She's still weak… My heart froze as I looked down at Elira's ashen face. With footsteps closing in, I had no choice but to gather her in my arms. Her fragile body pressed against me, and I poured my strength into the newly acquired skill {Healing Touch}, keeping her breath steady as I sprinted toward the stained-glass window.
[Would you like to receive your reward now?]
The system's prompt seared across my vision, blinding me for a heartbeat. I stumbled, nearly letting Elira slip from my grasp.
"Not now, damn it!" I snarled, forcing my balance back before diving through the glass. Shards burst outward in a spray of color as I fled into the night, not caring if anyone gave chase. The only path left was escape, out of the city, and out of this cursed place, if we were to survive.
Maybe it was fear of being revealed as something other than human, or maybe it was the weight of breaking my word, betraying the trust of John and Elira, but I couldn't let anyone see us now.
I ran, and I kept running, until Elira's frail body and my own weary legs finally gave out. We collapsed behind a tree deep in the forest, where the night pressed close and the leaves whispered against one another, turning the darkness into something both eerie and strangely soothing.
The cold earth was the only comfort left beneath me, but I couldn't push forward anymore. I needed to think, to plan. Beyond the trees, the glow of the city sharpened, and the voices grew into a storm; shouts slicing through the air as searchers hunted for me… and for her.
You messed up big time, Sarrah… I muttered, but then pain flared through my temples. My old name unraveled, slipping further from reach. In its place, Beatrice echoed again and again in the depths of my mind, as though trying to scorch itself into memory and burn away everything I had once been.
When I chose to be reborn, I never imagined this life would be so difficult, so frightening… if I had known… I—
I didn't want to finish that thought, so I pushed it away. My gaze fell instead on Elira's cold, motionless body. I had to act quickly to keep her warm, and I only knew one way.
I stripped off my clothes, spreading some across the ground as a barrier against the chill. When I undressed Elira and her beautiful body lay revealed before me, I froze for too long, caught in the sight. But I forced myself to breathe, to regain focus, and pulled her against me. Naked, pressed skin to skin, I wrapped us in the rest of our clothes and held her close. My warmth was all I had to give on this frozen night.
Beneath the fabric's shadows, under the moonlight, I fixed my eyes on her face, my body aware of hers. Heat rushed to my cheeks, but I shoved the thoughts aside. There was no room for hesitation, no space for taboo fantasies. I only prayed she wouldn't hate me when she woke; that she wouldn't find me "strange" for using such methods.
Exhaustion crept in. My eyes grew heavy, and I surrendered to sleep in her embrace.
That night I dreamed of a crimson road, stretching endlessly through a void of light. I walked and walked, reaching for something, or someone perhaps? A goal lingered ahead, tied somehow to my powers, but the distance never closed. Beatrice… find me… The voice echoed in the dream, but before I could reach it, my eyes snapped open, shattering the vision.
Morning light warmed my cheek when I stirred. Elira's eyes were shut at first, but as I moved, they opened, piercing into me. Relief surged that she was alive, but her gaze left me rattled. Only then did I remember. We were still naked, our bodies pressed together. That's only as sisters, right? Damn it… My face burned. I tried to slip free, but Elira's arms tightened.
"Stay… a little… longer… Beatrice." Her voice was soft, her smile gentle. She pressed her forehead to mine and drifted back to sleep, leaving me alone in my fever of embarrassment. I wanted to die from the shame, yet at the same time, a strange relief spread through me.
No one came searching that night. We had not been found.
This girl… I thought, smiling faintly at her peaceful face. It's okay, Beatrice. Just be selfish for once. I allowed myself that moment. Hours passed before Elira finally awoke. We dressed quickly, letting each other go. My clothes were dirt-stained, soaked from the forest floor, but I didn't care.
"Does it hurt?" I broke the silence, eyes lingering on her shoulder.
"Not at all. I'm full of energy—fully recovered thanks to you." Elira smiled, but her gaze wavered, unfocused for a breath too long. Her eyes always betrayed her.
"Is that so?" I let the words hang, unwilling to push further. "I'm sorry about yesterday. I… I killed your friend and… well, you know the rest." My head lowered; I couldn't face her when I said it.
"It's all right, Beatrice. It's not your fault for being what you are." Her voice softened, then hardened. "But killing the guardian... that's the real problem." She chuckled at her next words, "That girl was a nuisance; you actually did me a favor by ending her life. But... without the guardian, this city…" She trailed off, worry knotting her tone. "This city will burn."
Her indifference to one human life shocked me, but the fear in her words ran deeper, and I needed to understand.
"Wasn't that skeleton the danger? Its death aura was poison. If released, it could have slaughtered innocents." None of it made sense. Even in the book, there had never been a mention of monsters as guardians.
"Yes," she admitted, "but it was a contained danger. The aura masked human scent. To the beasts outside, the stench of death was a wall they would not cross. Now that it's gone…" She clenched her fists. "Now, the air reeks of humans. A day, maybe two, and the horde will descend. They strip flesh from bone in minutes. This city will be nothing but ash and blood."
"And it's all my fault, isn't it?" The truth struck me cold. My system had given me power, but its quests had caused problems, and the consequences belonged to me. Whether human or not, I was responsible. And if the horde came, then I would fight.