Rebirth in the Apocalypse: Third Time's a Charm

"There are nine different flames," I said, looking through the sea of flames in front of me. There were 714 flames in total, but only 705 of them called out for death. And there was a single flame in there that wasn't pink at all.

I cocked my head and looked at the bright silver flame in and amongst the pink. It looked so familiar. How could I not know who that one belonged to?" "Liu Wei," I said as I stared mesmerized at it. It was an exact copy of what was currently encased in a diamond inside of me.

"Yup," nodded Violence, not even bothering to look at the silver flame. "The others are harder to find, but you should be able to."

"Chen Zi Han," I said, pointing to a large flame that was pink at the tips but otherwise burned black.

"Two for two," said Violence sarcastically. "It's almost like you know your men inside and out. But there is still one more. Can you find it?"

I searched through the vast expanse of flames, trying to find one that called to me. It wasn't as easy to find as Liu Wei and Chen Zi Han, but eventually, I found it towards the back. The flame was mostly pink with only the smallest hint of red at the center. "Wang Chao," I said, narrowing my eyes at it. Why didn't it call to the flame inside of me like the others did? "Is he okay?"

"I guess that depends on your definition of okay. Physically and mentally, he is perfectly fine. But he is going through a lot of internal conflict right now. And Wang Chao is winning."

"Isn't that a good thing then?" I asked, confused.

"That depends on the final outcome. Should I tell you a secret?" asked Violence as she turned to look at me. Her expression caused goosebumps to break out over my skin. "It's a really good secret. Your man might like to hear it too, you know, in case he is on the fence."

"What is the secret?" demanded Liu Yu Zeng, clearly not happy with Violence right now.

"I can't tell you," she continued, briefly looking up at him before turning her attention back to me. "Only she can ask me to tell." 𝑏𝑒𝘥𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑒𝑙.𝘰𝑟𝑔

"What is the secret?" I asked. I was starting to feel nauseous, a large part of me dreading what was about to come out of her mouth.

"Did you ever wonder why Kindness, Icy, and Bitch told you that your men didn't belong to you? That they had soulmates and a completely different fate other than the one with you?" she said, cocking her head to the side to look at me.

"Yes," I admitted. I wasn't stupid. Every atom of my body screamed out for these guys. So how could they have another soulmate?

"That's because there is more to your men than you know," she smirked, telling me the exact same thing as before. "But they weren't wrong. Wang Chao has a soulmate; Liu Yu Zeng has a soulmate—"

"Fuck that I do!" snarled Liu Yu Zeng. "Li Dai Lu is my only soulmate. There is no other."

Violence nodded her head. "Yes, yours is dead, thanks to a very well-placed bullet to the brain. However, I think you have forgotten that you haven't killed Wang Chao's soulmate yet. She snuck out of the Sanctuary with the cousin, or don't you remember? But about your soulmate, whether she is alive or not, you still have a soul attached to your own. Now, please pay attention because this part is really important."

She looked at Liu Yu Zeng as if to double-check that he was paying attention. "Liu Yu Zeng has a soulmate." Violence held up a hand to stop his protest. "Liu Yu Zeng has a soulmate, but… Li Dai Lu is also your soulmate. It will depend on which side of you wins to know who is destined for you."

"But Wang Chao…" I stuttered. I don't think I like where this is going.

"You have two flames in you. One is pink, the other is blue, right?" said Violence, completely throwing me for a curveball.

"Yes," I answered nodding my head.

"And what have we learned about pink flames?"

"That they are human."

"And if you have a second flame inside of you?"

"Then I have a second soul inside of me."

"Good girl," smiled Violence as she reached forward to pinch my cheeks. "And like you, three of your men have two souls living inside of them. Liu Wei is the exception because he killed one of them and took its place. He was always the one dedicated to you the fastest."

"And if Wang Chao is fighting himself, then there is no promise that he will choose the soul that is my mate and not hers," I said slowly as it felt like a knife pierced through my chest. He told me he loved me, I felt that connection, and yet…

"Fine, one last secret before we go killing all the people that need to be killed. The second souls can take possession of their host bodies. Kind of like we could take possession of yours; if you ever gave it up. There is nothing saying that he lied when he told you he loved you. It just might not have been Wang Chao that said it."

"Then who did?" I demanded, feeling my heart break. But what concerned me most was that it wasn't nearly as painful as I thought it would be.

"The other soul. And given the state of Wang Chao's flame, the other soul might just give up on him," said Violence like it wasn't that big of a deal. "But now that I have told you way more secrets than I should have, it's time to pay up."

"And how do you want me to do that?" I asked with a snort. I was just as willing as her to change subjects, not willing to entertain the idea that one of my men was less than devoted to me.

"By killing those that needed to be killed, of course. Do you know which ones they are?"