"No matter how much suffering you went through, you never wanted to let go of those memories." – Haruki Murakami
Soft breeze, warm wind; the afternoon blow was mild. There was a fragrance in the air that soothed her senses; her nose took a waff of its mild scent. Soft whispers mumbled in the distance as much as curiosity roamed the afternoon air; the sun had just gotten off its high throne.
Slowly, her eyelids rose to greet the world, finding herself in a very unfamiliar setting. Her mind was a blur, nearly forming incoherent words to explain what she felt; her eyes scoured her surroundings, looking for her two companions. Realising their lack of presence, she bolted up in a panic as her eyes panned from left to right as her heartbeat pulsated uncontrollably.
I need to get them! She reminded herself as she swung her legs off the comfortable bed she was in, then looked down on her clothing and found herself wearing a drab of what seemed like a very old night gown; it almost looked like a potato sack to her if not for the fancy linen.
"What am I wearing?" she nearly shouted, but dismissed her thoughts as she looked for the door; seeing double doors, she paced towards it and gripped both handles to pull it open. Frantic, she rushed out of the room and found herself bumping into someone, who held her by the shoulders before she could even fall; her eyes wandered up to meet the person in front of her. "Cecil?"
Cecilia smiled at her, "Calm down, Shepard," she soothed as Hailey looked at her and realised what happened; the young fae's eyes watered immediately and hugged her as she softly sobbed. She patted her head and pulled her close, trying to soothe her as she whispered; "There, there. Don't cry."
"I'm sorry," Hailey sobbed on her chest as Cecilia tried not to break down as well, "I'm sorry, Cecil."
Cecilia tried to calm her down, "Hey, hey, just calm down," she pulled back and saw her hung her head in regret, "What's wrong?" she told her as she held her hand and led her down the long hallway of the mansion they were in. "Just take deep breaths to calm yourself, Hailey."
The young fae managed to nod as she tried her best not to dwell on what she experienced; there was enormous regret her chest at both Jesslyn and Katherine. Her chest swelled with apprehension with each step she took, unable to face the world of its serenity; her mind was convoluted with thoughts of the two people she left behind in the other world.
One of them yet live, whilst the other, she was uncertain. The thought of Jesslyn being dead sent her heart in anxiety; there was a need inside her to go back and get both of them back. Zander has not shown himself to her as well, he would often be the first person she would talk to when she wake, but recently he has been giving her so much space; she appreciated it, but at that moment, she wanted him to be there and tell her what to do.
Can she even do anything?
Right now, the energies of both realms are swirling as she felt the ground shake ever so slightly that Cecilia offered a small smile that told her not to mind it; even when the earth shakes, she can feel her own body slowly crumbling inside at the thought of the duo's disappearance. Her mind cannot fathom the uncertainty of their condition that was slowly driving her mad.
The silence became a nuisance to Cecilia, making her look at the young teen next to her; forlorn was evident in her listless eyes – regret seemed to have engulf her soul. The dark amber eyes she once saw full of life was slowly cracking in front of her, turning into a lifeless, dull grey; it was as if the whole world had shattered in front of her.
"Shepard, try not to think about it too much," Cecilia spoke with concern in her voice, "Whatever it is you think you did, I'm sure there's something you can do to make it right."
You don't understand...
"I know that you're in a difficult position right now," Cecilia tried to comfort her by patting her head, "But try not to worry yourself to the point of blindness," she explained as she put an arm around her shoulders to jolt her a bit as if to shake her frown away, "You can't find the answer if your eyes are closed, Hailey."
There are no answers for this...
"You might think that there's no answer," Cecilia squeezed Hailey's shoulder that made the teen look up at her, "But never forget that you're not alone," she explained as she offered her a small smile just as she heard faint giggles and muffled cries, "You have us to rely on," she continued as they halted in front of a tall double door, where soft chatter could be heard within, "Life may seem to let you down, but life will always try to cheer you up."
