Rebirth in the Apocalypse: Third Time's a Charm



"What if I don't want to get the device?" I asked out loud, completely forgetting that I was talking to the voices in my head and not the guys that were listening to my one-sided conversation.

'Did I ask if you wanted to? No, I did not. You will get that device because if anyone is going to bring about the end of the world, it is going to be me. Do you understand?' asked Violence as she stared at me inside the beautiful throne room. 'Now, get the fuck out of here and go deal with your shit.'

I don't know how much I liked one of my personalities telling me off like that, but at the same time, she did make a good point.

'I always make a good point! Now, watch where you are walking. We don't need more bloodshed than what is to come. Especially not your bloodshed. Pay attention!'

----

Chen Zi Han looked at the woman between him and Liu Yu Zeng with a worried look. Although he couldn't see her well in the darkness, she seemed to be so lost inside her head that he was genuinely concerned about her. "Wang  Chao," he growled, not caring if anyone else was listening to them. "What is going on in her head?" This was yet another example of why he was so jealous of Wang Chao and his ability to read minds. If he was a spirit user, he would already know what was happening and wouldn't need to rely on the other man.

Wang Chao stopped walking, forcing the others to stop as well. He looked at Li Dai Lu before him, trying to slip into her thoughts. Usually, it was as easy as breathing, but this time, there was something actively keeping him out.

'Not now, Asshole,' came a woman's voice in his mind. He thought it sounded like Li Dai Lu, but it was definitely not her tone. It seemed more bloodthirsty. 'You guys have fucked everything up, and now you need to let her deal with the fallout.'

'Is this about answering the human's calls? Is that why she is like that?' asked Wang Chao concerned. If her catatonic state was because of something they did, he would never be able to forgive himself.

'You know that much. What else do you know?' asked the voice, this time with a more curious tone to her voice. There was still very much the bloody aura to it, but it seemed to have been pulled back a bit. 

'I know that we all promised not to answer any more calls,' said Wang Chao, not caring about what was going on in the outside world. He could feel that this conversation was too important. 

'And yet you still are,' scoffed the voice. 'And here was me thinking that you were meticulous about keeping your promises.'

'You speak as if you know me,' pressed Wang Chao. He had such a sense of familiarity with the voice, but he couldn't put his finger on it.

'Apparently, I know you better than you know yourself. Now, pay attention. I will only say this once. Don't make me go to War to get this into your head. The humans will not keep their promises, so you don't need to keep yours. If you insist on putting the military before Li Dai Lu one more time, you will lose everything. Do you understand? There only needs to be four of you, but that doesn't mean that it needs to be you four. There are plenty of other options.'

Wang Chao felt his back stiffen at the not-so-hidden threat in her words. 'Speak plainly.'

There was a merciless chuckle in his head, and the bloodthirsty aura was back. 'The four of you were chosen, yes. You were specifically chosen for her. But you fucked up and shattered her to the point that we are still finding different pieces of her every day. And they are getting stronger. You listened to the snake in the garden, and this is the result.'

'Don't you mean us? I thought it was always the four of us,' asked Wang Chao, a shiver of fear running down his spine. 

'No, I mean you. You, specifically, screwed things over for all of you. You cannot get out of the responsibility of owning up to your actions.'

'What do I need to do?'

'You really are that dumb, aren't you? Well, to be fair, you have been a stubborn, blockheaded asshole in all of your lives, so I suppose I should have expected it.'  Wang Chao didn't know what to say. He wanted to open his mouth to defend himself, but this voice inside of his head seemed to understand what was going on with Li Dai Lu, so he would listen to it. 

There was a poignant pause before the voice spoke slowly. 'Are you paying attention?' it asked.

'Yes,' growled Wang Chao in response.

'Don't take that tone of voice with me. I am not one of your men to command. I am the one that commands you. You want to know what you need to do?'

'Yes,' he said for the second time. If this was what Li Dai Lu was having to deal with every time she talked about the voices in her head, it was no wonder she couldn't function sometimes.

'Stop honoring your promises that no one else gives a damn about. You will find the device like you promised, but you will let Li Dai Lu put it away in a safe place. Like I told her, if anyone is going to blow up the world, it will be me. Do you understand?'

'Yes,' said Wang Chao, and he did. Taking in a deep breath, he closed his eyes. 'I understand.'

'Good. This is your last chance, don't make me regret it.'

-----

Chen Zi Han had the throat of the fake in his hand as he held his gun out at the wannabe syndicate members. As soon as Wang Chao put his hands on Li Dai Lu, things went to shit. The man had been out of it for a few minutes, and the locals were getting restless. 

"What the fuck is wrong with him?!?" demanded the fake Chen Zi Han. The other man simply snorted, not paying any more attention to the man than was strictly necessary for safety issues. 

"What is going on?" demanded Wang Chao as he looked around at the men surrounding them with guns.