Chapter 201: Epilog : Break The Cycle and The Record Keeper

Six years later, on the outskirts of a remote village in the territory of the Rellios Kingdom, stood a two-story house at the edge of the forest. Ard, paced back and forth in the living room with a tense expression. The atmosphere in the room was heavy. Mirea held a five-year-old boy in her lap, Beatrice held a three-year-old girl, Alicia sat with a four-year-old boy, and Milia held a three-year-old boy. Rosalind sat with a four-year-old girl, Claudia cradled a cute six-month-old baby girl, and Pyria held a one-year-old girl. Besides the children, all of their faces were tight with anxiety.

"Honey, why don’t you sit down for a moment," Claudia said.

"She’s right, husband; you’re making us all nervous," Milia added.

"Sorry... but I can’t stay calm," Ard said, continuing to pace while biting his thumb nail.

"I know that’s just how you are—you were like this when I gave birth, too—but try to relax," Mirea said.

"Truly, my Emperor, you’ll only exhaust yourself like that," Alicia added.

"Come sit here next to me," Beatrice said, shifting over.

"Yes, over here, dear," Rosalind replied, having been sitting next to Beatrice.

"It’s alright, come on, sit," Pyria said, pulling Ard and guiding him to sit between Beatrice and Rosalind.

Ard sat down, but his face remained tense and his foot tapped incessantly against the floor. Rosalind reached out and held his leg to still it.

"Oh, by the way... happy birthday, darling," Beatrice said, kissing Ard on the cheek.

"Thirty-two, huh... happy birthday," Claudia added.

Eventually, they all wished him a happy birthday, but Ard remained rigid, hardly noticing. Suddenly, "Waaah... waaah," the sound of a crying baby echoed from the bedroom. Ard bolted upright and dashed into the room. He saw Eva lying weak on the bed, smiling at him; her face was drenched in sweat from the struggle of labor. The village midwife who had assisted with the birth showed a tiny, adorable baby boy to Ard, then handed the infant to him.

Meanwhile, as Beatrice prepared to follow him inside, she was pulled back by Rosalind, Claudia, Alicia, Milia, Pyria, and Mirea.

"What is it?" Beatrice asked.

"Leave them be for now," Mirea answered.

"Yes... it’s different from when it was us... this is their moment," Alicia said.

"Huh... what’s the difference?" Beatrice asked, confused.

"The difference is they’ve been waiting for three thousand years. Do you still not get it?" Rosalind asked, annoyed.

"Oh... that’s right," Beatrice replied.

"Let’s just head out; we’ll wait in the living room," Pyria suggested.

"Quickly, quickly... we’re just in the way here," Milia urged.

Finally, they all returned to the living room to wait comfortably. Not long after, the midwife emerged and excused herself to go home. Inside the room, Ard was cradling his newborn son. He studied the baby’s face, his black hair, and his tiny clenched fists. Then he turned to look at Eva, moving to sit on the edge of the bed. Ard smiled and kissed Eva’s forehead as she smiled back.

"Finally," Ard said.

"Yeah," Eva replied.

Ard laid the baby down beside Eva, then pressed his forehead against hers. Both were smiling as tears of joy began to flow.

"After three thousand years, our child is finally born... Esmeralda," Ard said.

"Yes, Ashton... and this time, no one is here to sentence us to death," Eva replied.

"It looks like we made it in this tenth life... we broke the cycle," Ard said with a smile.

"Yes, it really has been such a long journey... starting on Earth as Ace and Edith, coming to this world as Ashton and Esmeralda... then a thousand years ago as Azroth and Evelina... and finally... nine times as Arden and Evangeline... now it’s time for us to be happy," Eva said, smiling.

"You’re right... oh, and happy 32nd birthday, darling," Ard said.

"Thank you. Happy 32nd birthday to you too, honey," Eva replied.

After that, they shared a tender kiss, then once again pressed their foreheads together while their tears continued to flow. Meanwhile, the others peeked through the doorway, their own tears falling out of pure happiness. They lived out their lives together in joy, raising all their children until they grew old—exactly as they had hoped for throughout the nine times they had repeated their lives.

***

Planet Neo Earth, year 2969 AL, Neo Ark City, Republic of Liberta. Inside a prestigious hospital, the steady "beep, beep" of an EKG machine filled the room. A frail, veiny hand—weathered by age—closed a book.

"So, the gods, goddesses, magic, and everything in this book... did they really exist back then, Grandma Pyria?" asked a ten-year-old human boy wearing a school uniform.

"Yeah, Grandma, did you write all these stories yourself?" a young demon child, also in school uniform, added.

Pyria, now an elderly woman so weak she required hospital care, smiled. Her trembling hand gently stroked the heads of the two children by her bedside.