Placing a hand on the knob, Cecilia twisted it down and pushed the door open, allowing the muffled cries of infants escape the room; chatter blasted out of the room as Hailey heard several people cooing within. Her eyes bore curiosity as she diverted her gaze away from Cecilia, who had gone inside and approached the master of the house.
"Ah, Hailey Shepard is awake," the familiar woman she saw earlier spoke with a smile; there in her arms, lie an infant asleep. Next to the blonde woman was the once feared master of the house, lying in her bed with two infants on each arm as love dawned her eyes at both of them. "Come, meet my children."
"Why you gotta be so formal, Athena?" Cecilia rolled her eyes as she walked over to Thesalia, who was smiling lovingly at her new born children. She gently sat on the bedside and examined the two beautiful girls in her mother's arms before she cooed, "I want to pinch their chubby cheeks."
Thesalia looked up at Hailey, who seemed to be confused but amazed at the same time, "Don't you want to meet them?"
Sheepishly, Hailey looked away for a moment as Athena approached then placed a hand on her head to make her look up; she gestured for her to look at the new born child in her arms. A small tuff of curly blonde hair covered his head with a hint of sharpness in his eyes, but the light ambers in his irises made him kinder for a child; he was staring back at Hailey, who seemed to be astounded by his cuteness that, without her realising, had her hand on the little one's head, caressing it ever so gently.
"Cute isn't he?" Athena chuckled softly as she looked at her wife, "He looks like his beautiful mother over there."
Thesalia rolled her eyes, "He looks like you, kitty," then chuckled lightly, "I wouldn't be surprised if he turns out to be the next leader of assassins."
"I rather one of our daughters lead them," Athena replied in whisper, which only made Hailey smile at their somewhat trivial banter, "Ah, finally she smiled."
"Geez," a woman exhaled from behind as Hailey turned around, only to have her heart stabbed, "You really need to make signs which is where in this house of yours, Athena," she rolled her eyes and approached them, then looked at the little one in Athena's arms and spoke in a hush whisper, "Hey little guy, don't be like your mother okay?"
"I think she'll be an excellent mother," Hailey whispered that made her put a hand on her mouth as if she did not intend for those words to escape her lips. Athena just laughed as Itsuki rolled her eyes and patted Hailey's head; it almost peeved the fae, thinking that everyone was treating her like a child.
"Anyway, both of you should take it easy and read the instructions I gave you in the pamphlets," Itsuki reminded the parents of the triplets, "And I need the two of you to fill out the forms for their birth certificates," then hummed at the realisation, "Which reminds, what are their names?"
Athena looked at Thesalia, who was already looking back at her; they both smiled at each other as everyone waited for an answer. A knock came at the door which made everyone look, but Cecilia was the first to rise and answered to its call. Athena gave Hailey an upturned smile before she approached the bed to lay her son beside her mother.
"Well, we actually wanted to ask Jesslyn for some suggestions," Thesalia replied to Itsuki whilst her eyes looked at Hailey, who seemed to have frozen for a moment at the sound of the name. Thesalia and Athena already noticed that there was something amiss with her, but did not wish to pry, at least, not just yet.
"I'm sure she'd be happy to give some," Itsuki replied.
"Athena," Cecilia called out from the door, holding it open as she held a straight face, "I need you to step out for a moment."
Athena looked at Thesalia, who nodded at her. Athena kissed Thesalia on the head as much as she caressed her daughter's cheeks with the back of her fingers, before heading over to Cecilia, who almost had a grim look on her face; the master assassin did not mind her expression as they both left the room.
Itsuki pulled Hailey over to the bed, allowing the three of them to watch the newly born infants peer into the world. The eldest son seemed to be quietly observing the people around him, whilst Itsuki took him in her arms, slowly swinging him in her hold. Hailey could only muster a small smile at them, but could not shake the feeling of uneasiness.
