[Hey y'all! Warning: blood, graphic injuries]
Lily
"Amaryllis?" I shake her side, trying not to injure her any further. She won't get up. Brittany threw us all back to the beginning of this hallway, but we each managed to land and get back on our feet... Except for Amaryllis. She slammed into the ground at an awkward angle, and now she won't get up.
"Amaryllis?" I shake her again and she wakes up with a start, coughing and spitting. She groans and rubs her head, wincing as she grabs her left arm. I think it's still broken or injured from before, but it doesn't seem to bother her as she pushes herself up from the ground. I move to help her and she leans on me, resting her right arm on my shoulder as she tries to gain her balance.
"Thanks," she chokes, stepping away from me carefully once she thinks she can support herself. I nod at her, turning to Brayden and Ethan.
"You guys okay?" They both nod their heads at me, but I turn away from them when I remember the yelling that echoed from the end of the hall. Steve. I suck in a breath and dash down the hallway, sprinting as fast as I can. How did Brittany escape? And why is Steve yelling? I force myself to run faster, locked in on the sounds of Steve's yells as I slide around a corner. I know I almost died because of the cursed necklace I was wearing, but now the Terra Firma Gem is filling me with strength. I don't know how, but it's keeping me alive. It's how I reach Steve so quickly, but when I see him, I wish I had reached him faster.
"Steve?" I cry, shock washing over me as I get nearer to him. His eyes are closed and his skin is pale, but that's not the worst part. He's lying in a puddle of his own blood, and there's a large knife jutting out of his stomach. I place a hand over my mouth, stumbling backward. Is he alive? I make myself crouch down by him, pressing my fingers against his neck. There's a pulse, but I can barely feel it. I bite my lip, resting a hand on his cheek.
"Steve..." I whisper, tapping him gently. I feel tears coming, and I hate that I can't stop them. They sting my eyes as my gaze flickers to the knife lodged in his body, and then to the dark red liquid slowly oozing through his clothes. I can't take out the knife, I could mess up somehow, and it would make him lose even more blood. But this, this can't be over. He can't... I don't want him to... Not now...
"Steve, please," I cry out, wiping a hand across my cheek when my face starts to feel wet.
"Lily," Steve groans, his eyes slowly opening.
"Steve." I choke on my own words, knowing that the next ones may not be true. "You're going to be okay." Tears keep coming, and I can't stop them from spilling over. How long has he been like this? Did Brittany do this to him? I quickly glance behind me, but the others aren't here yet. Where are they? Should I go get them?
"It's nothing," he moans, clenching his teeth. "Nothing to worry about, Lily. I'll be fine." He smiles and tries to laugh but ends up coughing, placing his hands near his wound as he shakes.
"Stay still, Steve," I whisper. Thankfully I can hear footsteps behind me, and when Brayden and Ethan appear they both have one of Amaryllis' arms around their shoulders to help her walk. I watch as their faces contort when they see the state that Steve is in, lying on the ground in pain and covered in blood. This... this might be it. Celeste died. Amaryllis told me about what Ghostclaw did to Michael- Eric... my best friend. Richard fled. Gwen betrayed us. So many things have happened, and there's only five of us left. I don't want to lose Steve too.
"Lily, we have to move him outside. When we get outside I'll be able to contact the Representatives of the Council." I don't move when Ethan tells me too, even more tears flowing down my cheeks. I cry out when I feel his hands slipping around my stomach, pulling me away from Steve. I can't stop my sobs when I'm dropped on the ground, unable to move as I watch Brayden and Ethan taking Steve in their arms, trying their best to cradle him gently as they lift him up from the ground. I can't bring myself to keep looking at the deep red blood dripping from his clothes as they lift him toward the rock wall at the end of the hallway, and my breathing is the only thing I can hear once the boys have disappeared through the wall. I sniff and cough, wiping tears and snot away from my face.
Have I come so far just to witness this? Death after death after death? Called by the mysterious power behind the Terra Firma Gem to become a Guardian and do... nothing? Save no one? Lose the ones that just came into my life? No, no. This can't be what I'm meant to do. Who I'm meant to be. I have to save this Realm from the Gloaming, and I have to save the people I love. Right? I didn't leave my family and friends on Earth for nothing. I have to get this right. I have to save Steve. I have to save the others too. Now is the time to be strong. But... how?
