David's fingers dug into the bloodstained grass.
He pulled himself forward, dragging his injured leg behind him. Every movement sent pain through his shoulder, but he kept his eyes on Nyra's outstretched hand.
"I'm here, Nyra," he whispered. "I'm right here."
He stretched his arm toward her.
Their fingertips touched.
And for an instant, he was back at the Academy.
Nyra's fingers closed around his hand as she turned toward the Academy buildings, a bright smile spreading across her face.
"Come on, David! Their going to beat us!"
Before he could answer, she started running, pulling him along behind her.
He remembered laughing as he stumbled into step beside her, their hands still joined as they hurried toward the Dorm headed for the roof.
Then the memory was gone.
The warmth of her hand was still there, but her grip was barely strong enough to hold his fingers.
David reached farther, gently intertwining his fingers with hers.
"Nyra..."
He pulled himself the last few inches until he was lying beside her.
"See?" he said, struggling to catch his breath. "I told you I'd make it."
Nyra slowly turned her head toward him.
Her silver-white hair lay tangled against the grass, its pink-tipped strands darkened with blood and dirt. Her face was pale, and each breath seemed to require an effort.
"David..."
"I'm here."
He squeezed her hand gently.
"I'm here, Nyra."
Her eyes moved over his torn uniform, stopping at the blood running down his shoulder.
"You're... hurt."
David shook his head.
"Don't worry about me. I'm okay."
He tried to push himself upright.
His wounded shoulder nearly gave way, and he gasped as pain shot through his chest. He caught himself with his good arm and shifted closer to her.
"Just give me a second."
His gaze dropped to the wound in her chest.
Blood had soaked through the front of her uniform, spreading beneath her and into the grass.
David's breath caught.
"No..."
He released her hand and pressed his palm against the wound.
Nyra cried out softly.
"Sorry! I'm sorry."
He adjusted his hand, trying to find a position that would slow the bleeding without hurting her.
"Just hold still. I've got you."
Blood seeped between his fingers.
David pressed harder.
"Come on..."
He looked around desperately.
His equipment was damaged, but he still had a small field dressing secured inside one of his pouches.
He fumbled with the fastening.
His fingers were slippery with blood.
"Come on, open!"
He finally tore the pouch loose and pulled out the dressing.
"Okay. Okay, this is going to help."
He placed it over the wound and pressed down with his good hand.
Nyra flinched.
"I know. I'm sorry. Just bear with me."
He leaned closer, keeping steady pressure against her chest.
"We just have to stop the bleeding until help gets here."
Her breathing was shallow.
David glanced toward the distant battlefield.
The sounds of fighting still carried across the plains. Somewhere beyond the low hills, flashes of crimson light illuminated the clouds.
"Vance called for help before all this started," he said. "The military knows where we are. They'll send someone."
Nyra watched him quietly.
He looked back at the dressing.
Blood was already spreading through it.
David swallowed.
"Come on..."
He pressed harder.
"David..."
"Don't talk. Save your strength."
Her fingers touched his wrist.
"David... look at me."
"Just give me a second, Nyra. I can stop it."
He shifted the dressing, trying to cover the wound more securely.
The blood continued soaking through.
His hand trembled.
"Please..."
Nyra's fingers closed weakly around his wrist.
David looked up.
She was watching him.
"You're... bleeding too."
He shook his head.
"It doesn't matter."
"David..."
"Nyra, listen to me."
He leaned closer.
"You're going to be okay. Do you hear me? We're both going to be okay."
She tried to smile.
It barely reached her lips.
David forced himself to smile back.
"Remember what we talked about? Before that ship showed up?"
Nyra blinked slowly.
"The... summer?"
"Yeah. The summer."
He kept his hand against the dressing.
"We're still doing all of that. No Academy, no missions, no creatures trying to eat us. Just a normal summer."
Her fingers rested against his wrist.
David continued talking, hoping to keep her awake.
"We're going to the lake, remember? You, me, and your dad."
Nyra's eyes softened.
"The lake..."
"You said he was going to teach me how to fish."
A faint breath escaped her.
"He... will."
"Well, he'd better be patient. I've never done it before."
David glanced at the dressing again.
More blood had soaked through.
He pressed his lips together and looked back at her.
"And you're going to be there laughing at me when I can't catch anything."
Nyra's mouth curved slightly.
"You'll... catch something."
"Maybe. But I'm not making any promises."
He tried to laugh.
The sound caught in his throat.
Nyra watched him for a moment.
"Dad... will like you."
David smiled weakly.
"You think so?"
She nodded as much as her strength allowed.
"I know... he will."
"Good. Because I'd hate to spend the whole summer embarrassing myself in front of him."