"How should I explain it? If you haven’t experienced it yourself, you wouldn’t know. But the stories I read were good, weren’t they?" Pyria asked in a faint voice.

"They’re great, Grandma! Where can we buy the book?" the demon boy asked.

"I’m sorry... but right now, these stories aren’t for sale. Maybe later," Pyria answered with a sad smile.

Suddenly, a nurse passed by and looked into the room. "Hey... why are you in someone else’s room? Come on, out you go," the nurse said.

"Run! Sorry, Grandma!" the human boy shouted.

The two children scrambled out immediately. The nurse apologized to Pyria and closed the door. Pyria lay back against her pillow and turned her gaze toward the window. The world was so advanced now; technology had evolved rapidly, and everything was computerized and automated. Pyria watched a group of high schoolers walking past the fence: a human boy, two Wing Tribe girls, a merman boy, a dwarf boy, and an elf girl, looking at their smartphones.

Following behind them were a Red Demon girl and a vampire boy, the latter wearing a protective jacket that allowed him to be out in the daylight. They crossed paths with a giant-race man in a suit and tie; he had four arms, looked confused and lost, seemingly asking them for directions, showing them his tablet, while cars sped along the road beside them.

Witnessing all of this, Pyria smiled. she looked back up at the ceiling, tears flowing once again as she clutched her book to her chest.

"I have recorded every event in this world, Elder Qoaldrioq, just as you tasked me before you left... but how much longer must I suffer like this? I want to be with my family," Pyria said sadly, her tears falling.

Then she glanced back toward the window, looking at the view outside filled with high-rises and skyscrapers, some of which were still under construction.

"Ard... Eva... the world you created is truly beautiful. I am so grateful to be living in it, but... when can I see you all again? I miss you... I miss the kind-hearted Alicia, the silly Beatrice, the short-tempered Rosalind, the ever-smiling Claudia, the critical Mirea, the playful Milia, the relaxed Geoffrey, Ainsley always pushing up her glasses, and Irwin... who acted indifferent but cared so much... I miss all of you... hic... hic," Pyria said in her heart with tears streaming down her face.

Suddenly, "knock... knock," there was a rapping at the door. Pyria slowly wiped away her tears before answering; once she was ready, she spoke.

"Come in," she said.

A nurse entered, and Pyria offered a smile, but then the nurse stepped aside to make way for a man and a woman to enter. Seeing who had walked in, Pyria’s face went rigid for a moment. Her jaw nearly hit the floor and her eyes widened in shock.

"Excuse me, could you please leave us alone with Ms. Pyria?" the woman asked the nurse.

"Of course, please go ahead," the nurse replied politely.

The nurse closed the door, and the couple walked toward Pyria’s bed and sat beside her. Tears immediately began to pour down Pyria’s face as she reached out both of her hands. The man took one of her hands and the woman took the other.

"You finally came... I’ve been waiting so long for your return... why did you leave me a thousand years ago?" Pyria asked.

"I’m sorry... back then, we had the task of overseeing the change in regimes. Please forgive us for only coming to see you now after all this time," the man answered.

"Yes... we never intended to leave you, but at that time... we truly had to go, because if we hadn’t, the world wouldn’t be what it is today," the woman added.

"I understand... I thought you were gone... Ard... Eva," Pyria said.

The man and woman were Ard and Eva, appearing exactly as they did at thirty-one years old, having not aged a single day.

"Forgive me, Pyria... I am so truly sorry. I let you wait for so long... I’m sorry," Ard said, kissing Pyria’s weathered hand.

"Now, we’ve come to take you with us... let’s go home together. Our work here is finished, and everyone is waiting for you there," Eva said with a smile.

"Everyone?" Pyria asked, confused.

"Swoooosh," a vortex suddenly pulled open. Pyria immediately began to sob uncontrollably, a wide smile spreading across her face, because behind the vortex, she could see Alicia, Mirea, Milia, Beatrice, Rosalind, Claudia, Geoffrey, Ainsley, and Irwin all calling out to her.

"I’m... coming home," Pyria said joyfully.

Her body instantly glowed with a brilliant light, finally dissolving into shimmering particles that flowed into the vortex. Once inside, Ard and Eva could see that Pyria had become young again, looking so radiant that she wept as she threw her arms around the others. Then, they stepped inside as well, and the vortex closed. The hospital room fell silent, save for the long, flat tone of the EKG machine.

A nurse rushed into the room and gasped; Pyria was gone, and the two people who had been with her had vanished. All that remained was the book Pyria had written about the events from 3,000 years ago, titled, "Trash Prince and Ice Queen 10th Re Life," by Patricia Von Liberta, the last Empress of Liberta Empire.

Fin

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