TW // DEATH

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

"Before she became the powerful stranger you came to love, she was a girl who was crushed by the real world before her life even began."

The stranger's real name was Ahin.

She wasn't a girl born with wealth or such, in fact it was the opposite. She had nothing other than the home her father left before he passed on, her mother, and a sister younger than her for two years.

Her sister went to school her whole life while Ahin was tasked to make a living with her mother to provide for the family. At the young age of 16, she was forced into the real world with no prior education. How could she complain when that was the life fate gave her? And at the same age, she developed an intense dislike with the people above her social class or anyone abusive of the power entrusted to them.

The dislike she felt did not appear out of nowhere but it came from the reason why her father died in the first place. Ahin could still very well remember how her mother delivered the news of her father's passing to her.

"Your father, he was hit by a drunk driver." Ahin's head went blank whenever she remembered how her mother's lips quivered during those moments.

He never was brought to justice as money overweighed the truth.

Not long after, her sister began to stray into rebellion which contributed to the growing rift between the siblings. Ahin envied her sibling and the fact that she was taking advantage of the life the elder desperately wanted to have growing up, it angered her. She confronted her sister, hoping to put her back on the right path and pull her out of whatever phase in life she was going through.

"Nara, snap out of it! Do you think you have the luxury to even rebel?!" Ahin had not meant to raise her voice, but her emotion interfered with her confrontation.

"Stop interfering with my life! Do you think I like the way I'm living?" Nara cried to her older sister. "Ahin, I hate it. I hate how we're living. How you're living!"

Her eyes widened as for once, her sister finally spoke of the feelings she has been bottling since the age of five. Nara ran away from her and neither spoke after that confrontation. It took five days before her younger sister vanished, leaving a letter claiming that she had felt like a burden to her mother and sister. She assumed that by running away, she would be freeing them from having to work multiple jobs to feed and educate her.

Her mother almost lost her sanity. Having to lose a daughter and a husband, only so little was left to keep her grounded. Instead of having less responsibilities on Ahin's shoulder with her sister gone, she now had more because of her mother that was barely holding unto herself.

"Mom, you're not going to get anything by accepting that job. Justice was not served to us and it will never be unless we're on top of this stupid pyramid!"

Ahin yelled upon hearing that her mother had taken a job where the boss was the same man who had killed her father. An influential man who got away just by throwing money to cheat the law. What was more absurd about that application was the fact her mother only took it under the idea that she'd be able to take revenge by working for him.

"Your father was murdered by that man and you expect me to stand idly, accepting all these misfortunes?" She grit her teeth as she tried to argue with her daughter.

"Stop indulging yourself in a fantasy where fairness exists because it doesn—" She was cut off by the swinging palm colliding with her left cheek.

"Since when have you been disrespectful, Ahin?" She stared at her daughter in disbelief.

"Since I was forced into a world that I was never supposed to be at." The fury in her eyes earned her a scornful glare from her mother. The conversation was cut when her mother chose to be the first to walk away between them.

Ahin found the job odd and there was not a day where she didn't convince her mother to stop going to it. That part of her life had been the most stressful as she struggled to stay grounded with her two jobs and her mother's well-being. By then she just turned 17, unable to celebrate her birthday in the way that the other kids did.

"Kids like you shouldn't be greedy, you should be thankful you even have a job at that age and your lack of education." That was what her boss told her when she had asked for a day-off on her birthday. She could never forget the prejudice on his face as he scowled while looking down on the helpless girl.

I hate them. She thought over and over again.

Then the day she dreaded the most arrived. All her suspicions about the job was proven to be true when she had learned what they did to her mother.

"What do you mean she was on drugs? She wouldn't even touch the cigarettes my sister used to have! You have to be mistaken!" She screamed at the police who convinced her that no one had deliberately poisoned her mother other than her mother herself.

"Your mother failed the drug test! Stop blaming the innocent man for your mother's crime!"

Her mother was poisoned. They admitted it to her, she just didn't have the voice to be heard.

"Mom?" Ahin opened the door to her mother's office just like she had instructed on her message but to the girl's surprise, she felt something cold press on her right temple. By then she had closed the door and the only sound she heard was the air conditioner.

"I knew it. You're his family. Ahin, right?" The voice of a man spoke to her. She couldn't do anything but shudder in fear, standing there as she plead to all the divine being she could think of but she knew better than anyone no one was going to save her.

