R E B I R T H

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FABIAN AND WILHELM returned to the castle with much lesser enthusiasm than they originally had when they went for the war. There was a cloud of gloom that hung over their heads, following after them all the way to the meeting room.

Dimitri, Calvin, and Qiu Xia were all celebrating initially, drinks in hand and smiles on their faces. However, every once in a while, Dimitri would touch his wrists. Something was nagging him at the back of his mind, warning him that Lucifer was the one that truly had the last laugh. However, knowing that both Wilhelm and Fabian were there to ensure Lucifer was successfully locked away, he forced himself to stay calm.

Laughter was still ringing in the room and glasses clinked against one another when Wilhelm and Fabian finally arrived to meet the rest. Yet, one glance at Fabian and Wilhelm's dejected appearance made Dimitri's blood stop cold. He had a feeling that what he had predicted and feared beforehand had come true.

"Is something wrong?" Qiu Xia asked, still smiling brightly. However, this smile was strained and forced, a mere mask to hide the trepidation that grew in her heart.

"Is it Lucifer?" Calvin probed, setting his heaping mug of ale down on the table.

Wilhelm simply looked towards Fabian wordlessly, nudging him by the shoulder before nodding to the rest of them. The red-head would not be able to explain it as well as Fabian possibly could.

Fabian took a step forward into the light. When he did, the others noticed that there were dark swirls on his hands and neck, disappearing into the sleeves and collar of his shirt respectively. That provided them a clue that Fabian had been the final horsemen, the spirit of famine that rode a black horse. However, that was not something to be depressed about. Gaining the title meant gaining new powers and abilities to help them better govern Hell into a prosperous domain for the dead.

So if that were the case, what was it that made Fabian and Wilhelm so desolated?

"Lucifer placed a curse."

Fabian reported the happenings of the cave as well as what Lucifer had said. He relayed the curse as best as he could, mentioning all the details, the reasons, and the effects the curse would bring about. Once he was done, the room that was once filled with joy now simmered inquietude.

In the midst of destroying chaos, they became it. Now, they were facing the consequences. Everything came at a price and it was foolish to think that power would come free of charge.

"He left Qiu Xia out of the curse," Calvin was the first to speak up again, his voice low. "Lucifer probably didn't know much about her involvement in the war, nor that she became the spirit of pestilence."

"Lucifer really did get the last laugh," Dimitri snorted. "Pathetic."

Shaking his head, Calvin heartily slapped a hand on Dimitri's shoulder. "Look alive," he chirped. "At least the great evil is now exhausted. We are immortals and we have forever. I don't need the throne and you have forever to look for this one soul."

"I agree," Wilhelm piped up. "Time is in our hands. We can slowly search for her. Before then, we will rebuild Hell into a beautiful haven for the deceased to spend their afterlife."

"Four kings and a queen to rule Hell," Dimitri murmured.

Now, smiles were back on everyone's faces. The tense air had dissipated. They had been through so much, learned so much. Adding more to the ledger wouldn't come at too painful a cost. As long as they had each other, they could overcome every obstacle.

Yet, they failed to notice that Qiu Xia wasn't smiling. She stood a little further away from the boys, hands fiddling with the fabric of her dress as she bit her lip.

Time bled away as the party and celebrations continued. Souls of the dead were invited into the castle's ballroom. Food and drinks were prepared and shared, music ringing down the halls. Calvin and Wilhelm played good hosts, mingling with the civilian folk and spreading tales of their mighty win to the women and children that weren't present in the war.

Despite the joyous occasion, Qiu Xia had gathered two people to the balcony right outside the ballroom. One was the most powerful spirit she knew, while the other was her closest friend. They were behind two large doors, shielded from sight and hidden out of hearing range.

With a sigh, she mustered her courage and cleared her throat.

"I'm afraid that I can't stay," she said.

She watched as the two brothers she had gathered stood rooted to the spot in stunned silence, staring at her as if she was Lucifer incarnate.

When the surprise bled away, Dimitri was the first to react. He had expected it for it was a topic that had come up once or twice when he was still training with Qiu Xia. In those days, they were the only spirits of the apocalypse. Thus, they spent many hours together adapting to their newfound powers with notes stolen from Lucifer's archives.

