Play In Darkness (Eng/END)

51. Hope

Darkness enveloped as the full moon began to be covered by clouds. The cold air that night made Imdad's body numb. Only the first prick made him feel pain. Prick after prick that struck the next one was only a loud clattering sound. His body bent at Aftab's waist, allowing the man to freely stab the knife in his back, many times.

"No, no!" Delisha let out a sigh, climbed off Devdas back and ran towards Imdad. The pain in her ankle was ignored. The golden glow from Imdad's body became the indicator for her steps which collided rapidly with her heartbeat.

"Aftab?" Devdas was flabbergasted and did not move from his position.

Aftab's blaring laughter shows his satisfaction in torturing Imdad in such a way. He did not notice Delisha approaching and as fast as lightning closed the muscles of his movement so that his body froze with his hands held up holding the knife. Aftab's eyes were wide open to see the woman clinging to Imdad's body.

Delisha grabbed Imdad's body to her chest and sat on the ground.

"Imdad, no, no, no! No!" Delisha exclaimed in a trembling voice while shutting off Imdad's blood streams to stop the bleeding. Delisha knew very well that the wounds were too many and deep. The hair on her neck stood up as if it hurt her own body. She bit her lip holding back tears. However, tears continued to flow from the corners of her eyes.

Imdad stared wistfully with his mouth open, but he could not utter a word. His breath caught. His bloodstained fingers rose trembling to grab Delisha's face. He stared into Delisha's teary eyes. His own gaze darkened. He heard what Delisha said at that time. Forget me forever ... you and I will never be together, Imdad.

When his fingertips touched Delisha's cheeks and her warm tears, Imdad smiled faintly. Delisha's sad face was not the face he wanted to remember. He will forget about her in the easiest way. Closing your eyes and welcoming the darkness, forever.

"No!" Delisha gave a short exclamation as she saw Imdad's eyelids closing. She rubbed Imdad's cheeks trying to warm the icy body. "Imdad, open your eyes, Imdad!" She said in panic. The golden light on the man's body dimmed.

"Devdas, do something! Do something!"

Devdas jolts to his senses after being stunned to see Aftab. He immediately went to Delisha and knelt beside Imdad. He spread his palms across Imdad's chest, trying to channel his black energy into Imdad's body. But the black substance that came out of Devdas hand just evaporated and disappeared into the air, refusing to enter Imdad's body.

Aftab burst out laughing. "Finally he died!" exclaimed Aftab excitedly. Devdas turns to him. "What have you done, Aftab?" accused Devdas with a sharp gaze at him.

"Oh, why? Did I do something wrong, boss?"

"Bastard! I didn't make you do this!" snapped Devdas as he stood up with clenched fists.

"Boss, I'm doing this for you, boss. You used to tell me to kill her so you can be with the woman you want!"

"Not like this!"

"Don't you want Imdad Hussain to die long ago?"

"That was before he met Chandni! Bastard!" Devdas lunges at Aftab and grabs him by the neck. The man was unable to move, but still managed a scornful smile.

Seeing the man's cruel and fiery eyes, Devdas did not recognize Aftab anymore. He gave Aftab Nigrum Mortem. Nigrum Mortem can restore body condition and prevent death. Also put the person under his control, but he didn't expect the effect to be like this. Aftab becomes a monster out of control.

"Finally you can be with the woman you want, boss!" shouted Aftab as Devdas lifted himself by the neck.

"Not like this !!" shouted Devdas, sticking his nails and tearing Aftab's neck. "Aaaakhh !!" Devdas shouted as loudly as he could as Aftab's head separated from his body and black frozen blood splashed onto Devdas face and drenched his chest. Aftab's body and head lay on the ground. Devdas stood with a roaring breath. His face was scornful. Not in other people, but in himself, as if watching the beautiful palace he had built so painstakingly crumbled in an instant due to his carelessness.

Seeing Imdad's body slowly lose its golden glow, Delisha held Imdad tightly as if trying to prevent the glow from extinguishing like a diya flame fading in the wind. Tears flowed unstoppable. "No, Imdad, no, please, don't go ..." she sobbed exasperatedly. Imdad's blood soaked her body, drowning her in a puddle of pain and regret. Her heart screamed, hoping this was all a dream. She prays this is just a dream.

Suddenly, her vision became pitch black. In that darkness, Delisha saw a golden light hovering before her eyes. The light radiated a warm feeling around him as if Imdad was with him. Delisha smiled bitterly and scared while trying to reach the light carefully. Her fear became real. The light moved away from him, flew higher and then darted out of sight.

Delisha gasped. Imdad's body in her arms no longer glowed golden. She held Imdad's body tightly. "No ...," she cried heartbreakingly. "No ...."

Hearing that cry, Devdas body reacted bitterly. Moving stiffly as if hundreds of knives had pierced his body. He turns to his Chandni who is lamenting the body of another man. Her lover who died because of him. Immediately out of the corner of his eye, black liquid flowed out, his own tears.

Is this the end? He asked himself. Chandni, who was an inch away from reaching for him, is now again very far away. Even further than the 250 years of waiting. Devdas wanted to embrace the trembling shoulder, but he could not do it.

If he had known Chandni would suffer in such a way, he hoped she would never remember him. Now he is remembered not only as her life saver, but also as the killer of her lover.

***

I wish I had the power to control time and turn this around.

I hope this is all a dream and wake up feeling all right.

I wish I had 3 wishes the angels could grant.

I wish I had an engine to turn on the dead.

I wish I was allowed to enter the realm of the dead and go there to fetch my beloved's spirit.

