novelraw Chapter 112 – Love Beyond Lifetimes
Chapter 112 – Love Beyond Lifetimes
— Selena’s POV —
I awoke in a realm bathed in soft white light, weightless, endless, and silent. The ground felt like mist beneath my feet, and the sky above stretched forever, pale and dreamlike.
“Where am I…?”
My voice was swallowed by the emptiness. Confusion clung to my thoughts like fog, until I heard a voice.
“Yo. Finally up? Heave ho.”
The voice was casual, almost teasing. I turned toward it.
And then She appeared.
A wooden table materialized out of nowhere, and seated atop it, legs swinging lazily in the air, was Her.
Libertas.
The Goddess I’d glimpsed before my reincarnation, though I’d doubted Her then, because She looked nothing like the goddess I had imagined.
In Her place sat a vision of relaxed divinity, glowing with a soft, celestial light. Her long chlorine-blue hair was tied into a high, playful ponytail that swayed with every movement. Her azure-blue eyes shimmered like clear skies after a storm, carrying both depth and mischief. Two large feathered wings, translucent and tinged with light blue, stretched lazily from her back, fluttering idly with each breath.
A small cap sat crookedly on Her head, tilted to the side like a gal. A tiny stitched emblem, a cartoonish chibi version of Herself with sparkly wings and a peace sign, sat proudly on the front. She wore a loose white hoodie with golden trims, its chest printed with an adorable chibi of Herself reclining on a cloud, complete with a speech bubble that read: “Blessed yet stressed.” The sleeves were bunched up near Her elbows, revealing delicate wrists adorned with glowing threads of divine light. She paired it all with relaxed shorts and pale thigh-high socks. Her bare feet swung freely above the endless, floorless horizon.
If I hadn’t known better, if I hadn’t been reincarnated by Her, I would’ve thought She was just some carefree traveler, not the Goddess of Freedom.
“Haa…” I sighed softly, still stunned. “Your casual clothes and… that way of talking really shattered the image of a Goddess I had.”
She grinned, raising one hand in mock salute. “Well, I just chose a form you'd find comfortable. Didn't you like this kind of thing?”
“…Well, that’s true.” I averted my gaze, unable to lie.
Despite everything, something about her presence was… comforting. As a former princess, I was used to stiff formality and etiquette. But here, before this laid-back, beautiful, and oddly human goddess, those expectations melted away.
I looked around the endless white and asked casually, “So… what happened? I don’t have a physical body right now, and considering I’m here… does that mean I died again?”
“Nah. Your soul was almost completely eaten by a curse.”
Libertas conjured a cold bottle of cola out of thin air, cracked the cap with a flick of her thumb, and took a long, dramatic swig.
“Fwaaahhh—”
Then, as if we were chatting on a park bench, she popped another bottle into existence and held it out.
“Want one?”
I blinked, then nodded slowly, still trying to wrap my head around divine cola and casual goddess.
With a flick of her finger, my ethereal form shimmered, and suddenly, I had a body again.
I blinked at my now solid hands, accepted the bottle, and took a sip.
It was… surprisingly fizzy for a divine drink.
She leaned back, still dangling Her legs off the edge of whatever space this was.
“Anyway, you weren’t going to die. I had a failsafe in place. Though… that plan sorta got thrown out the window when you and that kid managed to purify the curse yourselves.”
Plan…? Does it mean… I won’t die from my curse because She will save me?
Then what was the point for me researching my curse all this time…?
I wanted to protest but I noticed another point from Her words.
That kid…?
My heart jolted. “Wait! Freed!? Is he okay!?”
Memories hit me like a flood. Freed, sitting in the black fire. He called my name. He pushed himself through that agonizing flame just to purify me.
He reminded me so much of my old master, gentle, but unafraid to bathe his hands in blood if it meant protecting someone.
If something happened to him because of me… I…
Libertas interrupted my spiral with a soft laugh. “Relax. He’s fine. He takes care of you every day, you know. Here, I’ll show you.”
She snapped Her fingers.
A glowing screen formed in the air like a projection, flickering to life with color.
And there I was, my real body, lying peacefully in a bed.
Freed sat beside me, gently holding my hand. His other hand, imbued with mana, reached out with such care, offering a kiss, a quiet transfer of water and love, straight into my lips.
My breath caught.
It was… tender… and intimate.
Also… really embarrassing to watch from a third-person perspective.
I covered half my face with one hand, groaning.
“W-Why does it look so much more romantic from this perspective!?”
It was like watching a romance movie, or perhaps a fairytale of the sleeping princess and the prince.
But the main problem here was that I became the female lead.
Libertas sipped Her cola again and smirked.
“Because it is, sweetheart.”
The projection slowly faded from the air, the soft light dissolving like mist.
I calmed myself and turned back to Libertas.
