Wicked Reincarnation

Chapter 213: New Way 5

It has been only a day since Lia left but Yano was already worried. Wasn't a day equal to two to three years in the abyss? What did Lia do there? Did something happen that kept her there for so long?

Yano paced up and down in his room. In his restlessness, he started to water the flowers that were already drowning. Yano always felt anxious regarding Lia, even though he was trying to calm himself it was futile.

If Lia saw him like this she'd either make fun of him or disdain him. Any affection he showed her was met with resistance.

Just when Yano was swept away by his thoughts, a knock appeared and Zero's head peeked from the door, "Yano, it's lunchtime."

"Huh what? Oh ok," Yano's nervous walking came to a stop and he turned to Zero.

Seeing Yano like this, Zero pursed his lips and crossed his arms, "If you're so worried about Lia why don't you contact her? You can do it, right?"

Zero has just recently found out about Yano's power and sulked for quite a while. While Zero had below-average abilities Yano really possessed almost everything.

"Oh," Yano didn't think about it but he knew for a fact it didn't work in the abyss.

If Lia didn't come tomorrow, Yano would use it. He felt a bit calmer and sized Zero's petite form up, "You aren't worried?"

"Hmpf," Zero turned his head away and walked downstairs, "I trust Lia. I know that whatever it is, she won't die so easily."

Yes, Zero had faith in Lia and hoped that Yano would also.

"I see," Zero's trust indeed made Yano question. All of the time when Yano wasn't there for Lia, she still managed to survive on her own. That was right. He wasn't some kind of charming prince she should rely on. Lia was strong enough to fend for herself, Yano should trust her a bit more.

Yano followed Zero to the dining table and scowled when he saw his dad sitting there smirking like a greasy old man.

"Why are you grinning like this?" Yano always knew his dad had a loose screw sometimes, whenever his dad acted like that something bad or utterly embarrassing would happen to Yano.

That was precisely one of the major reasons why Yano stayed in the Mortal World and rarely came back.

"I'm showing my precious son love and you look at me like that. Zero's a better son than you, at least he helps with cooking," Oldie sighed.

"You never allow me to be in the kitchen," Yano rolled his eyes while Zero happily munched.

"Yeah, because your skills suck."

Yano would've been offended if Lia heard it but luckily for his father she wasn't present. Yano just brushed it off and ignored his father's attempts to rile him up.

Things were pretty bad right now and his dad was still fooling around. Maybe that was how Lia saw Yano when he was acting like that. Yano shuddered as he thought he was becoming like his father.

Then Zero spoke up, disturbing the awkward atmosphere, "Actually I want to ask you both. To you know... help me train."

"You little boy, what you wanna train for," Oldie laughed heartily and patted Zero on the back, a bit too forceful.

"Don't look down on me! I'm not that weak!" Zero glared angrily but to the two bad wolves it looked like a pout.

"I wanna help Lia!" Zero finally managed to say after Oldie's laugh died down. Yano put his cutlery down and stared at Zero before saying, "No. You promised Lia to keep out of danger. You'll stay here whatever happens. It's safe."

Zero could see that Yano was serious but Zero didn't want to be a freeloading burden. His power might not be useful but at least he wanted to repay Lia.

"Still! I mean in case anything happens. It's better to be prepared right?" Zero wasn't going to back down. For a good minute, he and Yano had a heated staredown while Oldie only saw a newborn kitten against a lion.

It was truly too sad for Zero, "Just teach him. I feel bad now. Look at his trembling paws."

Oldie glanced at Zero's hands that were actually shaking underneath the table.

Yano reluctantly pulled away and asked, "Why do you like Lia so much?"

"Because!" Zero started off arrogantly before he meekly answered, "Because Lia's there for me and she didn't break her promise and," by the end, Zero's voice got gradually smaller and smaller until it turned into a whisper, "Because she didn't give up on me."