I stand up, moving over to Amaryllis and grabbing her arm to help her stand up, even though she stares at me sadly. I help her walk, helping her over to the rock wall. I stop right before we reach it, staring at it blankly. What's happened in this place, the things that have transpired... no matter how hard I try, I don't think I'll be able to forget them. And that's okay. I just need to step out of here ready to make everything better.
"Are you ready?" Amaryllis asks. I blow out a slow breath, gripping her arm tighter as I take more of her weight.
"Nope." I close my eyes. It's time. I take a step forward and when my eyes fly open I'm not inside, I'm not even in the wall anymore. I'm outside, on the same dirt trail that I was on before. I look down at my feet when I notice red dirt instead of brown, lifting my head back up as I help Amaryllis across the path, following the trail of blood. Eventually we reach the end of the cliff, where the boys have laid Steve down. The glass bridge is gone, and nothing is left to show it was even there. After I fell off the Golem destroyed the rest of it, but I think the Golem fell off too. Now there's nothing more than a wide ravine with a large river flowing through it.
I shift my focus to Brayden and Ethan who are on either side of Steve, pressing their tunics against his wound. Now they're both only wearing long white sleeved shirts, and their sleeves are stained with red. When I look down at the ground next to Ethan I see the knife that was in Steve's stomach, still drenched in blood. They took it out. I stay silent as we near them. That... doesn't seem like a good decision. I let go of Amaryllis, moving closer to all the blood. Closer to what might just be Steve's corpse. He looks unconscious now, and there's barely any color in his skin at all. Is this what I was like in Ghostclaw's cavern? Is this how I looked so close to death? Even with Brayden and Ethan's tunics wrapped up and pressed against his wound I can still see blood coming through.
"Guys, why is there blood on his pants?" Amaryllis questions, edging closer to Steve. Brayden mutters something under his breath, looking through a slit in Steve's pants by his knee where the blood is coming from. When the fabric is lifted I can see the wound beneath it but I immediately turn away, covering my mouth with my hand again. The flesh was completely torn, and I'm pretty sure more than a knife wounded him. Brayden quickly moves to cover it but hearing a faint thud behind me I swivel around. Amaryllis has laid down on the ground, resting her head on her fluffy hair and closing her eyes.
"I'm gonna rest for a while. I have a headache, and I keep hearing these ringing noises..." She drifts off, closing her eyes and resting her arm on her forehead. I move to lie down next to her, sighing when my head hits the dirt path. Amaryllis is covered in scratches, though thankfully the ones that were bleeding have dried up a bit. Her arm looks broken, and even if it isn't, it looks like it hurts. A lot. And now, I don't know. I don't know how much longer she can stay alive. How much longer I'll be alive.
"Stay with me, Amaryllis," I mutter. Amaryllis doesn't respond, but I can hear her soft, faint breaths beside me. If she falls asleep, I just hope she'll wake up. I keep my eyes open, listening to Amaryllis breathing and the river cascading at the edge of the cliff.
"Lily?" The sound of Steve's voice makes me sit up immediately, and I find myself crawling over to him.
"Yeah? Steve? I'm here," I answer, kneeling down next to him. He moans, wincing as his face pinches together. He grits his teeth too, lifting his chin. He doesn't say anything but when I glance at Brayden and Ethan they both shrug, so I look back at him. Without thinking I lean down, pressing my forehead to his. I close my eyes but then lean away, taking his hand in mine.
"I'm not leaving you, Steve." Amaryllis' head is by my feet, and Brayden and Ethan are still putting pressure on Steve's wounds. We're so close to one another, but still far apart in so many ways. We are the remaining Guardians. We are responsible for the safety of the Realm of Ni'ilxus from now on. And... I don't know how we're supposed to do it after today.
I lift my head when the air in front of us starts to sparkle. Am I delusional now? Or... am I dead? But no, in front of me, I start to see a body materializing. A tall woman dressed in a ruffly, graceful, white and gold dress. Perla. Representative Perla is here. She gasps when she sees the five of us, and I realize we must look awful. Amaryllis in shreds, Brayden, Ethan, and I about ready to pass out, and Steve... bleeding to death. She looks at each of us individually, and I notice neither Amaryllis nor Steve opens their eyes. I don't think they're strong enough to. Perla sighs, tapping her crystal bracelet a few times as she looks at us, a sad smile on her face.
"We're going to get you home."