The 6th iteration

"STOP!"

Reiss stumbled as he hurried.

"Stop! Please! Stop."

He tripped, almost tumbling off the roof.

"Don't do it!"

The tiles were still slippery from rain.

"Don't stop me."

A young woman with dirty brown hair wearing old tattered work clothes stood on the edge of the roof. One foot was raised in the open air.

"Please. Don't do it!"

There was no response. Reiss cried out as she nearly took a final step. He had no grand plan. No flowers or significant signs to wave. All he could do was beg on his knees.

"YOU WON'T DIE!"

The woman jerked. Tears ran freely down her face.

"What do you mean I won't die? I'll jump. I'll do it!"

Reiss panted heavily as he crawled over on hands and knees, trying not to slip.

"You won't die. Not from the fall."

A confused expression appeared in the woman's glassy eyes. Reiss took a second to gulp for air before whispering the rest.

"You'll be crippled. Paralyzed. You can't jump."

This caused a visible shudder to run through the girl. She retrieved her foot before placing it back out.

"It doesn't matter; I'll land on my head. There's no point in continuing."

"Yes, there is! Please. Don't."

"My parents are dead. My business is ruined. I have no life and no one left. I might as well just end it."

Reiss scrambled for the right words, anything, but he didn't know her story. Not yet. All he knew was that she would remain crippled if she jumped.

He had heard about it in his 3rd. Watched helplessly in his 4th. Cried as he failed on his 5th.

Desperate beyond measure, he called out.

"I'll stay with you! I'll help you. We can build the business back up! You won't be alone. I promise."

The smallest of lights shone in her eyes.

"I can't bring back your parents, but I can at least grieve with you. If you just step away, we can set some flowers on their grave."

Her hair clung to her. She wanted to trust him. But was he just saying it? Who was he and why did he care? Who was he to stop her? Why did it matter? She wanted to scream. Why was he the one crying!

Why can't she jump? Why can't she let it end? Why can she see her parents? Why? Why. WHY!

"It's not fair."

She squeaked out. Her voice trembling, shoulders shuddering uncontrollably.

"It isn't fair!"

Tears flowed from her eyes, she tried wiping them with her palms and the back of her hands. They just won't stop!

Reiss stood shakily and whispered.

"Please..."

Yerali spoke through her sobs.

"Why. Why now? Where- Where were you?"

Reiss moved closer.

"I'm sorry."

"Where were you? I said, where were you!"

"I am sorry."

"Why weren't you here... I needed- *sniff* where were you?"

"I'm sorry."

She broke down, falling into Reiss' arms. Crying like a small child in their mother's skirt. Reiss held her and stroked her head lightly.

"I am sorry that I'm late. I'm here now."

=

Reiss set the heavy crate down and wiped the sweat off his brow. Hard labor wasn't new to him since he has had a few times to adjust. It has been a hard two months back. His 5th iteration didn't end well, and he kept having flashbacks. It was usually one day in particular.

He cried out and pleaded. Saying whatever came to mind. Just to stop her from falling. To stop her from...

"Reiss?"

"Hmm?"

"Drifting off again?"

"Yeah. But it isn't as bad anymore. I got those extra textiles in this crate here."

Reiss tapped the crate he just set down.

"Already? They weren't supposed to arrive for another day."

"Yeah, I know. I actually went and picked them up personally. Along with those over there."

Reiss pointed a thumb back to where three other medium-sized crates rested.

"I figured we could always start sooner rather than later."

"You didn't have to run across town all day just to start early."

Yerali put her hands on her hips, shifting her stance and scolding him.

There she stood. The young woman who came back from the brink. She wore a new dress she designed herself. Her complexion changed dramatically. No circles under her eyes from long hours of work; he made sure she rested often. By that, he meant pestering and poking her off her workstation, sometimes resorting to sprinkling water.

After two months, her cheeks were flushed with color again. It lit up Reiss' day whenever he saw her.

Today was supposed to be the last day of their break.

"I know. I wanted to do it. I just got excited at the idea of seeing your work."

"I thought we were going to go for a walk? You mentioned finding a nice spot just outside town looking over the plains."

"I did! I did. I just... I wanted to... I hoped we could work on something small. Together. You know, before we go?"

Reiss looked up through his eyebrows, scared of being rebuked. Yerali just chuckled light-heartedly.

"Gosh, you're hopeless, you know that?"

"Ha~ yeah. I know."

Reiss rubbed the back of his head.

"Alright, where are the lightest colors? We'll make a kerchief."

Reiss visibly brightened and started tossing lids off boxes. Yerali's light laughter warmed him.

=

The two walked in tandem toward the hillside. A blanket awaited their arrival. On it lay a basket filled with snacks for two.

The picnic went swimmingly as they laughed and talked about the past month's trials. Cleaning up the shop and making it sparkling clean. Fixing the old floorboards. Restocking. Getting in touch with clients personally. Figuring out living arrangements... Reiss had been fine sleeping in the attic, but Yerali wouldn't allow it.

Yerali was chuckling fully.

"I remember that! You walked down the stairs covered webs."

"It was messy but it wasn't that bad."

"Please. I shrieked when I saw the giant tarantula crawling down your arm. You were holding still, frozen stiff. Trying not to cry."

"I was not! Stop teasing me. Spiders are truly terrifying, fuzzy little monsters."

"Haha, So you admit it?

"What? That's not–"

"Hahaha! You do! You do. Oh gosh, look at your face."

Yerali giggled uncontrollably, holding a hand over her mouth. Reiss wasn't pouting. He wasn't.

