Ablaze

Prologue

On a hot Summer day Alice died.

And it's on a Summer day that Lia was born.

(Where a barely adult girl died and was reborn the KHR world as the cousin of Sawada Tsunayoshi).

This chapter isn't edited in any way, shape, or form. If you see an error, I will appreciate if someone tells me.

Disclaimer: I don't own KHR. Salutations to Amano Akira for the great work.

Warnings: Mentions of death and pain.

A/N: This is my first fanfic here, I have several (read: too many) in Wattpad. I'm not sure if this will be well-liked, I guess only time will tell. Any comments are appreciated for the effort and consideration put in it.

xxx

I don't know exactly how I died.

The day I died held no significance to me when I lived.

It was none of my friends or families birthday, there was no celebrations such as Christmas or Easter, nothing that stood out and said 'hey, today's important because you're going to die, better say goodbye to your loved ones!'

It was just another day; a hot Summer day, indicated by the people milling about in short-sleeves, hats, parasols to prevent dehydration, and the sweat that ran down my temple.

Italy was brimming with tourists, Sicily as I knew it was teeming with visitors that July, the rural colors were richer, and the crowds were intense.

I remembered college had been taxing, my part-time job took a big portion of my time as well, and I remembered running as fast as I can. I remembered gasping for air.

The scorching sun that day etched its light beneath my eyelids. Never did I foresee death would come for me. I don't know why it happened.

What I know is that I was feeling unsatisfied with my life and it confused me. I had nice grades, a scholarship, a boyfriend, many friends, what more could I possibly want?

Nothing. I was fine, everybody would say so, except for the restricting ache that choked and screamed its disagreement in my heart to me.

I shouldn't even feel that way. Life was supposed to be as good as it can be for me.

Immediately, I shook my head to clear my thoughts (I didn't want to know where it led to; what implications it hid.)

What I needed to focus on then was finishing college with exemplary grades.

I was determined to show my parents I could do this. That I could become what I aspired to be instead of what they wanted. That when I revealed the truth I was already successful enough that they couldn't complain.

I would show them. Nothing else mattered.

I sighed when I checked the time. With frustration I pursed my lips.

And stared straight ahead before a movement and anxious rustle caught my attention and I turned to look.

After that, events started to get sketchy at best, like a lost puzzle my memory lacks certain components to piece together.

I was waiting on one side of the road, wanting to cross over, catching my breath after a five-minute run, I kept looking at my watch worrying over the time (I was very late to work.)

And the next thing I remembered was pain:

Pain. Painpainpainpainpain. It's painful. Make it stop. Pain. Pain. Pain. Painpainpain. Pain. Somebody. Pain. Why? Pain. Please. Anyone.

It was pain beyond anything I had ever experienced. Burning pain licked at me like fire for every inch of my body I felt my bones cracked, but unable to confirm it because I never broke a bone before. Actually, make that: I never had an accident where I came out with worse than a small bleeding cut.

I don't know how. One moment I was fine, and the next not anymore. Shocking, immense pain all over my body and I don't even know why.

Something makes me think I should know about it—maybe there was something important about my death, I don't know—and I can't, which only results in frustration.

But it was so much harder to think more clearly when my whole body throbbed in time with my pulse, the pain that would not cease echoing with it.

There was an ambulance, I realized three seconds after I heard it coming, but I couldn't even turn my head to see it. I want to remember why.

David Hovda wrote in an article that for many dying people the brain does the same thing as the body in that it starts sacrificing areas which are less critical to survive, it also includes loss of speech and hearing, difficulties of movement, and seeing bright lights.

I couldn't speak. I couldn't hear. I couldn't move. Lights started blinding me. The signs were there.

Does that mean I'm dying?

I know what dying entails. It meant never finishing college, never seeing my friends and families again, never proving my capabilities. Dying creates a whole lot of 'nevers.'

And I acknowledged it with all the weariness I felt.

I really am dying, aren't I?

More than seeing my tears on the asphalt, I felt it run down my cheeks. I didn't even realize I was crying until I did. I couldn't stop it either, my hands were too numb. I need to remember why.

I tried to jolt even a finger to movement. I tried to remember. Trying does not equal succeeding, I failed at the first, second, third, fourth attempt at both.

Frustrating. It was so frustrating.

I couldn't even begrudge that the ambulance came a bit too late. It just wasn't enough. My pessimistic assumptions had won, I was clearly giving up.

The doctors and nurses fluttered at the edges of my eyesight, hooking me to life-supports and trying their best to save me, denying me the end.

Meanwhile, I accepted the inevitable, I felt gravity is pushing down my body, black spots danced across my eyes and breathing became difficult.

I remembered being helpless, yet my heart was light with emotions I don't quite recall, it told me I had done something. Something that changes everything.

By then lights flickered on and off, people blurred, my breathing slowed. I was tired, very tired, surely it wouldn't hurt to sleep?

My eyelids were heavy, (however, trying does not equal succeeding, I knew this fact intimately) I couldn't force it open. I was very tired, almost sleepy.

It was the kind of tiredness that the body shut down, as if the instant you fell to bed you will immediately sagged and slept like the dead and no one could wake you.

It would be just like falling asleep, Bree had said once.

She was right I suppose. Soon enough the darkness claimed me, and I succumbed into unconsciousness; to death, accompanied with the sound of a flat line.

I remembered the blistering heat, the sun so yellow it's white, the crisp atmosphere, and the blue—so blue—cloudless sky.

Alice Valentin died on a hot Summer day.

xxx

All around me white prevailed. To my right, left, up, down, white dominated my vision until I don't know which is the ground and which is which. With an unknown destination in mind I walked down the path laid in front of me, I see it branched into seven.

Though there are other paths, it wasn't within my options like these seven were. They glowed, each with different colors. More than the others the glow on the middle road attracted me like moth to flame and it spoke for the situation correctly.

Flames—orange, warm, inviting fire burns bright and strong. It beaconed to me, magnetizing in all it's glory. Enthralled, I couldn't keep my eyes away from it and continued approaching.

The emotions it induced; the hope, understanding, acceptance, love; connections of friendship, of family drew me in and I didn't want to leave it.

On their own accord my hands reached to the Flames, hovering on each side of the heat. I didn't give much thought on why it wasn't burning me, it didn't even cross my mind, centered around this Flame and me everything else didn't matter.

Warmth seeped in my fingers, traveling through every one of my veins, making my blood boiled with energy and sang songs of courage and loyalty.

I hold it closer. On instincts, I remembered impulsively closing it over my heart and watched as the Flame blazed before melding inside, becoming one with me.

For a second nothing happened, until I started glowing along with the other six paths, flashing the colors of rainbow. The rest of the paths began to sway, thinning into threads and they latched onto me.

A memory flashed too fast for me to capture it.

Indescribable pride washed over me like waves.

Blinding light, my sight turned white.

I heard a voice; noble and kind.

And I knew, like I knew the sky is blue, that I would always remember what it said to me.

The gentle but firm words meaningful even without my full understanding.

"I hear your Resolve, may your Will burns true and aid you in this journey. It's a promise."