如真能 再世轮回 愿来生 落户山水 "If only we can reincarnate, and hope for a new simple life"

Tessa woke up in Will's arm, but she did not want to give any signs of her waking up, because that would mean that she will have to admit that Will was a killer, and that he must face his verdict from the Clave, which means exile.

"I think we both know you're awake," stated Will.

Tessa opened her eyes and got up as slowly as she could. She was still dressed in yesterday's dress, corset and all, she groaned with the aches all over her body from sleeping on the floor. Unwillingly, she stood up, and tried her best to push away any inconvenient emotions, and imitated Will's emotionless tone.

"So, this is it."

"Yes."

She felt a surge of sadness and unwillingness, and she shoved herself in Will's arms.

"I don't want you to go."

She was answered with silence.

"We don't have a chance, do we?"

Nothing.

"Maybe… if the Chinese got it right, maybe if we get another life, maybe… Perhaps we can lead a simple life."

"A mundane life?" asked Will.

"One without drama."

"One without pain and loss."

"Maybe we might even not know how to spell 'pain'."

Tessa chuckled. "Maybe not that mundane."

They held onto each other. Embraced by the silence.

"You should go."

Then, without a single word, Will picked up his bag, and walked out of her sight.

如花似玉美绝 繁华一曲无人识 "Flawless beauty as jade and flower, a faded song cease to be known"

Tessa sat down and touched where her cellulites were, but they were all gone. Smoothed out by her half-demon genes, and the hands of time. Her heart sunk, since like the signs that she was pregnant has come to pass, so will the existence of her children.

So to keep her melancholia at bay, she started working and taking care of her children. Made sure they had enough clothes, make sure they had enough to eat, enough sleep and sometimes fun. She strove much further into the field of Chinese mythical creatures, discovering things the Clave never knew of until she grew tired. Then she pushed away her dreams and worries, and slept like a rock.

Just like that, most of the year passed. One day at breakfast, she got a letter from Will. It was brief, and was scribbled down as if in a hurry. But he was well, that he made sure Tessa knew. She received more letters from his, still as brief, over the course of a decade.

Until one day, when her children were teenagers who barely stayed at the Institute. She was alone, until her new maid Barbara came in informing her that a visitor arrived, badly injured. She rushed out with her, into one of the rooms.

It was Will.

"Oh, Will. What did you do?"

"Well, it was not what I did, but rather, what I did not do. I was hunting one of Abbadon's henchmen in Peru, when I failed to notice a young witch was all the while poisoning me. I had no choice but to fight them both. And here I am." He grinned as if it was a funny story.

"And you came all the way from Peru to here? In London?" Tessa asked incredulously.

"Well, I have to see my family before I… uh… depart." To the abyss, the unknown, heaven, the great Nothing. At this thought, Tessa dashed to Will, and held him in her arms. She caressed his face, scarred and wrinkled.

"You broke your promise; you never came to visit."

"Well, I… I just didn't have the time. I had a lot on my plate. I was exiled." Will went on, but Tessa stopped him.

"Excuses."

"Yes, but more the reason for me not having to face you. I know I was possessed, enchanted, but I should have done better, I should have resisted more."

"Will, you could not have. You had no control." Tessa run her fingers through Will's grey hair. "Even if you had, you have had more than your fair share of punishment. It has been thirteen years since you started hunting. You have repaid all your debts to this world and the Clave."

"Have I? I always wonder when enough is enough." Tessa could tell that Will's voice is going lower. He must have travelled here by sheer will, and now that he has seen her, his will of living is waning.

"Will, do you still remember when we first met?"

"Yes, you looked so frightened."

"And you said something about hedgehogs."

"Did I? But you still look as beautiful as ever. I can never grow tired of staring into your eyes. It is like blue hydrangeas sometimes, but sometimes like the grey clouds before a storm." Tessa put his hand to her face. Tears streaming down her face, recalling the memory of Jem dying, and this death is just as unexpected and rapid. She did not notice when the Silent brothers came; she did not notice when they used Will's parabatai rune and what was left of him to conjure Jem out of her clockwork angel. It was not until a day later when three persons stood by her side, and someone tugged at her sleeve constantly that she took notice of her surroundings again.

There were her children, marked by Angelic marks on their body, William looked dashing, and Charlotte looked every bit as charming as her brother. And then there was a man, with raven black hair and brown eyes. Tessa was startled. It was Jem. At least how he would have looked before he consumed yinfen. He held out a hand.

"Hello, Theresa Gray. I am James Carstairs, or Ke Jian Ming. Pleasure to meet you."