flow freely. Meanwhile, Naomi just stood there, watching
Chapter 25
Next came the whipping. As the whip struck James‘ body, vivid red welts bloomed across his skin. It was made even more striking by the rain.
Blood streamed from beneath his white shirt, pooling on the ground,
The rain poured harder and harder. Floating nearby, Naomi watched each whip strike, every strike leaving behind a line of blood. Her heart began to
waver.
She paced in agitation, circling back and forth in midair.
The priest, sensing something shifting, hurriedly ordered a large candle to be brought forward. He inserted several thick chunks of frankincense into the burner and lit them
However, the rain extinguished them almost instantly.
Frantic, he changed them out and shielded the new ones with an umbrella, carefully lighting them again.
This time, the moment the flames caught, the smoke billowed out, thick and swirling. It drifted toward the floating Naomi, slipping into her nostrils,
To her, it had no color and no scent, but it made her feel drowsy.
And then came the persistent prayer. The priest’s voice was steady and resonant as he turned his rosary beads. It was the rebirth prayer.
By now, James, wracked by fever, shocks, and brutal dragging, had long since reached his physical limit.
As the smoke from the frankincense thickened, Naomi closed her eyes. She felt a strong force pulling her forward.
When she opened them again, she found James‘ face, filled with joy, staring at her.
“Naomi! Naomi, can you see me? His voice rang out with hope, but Naomi didn’t respond Instead, she glanced at his feet.
James looked down and realized that he was floating as well
“Naomi… I’m sorry. I’ll be with you soon, okay?“!
Still, she said nothing. She simply turned away from him.
Panie crept into James‘ voice, and he softened his tone. “Naomi… please, look at me. It’s been so long since I last saw you. I miss you so much”
As he choked out his last sentence, Naomi finally turned to face him. She said icily, “Don’t come looking for me. I don’t want to see you.”
With that, she turned and tried to break free from the pull of the smoke, but James grabbed her arm.
“No!” the priest suddenly shouted, waving his hands through the air. “You must not make contact! Let go of her–now!”
If he hadn’t been facing the opposite direction, Naomi might’ve thought the priest had seen everything.
James let go, but his eyes were brimming with tears. He sobbed, “Naomi. I failed to protect you and let you suffer this mucli- But Naomi interrupted him, her voice full of loathing
“James, I hope your body rots with illness in this life. I hope you get trapped between life and death, unable to live, unable to die.” James never expected to hear those words. He opened his mouth to reply, only to be violently yanked backward by an unseen force.
He could only watch helplessly as Naomi drifted farther and farther away, her form dissipating in the sky.
At that moment, James‘ face twisted in anguish and despair. His brow furrowed, and tears streamed down his cheeks, falling uncontrollably to the ground. He wiped at them wildly, but they only flowed faster.
Even his legs began to give out. He could barely hold himself upright.
e they were
He wanted to chase after her, hold her hand, tell her how much he loved her, and how desperately he needed her. However, his feet felt like made of lead. He couldn’t even move an inch.
Finally, James let out a scream of pure agony. It sounded as if it came from the depths of his soul, filled with endless sorrow and regret.
He collapsed, clutching his head with both hands, trembling like a helpless chikt.
“Why? Why…” he asked himself again and again, but no answer ever came.
He knew that if was too late. Everything was beyond codemption. He had lost her forever.
“It’s done. The rebirth prayer has taken effect. You’ve seen her. Let it end here.
The men around him finally breathed a sigh of relief and helped James up from the ground.
But James was hollow–eyed and completely broken. His gaze was fixated on the spot where Naomi had vanished.
The rain began to ease, but he suddenly collapsed and fell unconscious,
Panic erupted as someone called for an ambulance
Within just a month, the once–powerful, publicly admired James Payne vanished without a trace. His businesses fell apart one by one
217
James now lay in a hospital bed, hooked up to nutrient drips.
After that night, he became completely bedridden. He suffered from partial paralysis, resulting in an asymmetrical face. He was barely able to take care of
himell
His hands trembled so badly that he often spilled his meals all over the sheets.
He looked like a trail old man, his face marred by numerous scars.
Some were from the self–inflicted torture. Others were from when he had unknowingly slashed himself with a fruit knife in moments of confusion.
Mast days, he behavede a fool, only mattering one word repeatedly-“Naomi.”
By the end of the month, his treatment funds had dried
- p. No one came to renew them.
- but onto the streets, surviving only by clawing through dirt or digging th
was thrown trash for scraps.
He was all skin and bones and reeked so terribly that anyone who came near him would beat him senseless.
in
the freezing depths of winter, James finally succumbed to illness and died in agony.
No one came to claim his corpse. In the rod, he was discarded in the wild.
And when spring cane, wild dogs, drawn by the scent, gnawed his corpse clean.
Under the beant blue sky of spring, a white egret spread its wings and began a brand new life.
