200 years of burning and suffering.

Her body regenerates every time she burns to ashes.

It was ten times more painful than the usual sinner, all thanks to the demon that occupied half her soul.

She could feel his pain.

Finally, she was released.

Although she had spent 200 years in Hell, to her, it felt like a never-ending eternity. Even after she came out, the pain still lingered, stinging and numbing her senses.

Ivory skin, ivory eyes, ivory hair. Her soul was so pure that her appearance changed.

No blemish could be seen on her physical body, resembling the most sacred angel.

However, the pure white made the ‘criminal’ brand on her soul even more glaringly bright.

“Welcome back,” Pathfinder says, smiling affably. He had been waiting for her to come out. Even though she had felt like it had been forever ago since she last saw him, to the Governor, it had only been but a few moments.

200 years may seem long to her, but in actual fact, not much time has passed outside.

“You will begin your first lifetime soon. Before that, there are several things I should caution you,” he began.

Airi stared at him through her empty, whitened eyes.

Pathfinder frowned. Her soul was so uniformed in colour that he could not tell whether she was actually paying attention to him or not.

“…But first, get some colour in your eyes, why don’t you?” He sighed, pointing his index and middle fingers to her forehead. With a slight push, he imparted a technique to grant her ‘eyes’.

The girl closed her eyes briefly, taking in the new information that was pouring into her mind. With a glance, she could tell that this was some sort of profound teaching.

When she opened her eyes again, two light blue orbs shone in her eye sockets.

“That’s better,” Pathfinder says with a satisfied nod. “You’re a fast learner, I see.”

Finally, Airi opens her mouth, “Thank you,” she croaked. After such a long time of not using her voice, it sounded rather strange. “But why?” She tilted her head to ask.

Even without her explanation, Pathfinder could tell that the girl was curious as to why she—a so-called criminal—was getting such special treatment from him. He smiled, “Think of it as a goodwill from an elder to a child,” he merely responded. But of course he actually did have a reason in mind for treating her so well.

Even in the higher realms, to find such a pure soul that could remain intact after being doused in hellfire was rare. Most would have already dissipated; when there are no more impurities for the hellfire to burn, the purities might get turned into fuel and get burned as well. Most people at that stage would have already given up and allowed themselves to be swallowed by the flames. Especially since she had spent so long in the lowest tier of Hell, naturally, he was curious; how did she survive? Was it because she had that demon with her?

And so, he had already made plans to take the girl in as his disciple; such a pure soul was hard to come by, even if she dabbled in the dark arts, if her soul could remain so pure, then she was really a great find. Simultaneously, keeping her by his side will allow him the opportunity to study her singularity.

“I will explain more later. For now, you should prepare to be reincarnated again. Your memories might get a little jumbled up, but that’s normal. The more lifetimes you experience, the easier the transition will be.”

“Now, since you are a criminal, there are certain [Restrictions] that you must remember. Everyone’s is different, and here are yours.” Pathfinder held out a thin jade stick towards her, which she gingerly accepted.

The words contained within that jade slip, upon making contact with her semi-transparent skin, was suddenly branded in her mind.

“—!” Airi sucked a deep breath from the sudden flash of pain, but once she regained herself, she was able to recall a set of words:

“Do you understand?” Pathfinder asked.

“…” Airi paused to study the [Restrictions] again. “What does voluntary death means?”

“Hm… well, I suppose, suicide? I heard you committed suicide in your first previous life? Most restriction usually follows precedent. Since you chose to end your life, then that will be the only way you can die. Until you voluntarily die, nothing can kill you, I suppose.”

“Hm. That’s… good to know. But, the [Restrictions]…” Airi frowned in confusion. Spending another year in Hell aside, she did not understand the meaning of ‘Laws of the World’. “What are the Laws of the World?”

“Well, to put it simply, the Laws of the World is a system that is used to keep the realms in check. In a human’s term, it is Mother Nature itself. It is the laws which governs mortals. Violating any of the [Restriction] can get them to move—basically, they will try, in every way possible, to kill you.”

“Oh… but I can only die if I kill myself?”

“Yes. In your case, I suppose it will become rather torturous to be hounded by the Laws of the World.” Pathfinder laughed.

Airi’s lips curled down glumly. As a criminal, she should know to expect to be treated badly, but these sentences were simply too heavy. She had spent 200 years in Hell, but that was only the beginning of her sentence.

In her heart, she resented the demon. But at the same time, she could not help but feel like it is fitting for her, who had failed to protect her children.

Even though she could have easily saved them… even though she was strong enough to protect them… she believed in her strength so blindly that she had become so vain and so careless. And this carelessness… it had costed the lives of her little ones.

“Are you ready?” Pathfinder asked softly, leading her to the Pool of Reincarnation.

Airi smiled with melancholy.

She deserved this.

She deserved to be punished.

“Yes.”

And with that, her first lifetime began.