This is a joke, right?
My body refused to move, my mind refused to think.
Was I going to lose everyone?
I trudged over towards the girl, my feet barely even responding. My hands let go of the weapons I was holding, a massive clash of tal ringing throughout the now-silent graveyard.
I kneeled down, gently picking up the girl's head into my arms. I looked at the wound at her side, noticing that the few seconds of smoke had allowed the Fury to get a direct hit on Katherine, causing internal damage.
The girl smiled, finally realizing she was being supported.
"Sorry, Darck," she whispered quietly. Her words, her voice, her occasional grunt of pain, all of it was identical to Rom. I shook my head, trying to forget what had happened to the healer that had mimicked her exact actions.
"For what?" I responded weakly. I wouldn't cry, I wouldn't show weakness. There was only one thing I wanted to do for the partner I had co to love like a sister: be a supporting rock for her to lean on until the very end.
"For making you feel what you're feeling right now."
I didn't answer.
"Take off your mask," she asked softly. I obeyed, imdiately removing the facemask from my face. My long brown hair fell over my face, but the girl just smiled and reached up, touching my cheek.
"What's your na?"
My eyes widened. These last three years, Katherine had never known my na? I had always thought she knew, but I guess I had never explicitly told her.
"Jay. Jay Cadmium."
The girl's smile widened even further, tears starting to stream down her face as she realized her ti was slowly approaching, the seconds counting down.
"Jay? It's a pretty na. How old are you?"
My body didn't even react, the utter disgust in myself surging forth as I tried to pronounce the simple number.
"Ten."
Katherine chuckled, a laugh that engraved itself within my mory. I never wanted that expression to leave , never wanted the girl in front of to disappear.
"Only ten, huh? And to think I was relying on you for everything."
"I'm not from this world," I suddenly said, the words escaping my mouth. I didn't care, I didn't want to stop, I wanted to tell this girl everything about myself, everything that I had wanted to say for the last ten years since I had been born on this continent. She rely sighed, nodding.
"I'm not surprised. But I'm sure you were just as extraordinary in your other world," she said finally, accepting the absurd sentence I had just told her.
No, I wasn't. I was soone who killed others to survive, ignored others for my own gain. There was nothing good about , the only thing present within was a cold-blooded killer who knew how to survive.
"Kath, I'm so sorry. You knew nothing, and yet you stuck by for so long," I muttered, my voice cracking ever so slightly. I concentrated, regaining my composure.
"Well, you didn't know much about neither," she responded truthfully. I smiled, realizing she was right. "But did we really need to?"
"No," I said, shaking my head slowly, "no, we didn't."
Katherine winced ever so slightly, her condition worsening by the second.
"Jay, can you do one last favor?" she asked. I looked into her eyes, waiting for her request. It didn't matter what it was, I didn't care how impossible it was, I would accomplish it. I would dedicate my life, my entire existence towards her one wish.
"Live."
I think living ans treasuring what we have in life, whether that be a place, a person, or our relationships. Katherine's words echoed in my mind, her request suddenly making sense to .
She didn't want to survive. She wanted to live.
To continue treasuring those that I had, to mourn her, and move on, to continue finding happiness. A smile was all I was able to do, I could feel my hands starting to tremble.
"I will, Kath."
She nodded, satisfied.
"Thank you, Jay."
The entire world slowed down, ti coming to a stop. I watched, centil by centil, Katherine's eyes closing. Those brown eyes that would never open themselves again, that hair that would never flutter in the wind again, that warm voice that would never speak again.
Her eyes finally ca to a close. I felt the slight breeze from her last breath, a fluttering warmth that I could never feel again.
I brought the girl closer, embracing her body. My entire body trembled, my soul shattering as I lost a piece of myself. I didn't break down, containing the emotions that were flooding my mind, blocking my voice with a knot in my throat.
"Why."
"What did I do to deserve this?"
I gripped the back of the girl's head, my hands refusing to let go. I felt her hair intertangled with my fingers, her scent filling the air.
Was it wrong for to exist? Was it wrong for to grow attached to people?
I equipped my mask slowly, adjusting my arms to cradle Katherine's entire body and standing up. I looked back at the three bodies remaining in the graveyard.
"I failed you all," I croaked, not knowing what else to say, "please forgive ."
I walked out of the cathedral, my mind unconsciously clearing the passageway with bind. A bright light shone in the distance, the exit drawing closer and closer.
The fluorescent rays blinded my eyes, the outside world welcoming back. I walked onwards, not knowing when to stop, not knowing when to think.
I still had people out there I needed to protect, people I needed to support, but I didn't know if I had it in . I felt broken.
I looked at the girl who had singlehandedly supported throughout my entire journey as an adventurer. The person who had stuck by , had fought with , had comforted when I was in doubt. I gave off one final smile.
"Thank you for everything, Kath."
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