Manten no Sekai

In an old abandoned church, she walked in through the door. Her outfit was not the gracious dress of a bride but rather just a white curtain, tattered and torn, wrapped around her body. The bouquet of flowers was just a handful of flowers randomly plucked. He stood in front of the altar waiting for her. His outfit wasn’t fine either. His tuxedo was torn in various places and even the left sleeve is missing. Blood stained can be seen on the shirt beneath the tux. She walked until she was beside him. The person behind the altar wasn’t a priest, but just their friend who had been with them for a long time.

The friend looked at them and began the ceremony.

“Do you take her to be your wife? To be true to her in good times and in bad, in sickness and in health? Will you love her and honor her for all the days of your life?”

“I do,” he says.

“Do you take her to be your wife? To be true to her in good times and in bad, in sickness and in health? Will you love her and honor her for all the days of your life?”

“I do,” she says.

“I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may now kiss the bride.”

He looked at her and smiled. She smiled back at him. They wrapped their arms around their partner and kissed. It was a sweet and blissful moment for the two of them. They had been through a lot to get to this moment. Even the friend shed a tear of joy for them.

The two of them moved to the middle of the area and began dancing. The moonlight shone directly on them through a hole in the roof. As they dance, they thought about their first meeting. How he accidentally ran into her when turning a corner. How he spilled coffee on her dress and then tried to wipe it off her body. How she yelled at him for touching her at the wrong places.

She began to become slightly translucent. He noticed it but said nothing.

“It’s about time.” The friend said.

“Just let me finish this dance.” She said with tears in her eyes.

He gripped her hand tighter, afraid of losing her. They continued their dance. They began thinking of how they got together. She was being harassed by a drunken man on the street. She tried to push him away but the drunken man’s grip was strong. He saw her being harassed and jumped in to help her. He pushed the drunken man away, held her hand and ran. They ran until they can run no more. Panting, their eyes met. And then they both laughed. They laughed and laughed. He was still holding her hand. And that continued until he sent her home.

She is now semitransparent. The friend looked at her anxiously. Time is running out. He held on even tighter. Tears are flowing down both their cheeks. Yet they continued dancing, trying to stay in the moonlight. They began to recall their first separation. Her father did not like him. And his father did not like her either. Her father opposed of their relationship and so did his. But they knew they were made for each other. Their love for each other was true. They met in secret and enjoyed each other’s company. Until the day her father found out that they were meeting in secret. He was beaten up by guards hired by her father and she was locked up in her room. His father threw him out of the family for continuing their relationship despite his objections. They were physically separated but their hearts remained connected.

She is now almost transparent. The friend’s look was increasingly worried. He wrapped his arms around her and she did the same. They were hoping that the moment would last forever. They began reminiscing the events that led to their reunion. War had broke out across the country. Their city was caught right in the middle of it. This gave him a chance to get to her. Riots were everywhere and looters and pillagers were ransacking everything. He followed a group of rioters to her house. In the midst of chaos, he slipped in to find her. The guards were fighting with the rioters, the rioters are fighting against each other and he was fighting everyone who stood in his way. But she was nowhere to be found. He found a note in her room. The note was written in a code they made together. Their friend helped her to escape from the house and was waiting for him at the abandoned church. The fighting was intense, and the house was set ablaze by rioters. He made it out of the house but he was seriously wounded. Blood stained his shirt as he stumble towards the meeting place. He slumped to the ground when he finally reached the church. Life was slipping away from him. She cried when she saw the condition he was in. Not willing to lose him, she made a pact with the devil. Her soul in exchange for his full recovery. Their friend asked her to reconsider but her decision is made. She was willing to sacrifice anything and everything for him.

He regained consciousness and found himself in her arms. He smiled at her but his smile faded away when he saw the devil’s mark on her. He knew she sacrificed herself to save him. He was angry at himself for causing her to make such a decision. He cursed his uselessness but she smiled at him. She was glad that he was alright. She was happy that they were still able to spend some time together. She walked to the window and tore down the curtain. The curtain was tattered and torn. She wrapped it around her body and made a veil with another piece from the curtain. She walked outside and gathered some flowers.

Her outfit was not the gracious dress of a bride but rather just a white curtain, tattered and torn, wrapped around her body. The bouquet of flowers was just a handful of flowers randomly plucked. He stood in front of the altar waiting for her. His outfit wasn’t fine either. His tuxedo was torn in various places and even the left sleeve is missing. Blood stained can be seen on the shirt beneath the tux. She walked until she was beside him. The person behind the altar wasn’t a priest, but just their friend who had been with them for a long time.

“It’s time.” The friend said. She was almost invisible now.

“I love you. I always will.” She said.

“I love you too. And I always will.” He said, holding even tighter. Tears were flowing out of his eyes uncontrollably. They kept dancing and dancing and dancing and dancing. Until she was gone and his arms were holding himself.

“I love you.”