"To have three kids on your first childbirth," Itsuki shook her head a little as if amazed, "Makes me wonder what both of you did to make this happen," she pursed her lips to one side whilst Thesalia merely blushed in response for a moment, "Relax, I'm not asking," she chuckled as Thesalia merely frowned back to her; she examined the little one in her arms, "You think he'd follow Athena's footsteps?"
Thesalia groaned at her question, "I rather that he doesn't," she replied honestly as she looked at Hailey, who seemed to be looking intently at Itsuki; she can feel the weight of her stare, at a guilt that seemed to be bothering her. A part of her wanted to listen to her thoughts, but instead, she just smiled and asked; "Want to hold him?"
"No, I-" Hailey stammered as she turned to look at Thesalia, who offered her a kind, reassuring smile. "I'm afraid I might," she paused as Itsuki looked up to her before she whispered, "Let him down."
"Here," Itsuki looked at her and carefully handed the little one over to her, making Hailey raise her arms almost immediately, "Put your hand here behind his neck to support it," she instructed as Hailey carefully placed her hands where necessary as Itsuki instructed her carefully, "And voila, you're now holding him properly."
Calmed, Hailey held the baby close as she looked at him, examining him further as he too looked back at her as if wondering who she was. A smile came on her lips as she noted how the baby resembled both of his parents; his eyes bore the hue of her birth mother and the light hair of her other mother. She can see the semblance of the two in him, almost making her think of her own, at how she may have a child of her own.
"Wish Jess was here," Itsuki exhaled out of her nostrils as she made a small frown, nearly nostalgic, "She would have tried to kidnap your baby by now," she jested as Thesalia merely raised a brow at her, "Oh, you know she would."
Thesalia frowned, "I don't doubt that," then looked at her son, "But I'm pretty sure his father won't allow it."
"Sparking the rivalry once again," Itsuki giggle as Thesalia joined in, making her reminiscence about the years before, at the time when Jesslyn and Athena fought over her; now, they have another reason to fight over, but she would very much want them not to fight over her kids. Thesalia had intended Jesslyn to be the god mother of her children, hoping that she would say yes to it.
The baby in Hailey's arms yawned which made her look at the Thesalia, who looked at Itsuki, who took the baby from her arms; she watched as Itsuki gently laid the baby in the crib. There was a pang of guilt in Hailey's chest as she watched Itsuki looked almost longingly on the child; she can feel the love in the air just from looking at her, making her chest swell even more at the sin she had done her.
Staring at her, she can sense every emotion from Itsuki and only added to the pain in her chest. All that emotion – of a love that bore no bounds – overflowed just from her smile; the thought of having to tear that happiness away from her would devastate her, leaving only a barren husk of a person. Hailey knew not how to confront her of the truth, but she wanted to stay away from her as much as possible.
I can't do this, she thought as she clenched her fist to lower her gaze, ready to leave the room. Before she could even take a step, there was a knock on the door; it caught the room's attention as the door opened before them. Athena came back with a serious look on her face, but upon seeing her wife, her eyes softened by a mere fraction; her piercing blue gaze turned to Hailey, who felt her spine shiver at her sight.
"Can I borrow you for a moment?" Athena asked as she tilted her head a bit, smiling. It took Hailey a second to nod as she felt uneasy walking towards her; the feeling of anger managed to pop into her head, but dismissed it. She walked past Athena, who held the door open for her whilst she had her eye on her wife and said; "Get some rest, my love. You've had a long long day."
"Half of that long is no thanks to you," Thesalia reminded her as Athena merely chuckled at the thought, aware that she was referring to her being pregnant because of her in the first place. Athena just winked at her before closing the door, making sure it clicked before she faced Hailey, only for her eyes to give her a confused look.
"Follow me," Athena instructed as she led the way down the hall, keeping her head high as Hailey trailed behind her. Their footsteps bounced from wall to wall, almost making the silence between them bearable; with each step she took, her heartbeat hastened in anxiety and made her wonder why Athena needed her.