He brushed a strand of hair away from her face.
"Besides, you still have to show me around. You said there's a place by the water where you used to sit when you were little."
Nyra's eyes remained on him.
"Under... the trees."
"That's right."
David nodded.
"We'll go there too."
He adjusted his position, trying to take some of the weight off his injured shoulder.
Pain shot through his leg.
He clenched his teeth and waited for it to pass.
Nyra noticed.
"David..."
"I'm fine."
He looked at her again.
"Just thinking about how nice it'll be to get away from all this."
Her fingers tightened weakly around his wrist.
"Promise me... something."
David leaned closer.
"Anything."
Nyra struggled to take another breath.
"Promise... you'll go to the lake."
He nodded.
"Of course."
"Even... if I can't."
David went still.
He stared at her.
"What?"
"Promise me... you'll still go."
"Stop talking like that."
Nyra watched him.
"David..."
"No."
He shook his head.
"You're coming with me. We're going together, just like we planned."
He pressed the dressing more firmly against her chest.
"You're going to meet me there. Your dad's going to teach me how to fish, and you're going to laugh when I can't catch anything."
His voice began to shake.
"That's what's going to happen."
Nyra's eyes glistened.
"Please..."
"Nyra, stop."
David looked down at the blood soaking through the dressing.
He reached for another piece of cloth from his damaged uniform and pressed it over the first.
"We're not talking about you not being there."
"David..."
"You're going to be there."
He looked into her eyes.
"Do you hear me? We're going to have that summer together."
Nyra slowly moved her hand from his wrist.
Her fingers rested against his.
"Promise me."
David opened his mouth.
Nothing came out.
He looked at her pale face, at the blood beneath his hand, and then toward the distant hills.
There was still no sign of a rescue team.
He turned back to her.
"Nyra..."
"Please."
Her voice was barely a whisper.
David swallowed.
His fingers trembled against the dressing.
"I promise."
Nyra watched him.
He leaned closer.
"But you're going to be there with me."
She managed a faint smile.
David brushed his thumb against her fingers.
"You're going to show me that place under the trees. Remember?"
She nodded slightly.
"And we're going to spend the whole day there if you want."
Nyra's breathing grew quieter.
David noticed immediately.
"Hey."
He leaned closer.
"Nyra, stay with me."
Her eyes moved toward his.
"Don't close your eyes, okay? Just keep looking at me."
She tried to answer.
A weak breath escaped her lips.
David checked the dressing again.
His hand was covered in blood.
"No, no..."
He pressed harder.
"Come on, Nyra. Just a little longer."
Her fingers moved against his wrist.
"David..."
"I'm here."
He looked up.
Nyra was struggling to lift her hand.
David immediately caught it.
"Easy. Don't move too much."
He supported her arm as she slowly reached toward his face.
Her fingertips brushed his cheek.
David leaned into her hand.
For a moment, he remembered another day at the Academy, when she'd taken his hand and held it as though it were the most natural thing in the world.
He had been nervous then.
Now he would have given anything to be back there.
Nyra's fingers rested against his cheek.
"David..."
He leaned closer.
"I'm here, Nyra."
Her eyes remained fixed on his.
"I love you, David."
David's breath caught.
Tears gathered in his eyes.
He carefully covered her hand with his own.
"I love you too, Nyra."
A faint smile touched her lips.
For a moment, she looked almost peaceful.
Her fingers brushed his cheek one last time.
Then her hand began to slip.
David caught it.
"Nyra?"
Her arm was limp.
He gently lowered her hand, still holding it between his fingers.
"Nyra?"
Her eyes had closed.
David leaned closer.
"Hey. Look at me."
He squeezed her hand.
"Nyra, come on."
She didn't respond.
David touched her cheek.
"Hey, don't do that. Stay awake."
He waited.
Nothing.
His breathing quickened.
"Nyra?"
He placed his fingers against her neck.
He searched for a pulse.
Moved them slightly.
Pressed again.
"No..."
He leaned closer, watching her chest.
"Come on. Breathe."
He waited for her to take another breath.
She didn't.
"Nyra, please."
He returned his hand to the dressing, pressing against the wound as though he could force the bleeding to stop.
"Come on!"
His voice cracked.
"Please, just breathe!"
He looked at her face.
"Nyra!"
There was no answer.
David shook his head.
"No. No, no, no..."
He carefully slipped his good arm beneath her shoulders and pulled her toward him.
His wounded shoulder burned, but he ignored it.
"Come on, Nyra. Wake up."
He held her against his chest.
"Please."
Her head rested against him.
David brushed the hair away from her face.
"You're okay. You're going to be okay."
His tears fell onto her hair.
"We're going to the lake, remember?"
