THIRD ENTRANCE

The church bell rings a wonderful love story.

White pigeons flew from the top of the tower as leaves followed them. The soft breeze of the wind made the warmth of the sunlight slightly cooler than before. It’s almost summer, and the humidity of the air is ready for a celebration.

Inside the church is a royal red carpet, filled with pink and white rose petals scattered. There are gateways and arcs decorated by colorful clusters of flowers for every fifteen meters of the carpet. And at the end of the long red road, at the altar, are two people who are professing their endless love to one another.

“I, Kristoff, shall take you, Naomi, as my lawfully wedded wife, to have and to hold, from this day forward, for better or for worse, for richer or for poorer, in sickness and in health, till death do us part.”

The tall, black, and handsome man said the words with the whole heart.

“I, Naomi, shall take you, Kristoff, as my lawfully wedded husband, to have and to hold, from this day forward, for better or for worse, for richer or for poorer, in sickness and in health till death do us part.”

The gorgeous petite woman replied with the very same vow.

And then, the priest has finally sealed their hearts together with his blessing. “You have declared your consent before the Church. May the Lord in his goodness strengthen your consent and fill you both with his blessings. What God has joined, men must not divide. Amen.”

The church bell rings loudly once again. It was combined with the cheerful laugh of their baby girl Riza on the arms of the white-haired homunculus Key. Every person in this church projected a wide smile.

“You may kiss the bride.” The priest has finally declared the long-awaited moment for the two.

Kristoff slowly took off the veil of his wife, and it revealed the blushing cute face of Naomi. Seeing it made Kristoff’s cheeks red too. They stared at each other’s compassionate eyes for a second, and then their faces drifted closer.

And then they kissed.

Everybody applauded. This is surely a happy ending for both of them.

<>

After the wedding ceremony, is, of course, the reception.

They had the Evenstouch Restaurant became the reception venue, and the quality of the ambiance and the food never fails to amaze us. There are lots of food on the table for all the guests. There are fried chickens, beef broccoli, pork cutlets, curry, seafood soup, and many others. Everybody had a good time eating lots of food.

I’m about to take a bite, but then, my eyes gazed upon the empty seat beside me. The plate and utensils are ready, but there’s no food in it.

I remember someone dear to me. If she’s here, I’m sure she’ll be delighted in eating all this food. Heck, she would gobble it all in one go.

I felt a gentle tap on my shoulder.

It was the newlyweds, Kristoff and Naomi.

“Alaric, thank you for accepting my offer to be the best man for our wedding.” Kristoff scratched his head with a carefree smile. His wife Naomi also smiled at me.

“Heh!” I uttered a single chuckle. “It’s not like you have any other friends anyway.”

“Don’t put it like that!” Kristoff shrieked. “W-Well, it’s true, but don’t say it out loud!”

Kristoff is a playboy who has a bad habit of stealing his friend’s girl. I recall him giving out invitation cards to his boy band members, but none of them appeared at his wedding. I guess they still hate him.

“Alaric…” Naomi’s smile transformed into a frown as she bowed. “Thank you for reviving my Kristoff. This wedding would be impossible if it wasn’t for you and Tiara’s efforts.”

“I don’t get any of the credit. All of the good happenings are because of Tiara, not me. I didn’t do anything.” I curled my lips.

“No, you really helped us a lot, Alaric.” Kristoff made a safe smile. “Please tell Tiara that we are truly grateful for what you have done to us. And we’re sorry that we couldn’t do anything for her. You’re going to the place where she is, right?”

“Yeah. I’ll tell her tonight.” I gave a hint of a smile on my face.

Suddenly, the maid of honor in this wedding; Helena Efilion the blue-haired kendo champion butted on our conversation with fried chicken on both of her hands. Beside her is her silent boyfriend Lironeo Amerigus, the emo guy.

“Kristoff, Naomi! These foods are so good! And the reception is so comfortable! Who is your wedding organizer?” Helena said jollily.

“We don’t have a wedding organizer since that’s out of our budget. I organized all of these myself.” Kristoff stands proudly. His wife Naomi hugged his thick bicep tight.

“That’s great! That really makes you a hell of a wedding organizer!” Helena cheered. “Hey, can I get you as my wedding organizer!?”

Her boyfriend Lironeo spit out the orange juice he’s drinking. Then he protested. “H-Helena, it’s too early for that! We’re just nineteen!”

