Second Life's Revenge

Laura opened her eyes to find herself back in the underground market, where Erwin got stabbed. Not only that, right now, right in front of her eyes, she sees Erwin bleeding, but he was not breathing.

For some reason, her legs couldn't move, and as she looked down the ground, she sees vines tangling around her foot, restricting her to move. No matter how hard Laura tried to free herself from the vines, but it wouldn't tear apart.

"Erwin!" Laura screamed as she looked at the lifeless body of Erwin. It's just a dream, but why does this need to appear? It's not fair at all.

Leaving her hands untied, Laura reached her hand out, trying to touch Erwin, but even if she attempted reaching her hands out, she was nowhere near touching him. Laura yelled for Erwin's name out once more, and he didn't move at all.

Does the ending of their story need to be like this? Laura felt her life was nowhere to have a happy ending. There will always be sacrifices in everything she would do, and she couldn't accept it.

It's just a dream, and Laura knew it. She knew that was stuck in a stupid, flashback dream. But everything felt so real. Her breath was short, and her chest tightened as she continued to struggle out of the vines.

Laura covered her face with her hand and closed her eyes. "I just need to wake up from this dream. It's not real. Erwin is still alive...is he?"

She was starting to become unsure whether she was in a dream or not. Still covering her face with her hands, she began to doubt that Erwin being alive was a lie. And him being dead right in front of her eyes was the real thing.

"It's just a dream. It's just a dream. It's just a dream," Laura repeated, slowly putting her hands down and opened her eyes, noticing she was looking up the ceiling.

Her heart was pounding, and she couldn't move her lower body at all. Is this what you call sleep paralysis? Seeing the familiar-looking ceiling, Laura sharply exhaled as she covered her eyes with an arm.

The heavy feeling stayed in Laura as the image of Erwin's lifeless body entered Laura's head. He's alive, and Laura was sure about that. The nightmare that occurred might be an effect of thinking about Erwin the whole day.

Sometimes Laura couldn't understand why if you think about someone deeply, they end up dead in her dreams. Laura wished nightmares never existed.

"Laura, Good morning!" Re greeted as he jumped on the bed, waiting for Laura to answer.

Laura wasn't feeling the best early in the morning. But she if kept putting such a long face, Re would notice it and bug her about it. 

"Good morning, Re," Laura greeted with a coarse voice, slowly getting out of the bed.

A burning sensation burned in her throat as the cool glass rim pressed onto her cracked lips. Every swallow soothed her throat, and as she released the cup away, she sighed out of satisfaction.

It felt like she hasn't drunk water for one whole week, but what can you expect after having a nightmare? 

Re continued to watch the listless movements of Laura, finding it weird. Laura's usual active energy was gone, and he sensed that she was trying to hide it. 

"Are you alright?" Re asked, making Laura jump as she opened the closet.

Laura turned her head, giving a smile, and answered, "I'm alright, is there a problem?"

Re shook his head and pretended to fall for it, but deep inside, he was worried about Laura. But he didn't want to press further in, but it was something he should tell Erwin about it.

It was a bond between brothers, which is what Erwin said. Of course, an airhead person like Re would be used to Erwin's advantage. Laura took the white dress out of the closet and immediately changed into it. She didn't want to bother Selphie any longer despite being a special guest.

"Re, we need to leave this place as soon as possible. We wouldn't want to disturb the Queen any longer," Laura said, tying her hair in a pony.

Laura walked towards the door, but before she could turn the knob, the door opened and entered Selphie. Laura bowed and followed Re as they both wondered why the Queen was there to visit them.

"Bring in the food," Selphie ordered, and floating plates passed through the door and set on the table.

Laura hugged her stomach, hearing her stomach grumble. Of course, one cannot set foot without eating. 

"Please eat first before leaving. I'm sure it's going to be an exhausting journey for you," Selphie said, smiling. There was no chance that Laura would decline the Queen's offer and sat on the chair.

Sitting on the table, Re ate without swallowing, stuffing a piece of bread into his mouth. How can someone eat so carefree without being embarrassed in front of someone important?

"You don't look well," Selphie spoke, putting a piece of ham into her mouth.

"I'm alright," Laura immediately answered.

"...If you say so," Selphie suspected.

After spending time with the Queen, Laura and Re walked back to the elf village and awaits Erwin.

When Laura arrived back in the cottage, she was surprised not to see Erwin on the bed. Even if he was not wounded anymore, Laura remembered telling him to rest and not move around.

Laura sighed and looked around the cottage and didn't find him at all. Then something intrigued Laura. What if he died? There were no traces of Erwin's belongings, and she started to panic.

"Re, can you help me find Erwin? I don't see him anywhere," Laura asked.

"Sure!" Re agreed and walked off.

The more anxious she got, the more pronounced her movements were. She rationalized where Erwin would be, and the next thing she had thought of was him being on the ground lifeless.

As much as possible, Laura hated to think about it. It might have been possible. Laura herself didn't know that she was staring blankly at the wall, not until she heard Re's voice, calling out.

"Did you find him?" Laura persistently asked.

"Erwin's outside on the floor help him," Re cried.

Without any hesitation, Laura ran to where Erwin was, and once she opened the door, she saw Erwin standing by the door, smiling.

The cold sweat formed on Laura's forehead dripped onto the side, and the first thing Laura did was slap Erwin on the face. Erwin's eyes widened, and turned his head, seeing the anxious face of Laura.

A silent passed them both, and Re hid in a corner, not knowing what to do. Erwin's smile turned into a frown as he speechlessly looked at Laura.

"What's wrong?" Erwin asked as he attempted to cup Laura's face, but was rejected when she flinched. "Laura...what's the problem?"

Her tears burst forth like water from a dam, spilling onto her face, scaring Erwin, who didn't know why. Erwin just wanted to greet Laura and never expected to scare her. Once more, Erwin attempted to cup Laura's face, and this time she did not run away from him.

"I thought you died, but it was just a dream," Laura whimpered, wiping her tears away.

Like a small child, Laura walked towards Erwin, hugging him, not wanting to let go. It was real, his scent and his warmth. Laura knew that it was just a dream, but it scared her thinking it wasn't a dream at all.

Erwin patted the back of Laura and continued to comfort her. He didn't know the reason why Laura was acting like this. It was unusual, but when Re reported to him earlier about Laura, it did worry him a bit. 'Was Laura ever that clingy?' Erwin thought.

"Didn't I tell you to stay on bed and rest?" Laura scolded, pushing herself away from Erwin.

"I can't stay in bed all the time," Erwin retorted.

"Why can't you just listen?!" Laura yelled as her tears continued flowing down her cheeks.

"I'm sorry...but why are you making such a face?" Erwin asked, tucking a strand of Laura's hair behind her ear.

"Don't do that again and just listen to me next time," Laura muttered as she sniffled.

Erwin had a hunch that Laura dreamt something terrible about him. It was nothing shocking because he had a dream where Laura was the one who died instead. The uneasiness only lifted when he saw her face.

"I hate you," Laura said, hitting Erwin on the shoulder.

"I'm sorry," Erwin apologized, not knowing why she was acting this way.

"I hate you," Laura said once more, as she was pulled into a hug.

Laura felt his breath blowing onto her ears, and she slightly blushed and tried struggling out of his embrace, but he was too strong for her. Laura stood still, waiting for Erwin to talk. But after a while, she decided to speak up.

"Erwin?" Laura initiated as she felt Erwin squeezing her slightly from the back.

"I have something to tell you."