There was a feeling in her gut that told her that they already knew by this point, but a part of her hoped that they merely wanted to know what happened, at why she suddenly appeared in the garden of Thesalia's mansion, then suddenly fell unconscious; all of it would make anyone suspicious, especially for her sudden appear out of the blue like that.
After a long hallway, they descended a spiral staircase and passed by a few other people, who bowed quickly at the sight of Athena; the master assassin nodded at them silently, even offering a smile to them even though her servants have not. Some even greeted her, but she could only smile as though she was holding back her tongue from speaking – words that wanted to come out yet she did not wish to.
As they descended two stories down, they once again entered a long hallway that had several doors on both sides. It almost made Hailey dizzy and wondered why they needed this much rooms for just the two of them; to be precise, she does not understand why the rich need to have a big home for too few people in their families.
After taking a right down the hallway, Athena stopped at the first door on her left then looked at Hailey for a moment before putting a hand on the knob. The young fae looked into her eyes that seemed to intimidate her, not by the sharp rounds of her eyes or the piercing blue irises she had, but for what lie in the other room; for all she knew, she would never return from the other side.
Turning the knob, Athena slowly opened the door and went in, allowing Hailey to catch a glimpse of what was inside; she could not see much from the light that came pouring out, almost blinding her as Athena stood the lights way, just for her to gesture her inside. The young fae swallowed her spit, feeling anxiety build up in her chest as she almost mistook it for fear.
Once she set foot in the room, Athena was quick to close the door behind her as Hailey turned to look at her, only to feel a hand on her neck; Athena had gripped her by the throat tight as she looked into her glaring eyes that spoke of anger, almost choking the young fae. She could feel the air escape her lungs making her thoughts panic in search for a solution, she tried to pry Athena's grip open, but much to her anticipation, she could not; a NoM as powerful as her could never lose or be over powered.
After ten full seconds, Athena let go of her, allowing her to sit on the group to catch her breath. She looked at her and merely shook her head, unable to understand how she could have done something outrageously extravagant for a mere faerie; she allowed Hailey to breathe as she walked past her to dim the lights of the window, allowing ample light to show what she had to show.
"You have five minutes to explaining," Athena threatened as Hailey looked up to her whilst holding her cringing neck. Hailey's eyes widened for a moment as she tried to get up, unable to believe what was before her; there on the bed was Jesslyn, sleeping underneath the sheets as though nothing had happened.
Joy filled Hailey's lung as guilt slowly escaped her heart, but her happiness was short lived; she approached Jesslyn and upon a much closer inspection, her complexion was as white as the sheets themselves. Her crisp skin that stuck to her bones as though her body was sucked dry of blood. Her eye sockets were hallow as if her life was drained of her, showing how much she endured in that realm; her body that now looks like a skeleton with skin, yet her pale lips were upturned, smiling as though she had had a good fight.
The clothes on her body were clean as though they were new. There were no signs of a struggle that were evident on them as much as her skin. There was not a single sign of blood stain on her or any bite marks of any sort to show that her blood was sucked out of her or any chant marks to show that it was seeped out of her forcefully. There was truly nothing that told them how all this could have happened, but only Hailey knew.
Fear suddenly returned as she recalled what happened, at how her escape, at how she lost Jesslyn and Katherine. Her mind began to swirl at that last glimpse of Jesslyn at how she was wearily fighting to escape, making sure that at least one of them could live to tell what happened there; even though that was what her emotions told her, Hailey does not know if she could bring herself to do so. Not after the last words Jesslyn whispered to her.
"Hailey," Cecilia spoke from the shadows and approached her, "One of the servants found her in the same place Athena found you this morning," she explained as she looked at the body on the bed, "We figured you would know what happened because it didn't seem like a coincidence to us that both of you are here now – a place that can't be reached by normal means."
"Will you tell us what happened?" she asked of her as she placed a hand on the young fae's shoulder, "She's our dear friend," her voice almost cracked as the memories of their banter came back to her, making her recall the last time they had a drink that made her grit her teeth at how long it was, "We deserve to know how she became like this."