"So you've decided, then. You still wish to pursue that desire?" Dimitri asked ambiguously.

Qiu Xia nodded. "Yes. You said that you have a way to help me with it. Since Lucifer left me out of that curse, it means that I am not tied down to Hell like the rest of you are."

"Decided what?" Fabian queried. "Pursue what desire?"

"I wish to be reincarnated, Fabian," Qiu Xia responded. "To be human again."

"Why?"

"I was killed young. Betrayed by my siblings and murdered because of petty family spats and a struggle for power."

"We're not like those siblings of yours." Unable to contain his anger, Fabian took a furious step forward only to be stopped by Dimitri's hand. The latter placed a hand on Fabian's shoulder, pulling him back. In a softer voice, Fabian muttered, "We'll treat you well."

"I know, Fabian, but... There are so many more things I wish I could've done when I was alive. I want to experience in all."

Qiu Xia wasn't very close to the other brothers. However, these two, Fabian and Dimitri, they were people that she had spent the most time with. Talking to them about leaving for another world felt more painful than Qiu Xia could ever imagine.

"In my previous life, I was nothing more than a general's daughter. That made me a noblewoman that had to act accordingly to what was expected of me. The young miss of the Peng household was not allowed to choose her own husband. She was not allowed to stay unwedded and help her father on the battlefield. She was not allowed to pave her own path in life. I just want that choice. I want to be able to choose."

"Which family you end up being born into will depend on your luck. And if you do not pass the requirements to enter Hell, the system will still remain impartial to you," Dimitri warned. "You might never come back again."

"I understand."

"No, you don't!" Fabian shouted. "What about your position as the spirit of pestilence?"

"The power will not remain in a mortal body. That ability will be spread to Dimitri to be taken care of until the day I come back here," Qiu Xia smoothly replied.

"One more thing," Dimitri stated. "Your memories and personality will be reset. Essentially, when you reincarnate, you're erasing who you are now as a person and replacing it with a fresh slate. Even if you do come back to Hell in the future, you will no longer be the Peng Qiu Xia you are now. You cannot undo this."

"I'm willing."

"But you'll die!" Fabian blurted out. He struggled out of Dimitri's grip, tightly clasping Qiu Xia's hands. "That's the same as dying again."

"I don't care. I miss being human. You were an angel, Fabian. I've never expected you to understand mortal desires." Despite the tense and sorrowful conversation, Qiu Xia braved a smile.

That night, the brothers watched as the spirit of pestilence left the Castle of Hell for good. At the doors, they all said their tearful goodbyes, ending with a kiss from Qiu Xia on their foreheads. They had to bend down for her, instilling a little bit of laughter on what was otherwise a sorrowful occasion.

When it came to Fabian's turn, she delicately placed a hand on Fabian's cheek, pressing a feather-light kiss on the other. Right beside his ear, where no one else except him could hear, she whispered, "We'll meet again one day."

Then, she pulled back with a smile and left the castle with Dimitri. That was the last Fabian saw of her.

Dimitri returned to the castle alone a few hours later, shoulders slumped and eyes downcast. The others stayed up in the sitting room to wait for his return. When they've noticed him, no words were exchanged. Everyone stood up and left for their rooms one by one.

Although Hell was won through the war, they've lost so much more. A domain could never make up for the lives given in the fight. Their angelic brothers and sisters returned to their maker after the Battle of Heaven. The souls of mortals were either destroyed or reincarnated after the Battle of Hell. During these two events, the four brothers lost two people they knew personally and even held dear.

However, in spite of all of this, Dimitri could not help but feel relieved that Lucifer was locked away. The reign of terror began and ended with him. As long as he stayed in that cave, all was well.

In the days to come, the four brothers worked hard to ensure the development of Hell. They raised it from a world of monsters to a realm of serenity. It became the final resting place for all the souls that had done good in their time spent in the mortal realm.

With each evolution, the four kings of Hell worked towards one goal. That goal was to shorten the gap of splendor between the realms of Heaven and Hell.

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