I see..." The God of Time exhaled a soft breath. "Your certainty is admirable."
The God of Death had no qualms and the God of Fate grudgingly agreed if the soul in question was willing to pay the price of turning back time.
The God of Time then asked, "What about yourself? Do you wish to be reborn?"
"Me…" Jin hadn't given it a thought. Ever since he witnessed his brother dying before his eyes, he was desperate for only one burning wish to be fulfilled. That wish would be granted to him now.
But what about himself who turned the tide to Jun's favor in the first place?
He didn't think his rebirth was necessary. At first. As long as Jun would realize that he was given a second chance with the memories of his past life back, he would resolve his heart to not follow the same path as the past. This time, he would drive the fate in such a way that Shui would never choose to leave him.
But an impending fear loomed in a tiny corner of his heart. What if somehow things still didn't turn the way it had to be? Especially regarding Shui's feelings.
Shui…Shui liked me. She rejected Bro because of me. What if that still becomes a problem?
Her feelings were a dynamic that was out of Jin's control. A deep, unsettling apprehension tugged his heart strings. If there would be even a slight chance that Shui's heart would begin to sway his way, then it would be only up to him to stop any such sprout from taking root. He bit his lip, a determination enveloping his gaze.
I won't let anything mess up this time. I will handle any problem that comes in Bro's way of happiness! I need to be there…I need to be there to make things right for Bro and Shui.
"Y-Yes!" Jin faced the most powerful three entities before him and gave his answer. "I…I want to be reborn too!"
The God of Time seemed to slightly tilt its head, her gaze penetrating deep into his soul. "I see. I would like to tell you that as the bearer of this wish, you would be bound to get your memory back anyway. You have agreed to the condition behind fulfilling your wish and that is to sacrifice your future. As such, you must be aware of not acting in any way that would make you walk towards that path. You will get a warning if you do."
Jin's stance never wavered. "I don't care about-"
"You might not care now," The God of Fate harshly interjected. "But you will have a long life ahead of you. What you are saying now with such confidence might not reflect the same certainty a few years later. You underestimate the heart too much," it clicked his tongue. "Also, there is another thing that you must keep tightly noted in your brain."
Jin stumbled back when the God of Fate suddenly appeared before him akin to a deadly storm that hounded the dark, black clouds of the sky. Jin's breath stopped in his throat as those mesmerizing eyes squinted at him, threatening to draw out that hint of fear within him.
"Time might turn back. But fate…" The God of Fate put its finger on its lips as if imitating a 'Sshh' signal, "might not necessarily change to be in your favor. The red thread of destiny connects two souls who are meant to be with each other. The circumstances, the adversities together form the bridge towards their union. A mere human like you cannot bring any crack in those souls' interwoven destinies no matter how much you try to take control of the situation."
The God of Fate then tapped its finger on Jin's chest. "Fate leads the way and the souls' decisions carve the path ahead for them. You think your brother's happiness lies in the woman who didn't return his love. But that might be destiny's message to him that another future lay ahead of him. Rebirth is not just about getting second chances. It must make the soul wiser and not because it has its past memories but to understand to shed that desire of chasing towards a destiny that led them to their doom."
Jin couldn't fathom why but tears brimmed his eyes. "You are…talking as if Bro and Shui are not meant to be together. But not this time. This time, they will definitely find their happiness."
The bewitching pair of eyes seemed to hold a cunning smile. "Happiness is not when you mold the situation to give you the outcome of your favor. It is about what you must change within yourself that will make bliss itself chase after you. If you hold the courage to walk on a different path than the past, then who knows if you might find your destiny standing right in front of your eyes and perhaps…" The God of Fate's irises twinkled with mischief, "wishing for a book to fall, sensing a certain someone's deep concentration."
"..."
The corner of Jin's mouth twitched. The last cryptic part went all above his head and he was too embarrassed to admit it.
The God of Fate was very pleased to see Jin like that.
"As always, you are more of a bully than me," The God of Death chuckled.
"Shut up or I will kill you right here!" The God of Fate lashed a hurricane towards its direction and the God of Death hopped lightly on its feet to dodge.
The God of Time conveyed. "It will be as you wish. You, your brother and the woman will be reborn. But you will forget this conversation that transpired between us in this realm. When you wake up, you will have no memories of what happened or what you witnessed in your soul form, neither will you know that your brother or the woman are reborn too. You would only know two things. One, that you have your past life's memories and second, that you must not act towards your happy future."
Jin tremblingly nodded. He deeply bowed before them, tears falling from his cheeks. "I am really grateful to you!"
The God of Time ever so slightly nodded. It raised a finger and out of thin air, two cats appeared in the space that had their eyes closed and seemed unconscious.
Jin blinked and widened his eyes upon recognition.
"I…I know this cat…Sh-she died before my eyes…"
"Yes. She is the same one. The other is the one who died by coming under your brother's car as he was returning to bring food for this little one."
Jin froze. His heart twisted with a deep sense of regret and loss as he could understand how painful his death must have been.
Jin bowed before the cat. "On my brother's behalf, I am really sorry…Bro would have never forgiven himself for this…"
He then looked towards the God of Time and asked, "Wh-why are they here though…?"
"Your brother and the woman's souls were becoming unstable because they weren't allowed to move on in the next cycle. I suspended them in the time-space realm, but I needed some vessels to contain that instability. That's why, I let their souls dwell in these cats until a decision was made."
"O-Oh…"
He bowed once again before the cats with gratitude. "Thank you for your help."
The God of Time smiled. "It's time to fulfill your wish. Good luck, my dear."
With that, the golden clock shone with its golden brilliance and the intricate engravings adorning its frame sparkled as if sprinkled with stardust. The clock's hands began to move back with precision and grace, their faint ticking resonating like a gentle whisper in the stillness of the realm. With every tick that wheeled backwards in a circular motion, it seemed to transcend the boundaries between the past and the present until they merged into one.
With a loud gong, the clock's hands halted at a point and with it, the golden clock and the mysterious time-space realm seemed to fade away. Jin felt himself floating in a void until his surroundings started to take the shape of a familiar place.
"Haaaaa!!!"
Jin suddenly woke up with a gasp, his forehead and temples filled with small beads of sweat. He ever so slowly looked around his room, the past life's memories flowing into him like a gentle tide of the river. He took a look at the calendar and his hands shook as he grabbed it.
"I am back…" he whispered as soft, warm tears fell with a realization dawning upon him. "I am back ten years in time…"
*Flashback ends*
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