Tears threatened to escape her eyes as she let go of those words, but put on a brave front, unwilling to break down in front of Athena, whom she knew was far more wounded than her. But both of them knew that there would be someone who would have a much graver pain inside of them; this was something they knew not how to face – especially when the one who was left behind was none other than the significant other, the fiancé she never got to marry.
Their future ruined because of her.
"Please, Hailey," Cecilia pleaded in a whisper, trying not to shake her and herself, "Just tell us."
Placing a hand on Cecilia's hand, Hailey squeezed her hand as tears escaped her eyes, unable to keep her emotions from overflowing; the crimson mage walked over and held wrapped her arm around her, hoping to soothe her. None said anything as Hailey sobbed; her tears echoing over the white marble floor. Athena did not feel sympathy as she watched the young teen weep.
"She-"
Before she could even speak, the knob twisted and the door swung open; the three of them in the room could only stand still as their eyes widened. Athena moved hastily to the other side of the bed to cover the figure on it; tensions between the three rose as they formed a wall to cover the bed behind them whilst Hailey wiped her tears clean, hoping not to give anything away.
"There you guys are!" Itsuki exclaimed with a smile on her face as she walked into the room, "I've been looking for you guys all over."
"We were kind of in the middle of something," Cecilia replied in a nervous chuckle, "Did you need something?"
"No not really," Itsuki shrugged as she closed the door behind her, taking a few steps closer that almost made the trio in front of her fidget, "Michelle went to sleep with her kids, so I figured I'd see what you guys are up to."
"Well we're up to no good definitely," Cecilia replied as she nodded profusely for them as she tried to take a step forward, making the two next to her follow; the three of them did not wish for Itsuki to see what they were hiding, aware that things would not go well. "It's kind of not involving you."
"Oh?" Itsuki tilted her head to the side as the trio nodded profusely, "Do you need my help?"
"Not really," Cecilia replied in a near whisper as she sighed out loud to calm her heart that seemed to be anxious about the situation. Unable to keep still any further, she walked up to Itsuki, placed her hands on her shoulders then spun her around, opening the door and walked out whilst saying; "But there is something else I need of you."
The door shut behind the two and left Athena and Hailey alone. Hailey sighed in relief at what occurred as she turned to face Jesslyn, feeling her heart weigh heavy at the lie she made them say; she did not wish for Cecilia to do that, but she also did not know how to face Itsuki and tell her exactly what happened.
As she stared at her shell of a mentor, her heart only sank even further as she recalled everything, feeling responsible for it all. Athena smelt the salt in her eyes, at the tears that streamed continuously on her face; she still felt angry at this young fae for she knew well enough that she had something to do with this.
"I," Hailey whispered through the tears as Athena merely looked at her whilst containing her seething rage, "Don't know how I can tell you."
Clenching her fist, Athene turned around and paced towards the door; she knew not how long she can contain her rage, feeling her temper take over. If she stayed in that room for a minute longer, she was uncertain how everything will unfold; she did not wish to harm the young fae even though this had happened.
There was an ache in her chest like a knife was slowly carving a hole inside her heart. Jesslyn was important to Athena and she would have died trying to save her, and she would have done the same for her; they were sisters not by their blood, but by their bond that can never be replaced. She admits that they may not have gotten along for a long time, but through thick and thin, Jesslyn was always the first to help her, especially during the hard period of her life.
Placing a hand on the door knob, Athena tried to calm herself; there was no certainty of what she might do if she walked out of that door not knowing what happened to her best friend and sister. The thought of it only makes her blood boil deeper, making it impossible for her to take a step outside of the room; a great reluctance has befallen her.
As she willed herself to put a brave front, she placed a foot forward, but felt a hand on her shoulder; it almost made her raise a brow, certain that she did not hear a single footstep behind her just now. She looked over her shoulder as she gave the young fae her indifferent eye as if telling her not to test her patience. But as she looked over at her, she could not stop her eyes from widening by a fraction, unsure what to make of her glow.