"I know you."

Ahin will always recognize his voice. The voice of his father's killer.

"What did you do to my mother? Was killing my father not enough?" Her anger turned into an odd sense of bravery that she would soon regret when the muzzle had dug on her right temple harder. "Will I be your next victim?"

"I've had enough of your family. Your mother is an insolent woman who tried to kill me with the same gun I'm holding, little did she know I have been slipping something in her coffee." The way he was so proud of that made her sick in the stomach. She never knew a man like him would actually exist in this sick world. "You seem just as insolent as your mother."

"What did you do with her?" She grit her teeth, shaking in anger and fear as she awaited the devil's answer.

"She fainted because of the poison, by now her breath is limited. I will let you see her under one condition."

"What is it?"

"Leave me alone."

With no hesitation, she nods. She desperately wanted to see her mother and if that was the only condition, she could say yes to it in a heartbeat. Satisfied with her answer, he removed the muzzle from her temple and dragged her to where her mother was laying. She was sprawled on the floor, her breath was faint and from the looks of it, she was on the verge of closing her eyes forever.

Ahin couldn't speak. She struggled to look for words to say to her mother. There was a lump on her throat as every bit of her body was enraged with hatred.

This would have never happened if people like the devil in the room didn't exist.

Maybe the world is better off dead. She thought. Maybe humanity doesn't deserve a chance.

"Ahin." Her mother calls to her. "L-Live."

There she closed her eyes before Ahin could say goodbye.

She never followed the man's conditions and called the police on him. But she should have known better, not when this has already happened before.

She ran away after, sitting alone at the top of an abandoned building as she cursed the world and the destiny given to her. She couldn't bring herself to admire the city lights because all she could think about was the cruelty she endured for years. She wanted to laugh bitterly when she came to realize that the man may have been looking for her for not following the condition he laid upon her. She was going to die anyway, what was stopping her from taking the leap of faith at that very building?

"Dear, what are you doing up there? It's dangerous." A voice of an unfamiliar woman spoke from behind. Ahin turned around to see a beautiful woman with golden eyes, standing there as she smiled sweetly at the devastated girl.

She seemed like an angel, fetching her from the world then bringing her to where the dead goes.

"Did I already jump or do you really have golden eyes?" She blinked multiple times, trying to see if the woman really did have golden eyes.

She laughed. "They are golden, dear. You can stop blinking. Here, reach for my hand. I'll guide you." She extended her hand to the younger and Ahin had hesitatingly accepted it, allowing the stranger to guide her away from the edge of the building. "You weren't really going to jump, right?"

"Who are you?" Ahin asked her first.

"I go by the name Seona." She answered, keeping her tone soft. "I saw your encounter with the police earlier. Apologies for eavesdropping but I couldn't ignore it."

"It's fine, someone eavesdropping is the least of my concern right now." Ahin was quick to forgive Seona because she had more to deal with than a stranger eavesdropping on her business. "Did you follow me here?"

"You were being followed by a suspicious man so I had to. Don't worry, I already dealt with him." Seona answered her question. "I take it you're not under the protection of the police anymore now that your mother failed the drug test?" Ahin gaze away, nodding as a response. "I'm sorry you had to go through so much dear."

"I'm used to it."

That simple answer didn't seem to sit well with the stranger. "Do you not have any family left?"

Ahin remembered her sister, who couldn't careless that their mother was dead. After her recent conversation with Nara, she was more than convinced that she didn't have any family anymore. "None." She replied. "Why are you so concerned for me? Do you have another agenda with this conversation?"

"Because I know very well how horrible the world can be to someone. I know it's not really the best trusting a stranger right now, but I do have an offer that could change your life." She extended her hand once more, and while Ahin was confused, she had nothing to lose anymore.

She was finished being scared of anything.

So, with no hesitation, she accepted the hand.

"She didn't know what she was saying yes to, but she was more than convinced that the golden-eyed woman in front of her was an angel. So, she held unto the last bit of hope inside her that she could still honor her mother's last words: live."

When Seona had teleported Ahin to her home, she later on revealed that she was seven months pregnant. She couldn't believe at first but the stranger had finally took off the illusion covering her bump, only to see that she really was saying the truth.

