Chapter 2 The Meaning of That Name Part 1

She slowly approached me, her eyes were with a strong conviction, the fact that her hair was silver, the fact she knew that name, it was proof enough, she is the same from one thousand years ago, someone who was supposed to be my sworn enemy from the moment my eyes meet with hers, that was 1 thousand years ago.

She stopped right before me, close enough for me to feel her breath, her eyes didn't stop staring mine even for a instant, her hand slowly moved and she put both her hands on my cheeks.

"You know? It's kinda uncomfortable to be grabbed like that by a menacingly powerful woman I just met"

"N-noncense! Saying I am menacing! And what is it "just met" you said?"

I looked away, not putting any strength to resist, it would be fruitless to do that considering my strength, the old lady seeing the scene choose to act.

"What a interesting couple exchange! But young ones, you should talk in a more private place, come beautiful lady, once inside, you two can talk properly!"

Listening to the old lady's words, Sakura noticed the curious gazes of the children and elder, she then turned to me and my pokerface sandwiched by her hands then taking a step back with lightly blushing cheeks of shame.

"I-im sorry! Please lead the way"

The 3 of us entered the old lady's house, it was a humble log house kept by the old lady alone, it had a kitchen, a room and the living room with a wood table, the old lady silently left to the kitchen, leaving us alone to talk.

"It really is you, ma..."

"I don't answer by that name, I am called 13, sorry to disappoint you, but i am not the person you think I am"

There was silence after I said that, her expression turned cold to me, as if she was preparing herself to attack me for tricking her, but she stopped herself and took a deep breath.

"You are lying, it's not about your appearance, your voice, posture, even the devilish eyebrows."

"Leave my eyebrows out of this!"

"Even your reaction is the same! You can't fool me saying you are not the savior"

"It's because I'm not him! Not even for a second I lied to you! We never met in person before after all!"

"Never in person...?"

After my blunder, i face palmed strongly, leaving a mark of my palm on my forehead, from all things to happen, meeting her, specially her from 1 thousand years ago was a huge mistake, specially in a situation I am completely powerless, she stared at me, now more confused than irritated.

"Do you remember when the savior gave you his name? The first time he told you his name?"

"Yes, Mamoru Peter 12th"

"Thirteen (13) means the number 13, i am the 13th, i am the 13th Mamoru to come to this world, in a figure of speech, we are "one soul split in 13", each one lived in a different era"

"It can't be..."

"It can, and it is, you must know by now, the situation with this world, the millennium repeating itself, same way as the history repeated itself 12 times with little to no changes, it is repeating again"

It was something hard to swallow, something close to impossible to anyone in this world to understand, unless that person lived over a millennium, over 12 times, one incarnation of myself awakened in this world, lived with the goal of ending the cycle imposed by "them" into this world, every last one of them failed, knights, brawlers, sages, wizards even jacks of all trades, 12 times we failed, leaving the powerless me as the world's last chance.

"A endless cycle of reincarnation, everyone you met before are back to they're lives the same way they were prior to meeting the savior, the only one you can't meet is him and only him"

"But, you are him!"

"Wrong, i am me, I don't have his skill with the sword, mastery of time magic, a fist that can break through a fortress, or the will power to wipe out over 2 thousand crusader ships with a sword and a stone forced on my spine, should be obvious by now, but i have not even a inch of power, my body is so weak, that the old lady was overpowering me a few minutes ago, the only thing I have is knowledge, knowledge about everything that happened on the past 12 times, but even that is unsure with you here, changing everything"

With those last words, she sat on her chair, her expression dark, as if all hope she had just vanished, as if seeing that as the moment, the old lady walked in with two cups of tea, i took my cup and calmly sipped it, the sweet taste filled my mouth as the heat warmed my insides, the tea was so tasty that I felt as if I didn't drink anything in over 1 thousand years.

"Magnificent"

"Such a exaggerated compliment, it's just a tea with herbs i sell, they aren't really expensive or hard to get everywhere"

"Still magnificent"

I turned to sakura and she was crying, tears rolled down her eyes as her lips parted with the cup, just seeing that hurt my heart, as if it was being stabbed by a cold metal spike, the old lady tried to approach her but i put a hand on her shoulder, she understood my signal and left the room once again.

"Did he... I always wondered if he did... But did he love me? Despite what... What happened to me... How i was..."

"I... He do, he blamed himself for what happened untill the last battle, he sacrificed himself to seal "that" for good, he wanted you to live on this time free from that scar, but I guess you outlived the cycle"

"He told me... That we would meet again... That he would take care of me when that time was to come..."

I took a deep breath to calm my heart, the storming feelings on my chest of guilt, sadness and sorrow were just a shield for what I wanted to keep in after all, the one thing I didn't tell her about the 13 Mamoru was burning inside of me all this time, the truth about who I am and what we are.

"You know? Such a menacingly beautiful lady shouldn't cry, doing that makes a star vanish from the sky"

She looked up to my face, knowing well that phrase, as it was told to her 3 times before, our eyes met and I smiled at her, something I didn't do even once since we met.

"Oh well, if it's his burden, then I guess it's left to me to drag you around, just don't complain if you get some scratches"