They didn't notice the time fly by as they each kept each other close, keeping warm in the autumn weather. Reiss looked out on the darkening plains, his heart thumping in his chest.

Reiss hadn't planned to fall in love.

He had already lived... five lives? Six? Did this one count, or was he supposed to leave it out? What about the first one? He would have to set an order for them one day.

At the beginning of this life, Reiss was so upset and depressed. He had failed. No matter where he went or who he warned. He could shout from the rooftops, but no one would listen. He watched helplessly as armies fell and massacres took place. Plague and pestilence... Famine was what killed him in the 5th. He tried supporting from the backlines but couldn't feed himself enough to continue. He would change that this time around.

Coming into this life, his first thought was of the woman he failed to save thrice. If Reiss couldn't save the world, he decided that he at least needed to save one life.

He did it, too.

His begging had worked. Reiss kept true to his word and stayed with Yerali. At first, it was to get her back on her feet. Help open the shop. But Reiss had been naive.

Yerali listened to his "nightmares" patiently and without condescension. She was the first life he managed to save—the one genuinely good deed in his six lives. Yerali, in turn, saved him. She comforted him when he woke from night terrors.

Teased him when he was self-conscious.

Laughed with him.

Washed away all his worries.

It has been a short two months, yet the best two he could recall in his six lives. That was why, as the sun set along the horizon, as Yerali cuddled into his embrace, he pulled out a small box.

"Yerali..."

=

Reiss was startled awake.

Woken in the most unorthodox way.

He opened his eyes to see shining eyes staring back into his—a kiss planted on his lips. Yerali retreated for a breath.

"Good morning."

An irresistible smile spread across Reiss' face, mirroring Yerali's.

"Good morning."

Reiss' hand reached its way up to cup her face. They met again for another kiss. Yerali retreated, taking his hand in hers. A matching pair of rings rested on their fingers.

=

Reiss was trying to arrange a bundle of roses around a wide-brimmed hat. He turned his head, examining it from all directions. No matter which way he looked, it just didn't meld well. Color-wise.

"Hey, Yerali?"

"Hm?"

Yerali sat knitting across the room, working on a maroon-colored scarf.

"These roses don't mix well; the color is all wrong. Should I change them out for some carnations?"

Yerali put down her work and walked over. She wrapped her arms around Reiss from behind, peering at what he was working on.

"Hmm... how 'bout a lily?"

"Lillies?"

"They're my mother's favorite. The white ones."

"Hrm. Well, let's see."

Reiss reluctantly parted from Yerali's embrace, walking over to where he housed a quaint, diverse indoor garden. Bending down, he searched. Spotting a white lily, he picked up a cutting instrument and cut the stem. Plucking the flower, he brought it to the display.

Yerali watched Reiss as he removed the roses and placed a white lily, wrapping the stem in the lace so that the flower poked out off to the side. Yerali gasped.

Reiss was startled slightly by the suddenness of it. Yerali walked over and lifted the sun hat. She stared at it for a while, placing it on her head.

"Whoah..."

Reiss' breath caught.

A perfect fit. Just a single flower, a hat, and her.

How could such a simple combination coincide so flawlessly?

[Level Up]

[Level 12: Florist]

[Skill Gained: Ornamentation]

=

Reiss was packing supplies. He renovated the basement into a bunker in the past years. He never explained why to Yerali. She never asked either. Yerali trusted him implicitly.

Reiss had a large pack of supplies on his back. He bought as much non-perishable food there was. Not that there was a lot to choose from. Reiss was going to add this bit to the rest.

Walking in the front door, ducking his heavy pack, he called out.

"Yerali. I'm home."

Closing the door behind him, he set the bag down with a thump.

"Reiss?"

The voice was muffled, coming from nearby.

"Yerali?"

Reiss turned a corner.

"Yerali!"

=

Reiss held his wife's hand in his. The light of his life lay bedridden—a Flu.

"Yerali... please. Don't leave me."

Her breath was heavy. She had an intense fever but was shivering from the cold. The whole scene was a cruel allusion.

"I'm here. I'm here. Don't cry. Please?"

They were both crying now.

"Please. Don't weep for me... Be happy. I will miss your smile otherwise."

=

Tears fell on the soaked earth, mixing with the falling rain, filtering down the hilltop. Reiss held a shovel.

It was already done.

Throwing down the shovel, Reiss howled. A bestial roar of pain and sorrow.

Hours.

Throat raw.

Eye's bloodshot.

Weapon in hand.

He marched to war.

=

Present

Reiss had raged. Thrown himself into battle. Again and again. Then some more. Then another time. One more for good measure. Twice more. For Yerali.

He became numb to the pain. Driving his enemies back, ripping them into bloody ribbons. Breaking... shreddingtearingcutting. Obliterating.

He lost track of how many times he died. How many times he was cut to pieces in turn. How many iterations? All that pain and loss? Reiss still remembered. It still fueled his flame. But those lives felt so old.

So... so old.

Reiss never brought himself back here. Not until he learned to be happy again.

"I'm sorry it took so long to get it right."

He apologized. Gazing out at Yerali. She stood motionless, holding a colorful bouquet—his version of Yerali overlapping with the one in the plaza.

He regretted he couldn't wipe her tears away himself. A young man with shaggy hair approached her instead. An apparition of his former self layered on top.

"This is all I can do. Please. Live. Be happy."

Reiss turned around, speaking only two words.

"[Reform Memory]"

Holding out his hand, an object printed itself into existence.

Lovingly, he wrapped the object around his neck.

A sky blue kerchief. An endless color accompanied by a single image.

A White Lily