Hawoon, Seona's fiancé, nagged her nonstop for going out again despite being in her third trimester already. It was the first time Ahin had seen a couple who treated each other so sweetly. Her parents were always worried about money, they never had the time to be a couple. She stood there, awkward and perhaps even freaked, waiting for Seona to explain what she was or what offer she had in store for Ahin.

"I think I found myself a replacement, love." Seona smiled, giving Ahin a glance.

Hawoon looked at the younger and he kindly smiled for her, welcoming her to the comfort of his home. "What's your name?"

"Ahin." She answered. "What's going on? Miss Seona hasn't told me yet the offer."

"You haven't even explained to her the details." Hawoon's eyes narrowed, looking back to his partner who chuckled nervously. "I think we need to sit for this one dear. What my fiancée has in store for you is quite a lot. I just hope you're strong enough to handle it." He says, pulling a chair for her.

Ahin sat comfortably as she waits for them to start explaining. And when they did, her head tried to wrap around the information that was thrown to her. They told her what a stranger was or what she was going to experience if she did agree to have Seona's powers transferred to her. She would have to leave her home and forget about her family, in exchange for powers and the ability to look for another home.

The ability to give herself the second chance in life she needed.

While she was deciding what answer to give them, her eyes fell to Seona's baby bump. Saying no would mean the stranger would have to look for another potential successor and by the following weeks, her body would only grow bigger and would then force her to stay put.

"You need a successor and I need a home. I think it's a win-win." Ahin couldn't help but smile because of how bright their faces were when she said her answer.

"Are you sure about this? Because leaving isn't an easy feat, dear." Seona asked her for assurance but she was more than determined with her answer. "I wish I could hug you right now but this baby is getting in the way!"

"B-But before you transfer your powers to me, I want to visit my parents first and see my sister one last time." She requested first which the couple understood very well.

For a week, they allowed her to rest and relax. It's been so long since she last spent a day with no worries. Quite frankly it made her realize just how miserable her life had been. It was reassuring to know that she finally had a second chance in life, even if meant leaving her original reality behind.

Ahin walked to her parents' tombstones, Hawoon and Seona beside her. The stranger had insisted on joining her to protect the younger from any threat, but her fiancé was reluctant to allow his pregnant partner go out just like that so he decided to tag along. Ahin placed the flowers in front of the tombstone, kneeling to the ground as she bid her final goodbyes to her parents.

I wish you both happiness in another reality.

"Do you want to go to your sister next? I can teleport us." Seona offered, placing her hand on Ahin's shoulder. "I'm sure there's a reality out there where they're happy."

"Thank you, Seona. I'd like to go see my sister now." Ahin stood up with the help of Hawoon, and Seona allowed her to give one final glance before she teleported them to a small house located in the country.

Her sister sat outside, a cigarette placed in between her lips as she stared at the unknown. Seona and Hawoon waited for Ahin to approach her, but to their surprise, she maintained the distance by not moving an inch. Seona was well aware about the relationship they shared, so she never bothered asking her why she didn't move or convincing her to do so. Ahin memorized every detail of her younger sister despite knowing that she'd lose all her memories.

"She'll be happy, right?" She asked Seona, whom she knew had the power to see other people's fate. A satisfied sigh escapes her lips when the stranger had given her a reassuring nod. "I'm prepared to do the transfer of power now."

"No dear. You rest first, okay? We'll perform it in a few days when we're both ready." Seona said, and with no argument, she agreed. 

What neither expected was that Seona would go on an early labor afterwards which greatly worried both Hawoon and Ahin. The main reason why she was in a rush to find a successor was because she did not want to risk giving birth to a baby who was half a stranger. Not that they would love the baby less if he had turned out to be half stranger, they were more worried about how fate would react knowing that she made a strict rule of allowing only one stranger.

It was a long ten hours and for most of the time, Ahin found herself asleep, waiting for any of the two of them to call her and introduce her to their baby. Hawoon walked slowly to her and she quickly stood up, asking him repeatedly if the labor went well.

"The labor went well because... she's a stranger. You know, she even compared it to a bee sting." Hawoon facepalmed himself, still dazed by what he had just experienced. "But the baby's healthy and like we suspected, he's half stranger. Seona could feel the powers inside him, locked away by his humanity."