Despite muttering under his breath, Yano and Oldie heard it. Yano gave a wry smile before sighing, "Alright. I teach you clingy goldfish."

"You!" Zero's face turned red, "You're the leech here."

"Should you address your benevolent teacher as that?" Yano mocked Zero who dealt the final blow to Yano unknowingly, "You and your father are the same!"

BANG.

A hit straight to Yano's heart and ego. He's been never insulted like this before. Yano stared at the self-fulfilling smile of his dad and almost coughed blood. Damn good thing Lia wasn't here.

***

The sweet scent of cotton candy and the noisy chatter of people invaded Lia's sense. The moment she opened her eyes, she jolted up from the ground and inspected her surroundings.

Her body was terribly sore and her mind was still spinning. Headache polluted Lia's mind yet the suffocating feeling and the heavy weight of the voice inside her head disappeared.

Heavens vanished yet their last words rang in Lia's ears, "Continue your trial until nothing of you will be left. That is your fate. Go and face it."

Lia spat blood and smiled depressingly. If it wasn't enough to have Min after her, now even heavens mocked her. Trial. This was what they meant. Lia instantly realised where she was. Back in the capital. Not just anywhere but in the core of the capital.

Close to all the misfortune, the private army and Min. The place where everyone has died.

Lia took a deep breath to calm her mind. The abyss' exit was random. Even if Lia wished for a destination to come out of the abyss it wasn't possible. The abyss sent her to where it wanted. It was the same case back then. When Lia managed to climb out of the abyss, she found herself in the city next to the capital and consequently decided to stay there.

Right now, Lia found herself in the ruins of the houses. She quickly buried herself underneath them as she heard footsteps and voices of the soldiers.

The first layer of the capital was still destroyed. So, what was the smell and voices Lia heard when she came to her senses? Just her imagination? An illusion?

However, Lia didn't bother with it, instead, she had to quickly get out of there. There was no Yano to help her teleport. In this capital full of enemies desperately wanting to see her ripped apart, no, this whole word, Lia had to find a way of avoiding everyone and go back to Neverland.

After a few minutes, Lia didn't hear any soldiers anymore. She peeked out and made sure no one was present. Skillfully, Lia climbed out of the ruins and moved towards the second layer.

Lia couldn't traverse via the roofs as she'd only draw attention. It was late noon yet the capital was quiet. Since the day the battle broke out in the capital, every day was as silent as a cemetery.

The once buildings and crowded capital turned into a graveyard to mourn the dead ones and the ones who were still alive. None of the brilliance was left anymore. It was now all just one big dumpster full of lifeless people.

However, the more tragic sight was the fact that there were still a few vengeful ghosts roaming around. Apart from the palace and the headquarters in the first layer no one lived anymore. Even the second layer was almost deserted and abandoned.

Lia hid behind a house as she heard the marching footsteps again. Out of her eye corners, she saw the fluttering black robes and held her breath until-

"Sis what are yo-" in an instant, Lia turned around and covered the mouth of a young boy who seemed to be around 5 or 6 in age.

Lia pleadingly looked at him without saying anything before turning her attention back to the soldier.

"Hey, did you hear anything?" the soldiers stopped a bit further away from the house Lia was hiding behind.

"Yeah, I think I did, may-"

Lia pulled the boy with her and moved away from the house, then quietly walked down the street before entering another house.

Once inside Lia put the boy down, "Sis do you want some candy?"

The boy held out a small metal case with pink floss inside. It smelled like cotton candy.

Lia eyed him suspiciously, he may be 5 or 6 in mortal age but in immortal age, he was still in the two-digits but the mental age still corresponded to their mortal age.

But for a young boy like him in the middle of a ruined capital, full of potential danger, to be so unfazed, there was something wrong.

"Sis, this is really good," the boy innocently smiled at Lia with apparently no sense of danger.

Lia viewed his hand that still held out the case before sharply saying, "Who are you?"

The boy blinked in confusion before his smile grew wider, "Sis, it's really good. I promise!"