“It’s better to be an advanced thinker, right?” Helena winked at her boyfriend. Darn these lovey-dovey couples in front of me! They’re making me feel ashamed of myself for not having a date right now!

“Seriously, don’t.” I interrupted both of them as I smirked. “If you get Kristoff as your wedding organizer, your honeymoon will go first before the wedding. Look at his baby girl, a product of premarital sex.”

“Sex!” Baby Riza, who is being carried by her newly-wed mother, shouted upon repeating my words. It’s good that she’s just two years old, but hearing a baby girl shouting such words is quite amusing.

After that, all those people around me gave me a disappointed look.

“Alaric, you bastard…” Kristoff muttered.

<>

Nighttime.

Here I am, in this world full of ice.

The floor is crystallized ice that looks like a kaleidoscope glass. The skies are pure blue, without any wind or hailstorms. This is the most peaceful place I can ever be. The light never sets in this world, and darkness never peeks in. This world is the same as when I first got here. But now, it’s no longer an apparition of my imagination. This is a real dimension. After the battle one month ago, I have been granted to enter the plain of non-existence, which is this dimension.

This is the Realm of the Frozen Soul.

At the center of this field is a gigantic diamond crystal, in the shape of a large refrigerator. I slowly walked towards it and touch the smooth ice. It’s not cold. In fact, I can feel its warmth.

Inside the diamond crystal, is a silhouette of a beautiful lady. If I looked near, I can still see her. Long black hair and childlike adorable face. Her womanly shape and figure make her the most perfect being in the world.

She is now the Frozen Soul.

“Hey, Tiara…” I forced myself to smile as I grab a ring of flowers from my jacket and wore it at the pointy peak of the diamond crystal. “Kristoff and Naomi are married now, and they decided you to be their maid of honor. Too bad Helena usurped your place. Anyway, I’m the best man, because I’m always the best! … Right?”

I’m crazy. I’m talking to her even though I know that my words won’t reach her. Of course, I won’t get an answer even if I mumble endlessly here.

I sat down beside her and rested my head on the ice crystal. She’s still warm. I can hear her heart beating. She’s definitely alive, but asleep, forcing her own self to sing the for eternity so that everything will continue on existing. Her godly beautiful voice echoes endlessly on my mind.

The Frozen Soul…

It is my one and only love.

Tiara Hikari.

It’s hard to think that a love story that is against all odds will succeed. I died seven million times. Tiara has tried for more than seven million timelines, and yet, we failed to have a happy ending. Even if I managed to survive in the current timeline, destiny will forge itself so that we can’t be together.

“Kristoff and Naomi…” I bowed. Tears went out of my eyes. My voice became shaky as I tried to suppress my cries. “Kristoff and Naomi already got their happy ending… I hope we can get that happy ending too.”

Then I hugged my knees and hollered out loud.

It’s okay if I cry here in front of the woman I love. Nobody would see me crying here. Nobody won’t hear me screaming here. After I let out all my emotions here, I can still keep on giving my friends a fake smile. As long as I have this dimension, I can keep on living.

<>

After twenty whole minutes of crying like a little bitch, I wiped my tears. I stood up in front of my frozen love and touched the ice once again.

“I’ll be going now, Tiara. Don’t worry, I’ll return tomorrow morning. I’ll visit you every day and night so that you will never feel alone.” I said.

And then I turned back.

Never did I realize that the answer to my wish has a chance to come true.

In front of me, is a beautiful tall white woman with golden-blonde hair. She has emerald eyes and a childlike face, completely identical to the woman I love. Even her body shape is the same too, completely imitating my Tiara’s breast and buttocks.

This woman in front of me is wearing a school uniform with a black jacket. And she’s equipped with a familiar red scarf. I may have seen her before in my dreams and also in the previous timelines.

Her emerald eyes glowed as it revealed a golden-cross sigil on her green irises. Then she made a comforting smile at me.

“My name is Erylle Fontaine, The Original Outsider. And I am here to help you... To grant your own wish.”

<>

I am in a weird story where I fell in love with a witch; Tiara Hikari. We have been through so much. We defeated powerful foes and lost people in the process. There are so much laughter and tears in our journey, but still, it is filled with love.

I thought our love story would end horribly.

But I am wrong.

The chorus of our love song has yet to end.

My name is Alaric Eisenhower, and I am a Gate Guardian.

And this… is the final book of our love story.