Despite the baby turning out half stranger, Hawoon didn't seem as scared as he used to be. In fact he was more relieved that the two people he loved the most survived the extraneous labor that had lasted for ten hours straight.

The two stopped talking when they reached Seona's room. As soon as he opened the door, Ahin sees the stranger holding her baby in her arms as light came out of her hand. Her partner was quick to ask her what she was doing, but Seona managed to ease his worries by saying she was casting a protection spell on him. Then her gaze traveled to Ahin, whose eyes were fixated on the baby.

"Ahin! Look, he's finally here!" She cheered, signaling her to move closer. Ahin reluctantly moved forward in order to get a better sight of the baby. "He's half-stranger, so I'm worried about how fate would take it. But with his humanity keeping his powers locked away, I hope that fate would allow it."

"How do you know he's half-stranger?" She curiously asked.

"Connection." That was the only answer Seona could give her. "By the way, I decided a name for him love!"

"What is it?" Hawoon stared lovingly at his partner and to their child.

"Jungwon." She suggests. "Hm fits him, don't you think?"

"Yes love, it does." He says, kissing her on the temple.

Connection.

Ahin wondered if she would be able to experience what they have in another reality. Would she also feel the spark of a connection somewhere? She quickly shook her head and smiled as she watched the new family, a slight happiness growing on her chest knowing that she helped prevent a child from losing one of his parent.

"Do you want to hold him, Ahin?" Seona asked but she immediately shook her head.

"I'd rather not. I don't want to accidentally hurt him." Ahin kept her distance from the small human being that Seona was cradling. The couple chuckled as they watched her reluctance to move closer to the baby.

After getting discharged from the hospital, Seona focused on the transfer of power while Hawoon was left to take care of their baby. Throughout Ahin's stay in their house, she has always kept her distance from the baby. In fact, she could count with her fingers just how many times she has actually seen him.

"Are you ready, Ahin?" Seona had asked the younger before they could begin the transfer.

"Ready." She answered.

A sad smile appeared from Seona as it sunk into her what she was about to do. "Be happy, stranger. You deserve it." She extends her hand, and Ahin with no reluctance, grabbed it.

"Thank you Seona for everything." Ahin smiled at her, taking a deep breath when light appeared from the gaps of their hands. "Do you accept the power I am about to give you?"

"Yes."

"Everything that proves of your existence will be erased in this reality, including the memory of everyone who ever knew you. Do you accept that?"

"Yes."

"Do you agree never to return to this reality after becoming a stranger?"

"Yes."

She could feel something intruding into her soul and body, trying to replace something important to her. It felt as though everything about her body was being altered into a new one that would adapt well with the magic attaching to her soul. And once that uncomfortable sensation was over, suddenly she felt a force tugging her whole body. It was pulling her away from Seona's grip until neither could hold each other any longer. For a brief second, she felt her whole body compress followed by a numbness which would soon knock her unconscious.

Her eyes finally opened, the memories she used to hold was no longer there. Her brain felt empty, she could not remember anyone or anything. It took her body a while to take in the coldness of the floor. Looking at her body, she realized she was wearing a white long-sleeved jumpsuit, wrapping around her figure perfectly.

"Stranger." She heard a voice and strangely enough, she knew it was her being called. "Are you going to lie there forever?"

The stranger stood up, holding her head that slightly ached along with her body that was slowly adapting to the foreign matters introduced to her once-mortal body. Only when her gaze examined the room did she realize she was in an infinite library.

"The library of realities." She immediately recognized the room despite having no recollection of it being introduced to her. Her eyes shift to the person who spoke and she weirdly knew who she was. "You're fate."

"Very good. Your brain has adapted to the essential knowledge passed down to you by your predecessor." Fate amusingly smiled at her. "Do you know how to use your magic?"

Looking at her hand, she managed to let out a glow naturally. It was as though her body just knew how to perform it, like walking or speaking. "I guess I can?"

Fate nods. "Then what can you remember, stranger?"

"Nothing. I don't remember anything or anyone." The stranger scoured the depths of her mind only to find an empty shell, filled only with the essential knowledge that was supposedly passed unto her by her predecessor.

"The transfer of power was successful. Welcome stranger to the library of realities." Fate crossed her arms, the hint of a smirk tugging onto the side of her lips.

"May your new home lie in one of these books."

