100

The End

Akari brought Kiko back onto the burnt grass field, stained with blood and covered in dead bodies.  When Kiko saw the devastation around her, it was only then did she finally gave up on any chance of hope that she could be saved.  

Everything that she knew and lived for was destroyed.  She knew that even her adopted family would also be destroyed down to their ninth generation.  

Kiko knelt in the middle of the field with her head bowed down.  Kiko had completely submitted to her fate. Akari stared down at Kiko and crouched in front of her.  Her dagger raised Kiko’s head up so she could stare into Kiko’s grey eyes. The look of defeat made Akari happy, but she didn’t celebrate yet.  

“At first, I had intended to kill you just like I slowly killed Misah, piece by piece.”  Akari confessed to Kiko. “However, now that I’m here. Now that I have you in my hands. So defeated and so compliant. I realize that through our fated entanglements, in the end, I just want us to never see each other again.  So, I’ll grant you a quick death to end all this for you and especially for me. Let’s never meet again. Ever.”

Akari plunges her dagger into Kiko’s heart and infuses her fire magic inside of Kiko.  The dagger immediately killed Kiko and the fire burned her body into ashes, completely forbidding her soul to reincarnate.  

Dean wraps his arms around Akari, embracing her tightly inside of his arms.  Every knot inside of Akari’s heart that was created by her past 99 lifetimes had finally been undone.  She held no more thoughts of regret and revenge.

“Let's go home.”  Dean told Akari as he kissed the crown of her head.  

“Okay.”  Akari agreed.  

“Let’s try for a family as well.”  

Akari was surprised by Dean’s words, but she too wanted a family.  She knew it would be nearly impossible to create a child for mages, but they had 980 years to try.  

“Okay.”  Akari agreed happily.  

~~~~~~

Once Dean and Akari arrived back home, they quickly filled Jona and Emi in on what happened.  From shock to anger to sadness, they could not believe any of it happened. Jona and Emi were sent back home the next day to help Obara.  The three of them were childhood friends and could not believe that Riho was Queen Maya’s agent.

While Hiryir reorganized the political power structure and stabilize the government, Dean and Akari lived their lives like newlyweds.  They spent their days in bed, hardly leaving the room.

It was during one of those lust filled days that Akari and Dean were quietly staring at each other after a long bout of lovemaking.  Akari was tracing Dean’s face, memorising every arch and line that defined his handsome features.

“Tell me something.”  Akari said as she rubbed Dean’s lips back and forth before bring her hand back down to her side.  

“What?”

“For you, what was it like to die?”

“Mages are mages for a reason.  Within them, they hold magic inside of themselves.  With that magic, they are able to hold on to their souls after death, as long as they are younger than 1000 years old.  By calling a Mage’s true name after death, it helps calls the mage’s soul back into its body.”    

“And if there is not body to go back to?”  

“Then the soul cannot reincarnate nor can it posse another body.”

“And if an enemy knows a Mage’s true name.  What could happen then?”

“If an enemy knows a Mage’s true name, and if that enemy is also a mage, they could create a death spell and immediately kill you, trap your soul and steal your magic core.”