“So… if I’m not actually dead, can I go back now? He must be worried sick.”
She nodded, stretching Her arms above Her head with a relaxed sigh.
“Yup. You could wake up right now if you wanted.”
My brows lifted. “Then why am I still here?”
She smiled slyly. “Because I called your soul first. You’ve earned yourself a reward for helping free all those slaves. Congratulations!”
She said that cheerfully, but I tilted my head, “A reward…?”
Then I slowly shook it. “Thanks, but… no. I don’t want to make Freed wait any longer.”
She tilted Her head right back at me, voice teasing.
“What if the reward is… info about your darling?”
That caught me completely off guard.
My eyes widened. The words hit like a spark in the dark.
Even now, even after everything… a part of me still clung to that promise. The promise I made to him. The one I couldn’t keep.
Even if his face was already blurry in my memory, his warmth wasn’t.
“Yes—! I want to know!”
I said without a second thought, the words rushing out of me.
Libertas laughed again, soft and musical.
“Wow, you changed your mind so fast.”
“Sorry, Freed,” I muttered under my breath. “He still comes first.”
She sipped from Her cola again
“Don’t worry. You’re going to like what I show you. Honestly, even though I know it’s all just coincidence… it really does feel like one of those ‘threads of fate’ things humans love to write stories about.”
“Huh?”
I blinked in confusion.
But before I could ask what She meant, darkness gently closed over my eyes like a curtain falling between acts.
As my vision returned, I found myself drifting weightlessly above a battlefield. I had no body, just presence, like a soul caught in a memory.
“…Darling?” I whispered.
Below me, amidst crumbling ruins and scorched earth, two bloodstained figures sat side by side, leaning against the remnants of a shattered wall. Their hands were clasped tightly together, fingers laced despite the crimson blood that coated them.
It was me, Helen, and… the man I loved.
Our faces were tired, bruised, but there was still warmth in our eyes as we gazed at the sky, bathed in the dying light of a sun that would never rise again for us.
“It seems…” he said softly, “we won’t get to see our son’s face anymore, Len.”
“…Yeah,” her voice trembled. “I hope our parents can take care of him.”
But then she smiled.
“Hey, darling… did you hear about that new genre that’s been getting popular lately? Fanreic, short for Fantasy reincarnation. They say it's about someone being reborn in a magical world.”
He chuckled faintly, his voice hoarse but full of love. “Is that so? Do you want to watch it together later?”
“No…” She replied. “But I want to try living it. I want to be reincarnated… into a world filled with magic.”
He turned his head, his cheek stained with ash and blood. “A world of magic, huh? I suppose the only difference is the weapons they use.”
“Exactly,” she nodded weakly. “And you?”
He let out a breath. “I think… I’d want to live in peace. I’m tired of war, Len.”
A shadow passed over my eyes, her eyes, and she said, “Then… I guess we’d go to different places.”
He caught the sadness in my tone and squeezed my hand tighter.
“Then… when I get bored of peace,” he said with a grin, “I’ll come looking for you. I’ll find you in that magical world.”
“Really?” She smiled, tears glimmering in her eyes. “Then I’ll live there for a long, long time. Maybe I’ll be an elf. They say elves live for thousands of years.”
She giggled. “I’ll wait for you.”
“But what if… your memories are wiped?” he asked, voice barely above a whisper.
“Then…” She looked at him with playful mischief, “you’d better hurry. Or someone else might steal my heart first.”
He let out a breathless laugh, coughing softly. “Are you saying I should die quickly in my peaceful life?”
We laughed together. Not bitterly. Just… together.
He chuckled. “Well, if I remember you, then no one else will ever take your place. I only want to love you, sweetheart.”
“And I only want to love you too,” she whispered. “I’ll save everything for you, even my first time. And I’ll find a quiet place for us… somewhere far from war.”
His smile faltered, but his eyes never wavered. “Then I’ll look forward to it.”
A shrieking whistle cut through the air, and we both looked up. A rocket, sleek, silver, and merciless, tore through the sky, falling straight toward us.
We turned to each other one last time.
“I love you, my sweetheart.”
“I love you too, my darling.”
Their lips met. Not rushed. Not desperate.
Just like… an eternal kiss.
*BOOOOOOMMM—!!*
A pillar of fire engulfed the earth where they once sat, and the world faded into silence.
As my vision cleared, I found myself standing in the middle of a bustling laboratory. The air buzzed with quiet intensity, rows of research stations, humming machines, and researchers in crisp white coats moving with purpose.
Despite the movement, my eyes were drawn to just one man.
He stood near a workbench, focused, adjusting the mechanism of a sleek prototype. His face was unfamiliar, yet something in him felt unmistakably familiar. A longing. A warmth. A familiarity that defied logic.
“Is that… my darling?”
“Bingo~!”
