"Ugh—"

  Burn blihe sery ged.

  "Your Majesty!"

  Someone shouted, and immediately the hall erupted in chaos. It was the same exact thing he had seen weeks ago.

  And among the screams and shouts, one voice stood out.

  "Master!"

  It was Yvain.

  At the same time as the sword made itself at home in Burn's heart, Man vomited blood.

  "COUGH!"

  When you pressed that rewind button, you had to be ready for the price. But wait, there was more!

  Remember, it said "rewind," so brace yourself to relive the same old song and dance. You couldn't skip out on that part, no matter how hard you tried, because when you hit that repy button, you were in for round two of paying up.

  Sed half of the price—same old. Pain.

  Burn reached out tan.

  "Man..." Again, the name came out as a raspy whisper, like sandpaper on his vocal cords.

  Man lifted her gaze to meet his, her eyes full of a sadness so deep it could have drowhe capital. Yes, it still hurt him the same way.

  "It hurts..." Burn said. "We are going to die together—"

  "Don't speak... Caliburn..." Man reached up to him. "I'll take your pain away... kiss me."

  "I know you shared your soul with me between our kisses… I get it, but don’t read my mi—fuck, it hurts like hell—" Burn dodged her toud pulled the bde from his chest.

  "Kiss me! It’s the only way to keep you alive!" Man blurted out, frustration making her eyes glisten with uears.

  “There’s something I o tell you first. Don’t read my mind,” Burn knew he was dying, but he didn’t care.

  “Then tell me!” Man yelled.

  Bure the pain, wao ugh. As he almost lost his bance, and as the pain burned his insides, he smiled at her, bloodied and all, saying, “I love you.”

  Man looked at him, her eyes filled with shod horror. Ahhh, of course. The kind of faen would make at his, the evil emperor's, fession.

  But if it was Man, probably, it was out of fear of disappointing him with the kind of immortal monster he fell in love with, with what she truly was.

  As Gahad ahe onlookers to kneel and avert their eyes, Burn drew her close. He kissed her, feeling her soul flowing into him and knowing she was delving into his memories simultaneously.

  As the pain ebbed slightly, he pulled back, findiear-filled eyes fixed on him. Her gaze shattered his heart intments, and she whispered, "I told you to say it when you're doh the pain…"

  "I'm fine now—COUGH!" Burn coughed, spitting blood.

  "Caliburn…!" Man propped him up.

  "Why is this so painful…?" Burn muttered. He poi Marissa. "My locket. You picked it up, didn't you?"

  Man turo the kneeling woman, her eyes searing hot, the force could have outshohe sun. It was dht apocalyptid Marissa shrank after Burn his locket back.

  Now that he grasped the locket, the pain lessened even more. She was right; the locket had a part of her soul in it to protect him.

  Man touched his cheek to pull his attention back to her. “I’m sure it’s still painful. Kiss me—”

  “No. You o recover first,” Burn said. Despite the searing pain in his chest, he lifted her up. “Let’s go.”

  "Your Majesty," Gahad called, raising his face. "What should we do with this man?"

  Burn turo the man who had just plunged a sword into his chest, now lying unscious on the ground, knocked out by Gahad. He decided, "Prison. Render him uo move or speak."

  "Yes, sir."

  "Yvain," Burn called to the boy who was also kneeling, "e and help your master heal."

  "Yes!" Yvai to his feet. Like in the previous instahe boy uood what Bur ached the box of high-grade mana potion from the table.

  "There's much to sider. Call Dirk Marshall and have him ready as soon as possible. I will retire for today," Burn said to Gahad and his other men.

  He turned, walking calmly toward the door, and before leaving, he stated, "No one is to bother me tonight."

  ***

  “COUGH! COUGH! COUGH—COUGH COUGH!” Burn colpsed on the ground beside the bed, coughing up more blood, “F*** b**** c*** p*** son of a b**** a**c**** f***** b***** h***** t**** shit—”

  “It fug hurts—c**** d**** f**** a****—”

  Yvain turo his master, his eyes teary and face full of horror as he handed another mana potion to her.

  “It’s a good sign that he still curse like this. The pain must be quite special for someone who refuses to be healed,” Man said as she fihe st mana potion. She sat on his bed, where he had put her down.

  Burn, croug on all fours, slowly grasped Man’s ankle. “Man…”

  In the previous loop, Burn couldn’t even curse. It was so painful that he made Man heal his soul on the spot to make the excruciating agony go away. But now, he refused to let Man heal him pletely.

  The pain was the same anyway, whether it was him or her. At least he could share some of it with her. This was the pain she experienced each time they rewound time.

  "Go a, Ain. I will be here with His Majesty," Man said, kneeling in front of Burn and helping him up.

  "Will you heal His Majesty?" Yvain asked.

  "Yes. We’ll be fiomorrow," Man answered.

  Yvain frowned, but it was harder to see Burn and his master in a state of pain like this while he couldn’t do anything. He turo Burn, slowly standing up as he leaned on Man.

  Uedly, the man put his hand on his head and gave it a light pressure. “Go on, son. We’ll be okay.”

  Yvain couldn’t see Burn’s and Man’s expressions with his hand c the top of his head, but after the reassurance, he he boy closed the door as he left.

  “COUGH! COUGH—COUGH!”

  Burn couldn’t hold baother fit of cough when Man suddenly kissed the crook of his neck. It wasn’t as effective as kissing his lips, but it still helped.

  The man spat out another batch of blood clot and embraced her onto the bed.

  “There’s so much to do tomorrow,” Man whispered, “And you still refuse to be healed?”

  “I’m not refusing,” Burn said. He turo her with a tired smile, “You and my Man are different. We’re not lovers yet.”

  Man became angry. “You and your cruel joke!”

  “I don’t want to cheat on my Man,” Burn teased.

  “You are dying!” Man was on the brink when Burn hugged her head to his chest.

  “I am dying,” but this Man hadn’t experienced what his Man had. It wouldn’t be fair to kiss or make love to her in this situation. “I am dying for you to love me back.”

  Man burst out g.

  “You’re so unfair…” she grasped the bloodstained fabri his chest. Even though she only wit from his point of view, she knew how much she loved him iure.

  “Be it now or the future, I’ve fallen in love with you.”

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  ----------------------------------------------

  (Re-reading the chapter above:) Me when?

  I just got a phone call from my brother that he just won quite a prestigious photography test. Man, I always wished I was as talented as he is. I just knew he'd turn out to be the more successful sibliweewo of us. After the st two weeks of chaos, his sweet, humble ass just deserved it.

  He actually wished he could win an award for the film festival with the script I wrote, but the short film turned out to be a disaster. Of course, this test win 't make up for it, but I hope it helps him benized now. I mean, if he's nnized after all the work he put in, then someone like me is screwed.