For the 998th time, Rylee watched his girl die before his eyes.
The warmth of her body gradually faded, and with it, Rylee's heart grew colder.
Every time, the pain was excruciating. He had tried every strategy, yet he was always defeated by this curse. Why wasn't it him who died?
Rylee knew he couldn't die because who would save his girl if he did?
His subordinates saw their always-calm and composed commander display such despair, it was as if a living person had turned into a shell.
Despite the unexpected presence of an additional hostage, who had died unexpectedly, the mission was still considered a success. Why did the commander look like that?
No one dared to speak; time seemed frozen.
This anti-drug support mission had Rylee secretly monitoring the GPS he placed on the girl. She was supposed to be abroad. The reconnaissance team had reported only one hostage, who was the girlfriend of Aydin, a comrade who had died in the 319 International Drug Trafficking Operation. They believed the hostage was there for revenge.
After breaking through the defenses and resistance, they headed straight for the hostage. When Rylee found the unconscious Arely, another team discovered a second hostage in another room. Rylee thought the mission was over, but seeing Rhianna covered in blood being carried to the ambulance shattered him.
Unable to believe the reality, Rylee had failed to save his girl from death again.
Memories of the 319 operation flashed in his mind. Aydin had saved Rylee by pushing him away from a bomb thrown by a drug lord. Despite his grief, Rylee arrested the drug dealers, including a shaman who cursed him to lose his loved one forever.
Rylee lost his comrade Lin Ze that day, who sacrificed himself. Lin Ze's last wish was for Rylee to take care of his girlfriend, Arely. Rylee honored his promise, driven by his sense of duty.
Before, Rylee didn't believe in ghosts or fate.
But the day after he married Rhianna, he saw her lifeless body in the morgue.
During a subsequent counter-terrorism mission, at the brink of death, he glimpsed a rift in the space-time continuum. Surviving that mission, he vowed to save his girl.
Every photo of her was a stab to his heart. Hearing her name made him tremble.
His world lost its color without her.
Rylee often wondered if she would be safe if he hadn't joined that mission or pursued his career. He dreamed of a simple life with her.
With a resolve to defy fate, Rylee refused to drown in sorrow. He aimed to change destiny, even if it meant defying the physical laws.
Every time he crossed over, it was a struggle against death, a pain that couldn't match the agony of losing her. He didn't know how long he had spent in the darkness, but when he opened his eyes, he saw his girl peacefully beside him, on the second day of their marriage.
He thought foreseeing everything would save her.
But he was wrong, watching her die repeatedly before him.
Can human plans really not overcome fate? Rylee didn't believe it.
Every time, Rylee knew he was altering that immutable timeline, albeit with minimal effects. Yet, the power of the curse also seemed to wane with each crossing.
On his 398th crossing, he encountered a brahmin who told him that defying fate would exact an unimaginable price.
Rylee's ability to glimpse the rift in time was an accident, and the rift's energy was immense. Only someone with Rylee's Extraordinary soul strength could endure such crossings, driven by sheer willpower.
The monk had asked Rylee, "Even if you save the one you wish to protect, what then? The fate is immutable. Your obsession will only lead to nothing, and you may never find harmony in time and space."
But Rylee simply shook his head. He had to save Rhianna, no matter what happened to him because she deserved to live happily under the bright sun.
Even if it meant he would drift eternally in a void, never meeting her in the same timeline again.
Saving her was his life's sole purpose.
After countless attempts, Rylee even tried cutting all ties with Rhianna, disappearing from her life.
But the curse was not so easily thwarted. Rylee realized that unless he took drastic measures, he would indeed lose her forever.
Over hundreds more crossings, Rylee had to guard against revenge from the criminal organizations he had once fought, forcing him to distance himself from Rhianna.
He could only protect her from the shadows, even if it meant she would no longer love him due to their misunderstandings. This, perhaps, was the unpredictable price the brahmin had spoken of.
But this time, he had finally saved her.
He had taken all the bullets for her, his flesh and vision blurred, but she was safe in his arms.
Rylee knew the curse was broken.
Now, his only hope was to vanish from her life and memory completely.
Only then could she laugh without tears under the radiant sun, as vibrant as ever.
After all, love conquers all!