Libertas’ cheerful voice echoed beside me, light and teasing.
“You recognized him so quickly. That’s his new life after your last moments together.”
I blinked my eyes, taking in his silhouette again, the steady hands, the furrowed brows, the way he chewed slightly on his lower lip when he focused.
“But… Didn't he say he wanted peace? Why reincarnate him into a place like this? It’s clearly a weapons lab.”
I glared at Libertas, but She replied casually.
“He did wish for peace, but peace doesn’t mean the world stops fighting. He chose to live here, you know. To build, not to destroy.”
I let out a small laugh. “I suppose that’s just like him…”
I watched him work, admiring the ingenuity as he pieced together a firearm mechanism, one that looked suspiciously like a flintlock. His mind had always been sharp. Now he was using it to improve tools in a world that wasn’t ours.
But then… I noticed something.
A woman walked up beside him.
She handed him a tool, touched his shoulder, and smiled.
My heart twinged.
“…So he broke his promise.” I puffed my cheeks, folding my arms. “Hmph!”
Libertas chuckled behind me.
“And you haven’t?” she teased. “You’re already head over heels for Freed, aren’t you?”
“M-Maybe…” I muttered, my face warming. “Well… that’s true.”
Freed… he saved me. He waited. He never gave up on me.
He understood what it meant to be from another world, to feel alone, displaced, uncertain. And still, he stayed. He listened. He offered me more than hope, he offered his heart.
And I…
I gave mine back, without even realizing it.
He was still in a kid's body, but his mind and soul were an adult. And I as a half-elf, waiting for a few more years for him to grow first also didn’t matter much.
I stared down at the man who once swore to find me again.
“I don’t want him to be lonely either,” I whispered. “If someone else can love him like I did… if he can smile and laugh in this life… then I’m okay.”
I looked at the man I once loved with all my heart. And though the ache lingered, it no longer stung. I smiled instead.
He was happy.
And that was enough.
Unlike me, who’d been reincarnated as a half-elf, he came back as a human again. Which meant… he died multiple times before my second life even ended.
After his second life as a researcher, he reincarnated in the same world again, but this time, his memories were gone. That life, he became a merchant, building a successful company from the ground up.
In his fourth life, he was a farmer. Quiet, peaceful, hands always in the soil.
In his fifth, he taught children in a tiny countryside school.
In the sixth, he stepped into the spotlight, an actor, back when movies were still in black and white.
I watched them all, each fleeting, each unique.
And then… his seventh life.
“Huh…? That’s…”
He was just an ordinary office worker.
But unlike his past lives, something was different. His face was tired. His eyes hollow. Depression weighed down every step, and trauma haunted his every breath. That life ended early, in his twenties, in a tragic accident.
I felt my heart tighten.
Then came his eighth life, and this time, Libertas intervened. She met him.
Then I widened my eyes in surprise.
Because She sent him to a fantasy world.
To Utopiora.
The very world where I now lived.
I turned toward her. She was grinning like a kid caught sneaking cookies before dinner.
“See?” she said. “I told you. I reincarnated him into your world, but everything after that is a total coincidence~”
I laughed, a soft chuckle slipping past my lips as I finally understood her earlier words.
“Threads of fate, huh…”
And then the white world returned, the quiet space where it all began. Libertas was back on her table, legs swinging playfully.
“Well? That good enough for a reward?”
“Yes,” I said. “Thank you, Libertas. I’m really grateful you showed me all of that.”
“Great! So, what are you gonna do?”
What will I do?
I thought back to his seventh life, the one he still remembered. It may have been in a peaceful world, but his heart had known anything but peace. Pain, loneliness, depression, disappointment... he carried too much of it alone.
“What else?” I chuckled. “Of course I’ll make him happy, so happy he’ll forget all the sorrow he ever knew.”
I will help him chase every dream he has, no matter how many, no matter how impossible.
Though… one of those dreams…
It came from a certain popular genre in his past world.
A genre called harem.
The kind where one man is loved by many women.
I didn't know why there were a lot of 2D movies with that genre in his era. From action stories to school life stories, the harem genre was included within those stories most of the time.
And so, his mind was corrupted by that genre, or to be exact, it corrupted almost all males in that world.
I let out a tiny sigh, then smiled.
“But if that’s something that makes him happy, then… why not?”
He was the one who turned my entire past life.
My life was once shackled by politics, bloodshed, assassinations, and whispers of betrayal, where every smile was a mask, and every kindness came with a price. I lived as a princess bound in chains of expectation, in a castle colder than any dungeon.
But then… he appeared.
He treated me not as a symbol, not as a tool, but as me. Just a girl. Just Helen.
In a world where trust was currency and warmth was rare, his presence was a flame I never knew I needed. He brought laughter to rooms once filled only with silence. He painted color across the gray walls of my life.