He waited for her to answer.
"Your dad's waiting for us."
His voice broke.
"You can't leave him waiting."
He looked down at her.
"Nyra, please..."
He pressed his forehead against hers.
"Don't leave me."
The words came out in a whisper.
He pulled her closer.
"Please don't leave me."
His breathing became uneven.
He looked toward the distant battlefield.
"HELP!"
His voice tore across the grass.
"SOMEBODY HELP!"
There was no answer.
David looked back at Nyra.
"Please..."
He brushed his thumb across her cheek.
"I love you."
Her face remained still.
"Nyra..."
He shook his head.
"No!"
He clutched her closer.
"NO!"
His scream echoed across the plains.
"NYRA!"
He buried his face against her hair.
"Please, wake up."
His shoulders shook.
"You're all I have left."
He struggled to breathe through his tears.
"I can't lose you too."
He held her for a long time, calling her name, begging her to open her eyes.
But Nyra never answered.
***
Castiel stumbled across the battlefield with Lucian unconscious in his arms.
His legs trembled beneath the weight.
The effort of using Shadow Requiem had left his body exhausted, and every step sent a dull ache through his shoulders.
Lucian's head rested against his chest.
The field dressing around his side was soaked with blood.
"Just hold on," Castiel muttered. "We're almost there."
He looked across the torn grass.
The four Fallen soldiers lay dead near a massive boulder that had been split cleanly in half.
A deep diagonal cut ran through the ground.
Castiel slowed.
"What the..."
He recognized the precision of the damage.
Spatial Severance.
But he'd never seen David produce anything remotely that large.
He looked beyond the bodies.
Then he saw him.
David was sitting in the grass with someone in his arms.
Castiel's stomach tightened.
"D?"
David didn't look up.
Castiel hurried toward him, nearly losing his balance as he crossed the uneven ground.
"D!"
He stopped a few meters away.
Nyra's silver-white hair hung over David's arm.
Her face was motionless.
Castiel stared.
"No..."
He carefully lowered Lucian onto a patch of grass and checked that the dressing remained secured.
Then he hurried to David.
"D?"
David sat with Nyra cradled against his chest, his bloodstained hand resting against the back of her head.
Castiel knelt beside them.
"David..."
He looked at Nyra.
Her eyes were closed.
Her face had lost its color.
Castiel reached toward her neck, checking for a pulse.
He waited.
Then he slowly withdrew his hand.
His eyes filled with tears.
"Oh, Nyra..."
David didn't move.
Castiel placed a hand on his shoulder.
"D..."
David's grip tightened around her.
Castiel leaned forward and wrapped his arms around him, careful of his wounded shoulder.
For a moment, David remained still.
Then his body began to shake.
"She's gone, Cass..."
His voice cracked.
Castiel held him tighter.
"I know, D."
David shook his head.
"I wasn't strong enough."
"D..."
"I wasn't fast enough."
He looked down at Nyra.
"I couldn't protect her."
Castiel closed his eyes.
Tears ran down his cheeks.
"David..."
"She was right there, Cass."
David struggled to get the words out.
"I saw the blade. I tried to reach her."
His breathing became ragged.
"I tried!"
Castiel pressed his forehead against David's hair.
"I know you did."
"But I couldn't!"
David looked desperately at his friend.
"Tell me she's okay, Cass."
Castiel's face twisted.
"David..."
"Please. Just tell me she's okay."
He clutched Nyra closer.
"Tell me this is a dream."
His voice broke completely.
"Tell me none of this happened."
Castiel couldn't speak.
David grabbed his arm.
"Wake me up, Cass."
"D..."
"Please!"
David's tears streamed down his face.
"Wake me up!"
Castiel shook his head, crying openly now.
David's grip tightened.
"WAKE ME UP, CASS!"
His scream carried across the battlefield.
"PLEASE!"
Castiel pulled him into his arms.
He held his best friend as David sobbed against him, still refusing to release Nyra.
"I'm sorry, D."
Castiel's own voice broke.
"I'm so sorry."
David buried his face against Nyra's hair.
"I promised her..."
Castiel held him.
"I promised I'd protect her."
His words dissolved into sobs.
Castiel looked down at Nyra.
He remembered her standing beside them at the Academy, her Wind Crest Swords resting against her hips, quietly smiling whenever June made another ridiculous joke.
He remembered the way she looked at David when she thought nobody was watching.
He remembered the six of them sitting together, laughing, arguing, making plans for a future that had seemed so close.
Castiel tightened his embrace.
He couldn't find anything to say.
So he stayed beside David and cried with him.
***
The distant sound of fighting eventually reached Castiel again.
He lifted his head.
Crimson light flashed across the northern sky.
