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As Anisha ran without stopping, her breath ragged and her heart pounding, she finally reached the palace gates. Scanning the area for Leah, her steps carried her farther into the shadows. Suddenly, strong arms wrapped around her, halting her frantic search.
"Anisha! What are you doing here?"
"Father?"
Anisha's eyes met her father's, red-rimmed and filled with unspoken sorrow.
"Fa-father? What happened? Where is Izana? Please tell me!"
"Go to your Palace now, it's not safe for you to be here."
He pleaded, his voice quivering with urgency.
"No, I won't go... Please tell me!"
Anisha's voice broke.
"Anisha..."
Her father mumbled, his voice trailed off into a painful silence.
Gently, he tried to guide her away from the Imperial Palace gates, holding her close as if to shield her from the harsh reality.
"No, please no! Let me meet him once, Father, please."
Anisha sobbed..
Amidst her cries, her gaze wandered upwards to the palace walls beside the gates.
At that moment, Anisha felt as though the world had come to a standstill. Her senses dulled, the world around her fading into a blur as the weight of uncertainty and despair settled heavily upon her, leaving her feeling lost and alone.
Atop the palace walls beside the gates, Anisha's eyes locked onto a chilling sight.
The lifeless heads of Izana and Lucas displayed for all to see, their faces pale and marked with the signs of their brutal end. The sunlight seemed to make the scene even more unbearable, casting stark shadows across their lifeless faces and highlighting the gruesome details of their execution.
The air grew thick with a metallic scent of blood, making it hard for Anisha to breathe. Time seemed to freeze, turning her limbs to stone, and rendering her unable to move or look away. Her heart pounded loudly in her ears, each beat echoing the cruel finality of their fate. She couldn’t cry anymore.
Leah arrived from the other side, her eyes widening in shock as she saw the devastating look of Anisha. Marquis Verita, standing beside Anisha, looked helpless looking at his daughter.
Anisha remained unresponsive, her gaze fixed unblinkingly on the grim display before her. Her eyes, once filled with hope, now reflected only pain and disbelief, mirroring the haunting image of Izana's bloodied face etched against the cold stone wall. The world around her blurred into insignificance as grief enveloped her, leaving Leah and Marquis Verita at a loss for how to comfort her in the face of such unimaginable loss.
Anisha felt an overwhelming emptiness enveloping her. Her thoughts were a jumbled mess, yet she focused on Izana's face before her.
‘Izana, did you wait for me? I'm sorry I couldn't make it on time... I'm so sorry...’
She talked inwardly with an expressionless face. As if her voice was taken away by the morning breeze.
‘Did it hurt a lot?
Is it too sunny up there?
Do you want me to take you down from there?’
Her questions were filled with a heartbreaking yearning, her face expressionless as she gazed at Izana's lifeless visage.
‘Izana... I knew about your lie regarding Harold. But I still played along. I knew you were worried for me, and so was I.
Did you look for me? Were you sad? Scared? Or were you happy that you'd finally got to meet your family? What? Tell me!’
Her head was full of these questions, yet her mouth didn't speak. The weight of regret and sorrow was evident in every word she thought.
Anisha's mind raced with a torrent of memories and what-ifs, all tangled in the harsh reality before her. The vibrant morning sun seemed to mock her, casting a glaring light on Izana's lifeless face.
‘Remember when we laughed together, Izana? When we dreamt of a future free from deceit and betrayal? I wish we could return to those moments. Didn't you say that you would take me to the night market and also let me see the fireworks celebration this Foundation Day?’
Her thoughts quivering with sorrow.
Tears welled in her eyes, blurring her vision, but she couldn't look away. The pain was too raw, too real.
‘Izana, my friend, you were a brother figure to me. Never in my whole life have I connected with someone this fast. Our thoughts, likes and dislikes, all were similar, it felt like we were a pair of twins.’
She kept talking to Izana in her mind, her words carried away by the soft morning wind..
She reached out a trembling hand towards the wall, as if trying to touch the face that haunted her thoughts. Her heart felt as though it had been ripped apart, leaving behind an abyss of loss and regret.
Anisha's gaze was fixed on Izana's lifeless face, a face that once held warmth and mischief, now drained of all vitality. His eyes, which once sparkled with life and laughter, were now closed, casting deep shadows on his pale cheeks. His lips, which used to curve into a gentle smile, were now still and silent, forever sealed in a haunting expression of pain and disbelief.
Each feature, so familiar and beloved, seemed to accuse the cruelty of fate, deepening the ache in Anisha's heart. It felt as if a sharp blade had pierced her very soul, leaving her heart ripped apart and bleeding with unending sorrow.
"Izana..."
She whispered brokenly, the weight of regret and loss pressing down on her like a crushing weight.
"I should have fought harder. I should have been there for you like you were always for me."
The world around her blurred into insignificance as the enormity of her loss consumed her, leaving her drowning in a sea of anguish and despair.
Anisha's legs gave way, but her father, Marquis Verita, caught her just in time, holding her as she collapsed in despair. Before slipping into unconsciousness, she heard her father's soothing voice,
"Don't cry anymore, my child...wake up now..."
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A/N :
I'm literally crying. Izana is a character I deeply cherished and crafted with immense love. It was really hard for me to kill my precious Izana like this..
I'm so sorry, Izana!
Hopefully, this time, Anisha won't let anything happen to you..
And guys, Don't forget to VOTE!!