"But I can show you."
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"Close your eyes, okay?"
"Okay."
"I want you to take deep breaths, alright?"
"Alright."
Winds howling around them, the autumn leaves that were on the ground swirled in its wake and formed a vortex around them as they sat within its eye. The ground felt like breaking underneath him as he took deep breaths to calm his worried heart; anxiety built up inside him as he kept his eyes shut, afraid but curious at the same time.
The wind howled louder around them as he kept his eyes closed, listening to the fast, anxious beat of his heart; beads of sweat formed around his temples. Inhale, exhale, he did as he was told; the earth underneath him quaked as though a volcano lie under them, ready to erupt.
Clenching his fist, he tried not to scream as his lips quivered with uncertainty – with a fear of finding out what was truly happening. His companion was silent as if their surroundings did not bother her at all. She was calmer than he possibly was for he could hear her continuous deep breaths, the inhale and the exhale out of her mouth.
All of a sudden, the earth underneath them ruptured and they fell in. He screamed as they fell and made him open his eyes; there was nothing around him but an infinite void of dark blue, the stars around them as much as the cosmos above them watched their descent. He looked around for his companion and found her falling in the same manner as he was, but calmer; she still had her eyes closed whilst taking deep, solemn breaths.
Falling, his heartbeat rocketed out of his chest as gravity pulled them down towards a circle with bright white light, which made him close his eyes as they passed through it. Anticipating the impact, he braced himself for the pain as they fell into the light that even through his the dark of his eyelids, he saw it embrace them.
Once the wind beneath him ceased, he slowly opened his eyes as his chest drummed against the ground his body lied on; a blinding whiteness greeted his eyes that made him shut them immediately and tried once again to look, allowing his eyes to tune into the place he was in. There was nothing around him as he felt grass touch his cheek, making him raise his head a little higher and looked.
"You alright?" a familiar voice asked him as he turned to it, "You look a little down."
He rolled his eyes as he sat up, "Ha ha, very funny," he mocked as his companion giggled, "Where are we?"
"I'm not really sure," she replied as held a hand for him to take, "But, this is the place I wanted to take you," she explained as he took her hand and stood up, then took a good look around him; his eyes widened by a fraction, his jaw dropping at the sights as though it was nothing he has ever seen before. "Didn't I tell you it'd be a beauty?"
"What's that?" he pointed as a floating blob with what seemed like an orb in its centre, flew past them. His companion looked to where he pointed and hummed for a moment as if thinking of an answer; he merely waited for her to speak, finding her expression cute as she tilted her head.
"I think they're spirits," she replied.
"Are you sure?" he questioned as he squinted his eyes, "It looks to me like a transparent Lumpy Space Princess."
"What's a Lumpy Space Princess?" she returned the question with a raised brow at him whilst he just gave her a jaw drop with an expression that said 'are you serious?' that made her shrug her shoulders innocently; he just shook his head whilst pinching the space between his brows.
"You need to watch more cartoons," he said as he took a step forward to take a deep breath and look around the empty plain of grass that looked like it stretched for miles. The grass underneath his chucks were swaying as though there was air, but there were none on his skin; he took in the view, at how it looked like a painting of black in white with the most minimalistic of touches.
"Well, this is really beautiful," he exhaled as the scene calmed him inside and felt light, "How did we get here anyway?"
She smiled sheepishly then placed a finger in front of her lips and said, "It's a secret."
"What?" he frowned as he poked her cheek, "I was scared to death you know," he told her as she pinched both her cheeks and slowly pulled them out, "I thought I was going to die waiting."
She held onto his hands to prevent him from stretching her cheeks too far and mumbled, "I'm sowwiee."
He smiled at her, trying to contain his laughter at how cute of a face she made once again; he released his crabby fingers on her and placed his hands on her shoulders to get a good look about her. Her dark amber eyes were vexed yet kind, sad yet glad; her emotions were visible on her eyes that seemed to be glittering.
