Rebirth in the Apocalypse: Third Time's a Charm

Liu Wei rolled back slightly onto his upper back and used the momentum to flip himself onto his feet. Landing in a crouch, his weapon forward, his shield behind him protecting his back, he scanned the area. If Li Dai Lu was here then he needed to get to her fast. She could be in danger.

There was a dense forest off to one side, while in front of him stood a majestic mountain landscape. The other side held a meadow filled with flowers that swayed gently in the wind.

Not seeing his Queen, he maintained his low crouch and spun around facing whatever it was behind him. Seeing a lake stretched out, he scanned the shores and saw a wooden pergola in the distance fine white fabric hung at the corners and across the top, swaying in the wind. As the breeze picked up, the curtain moved, revealing a figure standing at the edge, staring at the water.

"Li Dai Lu," he whispered before he took off running to the very woman that held his heart in her small hands. She must have heard him approach her as she turned around, the wind blowing her white dress behind her. Her black hair danced in the wind like a bird in flight.

There was a golden tiara on top of her head and her body was dripping with gold jewelry. There were armbands on her upper arms, bangles on the wrists of both arms and a gold belt held down the loose flowing fabric of her dress.

He dropped to his knees, sliding to a stop feet from her. Raising up until he was only on one knee, he made a fist with his right hand and placed it over his heart, his head bowed.

This was his reason for being. This was his everything.

"Why did you leave me?" she asked. She didn't plead or cry, but that made his heart break all that much more.

"I was called. Where my brothers go, I too must follow," Liu We heard himself say, but it sounded more like the voice from the darkness.

"That is what you all say. You were called. You were called so you leave me here alone time after time, century after century, with nothing more than your memory to keep me warm at night." A lone tear dripped down her cheek as she looked down at Liu Wei.

Liu Wei froze at her words. "I know. But I must go with my brothers, you know that," came his voice again, but not his words. Liu Wei started to rage at this body that refused to obey his commands like this was a dance that they had to do over and over again.

"I understand War, they love him. Well, the winners love him, the losers curse him. And yet still they call." The hollowness of her voice stabbed Liu Wei in the back and he struggled to breathe.

"Pestilence? He goes for the fun of it. He loves challenging the humans and for the most part, the humans rise above and become stronger for him." Liu Wei closed his eyes as each word seemed like an arrow that was meant to rip him apart.

"Famine? Well, I guess they don't really call him. But they are sure quick to blame him, aren't they? They hate all of you, and yet you still leave me to go to them. Is it because they hate me more that you think it's okay to leave me alone?"

"Oh, Sweetheart," Liu Wei tried to say, but his mouth remained closed.

"If I became better, would you all stay? If I was kinder, more merciful, more forgiving. If I sacrificed everything for the humans, would you stay?" Her eyes were filling up with tears that she refused to shed and Liu Wei wanted to crawl to her on his knees and comfort her.

"I have to follow my brothers. I always follow my brothers," said the voice in the darkness.

"But that was not how it was supposed to be! That was not what you promised me!" she yelled, turning her back on Liu Wei to stare out over the water. "That is not how the story is supposed to go."

"Is that why you are punishing the humans? Creating a creature that they have no hope in beating?" demanded Liu Wei's body as it got to its feet and walked over to stand behind her. She scoffed at his words. "Is that what you think? That I created those monsters?" Liu Wei could hear her heart shattering at his words.

"Leave," she demanded, her voice becoming almost a hiss. "You don't belong to me. I understand that now. Go save the humans. Go follow your brothers like you always do. Go find your destiny. But this will never be your home again. Don't come back."

Liu Wei could feel his body turning away from the devastated woman in front of him, compelled to obey her orders, even if it was not what either one of them wanted. "No!" screamed Liu Wei as he reached forward into the darkness of his mind and ripped the glowing silver eyes out of the shadows.

His hand was wrapped around the neck of a man that looked exactly like him but dressed more like an ancient soldier with his shield and weapon in each hand. His helmet hid his face, everything but his eyes, but Liu Wei knew who it was. "You are no longer in charge," he hissed at the voice that had been tormenting him for months now. "You fucked up, but I will not."

Closing his eyes, Liu Wei gripped the other's weapon, noticing the curvature of the blade, he swiped it against the other's neck. There was a sigh of relief as the silver eyes flickered and then turned to darkness. 'She always rides with us,' it hissed before the entire body crumpled to ashes in Liu Wei's hands.

Forcing himself back into the outside world, he saw that he was still standing behind the woman that looked like Li Dai Lu. "I will not leave you," he hissed as he gripped one arm around her waist, pulling her back against his firm chest, his other hand gripping her throat from in front. Forcing her chin up as high as it could go, Liu Wei smiled down at the woman in his arms.

"I hate sharing you with the others, I hate that they have a part of you inside of them that I don't. But now I understood why they wouldn't tell me, why they couldn't. I need you to listen to me and listen to me well," whispered Liu Wei as the golden armor fell off of his wrists. They clattered to the wooden floor of the pergola, but neither person moved.

"You are mine. I will share you because those men are my brothers, but you are my sun, my moon, my very being. There will be no more answering calls unless it is your call. I will reign hellfire down on this world and every other if it meant never leaving your side again. And if I need to go? You will be behind me, because I will never, ever let you go."

The woman looked up at him, her face turning red for lack of oxygen, but she didn't struggle, didn't fight. If anything, she seemed to relax even more into his embrace. "You promise?" she asked as the clothes that Liu Wei was more familiar with appeared on his body, including his leather gloves.

"I swear," he whispered as he dragged her onto her tiptoes in order to claim her mouth as his own. The humans didn't need them, they managed to create their own downfall well enough. Liu Wei scoffed inside his head as he continued to devour the woman in his arms, trying to bring her very essence into his being.

There might be someone else out there for him, there might be countless reasons why he should have walked away. But there was one good reason to stay.

"I am yours, always and forever, until even the Gods turn to dust and blow away," he vowed against her lips.

And then everything turned black.

----

Liu Wei shot bolt upright in bed, a knife already in his hand as he searched around the enclosed space for any sort of a threat.

"She will sleep for a while longer," came a hushed voice almost right beside him. Liu Wei turned to the source of the sound and saw Chen Zi Han standing close. "We'll be right outside of the door. That way you can stay close, guard her and still not disturb her."

"Is this what happened to you? To all of you?" asked Liu Wei as he gently got out of bed and followed the other man outside.

"Yeah," nodded Chen Zi Han. "But I passed out in a hallway. When I woke up, I didn't have a clue what happened. All I knew was that she had a part of me in her and her in me." Liu Wei's eyebrow rose and the thought about what the other man said.

"When we were emptying out Elysian Tower and met Li Yi Ming." Chen Zi Han nodded in agreement and took out a cigarette.

"But you have to be willing to commit yourself, to make your own vows. That was why we couldn't say anything."

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