Extra's POV: My Obsessive Villainous Fiancee Is The Game's Final Boss

Chapter 88: Life After Death

Ren gasped awake, feeling like he'd just broke the surface of the water after drowning for hours. It felt like he'd just been yanked away from the gates of oblivion. 

His breath came in ragged bursts, and for a moment, he felt like he was drowning in the cold air of the room.

In an instant, Thorn and Elias were at his bedside, their expressions relieved at the sight of him actually waking up.

"Ren!" Thorn exclaimed, stepping forward. "Thank the heavens! You're awake!"

Elias breathed shakily, like a man that had just seen his salvation. "Took you long enough."

Ren blinked, trying to sit up, but his entire body felt wrong. His limbs were heavy, his movements sluggish, and yet somehow, he wasn't in pain. 

His eyes widened as his last memory floated into being in his head. His hands trembled as he reached for his chest, his fingers ghosting over where the wound stood, a thin line where his heart had been pierced.

But there was no pain. No heartbeat.

His stomach twisted. "What happened?" He turned to the two men. "And where's Lilith?"

Thorn and Elias exchanged glances before Thorn spoke. "You died, Ren."

Ren sucked in a breath. The memory grew clearer. Him and Lilith dancing in the rain, enjoying the festival, before…

Lilith's smile, then pain. 

He clenched his fists. "How am I still alive?"

Elias sighed. "Lilith. She did something to bring you back. We don't know how, but she saved you."

Ren's eyes moved around the place with a frown. "Where is she? Where's Lilith."

Something was wrong. She should be here.

"When Lilith killed your attacker…" Thorn paused, like he had no idea how to say it. "Her attack killed a few bystanders. So, the palace arrested her for murder."

"The palace?" Ren didn't need to be told twice. He swung his legs off the bed, attempting to stand. "I need to go to her—"

His knees buckled the moment he tried to move, and as he fell, his hand shot out, grabbing onto the chair beside the bed.

Crack!

The chair shattered beneath his grip, splinters flying in all directions.

Stunned silence filled the room.

Ren stared at the broken wood in his hand, his chest rising and falling as he breathed heavily. His mind reeled. That shouldn't have happened.

"Ren…" Thorn said, his voice filled with both wonder and a bit of fear. "You just crushed that like it was nothing."

Ren flexed his fingers, feeling something he should have noticed. While he was currently weak, there was a feeling of unnatural strength hiding underneath it. His entire body felt different.

He shook his head. That didn't matter right now. "I can't waste time. I need to get to Lilith."

"She's at the palace, Ren." Thorn frowned. "And you can't even stand on your own two feet. How are you going to get there in this state?"

Ren ignored him, closing his eyes.

The coin.

Lilith always had it on her. If he could just teleport—

He reached out to the coin shining at the back of his mind and the moment he tried to activate it, he felt it.

Weight.

His blood felt like liquid iron in his veins, sluggish, resisting him. It wasn't painful, but it was different.

I've changed. The realization dawned on him. I really did die. And now… I've changed.

But he didn't have the time to dwell on that. He had to get to Lilith.

The pull was sluggish, harder to control than usual. It felt like his body resisted the call of his own Bloodbinding, as if something inside him had changed the way it functioned.

Then. he moved.

The world shifted, and when he opened his eyes, his room was gone and surrounding him was damp, cold stone. The scent of metal and mildew filled his nostrils.

A cell.

And in front of him—

"Ren!"

Lilith's cry broke through the haze as she lunged forward, throwing her arms around him.

His arms instinctively wrapped around her, his fingers burying into her damp hair. She trembled against him, her body pressed close, as if she needed to confirm he was really there.

"You're alive." She whispered, her voice thick with emotion. "I— I thought—"

Ren held her tighter. "I'm here, Lilith. You saved me."

She pulled back slightly, her hands gripping his face, tears falling down her face. "I—" She choked, "I almost lost you."

He exhaled shakily, brushing his fingers along her cheek, wiping away her tears. "You didn't. You brought me back."

Her lips quivered, and before he could say anything else, she pulled him into another embrace.

They stayed like that for almost a minute, Lilith crying into his chest and him consoling her. They just held each other in the silence of the cell, the cold walls and iron chains forgotten.

Finally, Lilith pulled back. "You shouldn't be here. If they catch you—"

"Let them." Ren almost snarled. "I'll get you out, Lilith. I'll find a way out for you, even if I have to break you out myself."

She smiled at him, a watery smile. "That's a terrible plan."

He smirked. "You love my terrible plans."

A soft laugh escaped her lips at his words.

Ren pulled away slightly. "It was the palace soldiers who arrested you, right?"

"Yes." Lilith answered. "A—" Lilith drew in a breath. "A few nobles died from—" She choked.

"It's okay, Lilith." Ren drew her into his arms once again. "It's going to be okay."

He stroked her hair for a few seconds before pulling back. While it was suspicious that the palace soldiers had been the ones to respond first, there was only one person he knew enough in the palace to get help from.

He looked into Lilith's eyes, his determination burning in his eyes. "Trust me. I'll fix this. I'll get you out."

She held his stare for a moment before nodding. "I trust you."

Ren leaned forward, pressing a kiss to her forehead before stepping back. He exhaled, closing his eyes.

Teleport.

The resistance was still there, but this time, it was easier. The moment he felt the shift, he let the power take him, and when he opened his eyes, he was back in his room.

Thorn and Elias both looked at him expectantly.

"She's fine. She's in a cell." Ren said. "I'm getting her out."

Thorn crossed his arms. "What do we have to do?"

Ren took a steady breath. "I'll strike a deal."

Elias narrowed his eyes. "With who?"

Ren met his gaze, his eyes hard.

"The Penny Prince."