"The burden that you are carrying could not bring you anywhere but drags you where you began to carry it"
Heavien started approaching Leonthan. She punched him directly in the leg, but he avoided her again. She tried his nape, but he stood up again. He tried to punch her, but she escaped and twisted his arm tightly when she caught him. She poured strength so that she could twist his arm and punch his stomach with her right elbow.
"I'll finish him off!" Trake attacks and a knife are aimed at Leonthan.
Leonthan just dodged Trake's blows and the pointed knife at him. Because of his avoidance, he backed away when she was about to come at him.
Why do you keep on avoiding their attacks?
Did she hit him severely when she twisted his arm? He didn't even squirm in pain, and there's no trace of reaction that she got him hurt badly. As he retreated, Trake continued to attack, so he got hit in the side and neck.
Trake scoffed. "Is this all you've got? Where did that confidence of yours go?" Trake must have been provoking him.
She held on to her chest. Her breath seemed to catch when she saw Leonthan sitting up and panting. Trake was standing opposite him with the knife pointed downwards and ready to stab him at any moment. Leonthan's side of his stomach and neck are wounded. He also spat out blood and coughed.
"I might die," Leonthan mumbled while catching his breath.
What is he saying? What's with all this challenge that he started in Trake and her? What was all this for if he's just going to stop fighting for himself?
Even before he was finally stabbed, Trake gave him a beating first. She closed her eyes and prayed that Leonthan would not die from that. She sweats coldly every time she sees Trake punch and kick him multiple times. She can't bear to see this.
What are you doing, Leonthan? At least, defend yourself!
"But not right now," Leonthan muttered.
"You're done." Trake declares his victory.
Heavien opened her eyes and saw Leonthan standing up again and fighting back. He was already holding a knife. Wait! That's why he retreats and keeps on avoiding Trake's attack so that he can get back to his knife that he dropped when she kicked his hand. He's outsmarted them.
"Agh!"
She stared at the two when they were both standing and silent. It was pretty dark, so she couldn't see the expressions on their faces. They are both panting and weary. Trake's knees gradually weakened, and he fell to the ground.
"Trake!" She called out to him.
She ran closer to him and laid his head on her thighs. His abdomen is bleeding. She can't help but cry. Her tears are dripping down his bloody cheek.
"I lose"
"N-No..."
"Sorry, Cy, I lost," she just kept sobbing. "Your promise to me, huh? Keep it. If you don't, I'll haunt you," he coughed. With this state of his, he still managed to crack a joke.
"How can you haunt me if I'm a ghost too?" And they laughed together.
She never thought that she'd even ride his joke in this situation. Whenever she's with Trake, the mood becomes light.
They've been a team to fight against Leonthan, and they lost fairly.
Trake coughed, and he mumbled something. "I'm a bad guy…"
"Huh?" She didn't catch the meaning of what he uttered.
"I acted like a good guy these past games to gain your trust because I expect that either Leonthan or you will win this game." He coughed. "I needed to eliminate all of the remaining players. I'll finish Leonthan first so that it will be easy afterwards. You were my last target until I won."
Heavien was dumbfounded by his confession. This was his plan all along.
"Forgive me"
"H-How come?" She is crying.
"It's a game of life, Cy."
She understood immediately what he meant. In their real life, he's been good to her, and even until now. It's just that all of them were fighting for their lives to live in the real world, which is why they were forced to kill one another. But she couldn't imagine if he won against Leonthan, and the idea of Trake killing her last is unimaginable.
"What a bittersweet ending for me, yeah? It's a pity that I can't achieve my dreams. It ended more terribly than I assumed it would be."
"What are you saying?"
"Let my family know even though I can't feel their warmth... Please tell them how much I love them," Trake requested, trying to leave a message for his family.
"No, don't be like that. You'll be the one to tell your family about that."
"You must live."
"What about the last promise you made me? That no matter what happens, I will live. How could you witness if I will live if you die?"
"I am a traitor, Cy. I made you that promise so you'll stay alive, and we'll kill Leonthan. Then I'll have you for myself to kill."
She was left speechless. That was the meaning behind it.
"It didn't go as planned." He's having a hard time speaking. "S-Still…you should fulfill your promise to me. My death won't allow Leonthan win this," he mumbled. "You're naïve and have a good heart. You deserve to win."
Trake is gone. She doesn't have a voice to shout anymore. All she could do was stare at his body after he left her a last message. She is slowly running out of tears that she has shed earlier. She laid his head on the ground and prayed for his soul to rest in peace.
Heavien stood up and faced the boy she now bears a distaste for. She bit her lower lip to hold herself back. She feels extremely frustrated to the point that her lower lip is bleeding. They just stared with their blank eyes devoid of emotion. She doesn't know if he feels anger, fear, joy, excitement, or what. But what she knows for sure is she doesn't like this person.
She can feel the cool ocean breeze of this island under the silent yet deadly night. The noise of crickets and the dancing of the waves. The wave of the grass tickles her legs. The blowing of the wind that whispers to her. Her skirt and hair are floating in the air. The eyes of those she stares at are as white as the moon, appearing to be innocent, but as dark as the night is his conscience. She tightened the grip on her small knife.
"Let's finish this," she declared.