"Wanna go explore?" he suggested as he turned around to look at the plains, squinting to see more blobs in the distance that had gotten him curious. He began pacing towards the floating blobs with his companion behind him as if she did not wish to get close to him, not after assaulting her cheeks.
Closer and closer, they got nearer to the mass of blobs and in the far off distance they saw a glimpse of what seemed like a mansion, almost making them curious and enter. Once they got near the blobs, they seemed to have scattered upon seeing them, making them stop and look at them; his eyes landed on his companion, who seemed to have fidgeted for a second when one of them moved past her – just an inch close to her shoulder.
"You alright?" he asked as he felt his chest suddenly go heavy as much as he felt a hammer hit the back of his head and caused an ache at the back of his skull. He shook his head at the feeling as his companion merely nodded in response then stood next to him and got a much clearer look at the mansion in the distance, almost making her eyes sparkle with curiosity. "Do you wanna go there?"
"Yeah sure," she nodded with a warm smile as he looked at her. Looking at her, his sight suddenly wobble as the corners of her vision suddenly turned grey then got darker by the second; he shook it away as he found her smile and returned it with a nod. "I'll race you there!"
"Hey wait!" he called out just as his companion already sprinted away in giggles, making him sigh. He just smiled and jogged towards the mansion to gain rhythm before his speed finally caught up on his legs; his chest pumped in air into his lungs as he felt fatigue latch onto his legs and made him weary in a matter of minutes.
Bending over to catch his breath, he looked up at his companion who looked over her shoulder to wave at him as if taunting him further; he took a deep breath and resumed his run. The weight on his chest suddenly grew as he got closer to the mansion. His vision wobbled with each step as the corners of his sight once again darkened, making it almost difficult to keep his eyes open.
Slowly, his legs began to crumble from the weight on his chest; his feet eventually gave out and made him fall face down onto the grass. His breathing hastened, his eyes shook violently, his heartbeat rocking; his mind was counting for no reason as it tried to understand why this was happening to him, at why his body was suddenly... failing.
"Hey," his companion spoke as she knelt down and examined him with a frantic look on her face; worry was etched across her face as much as her lips quivered with fear. She helped him turn over as he tried to get up, only to fall once again on his face; she helped him to sit as he looked at her with a nearly spaced out look. "Are you okay? What's wrong?"
Moving his lips, he tried to speak, but his throat felt too parched for him to allow a single word to escape; his mind threw warning signs everywhere as it tried once again to speak, but nothing came out of his lips. The look on her face was pale as if she was in disbelief, afraid of what was happening.
"We should go back!" she exclaimed as she closed her eyes and took deep breaths like what she was doing earlier before they arrived in that enigmatic place. He looked at her at how she fiercely shut her eyes tight whilst trying to calm herself, but he knew from the look on her face that it was not working at all.
"He...y..." he managed and caught her attention making her open her eyes and look at him; he smiled at her as he felt the weight of his body escape through his mouth. To him, it felt like the pain was like air that was leaking out of his mouth. "Do...n't... ma...ke...su...ch...a...fa...ce..."
"I'm sorry," she apologised as tried to calm herself down and tried again; he waited patiently with a smile as he slowly – with all his might – place a hand on her cheek. He watched her through his darkening vision, take deep breaths almost frantically as though tears would soon escape her eyes.
He smiled and slowly managed to wrap his arms around her, then carefully pulled her close; he rested his head on her shoulder as the last light of his vision finally succumbed to the darkness. The weight on his chest vanished with the last of the light as he took one last breath into his lungs, then exhaled slowly on his friend's shoulder.
"I'll always be with you..."
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A/N: Just closing circles. I suggest you read the previous chapters if you don't get the second part. As for the first part, to all Jesslyn's fans, I'm really sorry. Don't rip my head off!
Vote, Comment and Follow if you haven't! All support is welcome (:
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