"Though she had already forgotten about her old life, deep inside her chest was the emotions her magic had sealed when the transfer of power was done. But all the anger and sadness she confined growing up managed to overpower the seal casted, something none of the strangers before her accomplished to do. That's how her power got stronger, how she managed to become one of the strongest stranger."

"She wouldn't touch or look at me when I was a baby?"

Seona laughed because after her long story about Jihee's past, that was the first comment that had escaped Jungwon's lips. It wasn't her idea to share Jihee's past, in fact she had thought she would be carrying the story to her grave but she underestimated just how much her son wanted to get to know the woman he loved.

"She was afraid of hurting you." She answered him. "But seriously, dear. Is that really your first concern? That she wouldn't touch you?" She chuckled at the end of her sentence.

"Of course not." Jungwon pouts. "I didn't know she went through a lot, I'm kind of thankful that she refused to hear about it. I don't want her to relive such a horrible life."

"Well I only offered to tell her about her past because this was her reality. I thought she would've wanted to see her sister and parents." She leaned on her chair, reminiscing to the golden eyed girl that used to spend so much time with her son.

"Speaking of sister, where is she? And that bastard who ruined her life." Seona could only smile, seeing the anger in Jungwon's eyes as he thought about the man who turned Jihee's old life into hell.

"Her sister is doing fine and she has a family now, and that bastard..." She trailed off, trying to think of a word that could properly phrase how Jihee punished him without even knowing she did.

"Jihee kicked him down the pyramid despite not knowing what he did to her family."

Jihee was on her usual strolls at the middle of the night.

It was her third month in the reality and she grew bored of playing student so instead of doing the assignment given to her, she went out trying to look for anything interesting to do. Her hands were shoved into the pockets of her jacket, and she had a lollipop in her mouth-- which she conjured up with her magic. Jungwon would've given her a good scolding if she had shoplifted or bought it with money made from her magic.

While her eyes lingered at the people walking in the streets, enjoying their own nightlife, she had came across an old man who entered his luxurious car with a young woman on his arm. Jihee felt something ignite in her and she couldn't quite figure out why suddenly an immense amount of anger clouded her head, leading to her impulsively following the limousine.

Once he got a better look at him, he saw his fate in her eyes. Jihee saw how he killed many people and saved himself from the consequences with the stash of money under his name. Her jaw clenched as she realized the man sitting inside his mansion, enjoying the luxurious life, was a devil who had taken the form of a corpulent man. And he made a living out of people's demise.

"Every reality has a bastard like you, quite unfortunate that you allowed me to meet you." She mumbled to herself, her gaze locked into him.

She trespassed inside the home and entered his office where with her magic, she hacked the computer inside and bombarded it with memories of his taken in the form of a video. Those memories included his crimes, she smirked to herself, already imagining the fright she was going to give to him, especially now that he knows there are videos of his heinous actions.

She tore a piece of paper from the note pad she found on the side and grabbed a pen that seemed expensive, given that his name was engraved on it.

love the videos, call me :x

- stranger

She laughed quietly as she wrote her number on the back of the paper. Out of habit, she tried to teleport, forgetting the fact that she could no longer do that. Muttering a quiet curse, she turns herself invisible before sneaking out of the house, barely caring if she'd accidentally make a noise. All she could think about was scaring the evil man which lived in that house.

The next day, as Jihee walked next to Jungwon, she received a call from someone which instantly stole both their attention. While the latter had a confused stare, the former had an excited one upon seeing who the person calling her was.

"Who is it?" Jungwon curiously asked, yet instead the reply Jihee offered him was a finger pressed to her lips.

Pressing the green button, she places the phone in her ear, awaiting what was to be said by the corpulent man she had angered last night through his computer. "Who the hell are you and what did you do to my computer?!"

Jihee chuckled. "Did you like it? Did it give you nostalgia remembering all those people?" The tone she used to speak, Jungwon couldn't help but realize she was provoking someone through the phone.

"What do you want?! Do you want money? How much do you want because I can give it to you." She couldn't help but scoff when the arrogance suddenly immerged from the angry voice she was speaking to earlier.

"What will I do with money? No, that's not what I want." She says. "What I want is your ass behind jail and for everything you ever worked hard for down the drains. Is that too much to ask?"

"You don't know what I'm capable of!"

