Chapter 172

Chapter 172: Chapter 172

Something stirred inside her chest that wasn’t grief. It was small and fragile, barely strong enough to survive beneath the weight of her despair, but it was there.

"What’s the condition?" she asked, her voice trembling with an urgency she couldn’t hide. "Tell me what I have to do."

"There are still remnants of the Demon King’s followers scattered throughout the world," the Moon Goddess explained. "Before his defeat, he shared fragments of his power with them. Even now, they continue to carry out his will, and they will do everything within their power to bring him back."

Amelia’s expression hardened at the mention of the Demon King.

After everything they had sacrificed, she would not allow those creatures to undo their victory.

"You must find them," the Goddess continued. "Destroy them and erase everything connected to their existence. As long as they remain, the world will never be entirely safe from the Demon King’s return."

"I’ll do it."

The answer came so quickly that the Goddess studied her for a moment.

"Amelia, you need to understand something. This will not be as simple as you hope."

"Nothing in my life has ever been simple," Amelia replied, a bitter laugh escaping her. "I’m beginning to think the universe has a personal problem with me."

"The men you love will not remember you," the Goddess said gently. "They will be born into different circumstances, with different experiences and different lives. You will have to find them again, just as you will have to find your place in that world."

Amelia’s fingers slowly loosened. "They won’t remember me at all?"

"Not necessarily. I cannot promise that they will."

For a moment, Amelia couldn’t bring herself to speak. To stand with them and realize that the men that had once held her hands as though they were something precious might look at her as a complete stranger.

She pressed her lips together, trying to push those thoughts aside.

"I can live with that," she said at last, although her voice had grown quieter. "If they don’t remember me, I’ll make them fall in love with me again."

The Goddess gave a soft sigh.

"As long as they genuinely loved you in this lifetime, they will love you again. The circumstances may change, but the feelings they once held for you will remain."

"That’s good to hear.’

"It is possible that fragments of their memories will return, but that is not entirely within my control. I cannot promise when it will happen, or whether it will happen at all."

Amelia lowered her gaze, absorbing the answer.

It wasn’t the certainty she wanted. But she had learned the hard way that the world rarely gave her what she wanted without making her fight for it.

"I accept your conditions."

"Are you certain?" the Goddess asked. "Once you accept, there will be no changing your mind. You will be given another life, but you will not have an unlimited number of chances to correct your mistakes."

Amelia nodded firmly.

"I understand."

"You will have two hundred years to accomplish what I have asked of you. That is the limit of the time I can grant you for this task. You must find and eliminate the remaining followers of the Demon King before they can threaten the world again."

"Two hundred years," Amelia repeated, letting the number settle in her mind.

It sounded like an eternity compared to the few decades most people were given, but she knew better than to take it for granted.

"Fine. I’ll make those two hundred years count."

"See that you do." The Goddess regarded her for another moment before continuing. "There is one more thing I have done for you."

"What is it?"

"I have ensured that Enzo, Reid, and Dean will be your fated mates in every lifetime."

"You really mean it?" Amelia asked, her voice thick with emotion. "You’re not going to change your mind later and tell me there was some other condition you forgot to mention?"

The Moon Goddess raised an eyebrow. "Do you think I would deceive you?"

Amelia wiped at her cheeks with the heel of her hand. "Honestly? After everything I’ve been through, I’m not ruling anything out."

This time, the Goddess laughed softly. "Consider it the least I can do for you, Amelia. You have sacrificed more than I ever wanted you to, and I cannot return the years you lost or undo the pain you endured. But I can give you the opportunity to find happiness again."

Amelia’s expression crumpled. She bowed her head, pressing her hands against her eyes as another wave of tears slipped free.

"Thank you," she whispered.

The words felt far too small for what she had been given, but they were all she could manage.

The Goddess waited until Amelia looked up again before speaking.

"Your journey will not be easy. Remember that you are being given a second chance, not a promise that everything will go according to your wishes. There will be hardships, and there will be choices you may regret. Do not waste your time waiting for life to become perfect before you allow yourself to be happy."

Amelia nodded, taking every word to heart.

"I won’t."

"And do not forget your duty. The Demon King’s followers must be eliminated."

"I won’t forget."

"Good." The Moon Goddess’s figure began to glow more brightly, the silver light surrounding her growing until it was difficult to look directly at her. "Then go, Amelia. Find your happiness, protect the world you fought so hard to save, and make the most of the life you have been given."

Amelia took one last step toward her.

"Wait. Will I ever see you again?"

The Goddess’s smile was gentle, almost maternal.

