She grieved alone under the stars. On top of this lonely hill, she sat on the bench, grieving, thinking, about the man who had told her kind words.

In this particular timeline, she didn't have the meeting that would have saved her soul. Usually, no, in this timeline she didn't meet the salvation she wanted. Ah, the look on her eyes as she sees the corpse of the man that saved him truly.

An abandoned woman cursed by everyone. Saved and carried through places of danger, unwilling to give up, and a back so warm you'd feel like he could take on the whole world for you.

Yet to find that man dead and pale and no longer breathing. She had the power to bring forth the light of humanity. She had the beauty that she could never imagine for her life. She wanted to be truly accepted and yet when she became like this. She was a lonely woman playing tough and then this poor fool who had two sigils in his eyes decided to save her soul.

On that day she was saved. Now, she felt like all that saving was more of a torture to her. If being saved by him meant that in the end, he would die. If this was destiny saving her then she would not want it.

But it is done. He was buried six-feet underground, and she was staring at the stars; cup of wine and tears flowing down her eyes while staring at above.

A dark fleeting shadow came upon his heart. It turned into a cold fury that was aimed at the world – it became so cold that it became so black and white; the stars lost its shimmer.

The gloominess of her eyes became clear. Only the taste of wine lingered in her mouth as she cried. It continued spilling until he could no longer think of anything else.

But she stopped despair for a single moment, no, she thought of an alternative ending to this misery. She thought, maybe, she would meet him accidentally, and then she would tell him straightly, without being subtle, without any lies. She would just tell him straight about the bottled up feelings inside her decrepit heart.

How would she know that such thoughts happened in another time? She would have danced so happily on top of this hill, smiling freely, and her head upon the clouds.

But in this timeline, she cried alone, and she was miserable, and yet she could not help but imagine dancing with him, like a mirage out of an old dream, she started her lonesome dance without care if anyone would see her and call her mad for it. Let me have this, she thought. Let me mourn for my first and last of love, and so I may save the world...as he would have done. Carry the world on my back, and to where everything would be saved.

Dance, and twirl, and sway, she did so without care, cheeks wet with tears, and heart cooling into ice.

The war maiden that dazzled the world for strength and beauty. She could have everything but yet that certain wanting was gone. Never would she know about the person that kills in the Outer Land.

Their meeting will always end up in two ways. She would die, and he would continue on. He would die, and she would continue on. A War Maiden could not be with a person that follows bleakness. A Bleak Walker must forge on without love, only a frail hope that dares to ask for a better ending.

How could they know that everything meeting of them would end up in a tragedy beyond their understanding? It was simply a ploy of fate, and even they cannot escape it.

If they would know how many times they have done this, they would surely fall to despair. If she would know how many she has danced all alone, would she have cried stronger? If she would be given the knowledge of how many times she and he danced together under the myriads of stars above, would she have given up in despair?

No, she wouldn't. Both are stubborn and their will to fight against fate itself could not be changed. It was their fate to challenge this godforsaken world, whether they reach their happy ending or fall to the dark where they would become the servants of those they fight so despairingly.

And so the lonely War Maiden danced and cried as she liked. In this timeline, she was stronger than ever, and although this has been repeating for so many times, it could be said that the Walker who has done this, has outdone himself in this timeline. But would that Walker know that he had changed a variable in this never-ending loop? As a new path unlocked for him, and this time, there was no need for a repeat from the start.

So dance lonely war maiden! You shall be worse. You shall be the strongest and coldest of them all! Despair has given you power, and you will become humanity's strongest blade to fend off the darkness that swarms like a plague of insects ready to devour.

It was a mistake in the first place to have together. Fate is only rewriting the script, and it is not known if fate will put it on their favor, can they escape this endless loop of trying only to fail? Or will there be a miracle that would even leave fate hanging their jaws in surprise? Who knows?

For now, let her dance under this bright sky of stars and galaxies. Let none see her agony, her despair, and her aching heart towards this world that takes away things from her.

After this, the world will only know of a War Maiden that purges the darkness. The Walker that is struggling on the bogs of the Outer lands would never know of the things he has unconsciously done.

And so her lonely dance came to end and the rest of her wine poured on the ground, she walked down the hill, and her face fiercer than she had ever shown to the world.