Eternal life

Chapter 40

The first flashback he encountered was as Aeri was talking with the weird lady. He noticed that it was the same person, that before – or maybe after - stood proudly on the top of the stairs, controlling every move of the nurse with this weird, gold instrument. Aeri grabbed her hand and they both disappeared, with Young Saeng travelling with them. They showed up next to the stone he touched earlier, right in front of the old, falling apart shrine.

'Wait here', told woman in white and she walked up to the base of the moss-covered stairs. As she was approaching it, the picture of it dissolved, letting original, great temple to emerge. Lady turned towards Aeri. 'Do you remember what I've told you?', she asked.

'Yes...' Aeri answered shortly, overwhelmed with the situation. The pavilion was empty this time, only the flags waved on the wind. She wanted to look around to get a closer look of the temple, but decided to keep her head low, looking at the floor.

The guide went towards the pedestal of the shrine, showing Aeri to follow her. When they got there, she ordered the nurse to wait, while she run up the stairs and disappeared inside the building. The ghost finally had the time to look around. It was more quiet, than when the men appeared inside. There was no one to throw unambiguous looks, judging both of them from their heads to their toes. Now the girl just admired the beauty of this accursed place. It was as taken out from the history book.

Young Saeng, noticing his chance, tried to talk to Aeri, but she didn't notice him. It occurred to be as he thought – it wasn't an alternative place, where he has the ability to change something. It was the past. Aeri decided to show him what happened and all he could do was to come to terms with this. At least he tried, until the goddess didn't walked out from the shrine. He growled at her, obviously angry, be she also didn't spot him.

'My greatest servant has informed that someone came here asking for me' her voice echoed loudly on the court.' She smiled, as she saw Aeri quickly lowering her head down. 'What do you want, my dear?'

'Your grace... I came here to ask for something for my friend, not for myself.' She decided to kneel, hoping it may please the deity.

It worked. Goddess was in great mood, when she spoke. 'Not for yourself? It's not good of them, but today I'm in good humour, so tell me what do you want for them?'

'You have to take the curse off of them.'

'Give me a name and it may be done, but...' She picked up her finger. '...even if it's for them, you're wasting your wish, not theirs.'

'Nevertheless I would want to do that. Their name is Jo Young Saeng.'

Goddess went silent for a while, then she turned to the woman in white, which stood behind her the whole time. 'I do not sense a person of this name, do you?'

'No, ma'am. I neither.' She politely bowed to her lady.

'I'm sorry, but I seem not to find such a person. Are you sure it's their name?' With a worried face she turned back to Aeri.

She hesitated for a second, but finally picked up her head and asked. 'Then... do you recall a person named Shim Woong Tae?'

Suddenly the smile faded from the face of the goddess, as she picked up her dress and run down the stairs. She looked at Aeri, directly into her eyes, but the nurse decided to endure it and not back up. Deity looked at her with her eyes sharp, but mouth slowly showing a smirk. She started to calm after the run.

'Shim Woong Tae you say... I haven't heard that name in a while! I was hoping that he was already dead, but then he decided to send another soul here! The audacity...'

'I came here alone. I've heard you grant one's wish. And there's mine. Please, take his curse off.'

Goddess laughed out loud. 'Do you think you're the first one asking me to do so?' She started to go in circles around Aeri. 'Let me answer you: you're not.'

'No matter what happened, I want this to be my wish'. The nurse didn't want to concede, she couldn't.

'Listen, with thigs like that a price always comes'. Goddess grabbed Aeri under her chin, trying to threaten her.

Instead of being scared Aeri smirked. 'I'm already dead, I can't die more!'

Deity let off her face and directed her laugh to the air. 'Oh you can!' She spitted out with laughed, at sudden stopping and looking at Aeri dead in the eyes. 'You'll sacrifice yourself. His curse is made by me, so it can't be easily taken of. I took something of his and destroyed. So you'll have to substitute for that. Your soul with be the exact price.'

'But does it change anything?'

'Right now you can ascend, go to heaven and reborn later. Your soul will change the shell until the end of the world. You'll be happy so many times, you can't even count. But if you sacrifice yourself – nothing. You will no longer exist. Nothing will be left after you, sweetheart.'

Aeri's smile faded, she was shocked with that information, as she was kneeling as gasping for air. Goddess continued. 'Don't be scared. Many did what you've done, many gave in. It's not worth it, trust me.'

'For how long it is happening?' The nurse asked quietly.

'Hmm... I'm not good in counting time. I'm locked here, therefore it flows differently. But I guess over 400 years?' Deity answered calmly, tapping her finger on her chin.

Aeri swallowed her saliva. 'What if I still want you to fulfil this wish of mine?'

Goddess showed her anger on her face, as well on the body. She clenched her fists and her teeth. Her body tensed. 'It's not worth it, don't you hear it! I may send you right to your next body, I can choose, you may be famous in the next life! I know! I will make your brother rich! Don't you want it? It's much better!' She tried to convince the mortal in front of her.

'I want Woong Tae to be freed from the curse.'

'If you die, you won't even be in ability to watch over your sibling! Do you even know why they've got this curse? Do you?' Deity asked and Aeri shook her head. This, once again, calmed the goddess. 'As I thought. You wanted to make a right thing. But believe me when I tell you, they became like this not without the reason. Hear me out. I will show you, what happened. For free. After that you'll say your wish and I'll have to gratify it. Look.' She picked up her hand and snapped her fingers. 'It's set. You'll tell it and I'll have to fulfil it. But first, look into their history and you'll understand. After that you'll come to a conclusion how stupid it was to even pity them. Go!'

Goddess touched Aeri's forehead with her two fingers. She closed her eyes and the place where she was disappeared, as well Young Saeng. Both of them started to look at the strange movie, called past. Starting from his childhood everything went smoothly – it was sad, painful past. Everything slowed down the time right before getting cursed.

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