Denouement

finale

The blade pierced into her chest.

Her thoughts intertwined to focus on yanking the child from his rotten fingers rather than her own defense. She sprinted towards the kid, throwing the child towards her eldest brother before a gasp involuntarily left her body.

Her dark forest green eyes widened in disbelief while her small legs failed to stabilize onto the edge of the building. The metallic, bitter taste of blood filled her mouth, escaping her pink lips as her arms scrambled to grip onto the cold, thin air.

Fire roared from her hands, a gust of it trying to save its master as fear managed to spread through her gut before she could collect herself. Her fire interrupted the peaceful night sky while tears dripped down to blend with the blood in her mouth.

"Kaemen! Dakari!" she screamed the loudest she could, her hands trying to grab onto the sight of her brothers on the rooftop she had been moments ago. She attempted to pull out the knife, but it never budged. She could feel her powers being absorbed by the silver inside of her.

"Millicent!" Dakari and Kaemen peered over the edge, trying to use a combination of air and water to save their little sister, but they knew it wouldn't work.

They were meant to kill, not save.

Dakari tossed the boy to his mother behind him, urging them to sprint before anyone could notice. He tilted his hand as a wave of water sharply cut into the vision of the guards close to the mother, she managed to disappear from their very eyes.

Millicent shook her head and closed her eyes, an acceptance of the fate just a few seconds away. The last sight she wanted to see before she died was the view of her brothers, the only ones who loved her throughout her entire life —one filled with terror shielded by power and corruption, infecting them as children.

She whispered a thanks to her saints, her hand clenched around the dark ruby pendant gleaming dangerously onto her pale neck splattered with crimson blood. Her brothers returned to watch her, to be with her while they used their powers to intertwine and form a temporary shield around them.

She knew they would die for her, but they never knew that she'd do the same.

"Kaemen, Dakari. Can you hear me?" she attempted to communicate telepathically, hoping that her powers would still be strong enough to let her speak. Nyx always mentioned that strength would never beat will, there was never an impossibility.

Kaemen's veins filled with rage, tears streaming out of his dark eyes while he darted his eyes to the person in charge of all this. Dakari pulled Kaemen back, reminding him that they couldn't let their guard down despite the fact that their little sister was about to die before them.

"Yeah Halvek, we can hear you." Kaemen couldn't help the tears now pouring out of his eyes. Dakari bit his lip, his guns felt cold against his palms while he attempted to hold off on murdering everyone just to hear his sister for the last time.

"Mill, we're right here." Dakari forced himself to stay calm for her. He knew it would only scare her if they were frightened too. Millicent always reflected the same sense of stability that they did, it was natural since they were older. But Dakari refused to let Millicent feel fear when she died, he would never do that to her.

"You won the bet, Kae. I really am going to die first." Millicent attempted to joke, but sobered once she realized the ground was closer than it was before.

"Mill-"

"Thank you for watching over me throughout my life, I honestly don't know what would've happened if I didn't have the you two as my brothers. I love you both, you stupid Halveks." Millicent paused, trying to figure out the right words to say. "The war will never be over, but please promise that you'll finish this and escape to Fehary. You two deserve another chance just please—"

"We love you, Mill." Dakari began to cry, he wasn't stable enough to accept the fact that this was the last time he'd hear his sister badgering into his mind.

Kaemen clenched his fists while he tasted blood seeping through his lip as he bit it in anger and fear. "And we're right here, okay? You'll never be alone for fuck's sake, we won't leave you, Mill."

"I know."

A high-pitched sound pierced through their minds followed by a loud thud onto concrete.

Millicent died.

It was as if Kaemen and Dakari only saw blood —they hungered for it on their hands.

They became a cluster of violent winds and water torturing every living being on the rooftop. Their forces clashed so harshly that the building itself broke into shambles, concrete bashing onto bodies with rage within every hit.

Kaemen's sword and Dakari's guns attacked mercilessly. Their murders were subconscious since the only thing in their minds was the death of their little sister. They overkilled every living being on the rooftop, especially the one who betrayed them the most.

"She was just a kid." Kaemen spat. His sword jutting into their body. He twisted the blade forcefully, disgust and hatred splattered all over his emotions.

"You don't deserve a quick death," Dakari scowled, tilting his hand to cause water to fill the person's lungs slowly. "You deserve to feel the torture of everything being taken away from you.

"Stop-" the person begged but stopped when a gargle came out instead. Kaemen pulled on the sword and stabbed them again, his dark eyes turning a vibrant shade of gray.

"You took away our sister. We're going to take away the lives of everyone you've ever loved."

They never realized the damage they've committed until they were cradling their sister in their arms, her blood staining their button-ups. Her long black hair fell dull onto the concrete as her porcelain skin stained with red. Kaemen and Dakari clenched onto her lifeless body, sobs shaking out of them.

She wasn't supposed to die.

They were supposed to escape this horrid business and start fresh in Fehary.

They never thought things would end like this.

This time, there wasn't a banter after the mission. There wasn't a petty fight or celebration at the bakery. There wasn't a cuddle at each other's dorms once the stress got to them. There wasn't laughter to fill their ears as they attempted to view the brighter sides of things.

No, it was different this time.

This time, there was only two of them, not three.