Knocking on Sergi's door, Bartholomew entered the room with a frown. It's been days since the rendezvous, however, Sergi refused to show up.

How could he show up?

It would damage his pride if he showed up empty-handed, an indication that he couldn't complete his mission.

"Have you really confirmed it yet?"

"Yes." Bartholomew answered, but his words held a hint of doubt. Sergi caught onto it, shifting his body from his bed, facing Bartholomew with a raised eyebrow.

"What is it?" Sergi questioned and Bartholomew closed his eyes, cringing at his memory.

"It was...unsightly, it was evident that the corpse was mauled by the sharks mercilessly. They confirmed it was her body that they brought here, confirming that it was her death, however..."

"However?"

Batholomew remembered the injury she received at her leg, since he was the one responsible for it. He clearly saw the bandage around it, but when he investigated the corpse, there weren't any gashes on her leg. It left him utterly baffled, it was impossible for her wound to just disappear within hours, which only left one conclusion.

That body wasn't Emi's body, which meant that she might not be dead after all.

"That body wasn't hers, it wasn't Emi's."

"Are you sure about that?"

Bartholomew grimaced, shaking his head. "Yes, I'm not going back there again. The smell of it was just...horrendous!"

He clearly remembered how the smell invaded his nose, it was stale and smelled of rotting flesh. It took everything of him to not expell out his hearty meal in the morning.

Sergi rolled his eyes, internally mocking Bartholomew being weak-hearted. "Fine, if I find out that you were lying to me, expect something worse than death." Sergi's eyes hardened instantaneously, the threat in his words sending a chill down Bartholomew's spine.

"So, you're saying she's alive?"

Bartholomew was silent for a moment, trying to recover from Sergi's frightening threat. "...yes, she might be."

"If she's alive, she'll definitely hide herself somewhere--somewhere where people doesn't know of her identity." Sergi mused and Bartholomew sighed in exhaustion, walking away.

"When you think of something, come find me."

With those words, Bartholomew retreated back to his home base, which was a small house he purchased himself. It was at a rural area, no one knows of his true identity there.

He travelled on his horse, a few hours past as he finally reached his base. Slowing down his pace, he jumped down from his horse, his shoes scrunching against the gravel.

The villagers led a simple life here, ploughing the fields, awaiting a good harvest and trading for something more worthwhile. Small houses made of bricks or wood lined up beside the gravel path further in front, the town wasn't particularly filled with wealthy people. In fact, there was hardly any wealthy people at all.

Bartholomew greeted the villagers that greeted him cheerily, venturing into the woods where his hut was. It wasn't too near nor was it too far from the town, it was just at an comfortable distance.

Upon reaching his cosy but, Bartholomew realised an object nailed on his sturdy wooden door with a tiny dagger. He furrowed his eyebrows in suspicion, removing the dagger.

The object, that revealed to be a paper, drifted down, dancing to the wind as it unfolded itself. Picking it up, Bartholomew read the contents of it, which was only a stamp of a family crest.

His eyes landed on the crest, his expression taking a darker turn. An image flitted past his mind, it was an image of him pushing Emi off the cliff by accident.

He clenched his fists in response, the paper crumbling in his hand.

*****************************

One of Kris' hands rested on his sword, which was kept in his scabbard, while the other ran through his hair. His clammy hands didn't help with the nerve-wracking situation, the guard in front of him was leading him to his destination, arriving at a stop in front of a wooden house. Surprisingly, this house seemed more well off compared to the other houses he saw.

The front porch has tiny plant pots decorating the entrance to the house, as well as a gravel path leading towards the door. Kris could see wooden fences at the back of the house, guessing it was the backyard.

Like Sergi, Kris skipped the rendezvous, since it was the least important thing in his mind now. In fact, he wasn’t so sure

"Wait here, the mayor should be arriving soon."

The mayor?

Kris narrowed his eyes at the guard, suspicions arising. "I'm only here to look at the...corpse, why would I need to see the mayor?"

It was obvious that Kris was struggling with saying the word 'corpse', seeing that his face contorted slightly with pain. He gritted his teeth, his heart throbbing painfully yet again.

"You need the mayor's permission to view the corpse. He ordered me to bring you here if you ever came."

Kris silently acquiesced, standing outside the house. His posture stiff yet proper, making a minuscule smile appear on the guard's lips, amused by Kris. He pushed the the door open, gesturing for Kris to step inside.

"The mayor said you could wait inside."

Gazing intently at the guard, Kris held a dubious look on his face. The guard remained in the same position, beckoning Kris to enter. He proceeded to enter the house in a hesitant manner, instantly greeted by a homey living room. Inside the living room, there was a couch that was meant for two people. Along with a round wooden table that sat at the centre, with a flower vase on it, adding a vibrant atmosphere to the room.

Warm lights bathed the entire living room, the source of it from the sunlight coming in via the windows. The path further down led to other rooms that Kris didn't feel the need to explore.

The atmosphere immediately reminded him of home, as he closed his eyes, reminiscing. He pictured his comrades training in the courtyard, beaming at him. Yun would approach him, giving him a pat on his back, grinning at him to ask him for a sparring session.

After which, he would glance towards the trees and there she was, as beautiful as ever, resting on the tree branch. At first, she would observe them carefully, never letting her guard down, a calculating look in her eyes. Gradually, her expression softened and she would notice something amusing that the family did, causing her to chuckle softly.

...and a smile would ever so slightly grace upon her features lighting up significantly.

