In the morning, we would fight under the sun. When night ca, we took the fight to Hellsgate. A Northerner's life was one of constant battle.
While my people lived on the brink of extinction, the rest of the world had a different approach. They slowly suffocated the humans to force them to beco better Reapers. But the way they did it had no sense of urgency.
This disconnect led to misconceptions. None of those who beca Reapers knew how high the stakes were. I saw this personally during the July enlistnt. Humans with no combat experience were helplessly devoured by the living dead.
I was both disappointed and appalled by the Southerners I t. They lacked virtue, drive, and focused on lust, greed, and pride. If that was all the world had to offer, there was no hope for my people.
But there was one exception.
He was dazzling as he fought like a rabid animal.
I was captivated by both his ferocity and his kindness.
Though he was Ufore, he led from the front. Even when fate itself denied his desires, instead of running away, he fought her head on.
I made up my mind the mont he asked to follow him. Only a man willing to challenge the impossible could defeat the armies of the dead.
No matter the opponent, my beloved never backed down. And I could not take my eyes off him.
In a twist of fate, he beca my link to the Sirens. Lilly arrived in the North just as I was about to leave.
She made a simple proposal.
"Join . I will take you to John Smith," she said.
"Why should I follow you? Why are you doing all this?"
"You want to liberate your ho from the undead, don't you?"
"..."
"I wish to beco a Specter."
"What does that have to do with ?"
"We both want sothing, and we believe that John Smith is our answer," Lilly replied, as if it were a simple matter.
"Speak clearly. I have no ti for riddles!"
"We can help each other get what we want by working together."
"What do you an?"
"You believe John Smith would beco a Revenant, no?"
Wordlessly I nodded. It seed impossible, but sohow I was sure. If it was him, there was no room for doubt. I could feel it in my heart as well as in my {fate}.
"Then join . Together we will beco the forge that molds him."
"Then why do you believe in him?"
Lilly smiled brightly as she answered.
"Because I have fallen deeply in love with him."
"I could care less about your romances, answer !"
"Then why do you Liv Ivaldi?"
"Because of his eyes and his thirst for victory." I answered.
It sounded foolish, but rather than follow those who played it safe. I would rather die by the side of those who refused to surrender.
"Then I am the sa," the Untad replied.
Still unsure of what she ant, I followed. Together with those who belonged to my Beloved's party, we set out to save Aki's brother.
The Sirens were made up of battle-hardened warriors as strong, if not stronger, than most Northerners. But what surprised most was their radical thinking.
[All right! Sirens! For our first mission! Send a ssage to Trinity! Change is coming! And we are the ones to proclaim it!]
This went against what even the Revenants wanted! Why were the Sirens willing to make the entire world their enemy? Even if my beloved said he wanted to fight Trinity, he was not here. Would he not be angry with our actions?
But sohow, I understood. According to the texts Lilly shared, everyone in our group didn't have an easy life.
And directly or indirectly, the reason for that was the current status quo.
All of us, from to Lilly and Bella, From Josephine and Jasmine to Robyn and Aki.
We hated the world.
But unless soone tried to change it, we had no choice but to accept it for what it was.
The South and even the North were the sa in that respect.
Everyone wanted change, but no one was crazy enough to challenge fate itself.
"All save one," I murmured.
One man who repeatedly faced insurmountable odds and never backed down. He would willingly endure pain if it ant victory. For the Formless, whom the world despised, this man would even brawl with a Revenant.
Perhaps that was why we all believed.
If it were just us, we would be afraid and hide under our beds. But just being his people gave us unfathomable strength. What seed impossible ceased to be, all because he was with us.
In that mont, I understood.
John Smith was more than a man. He was our hope.
"And as long as I am by his side..."
Nothing was impossible.
To defeat the undead. Liberate the North. Rid the world of Trinity. Close the Gates of Hell. Such lofty goals suddenly left the realm of fantasy.
All because he was there.
Selfishly, the Sirens and I projected our desires and dreams onto this man.
The mories of how he fought never left my mind. Even with his body broken and devoid of strength, he kept fighting. And everyone here believed that he would continue to do so for us if we asked.
"Just like he did back then."
It made no sense. But it brought comfort to our hearts. Lily was right about one thing.
"Then that simply ant, that is his limit. As much as you girls tell yourselves that you love him, it was his combat potential that won you over correct? If he died in the enlistnt no one would have spared him a second glance."
The reason I was attracted to my beloved was because I had a problem and I knew he could help . That was why won were attracted to powerful n. Because they offered solutions.
If I went looking for a mate and burdened him with the fate of the North, hardly anyone would take seriously. But if it were John.
"I just know he would live up to my expectations."
Just like Lilly, just like Bella. Even with Jo and Jas, as far as I knew, they did not even hate Trinity. But feeling the comfort John Smith brought, we all began to challenge those we would not have fought otherwise.
"That was his effect on us. He gave us not only hope, but courage."
United in one will, we rampaged through Japan. Those who were oppressed and empty longed for a hero. The Sirens and I had already found ours.
And his na was John Smith.
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