There are many hopes that humans can express to achieve their desires. Some believe it could be true, some argue that such hopes exist only in fairy tales. It crossed in her mind, Kimberly could save Imdad, just like when she was saved by that woman. But before that time comes, time is running out and she must move on. Delisha knew she had to stand up to face all of these miseries.

Dieder and 5 officers arrived at the location and saw Delisha in tears, sitting hugging Imdad's body. They were silent for a moment. They received confirmation that the situation was safe a few minutes ago as if it was a lie. Their leader was found lifeless. A body with its head separated and the presence of the CEO Star Corp in such a condition made Dieder and his men aim their weapons at Devdas. "Raise your hands!" exclaimed Dieder.

Devdas turned to the man and snorted. They were better off shooting him than having to raise his hands to surrender.

"Sir, I am warning you, raise your hand or we will shoot!"

"Who do you think you're going to shoot, huh?" Said Devdas.

Dieder c****d his gun followed by his men.

Devdas was about to shout at the people but hearing Delisha's voice, he fell silent. "Leave this place, Devdas!" said the woman coldly without turning to him.

"Miss?" Dieder looked questioningly at Delisha.

"Leave this place!" Delisha repeated.

"But I ..."

"You killed the man who killed Imdad Hussain, so ... there's nothing more you can do here," Delisha interrupted. "Our officers will handle everything ...." That was the most polite insult Devdas had ever heard. Not to forget that the woman also added, "Thank you for your help, Mr. Star Tailes!"

Devdas stepped back. A bitter smile crossed his lips. He was not asked to take responsibility. Instead, he was told to leave, even the woman refused to look at him. He wanted to insist on being there, by Chandni's side. He wants her to scold him, punish him, injure and kill him dozens of times, or hundreds of times if that keeps him by Chandni's side, he will live with it. That's better than getting kicked out like a street dog.

Without a word spoken, Devdas withdrew into the darkness of the night, leaving the place with the fragments of his hope. There is only a big question in him, is there still a chance for him to have Chandni?

After Devdas disappeared, Dieder lowered his weapon, followed by his men. He went over to Delisha and handled Imdad's body while she got up from her seat. The smell of blood stung the woman's body. The dark t-shirt and trousers she was wearing were wet and heavy with blood.

Delisha walked away from the place with a blank look as if she had lost light. There was no longer the golden glow she used to see in Imdad. Imdad never knew he was the only man, so normal to her eyes. Now all she would see was various kinds of animals and spirits. Delisha returned to her dark days, cursing her eyesight.

Arriving at the camp, Delisha immediately cleansed her body with potluck bathwater. Next, she wore a clean T-shirt and pants, free of blood.

Before the bodies of the intruders and Imdad's body were packed, she took the time to inspect the bodies herself. The bodies were put in the cabin for a while before aides from the military camp arrived. Delisha refuses to examine Imdad's body. Dieder did it. She chose to examine the bodies of Janwar, Aftab, and 3 other intruders. Apart from the attention of other officers, she has entered blood samples from the bodies into the substance processor on her cellphone. The phone has a hidden four-dimensional space that can be used to store micro quantities of samples and other materials.

After checking out, she secluded herself in a special tent for Imdad at the camp. Sitting at the desk that Imdad used. Delisha looked calm sipping coffee. She lit a cigarette, inhaled deeply, and then exhaled thick smoke from her lips. She stared coldly at the three objects lined up in front of her. The items Dieder gave her. These objects were found among Imdad's body. His bronze coins, a knife decorated with red gemstones, and a small box covered in velvet with a white gold ring studded with diamonds were embedded in the center of the box. The inside of the lid says 'Delisha, will you marry me?'. Meanwhile, the lining of the ring is engraved with the words Love Of My Life.

Delisha's breath shook against tears. She immediately looked away from the ring. She chose to pick up the knife that Aftab had used to kill Imdad. She recognized the knife. The same knife that was used to kill her in her previous life. In the past, Chandni and Rajputana had the protection of the Devdas mantra to avoid death. The presence of this armament must have something to do with it. She scans the knife with her mobile. Found traces of gold along the blade. Gold is often used for magical purposes or against magical powers.

Bipbib!

Her cell phone rings. Delisha rushed to open her cell phone because it was a notification of the results of the analysis of blood samples from Aftab and his colleagues. She made a comparison of the substances in the blood of Aftab, Janwar, two of Aftab's colleagues with Professor Sisilia's database, namely samples from the Edward Chen case.

Nigrum Mortem is only found in Aftab and Edward Chen. While there is one substance with the code U666 found in all bodies. U666 is a substance used to influence a person's mind. Substances that make a person overly aggressive. The combination of Nigrum Mortem and U666 that made Aftab and Edward Chen turn into monsters after death. In Edward Chen's case, the additional Grade S content made the man mutate more progressively.

Delisha interlocked her fingers and rested her chin. At first, she thought that the Nigrum Mortem parasite in Devdas' body was the cause, it turned out that there was another substance riding Nigrum Mortem's side effect, namely U666. If Devdas was only a pure user of Nigrum Mortem, it meant someone else had put U666 on Aftab and Edward Chen. Doesn't that mean that someone has been using Devdas for hidden purposes?

Devdas couldn't possibly order anyone to kill her. And as the man admitted, he didn't want Imdad's death either. But what is happening now is the opposite. Delisha could only deduce one thing. Some parties don't want her to be close to Devdas and that person is most likely to know the history of Devdas, Chandni, and Rajputana's relationship. That means that person also knows the reincarnation of herself and Imdad.

Delisha gasped. Could it be, someone from the past? Who?