Chapter 178: Melancholy Memories

Chapter 178: Melancholy Memories

“Ye fokin brat! Mi eyes!! What did ye do!?” The slender man growled as the sensation of fire spread across his face. His skin was burning and his eyes were far beyond that. Within seconds the purple liquid robbed him of his sight, causing him to stumble backwards as he flailed the stiletto wildly.

The young woman known as Adena struggled to process what happened. Her prevalent emotion was abject panic, her eyes widened and she rushed forward to support her beau. Even as the young man crumbled under the weight of his wounds. Bernard nursed his stomach, dealing with the teeth grinding pain of cracked ribs, all while bleeding profusely.

She cradled him, her fatigued body sinking under his dead weight until both found themselves on the floor of the wooden structure. Nearby the carriage man’s corpse lay, eyes wide and face contorted in disbelief but she cared very little about dead bodies now. Her only concern was to prevent another tragedy.

“Bernard…” She sobbed helplessly as she pressed her hand against what she felt was the puncture wound. Her fingertips quickly became bloodied and she realized that he was losing a dismal amount of life fluid. Her voice choked in her throat, and she realized that she was now entering the final moments of their time together.

He looked up at her with those eyes, the same eyes she’d grown so fond of and realized he could no longer delay her fears or sadness. Instead, he offered what he could through his own gaze, a burning desire for love and well wishes — pure love.

Amidst their moment of shared affection, their attacker shrieked and charged. Though blind, his rage would not abate and he could still hear. He dashed madly towards the sound of her voice, only blurry outlines could show him the way — his sight was all but gone.

His words came out as an unintelligible growl, his thoughts were now like that of a wounded animal. He had only one goal, to sink his blade deep — as far as it could go. He prepared to stab the moment he registered movement with his faulty eyes, but what happened next surprised even himself.

He felt the sensation of pulling, followed by something warm and wet trickling down his side. This was followed by several more piercing sensations — he was being stabbed, by his own knife no less.

Somehow, the young man had gotten to his feet once again and managed to wrest the blade from his attacker. The slender man gritted his teeth and swung hard with a backfist, but the damage was done. He connected, sending the young man flying backwards and to the floor as the killer grasped at his chest. His breathing was becoming ragged, blood was filling his lungs and he knew he would not have long. With that in mind, he croaked out a single, final order.

“Burn it down!” He bellowed as blood trickled from his lips, spurting outward as the ruffian crumpled to his knees. His face contorted into a contented smile as he lay dying on the floor. Adena clenched her fists upon witnessing the whole spectacle. For a brief moment she held out hope that they might be able to escape, that they would get through all of it — but it was a naive thought. Her love collapsed into her arms once more, offering an apology for his current state.

“I’m sorry. I never wanted things to turn out like this.. I didn’t.. Think my father would go so far…” He was now struggling to speak, his eyes flitted to and fro as if he were searching for her. So she gripped his hand , guiding him to her presence. Tears welled up, unstoppable and uncontrollable. They streamed down her cheeks and splashed onto his as his breathing slowed to a whisper, then stopped altogether.

There was no telling how long she sat with him in her arms, immobilized and isolated within a world of loss. When she came to, the shabby wooden hut was aflame, threatening to consume everything within it.

And yet, she couldn’t bring herself to care.

She thought back to the night’s events; their elopement plan, being chased through the forest, and finally the moments that led her to this point. It was the first time she’d done anything for herself, wanted as much or allowed herself to indulge. It was the first time she lived her life according to her own rules, and now in her final moments she was determined to see it through to the end.

She glanced around desperately seeking something, anything that might help her follow him to the afterlife. Anything but the flames. Her eyes settled on the stiletto and she felt drawn to it, but something nearer settled her violent thoughts. It was a bottle, unstoppered and discarded. She recalled her love and his actions, realizing that this was the same container of the liquid–the poison he’d used to blind the slender man.

She grabbed the bottle and lifted it, releasing a mixed sigh of relief and despair. There was enough left, a few gulps. She had no idea what the liquid would do, or if it would even do the job. But with the fires dancing around her anything had to be better than the kiss of flames. She took several deep breaths, her tear stained cheeks and blood stained hands both quivered as she brought the bottle up to her lips and drank.

She clenched her eyes shut as the bitter, numbing liquid flowed into her. And then —

“Welcome. I’m Wayla, the Guardian of the Wilderness tabernacle.”

Tears streamed down the young woman’s cheeks as she frantically sought to recall memories, the ones she wanted to hold onto forever. Yet even as the tears fell, a wall erected itself in her mind and heart.

“How many years would it take me to remember that.” Zura whispered to herself as she sipped on some tea. It was a pleasant scent, one that relaxed and calmed her. Despite this, she could feel a lone tear streaming down to her lips.

“I wonder what he’s up to right now?” She then said as she wiped the traces of sorrow away. A sense of melancholy settled over Zura as she pushed a strand of her long, black hair aside. Something told her to glance upwards, perhaps it was intuition. There was a blinding light, one that lasted only for a few moments, before a figure appeared before her.

“A-Agni? What are you doing here?” Zura asked, confused as to how the succubus had come to stand in her courtyard..