Snapping his eyes open, it was evident how distraught Kris became as a shaky breath escaped him. He knew if it was really her corpse, his soul would completely shatter. Despite that, there was still that infinitesimal spark in him, giving him hope.

It might not be her body.

It might not be her body at all.

It might not be...

It might not be.

His eyes fluttered close, repeating the same words in his mind. Over, and over, and over again, unable to hide the tortured expression covering his face.

Hearing the door creak open, Kris heaved a miserable sigh, spinning around. His eyes landed on a familiar elderly man, who took a few steps forward.

"I'm terribly sorry for the wait, come, follow me--I hope you can forgive me." The mayor said, Kris trailing behind him.

"Forgive you? What do you mean by that?" Kris asked, bewildered by his last few words.

The elderly man only gave Kris a cryptic smile, not saying a single word.

****************************

Bartholomew rode on his horse, slowing his pace when he reached a town. He clicked his tongue in annoyance, watching the crowded street, not seeing a single space for him to squeeze through.

Why did he call me so early in the day?

Guiding his horse around, Bartholomew headed in another direction. Even though it was a longer path, but there were less interferences on the way there. Bringing his head up, Bartholomew eyed a luxurious mansion in the distance, on top of a hill, the horse's hooves hitting loudly against the concrete path.

He held the same paper in his hands, glancing at it once more. Irked, he crushed the paper in his hands, tossing it away as he urged his horse to hurry.

********************

The mayor brought Kris to another house, which was smaller compared to the mayor's house.

"Why did you bring me here?"

The mayor showed him an enigmatic smile, beckoning him to enter the house.

"Don't worry, I'm not here to bring any harm to you, who am I to stop love?" The mayor answered, walking away in a languid manner after that.

Kris called out to the mayor, who disregarded him and continued on. Perplexed, he realised his only choice to settle his confusion was to enter this house. He pushed opened the door, stepping inside gingerly and he raised his head up, his eyes spotting someone; a woman.

Her body leaned forward, her arms resting on the window. A gentle breeze entered via the window, causing her jet black hair to sway to the wind. Her slim figure, that was extremely familiar, seemed relaxed, not seemingly alarmed by Kris' presence in the room. She was dressed in a simple, plain dress but Kris was still mesmerised by her, not understanding why.

His heart skipped a beat when she started turning around, his eyes widening when he caught a glimpse of her face, seeing a hint of freckles on it. Finally facing him, Kris' eyes remained wide, recognition shining in them and the sunlight surrounded her, making her glow brighter.

His heart thundered loudly in his eardrums and Kris wasn't sure if what he actually saw was just a hallucination or an apparition. He couldn't do anything, his arms and legs were frozen, all he could do was remain stationary.

"Kris, you are finally here. I've...I've been waiting, for you." Her demure voice floated past his ears and Kris' gasped silently, swallowing his saliva.

"You...are real?" He struggled his words out in a hoarse voice.

"Of course I am." A frown appeared on her face, and Kris thought he could never hear that lovely voice ever again.

He thought he could never see the different face expressions on her beautiful face ever again.

If this is the last present to me from the gods, I'll gladly accept it. Even if she's just a hallucination, I'll accept it.

"Kris, are you alright? You seem...in pain." The conflicted expression on his made her step forward to him, her hand caressing his cheek tenderly.

She gasped, quickly withdrawing her hand. "Oh, I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to-"

Kris' legs instantly collapsed to the floor, when he realised her touch was real. He felt the warmth, he felt the rough edges on her hand, caressing his face.

He felt everything.

...she isn't just a hallucination.

She's...she's real.

So very real.

He rested one of his arm on his raised leg, while the other leg was completely on the ground. He couldn't find any strength in him to lift his leg or push himself up, pressing his hand against his forehead, covering his eyes.

"Oh my god, Kris. Are you okay? What happened to you?" He heard her panicked voice, causing him to shut his eyes as he started chuckling to himself.

However, his chuckles sounded choked, his voice cracking from time to time. This time, she hesitantly reached out, placing a comforting hand on Kris' shoulder.

"Kris?"

I can hear her call out to me once more.

I can hear her call out to me again and again.

As many times as I want.

Lifting his head, Kris' eyes appeared bloodshot and she could see tears welling up in them. She blinked in surprise, not expecting this level of response from him. Opening to speak, her words were interrupted when he stretched out his arm to pull her down.

She grunted, falling into his arms as he embraced her in an awkward position. Despite that, her heart fluttered at his touch and she closed her eyes, wrapping her arms around him.

"You are real."

"Of course."

"You are alive, you are alive. You are very much alive."

"Yes."

"Emi Winters."

"Yes, I am here."

"Winters.”

"Still here."

"Em-Emi..." Kris choked her name out, a tear slipping from his eye.

"Yes, Kris."

His hoarse and cracking voice made her smile half-heartedly, and his arms tightened around her. She could feel his body trembling in her arms, and she proceeded to tighten her arms around him too.

He gradually withdrew and she noticed his red eyes, her smile growing wider. At this moment, Kris had never felt more alive, his heart was soaring with bliss, racing at her pretty smile.

That smile.

How I longed to see it, once again.

That heart-warming smile of yours.

Without warning, Kris reached out to her and dragged her down. They collapsed onto the ground, with Kris acting as her cushion.

"Kris, what are you-"

Her words were quickly cut off by Kris' lips colliding with hers.

Hello everyone! This chapter is not edited too, I just finished writing this so yeah...Anyway, I hoped you enjoyed this chapter, as usual ^^.