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Linda opened the door nervously, her hand trembling on the handle. As soon as it opened, Harmon appeared before her, his face drenched in sweat, his breaths ragged as if every step had been a battle.
Behind him was Dante, his body battered, completely unconscious, hanging as if a thread had been cut. Harmon could not hold on much longer; as soon as he entered the palace, he collapsed to the ground from sheer exhaustion, his voice striking everyone's hearts like a thunderbolt.
Linda kept the door open, her eyes clinging to the outside, waiting for another person to appear…
Black With. But there was no trace of her. No shadow, no breath. The emptiness felt like a stab.
A harsh silence reigned for a few moments before Lily fell to her knees, tears streaming down her face as she shouted:
"No… impossible… Black With!!"
As for Linda, tears flooded her eyes, running down her cheeks as she stared into the darkness beyond the door, her heart screaming: Where are you? Why didn't you return?
Ray advanced with unsteady steps, kneeling beside Harmon, shouting in a hoarse voice:
"Where is Black With? Where is she? What happened to her?!"
He reached out to shake Harmon's shoulder, but Jason was quicker to grab his arm and press firmly on it, saying sternly:
"Take it easy, Ray!"
But Ray could not control himself, yelling angrily, his face blazing with fury:
"Impossible… did you let her die?!"
In a moment of madness, Jason slapped him in front of everyone. The sound bounced off the palace walls. Ray trembled, shock etched across his face, while Jason shouted in a broken voice, stammering from intense emotion:
"Shut up!! She… she did not die!!!"
His eyes were red, as if he had entered another phase of pain, his anger masking a deadly fear. Ray stood frozen, stunned, while everyone else was gripped by a horrifying realization: Black With had died.
Tears of despair engulfed Linda; she cried like never before. The others' sobs rose, each carrying a sense of loss. The palace, once illuminated by fire, suddenly felt dark, as if the warmth had been extinguished.
But suddenly… there was a knock at the door!
Everyone froze, hearts pounding, eyes wide in disbelief. Linda approached with slow steps, her hand trembling more than before. She reached for the handle, opened it slowly, and a familiar shadow appeared…
Black With.
She was standing, dragging three heavy bags in her hand, her eyes tired, her face covered in dust, but she was alive. Alive!
From the shock, Linda leapt at her with a tight hug, tears soaking over Black With's shoulder. The latter was startled and asked in surprise:
"What's wrong, Linda?"
But there was no time for questions. As soon as she entered the hall, everyone rushed to her one by one, embracing her with longing, and she almost choked from the strength of their hugs. Lily was the most overwhelmed, gasping through her tears as she said:
"I thought you were dead, Black With…!"
Black With gave a faint smile and said:
"It's true I was on the brink of death… if it weren't for Harmon who saved me."
An hour earlier…
The three ghouls were chasing Black With madly through the village streets. Her feet pounded the ground, her breaths came in rapid succession, but her heart was fixed on her decision: to save Harmon and Dante no matter the cost.
She ran with all her strength, and in a clever move, she threw her heavy bag to the ground. One ghoul tripped over it and collided with the other, knocking both to the ground. The third continued to pursue her stubbornly, its terrifying screams deafening her ears.
She turned suddenly, pointing her gun at it, but the ghoul was faster. It leapt and grabbed her by the waist, lifting her high with its giant hands. It opened its mouth before her, exhaling a foul stench, its hot breath blowing her hair back. Its grip was suffocating, but Black With did not give up. She aimed at its leg and fired.
The ghoul screamed in pain, dropping her to the ground. She quickly grabbed her gun and fired a shot that pierced its skull, and it fell dead. But barely catching her breath, a massive explosion rang out behind her.
Gray ash and a stormy wind swept through the area, forcing her eyes to close. She raised her hand to cover her face. When the dust settled, she found the bodies of the other two ghouls torn to pieces. She looked up and saw Harmon standing at a distance, signaling to her with his foot.
She ran toward him, her eyes wide with astonishment.
"Wha… what is this?!"
Harmon replied in a stammering voice:
"Just a bomb… I found it when we were at the house."
She approached him closer, her voice trembling:
"Harmon… I owe you twice. You saved me twice!"
He smiled lightly and came closer to hug her tightly.
"It's the duty of friends. And you too… you were about to risk your life for us. Don't ever do that again… it hurts me."
She wrapped her arms around him, returned his embrace, and felt the warmth of his heart:
"You are my true friends."
Afterwards, Harmon carried the unconscious Dante on his back, while Black With carried the bags, including his heavy one. That was the reason for her delay in reaching the palace.
Black With returned from her memories, looked at the astonished faces before her, and said:
"All the credit goes to these two… they protected me today with all their strength, and I owe them."
Harmon stood up, his body aching badly, leaning on Karm's shoulder, and said in a tired voice:
"Today was really exhausting…"
Suddenly, Dante stirred from his unconscious state. He slowly opened his eyes, his face pale, then placed his hand on his chest and said:
"Ah… my rib… it hurts…"
Black With hurried to him, knelt beside him, held his hand, and said anxiously:
"Dante! Are you okay?"
He looked at her weakly and said:
"Are… we at the palace?"
She smiled, holding his hand in both of hers:
"Yes… we are safe. We've arrived and survived."
Everyone worked together;
Ray and Jason carried Harmon to his room. They placed him on the bed, gave him some painkillers, and massaged his cramped muscles. As for Karm, Jude, and Elias, they carried Dante to his room, applied an ointment to his back, and wrapped his ribcage with some bandages.
Meanwhile, Black With sat on a wooden chair near the table. Her hair was disheveled, part of it white and shorter than the black, as if it had survived a war. Vivian approached her with a gentle smile, standing behind her, and slowly began to stroke her hair.
Black With lifted her head, looked at the faces around her—faces worn out by battles but full of love. She smiled and said:
"Even though today was hard and exhausting… it was beautiful. For the first time, I feel true friendship. Thank you… all of you."
A brief silence followed, before everyone smiled, their eyes sparkling with happiness, welcoming her alive among them once again.
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