I had been falling, deeper and deeper into a quiet abyss I never showed anyone.
And he… he reached into that darkness.
Not just to find me.
But to lift me out of it.
To show me the sky. The wind. The warmth of a future I never dared to dream.
Because of him, I wasn’t just surviving.
I was alive.
So now… it’s my turn.
This time, I’ll turn his pain into joy. I’ll erase the weight of his past and replace it with warmth, laughter, and love.
I turned to Libertas, my eyes sparkling with a quiet excitement.
“Just imagining that I get to be the one to turn his life upside down… it already makes me excited.”
Libertas smiled. “I guess I don’t need to worry about him, then.”
“You seem a little too fond of him,” I said, raising an eyebrow.
She smirked, not bothering to deny it.
“So what? You want me to be fond of you instead?”
I blinked. “…No, thanks. I already have someone.”
Though, I knew Libertas was fond of everyone.
She’s not just a Goddess in name.
She’s a real Goddess.
She chuckled. “Well, looks like you only have one last dream left, huh? I don’t think I need to intervene with that one.”
I nodded slowly.
“Yes. The one I couldn’t fulfill in my past life. I died too soon.”
Libertas leaned back on her table, stretching like someone off the clock. “You know, he’s pretty greedy when it comes to dreams. He doesn’t just dream for himself, he keeps picking up everyone else’s dreams and carrying them, too.”
That’s why She was worried about him.
Then She added with a lazy grin, “If you’re helping him, that means less work for me.”
I laughed. “What a lazy goddess you are.”
“I get stressed too, you know? Mending broken souls across thousands of worlds isn’t exactly a part-time job.”
She gave an exaggerated sigh, like a co-worker venting on a coffee break.
“…Sorry. I don’t know how to comfort a goddess,” I replied with a sheepish smile.
“Don’t worry about it. Heave ho.”
She jumped from the table, stood up and smiled wide.
“Well then, it’s about time for you to wake up. Bye-bye!”
She waved both hands as if we were old friends parting at a train station.
I also waved back at this easygoing goddess.
And just like that, my vision faded once more into darkness.
I felt the cool trickle of water touch my lips, a soft, fleeting sensation, but it was the warmth of his mouth that truly stirred me.
The moment lingered.
His breath, his lips, the brush of his tongue…
It was a sensation I hadn’t felt in four hundred years.
And it was his.
As he pulled away, I opened my eyes slowly, my vision hazy, but sharp enough to see the face above me.
His eyes widened.
“S-Selena!? Y-You’re awake!?”
His voice trembled with shock and relief, but my gaze was still fixed on his lips, glistening from the kiss he tried to disguise as simple hydration.
He noticed.
Quickly, he jerked upright, flustered, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand like a guilty child caught red-handed.
“A-Ah?! I-It’s not what you think! I was just giving you water, that’s all! L-Look, I didn’t drink from it, here’s the cup!”
He scrambled to show me the half-empty wooden glass on the nearby table, avoiding eye contact as his ears flushed pink. His hands fumbled awkwardly as he placed it down, as though handling something fragile. Then he turned back to me.
“Y-You’ve just woken up. Don’t move too much. Just rest. I’ll get anything you need.”
But I shook my head slowly and pushed myself up, the effort trembling through my limbs. He reached out to help, hands firm but gentle.
Then—
With a sudden motion, I pulled him forward, and he stumbled onto the bed with a yelp, his back hitting the mattress as I hovered above him.
His eyes widened in stunned disbelief.
“S-Selena?”
I leaned closer until our faces were just an inch away. My heart was pounding, not from weakness, but from something deeper, something older than either of us could explain.
“Four hundred years…” I whispered, my fingers brushing his cheek.
His skin was warm, so real, so familiar.
“Huh…?”
“For four hundred years,” I repeated, my voice trembling like a soft wind through fading leaves, “I’ve waited…”
Our foreheads nearly touched now, his breath catching as I looked into the eyes I had longed for in every dream, in every prayer, in every shattered night.
He blinked, confusion in his eyes.
“What are you…”
I smiled gently.
And said the words I had buried in silence across lifetimes.
“We’ve finally met again… my darling♥”
His lips parted. “H-Huh? What are you talking abou—”
“I love you so much,” I whispered, voice trembling as tears welled in my eyes. “My darling…♥”
“W-Wait! Selena, I don’t underst—Mmm…!”
I silenced him with a kiss.
Not hesitant. Not desperate.
But deep, devoted, and overflowing with every heartbeat I had preserved for him.
His body stiffened under mine, but I felt it, the way his hands, instinctively, found my waist. The way his heart raced beneath my palm.
He was here.
He was mine.
And after centuries of waiting through silence, pain, and loss—
I had finally found him again.
The man I loved.
The only one I would ever love.
My darling.