"No… Elena!" Evan's scream tore through the air.
He caught her as she collapsed into his arms.
Her eyes shimmered with tears, her voice weak but steady. "Evan… I am proud… of you."
Her head fell against his chest, her eyes closing forever.
Something inside Evan snapped. His grief turned to unbridled rage. With a howl that shook the walls, he ripped the dagger from Elena's body.
His movements blurred as he descended upon the remaining slavers. One by one, he cut them down with merciless strikes. Bones shattered, throats crushed, and blood stained the wooden floor.
When the final man fell silent, the room was left in utter stillness. Only the broken furniture, the stench of death, and Evan's ragged breathing remained.
In the center of it all, he knelt, clutching Elena's lifeless body, his tears falling onto her pale face.
The night, once meant for celebration, had turned into a nightmare of blood and loss.
Evan held Elena tightly in his arms, his vision blurring as tears streamed down his face. His chest felt as if it would collapse under the unbearable weight of grief.
The room was eerily silent—only the sound of dry leaves rustling outside in the wind and the faint flicker of an old oil lamp by the broken wooden table.
Papers stained with blood lay scattered on the floor, and a fallen iron chair groaned softly in the silence.
Elena's breathing grew heavier and heavier. Her pale lips trembled as if each word was a battle to escape.
With a trembling hand, she touched Evan's cheek, her blood-stained fingers leaving a trail of warmth that burned into his heart.
In a faint whisper, Elena said, "Evan… do you remember how we used to dream by the riverside? I thought… we would always be together."
Evan tried to steady his voice, but his sobs broke through.
Clutching her hand tighter, he cried, "I can't live without you, Elena. You're my everything—my first friend, my love, my life. You can't leave me… you promised you never would."
A weak smile curved at her lips, her eyes shimmering with tears. "I never wanted to break that promise, Evan… but we cannot fight fate. You must be strong… for me."
Her breathing grew more strained, as if the air in the room thickened and waited for her last breath.
In the wavering glow of the lamp, the anguish on Evan's face was stark—his eyes bloodshot, his lips trembling as he wept uncontrollably.
Desperate, he whispered, "I can't lose you. Remember when we said that if we ever lost our way, we'd find each other again? I'll find you, Elena… you can't disappear from me."
Elena's voice, fragile as a dying flame, whispered back, "Then promise me this… when I'm gone, you will keep living. Because if you live, my dreams will live too…"
And with one long, painful breath, Elena fell silent. Her eyes slowly closed, her lips fading into stillness.
The hand that had been holding Evan's cheek slipped away, falling lifelessly to the floor.
Evan let out a cry so raw and agonizing that it felt as if the entire silent village trembled with him. The oil lamp flickered violently, and the surrounding darkness bore witness to his unending grief.
Evan sat frozen, clutching Elena's lifeless body in his arms. His shoulders trembled, but no sound escaped his lips. His eyes had turned red, his mouth quivered—yet he spoke nothing.
The air around him felt unbearably heavy, every breath soaked with sorrow. Blood pooling on the floor was beginning to dry, and the dim glow of the oil lamp made the room even more suffocating.
In the corner stood Lirissa and their mother. Both were shaken, tears filling their eyes. They knew Elena would never return, but watching Evan in such a state shattered them even further.
Their mother slowly stepped closer, her voice trembling.
"Evan… pull yourself together. I know this pain is unbearable, but you must stay strong. Elena would never want to see you like this."
Lirissa, sobbing, dropped to her knees beside him. Her eyes overflowed with compassion, her chest heaving with grief.
"Brother, you're not alone. I'm here, Mother is here. If you fall apart, we'll all fall with you."
Evan gave no response. His gaze was fixed only on Elena's face, as though the rest of the world no longer existed. His blood-stained hands still held her tightly, his tears replaced by a terrifying silence.
Their mother placed a trembling hand on his shoulder.
"Evan, you must live on. Elena may be gone, but her memory, her love—they remain within you. If you live, her dreams will live too."