Chapter 143: Heroine Chapter: By his side. [2/2]
This disconnect led to misconceptions. None of those who became Reapers knew how high the stakes were. I saw this personally during the July enlistment. Humans with no combat experience were helplessly devoured by the living dead.
I was both disappointed and appalled by the Southerners I met. 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 moment he asked me 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 became my link to the Sirens. Lilly arrived in the North just as I was about to leave.
She made a simple proposal.
"Join me. 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 home from the undead, don't you?"
"..."
"I wish to become a Specter."
"What does that have to do with me?"
"We both want something, and we believe that John Smith is our answer," Lilly replied, as if it were a simple matter.
"Speak clearly. I have no time for riddles!"
"We can help each other get what we want by working together."
"What do you mean?"
"You believe John Smith would become a Revenant, no?"
Wordlessly I nodded. It seemed impossible, but somehow 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 me. Together we will become 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 me!"
"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 same," the Untamed replied.
Still unsure of what she meant, 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 me most was their radical thinking.
[All right! Sirens! For our first mission! Send a message 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 somehow, 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 me to Lilly and Bella, From Josephine and Jasmine to Robyn and Aki.
We hated the world.
But unless someone tried to change it, we had no choice but to accept it for what it was.
The South and even the North were the same 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 meant 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 seemed impossible ceased to be, all because he was with us.
In that moment, 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 memories 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 meant, 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 enlistment 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 me. That was why women were attracted to powerful men. Because they offered solutions.
If I went looking for a mate and burdened him with the fate of the North, hardly anyone would take me 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 name was John Smith.