a spirit... Lu. I am sorry, but I had to leave you... I had to. We couldn't raise our daughter, Lu... I'm so sorry. For all those years, I've suffered because I let go of you that one time, that one time where everything changed. And for that, I've paid my debts... Looking at you taking more than thousands of women in your arms, making love to them." Tears filled her eyes as she said this.

Alan's heartbeat raised. He couldn't bear the pain anymore... But even then, he couldn't even hug his wife to erase her sorrow.

Liana raised her hand, and put her hand closer to his cheek, sharing her warmth with him. By instinct, Alan's hand reached for hers, but he could not grasp her hand, like the millions and millions of times he had done that before.

Alan fell to his knees in the water... Not being able to bear the pain of her words.

"I — I am sorry... Liana... It's all my fault. I should've protected you..."

"I know, you would've, but no one knew who did that, and to this day, it's a mystery. Luna, your child was your soul... I truly felt that when you lost all hope after I left you. I truly believed that one's soul was their child. I don't have to tell you how a man who lost a soul would act, do I?" she smiled.

Liana knelt beside him and looked into his eyes. "But now... We have a choice. We have a future to look forward to. I am here to guide you to it."

***

Author's Note: Actually... I paused the premium option till chapter 51. Enjoy!