The battle was still going.
He looked toward Lucian.
His friend lay unconscious where he'd left him.
Then Castiel looked across the grass.
June and Mira were still down.
Commander Vance hadn't moved.
He wiped his face with his sleeve.
"D..."
David didn't answer.
Castiel gently touched his shoulder.
"We need to help the others."
David continued holding Nyra.
"June and Mira are still alive. Vance too. Lucian's hurt badly."
He swallowed.
"They need us."
David stared at Nyra's face.
Castiel waited a moment before speaking again.
"D, please."
David's fingers tightened around hers.
Castiel carefully reached beneath Nyra's shoulders.
"Let me help you."
David shook his head.
"I can't..."
"I know."
Castiel's voice was gentle.
"I know, D."
He supported Nyra while David slowly loosened his hold.
Together, they lowered her onto the grass.
Castiel carefully arranged her hair away from her face.
David kept holding her hand.
For several seconds, he couldn't bring himself to let go.
Castiel stayed beside him.
When David finally released her fingers, his hand trembled violently.
Castiel placed a hand beneath David's good arm.
"Come on."
David didn't move.
"D, we have to get you up."
Castiel slipped his arm around him and helped him rise.
David cried out as his wounded leg took some of his weight.
His knees buckled.
Castiel caught him.
"Easy! Lean on me."
David struggled to stand.
Blood continued running down his leg, and the torn armor around his shoulder hung loosely against his side.
Castiel steadied him.
"That's it. I've got you."
David's eyes remained on Nyra.
Castiel followed his gaze.
For a moment, neither spoke.
Then Castiel turned toward the others.
"We have to get them help. June, Mira, Vance... Lucian's barely breathing."
David didn't answer.
Castiel looked at him.
"D?"
David's head slowly turned.
His gaze drifted past Castiel toward the northern battlefield.
Far beyond the torn grass, flashes of crimson light illuminated the clouds.
The sounds of fighting carried across the plains.
Castiel tightened his grip around David's waist.
"David, are you listening?"
David swayed.
His wounded leg shifted beneath him.
Castiel caught him before he fell.
"D, careful!"
David continued staring into the distance.
His breathing was shallow.
Castiel looked toward the others again.
He couldn't leave them lying there.
"D, snap out of it! I need you!"
David didn't respond.
Castiel guided him toward a patch of grass where he could stand without putting too much weight on his injured leg.
"Stay here. Don't move."
He waited until David seemed steady enough to remain upright.
Then he hurried toward June.
June lay on his side near Mira, his uniform darkened with blood around the shoulder where Sanguine Thorn had pierced him.
Castiel knelt beside him.
"June?"
No answer.
He pressed two fingers against June's neck.
A pulse.
"Thank Goodness."
He carefully checked the wound before rolling June onto his back.
"Come on, June. Stay with us."
He pressed a dressing against the injured shoulder.
June didn't stir.
Castiel secured the dressing and moved to Mira.
She lay motionless nearby, her twin blades scattered in the grass.
Castiel checked her pulse.
Still alive.
Her breathing was weak but steady.
"Mira? Can you hear me?"
She didn't respond.
He checked for visible wounds, then turned toward Commander Vance.
The commander lay several meters away, her armor torn and bloodstained.
Castiel rushed to her side.
"Commander?"
He knelt and checked her pulse.
It was faint.
"Come on..."
He pressed his fingers more firmly against her neck.
There.
She was alive.
Castiel looked at the wound in her shoulder, then the terrible injury where Sanguine Thorn had passed through Nyra and struck her.
He pulled another dressing from his equipment.
His hands shook as he worked.
"Stay with us, Commander."
He pressed the dressing against the wound and secured it as best he could.
Vance remained unconscious.
Castiel looked toward Lucian.
Then June.
Mira.
Vance.
They were all alive.
But he had no idea how much longer they would remain that way.
He needed to contact the military.
He needed an evacuation team.
He needed David.
Castiel turned.
"D!"
David stood several meters away.
His body swayed slightly.
Blood ran down his leg, staining the grass around his boots.
His head was turned toward the northern battlefield.
"D! We have to get them help!"
David didn't move.
Castiel rose from beside Vance.
"David!"
He took several steps toward him.
"We need to get them out of here! Now!"
David slowly turned his head.
For the first time since Castiel had helped him stand, his eyes seemed to focus.
He looked directly at his friend.
"They're all going to die, Cass."
Castiel stopped.
"What?"
David's gaze drifted toward the distant fighting.
His expression had become strangely empty.
"They're all going to die."
Castiel felt a chill run through him.
"D!"
David raised his trembling hand.
"Shadow Step."
System:
Shadow Step — Activated