"I think I should be the one saying that, sir." The devilish smile on  her face threw Jungwon off guard, and he couldn't quite understand why she looked like she was enjoying what she was doing. "Overestimation has always been your greatest fault."

"You—"

"Enjoy your final days." She cuts him off before dropping the call.

"You're crazy, you know that right?" Jungwon says once she drops the call.

"Oh please, you've seen me do crazier stuff than blackmail someone." She rolled her eyes, smirking a little before walking ahead as though she had not just threatened someone. And for that Jungwon admired her dearly.

The following days had been the most exciting for the stranger with her endeavors consisting of secretly slipping more threats to the man and even altering his dreams, which had proven itself to be as difficult as it has always been. Jungwon had grown more worried for the girl as he notices how invested she had been with punishing this man he barely knew until recently. Carefully, the stranger explained the horrible things he did and quickly, Jungwon notices the agitation in her as she elucidated why she had chosen to punish this slowly and extremely. 

"Just trust me on this one, okay? I have to make him pay." Jihee almost pleads to Jungwon to understand her, to accept that this was something she had to do. "If you had seen his memories, you would've understand." 

Jungwon sighs. "Fine. Do what you have to do." She never bothered to hide the excitement that slipped away from her face. 

The next day, Jihee was back at the rich man's house, sitting at his desk as she played with her magic ever so carelessly. She had been waiting for him, waiting for the man whose life she'd soon ruin, whose fate she would soon mess up until even in the next realities, suffering would be the only thing he'd experience. And no more than half an hour appeared, surprised to see the stranger behind his desk, playing his pen with her magic as she gave him a taunting smile which both scared and angered the man. 

"W-What are you doing here? Who are you?!" He yelled, about to back away the door but Jihee immediately shuts it close with her magic. "Y-You're a demon, aren't you?! Yes, yes you look like one!" 

She laughs. "I am the demon messing with your life right now." She stood up, still playing with the pen with her magic as he continued to press himself into the wall of the room in fear of what the supposed demon would do. "What should I do with you first?"

"L-Leave me alone!" He says before clenching his eyes closed, as though she was going to charge right through him. "I'll pay you no matter the price!"

"I told you I don't need the money, when will you understand that?" She groaned, the pen now inching closer to the man's face. "But maybe I'll leave you alone if you apologize to everyone of your victims."

Much to her expectation, there was a silence that followed. "W-Why should I apologize for doing that to them? They wanted to ruin me! To kill me!"

"Here it is again. The horrible justification." She rolled her eyes. "And to think I actually thought of letting you go." Finally, she moved away from him, allowing the man to fall on the floor as finally he began to pant because of how long he kept his breath throughout his conversation with her.

Jihee wanted to hurt him, to perform the same punishments she had done to people like him but every time she would channel her powers, Jungwon always came into mind. She would always remember how much he hated it when she used violence. And so she settled with the best punishment she could think of. 

"You will feel every pain your victims felt at your hands, and you will continue to do so until you've learned your lesson." She held unto his head, smiling at him finally before a radiance appeared from her hand until a second after, the man was a screaming mess. 

He balled into the floor, eyes clenching at the incredible pain he was in. 

Jihee watched him with no remorse. 

With satisfaction.

She was about to walk away, to say that it was a job well done but the man decided to speak for one last time. 

"P-Park Ahin." He says, attempting to raise his finger. 

"Who?" She asked.

"P-Park A-Ahin." 

Jihee wondered why suddenly he would mention a girl's name. 

Park Ahin.

From somewhere, above or below, someone watched how the stranger's face transitioned into bewilderment. Fate laughed, especially since everything about that scene had been a work of hers, and it incredibly amused her to watch the stranger wonder who Ahin was, unknowingly that it was her real name. 

Fate watched her run to Jungwon. She observed how the stranger looked for comfort in the arms of a half-stranger. 

A smile appeared on her face. 

"All according to plan."

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━
AUTHOR'S NOTE :

Finally I finished this chapter! 

Of course it wouldn't be stranger if it doesn't make your brain ache hehe 

thank you all for loving stranger so much!! i didn't expect this much support when i first published this book TT, i even thought you wouldn't like it because of how confusing it can be sometimes

but the amount of messages i got saying how much they loved this book TT

thank you all so muchhh !!! <333