"Perhaps. But I suspect you will be far too busy chasing after three stubborn men to worry about finding me."

"That sounds about right."

"Good luck on your journey, Amelia. You are going to need it."

Before Amelia could ask anything else, the light exploded outward.

It swallowed the endless void, the Goddess, and every last trace of the battlefield until nothing remained.

***

The three brothers woke with sharp, almost simultaneous gasps. For several seconds, none of them spoke.

They were back in Enzo’s room.

Enzo dragged a hand over his face, trying to steady his breathing.

"We all had the same dream right?"

"yes."

They remembered everything form their first life. But now they know more about Amelia and the deal she made with the moon goddess.

They finally understood why she had been given the power to reincarnate with her memories intact.

But understanding the truth didn’t make what she had endured any easier to bear.

Enzo’s jaw tightened as he recalled the moment Amelia had held their lifeless bodies and tried to heal them, refusing to accept that they were gone.

"She went through all of that alone," he murmured.

He looked toward the bed, where Amelia lay between his brothers, still sleeping peacefully.

Then Amelia stirred.

Her lashes fluttered, and she shifted against the pillow before slowly opening her eyes. She looked drowsy at first as she tried to orient herself.

Before she could say anything, Reid moved toward her and pulled her into his arms.

"Reid?" Amelia mumbled, startled by the sudden embrace.

He didn’t answer immediately. Instead, he held her tighter, burying his face against her hair as his arms closed around her with a desperation she had rarely seen from him.

"I can’t believe you did all of that for us."

She realized something. The theory was right afterall. They had shared the same dream after sharing intimacy.

"I am sorry," Dean said.

His fingers closed around hers, warm and gentle. He lowered his head and pressed a slow kiss to her knuckles before looking at her again.

"I know saying that doesn’t undo what happened, and I know I can’t ask you to forget it just because I regret it now. But we should have treated you better right from the beginning."

Amelia’s expression softened at his words.

"I am sorry too," Enzo added.

Amelia sniffed, then suddenly pulled her hands free from Dean’s. "I’m not going to stop you from facing the consequences."

She shifted against the headboard, wincing slightly as she adjusted her position. "I can still feel the pain from being flogged. Do you have any idea how much that hurt?"

"Then we’ll endure it ourselves," Reid replied without hesitation.

Amelia looked at him skeptically.

"Reid—"

"We mean it." His expression grew serious, and he reached for her hand. "If you had to suffer that much because of us, then we’ll accept the consequences. We’ll undergo the same punishment, under conditions far harsher than the ones you endured. Ten times the pain we put you through, if that’s what it takes."

Dean nodded in agreement, his fingers gently brushing over Amelia’s knuckles.

"We won’t ask you to forgive us before you’re ready."

Enzo’s gaze remained steady on hers. "And we won’t use our regret as an excuse to demand anything from you. You can be angry with us for as long as you need to be."

Amelia stared at the three of them.

Part of her wanted to argue that punishing themselves is a bit too much, the world is going to deal with them eventually. Another part felt a quiet satisfaction at it. Her former self would have loved it.

After a moment, she glanced toward the window.

"How long have I been asleep?"

"Since yesterday. You fell asleep shortly after we left the divine beast territory."

Amelia’s eyebrows rose.

"Yesterday? I’ve been asleep that long?"

"You needed the rest," Dean assured her. "We didn’t want to wake you."

Reid adjusted the pillow behind her back, making sure she was comfortable before settling beside her again.

"And since you finally decided to wake up, I think we should make the most of the day. And I call dibs on helping you bathe."

Dean’s head snapped toward him.

"Absolutely not."

KNOCK KNOCK.

Then a firm knock sounded at the door. All four of them turned toward it.

Reid’s smile vanished. "Who the hell dares disturb us right now?"

Enzo strode to the door with a dark expression.

He pulled the door open. Caleb stood on the other side.

Of course it was him.

Enzo stared at him without moving aside. "What do you want?"

Caleb’s gaze shifted past him, searching the room until he spotted Amelia sitting against the headboard. His expression eased slightly when he saw that she was awake.

"How is Amelia?" he asked. "Is she feeling better?"

"She’s fine" Enzo replied flatly. "You can see that for yourself. Now, what do you want?"

Caleb gave him a mildly irritated look, clearly unimpressed by the reception.

"I need to speak with her. There’s something important I want to share, and it can’t wait."

Reid leaned back against the headboard, his arm still resting protectively around Amelia’s shoulders.

"Whatever it is, it can wait until later."

"I think I’ve finally figured out why the Underworld subjects have been so difficult to capture and keep alive."