Aqualina Naiadia’s POV
‘Slap’
M-My body froze as Aether’s palm connected with my cheek. Shock and anger coursed through me, leaving me momentarily speechless.
‘Drip’
I couldn’t comprehend what had just happened, and before I could react, a single tear rolled down Aether’s cheek. His voice, normally warm and reassuring, now carried a tone of stern resolve as he said, “You stay here!! Got it!!” His words were sharp.
My head subconsciously nodded in response.
“G-Good,” Aether managed a faint smile, though his eyes were filled with tears and regret. He reached out as if to touch my reddened cheek, but hesitated, his hand trembling.
“I… I… ahem…” His voice faltered, his smile strained and pained. “Punish me after… Princess, I am here for you, so don’t worry!” He moved closer as if to embrace me, but I instinctively flinched and stepped back involuntarily, unable to comprehend the complexity of emotions swirling within me.
“…” Aether simply smiled, a fragile expression etched on his face. His lips trembled slightly, and after a few hesitant nods, he turned away, walking toward the narrow entrance…
“P-Please tell Aria that I truly loved her… even if it was just an act.”
‘Drip’
With one last tear sliding down his cheek, he exited and covered the narrow entrance with a huge stone, sealing me inside the dark confines of our hiding place.
“H-hey…” I called out into the oppressive darkness, my voice trembling as I stepped forward with a body that felt like it was shaking uncontrollably… “A-Aether?”
But no answer came.
As I walked closer to the stone, the muffled sounds of fighting reached my ears, sending chills down my spine…
“Kill him!!!”
Slck!
“Bastard!! Where is that girl with you!!”
Slck!
“Look at me, boy. Tell me where she is, and I will let you live.”
“N-No!” I mumbled in fear. “Please don’t hurt him,” I shouted desperately as I punched the stone, but it didn’t move.
“I won’t!”
“KILL HIM!!!”
“S-Stop it!” I cried out, punching again as blood began to flow freely from my hand…
“Hahahaha…..”
“Look at the loser!!!”
Slck!
“FUUFF HHHAAAAA!”
“A-Aether, come to me!!!” I shouted, my voice growing hoarse as I punched and punched and… punched… M-My knuckles were broken, but I didn’t care. I kept punching the stone until it finally started to crack under the relentless force of my desperation.
“Boy, don’t you want to have a taste of that beautiful girl?… We’ll let you have her first. Just tell us where she is.”
“I’d rather kill myself than hurt her again!”
Slck!
“P-Please s-stop it!!!” I screamed, my voice raw with anguish.
“Come on, boy. This is your last chance… tell me where she is.”
“Fuck off!”
Slck!
“…..”
Then everything was silent… an empty, eerie silence that made my heart feel like it was being hollowed out.
My breath quickened in fear, and I panted heavily, “Come on, Aqua!!” I shouted at myself, my chest/solar plexus beginning to glow slightly before I summoned every ounce of my power to break the stone.
Crack
Thuddddddddd
The stones crumbled, but my heart pounded even harder as I hurriedly exited the cave, my senses overwhelmed by the sight before me… a bloodbath.
The air was thick with the metallic scent of blood. In the midst of the carnage, I saw… I saw…
“AAEEETTTHHHHEEEEERRRRRRRR!!!”
I screamed, my voice echoing in the desolate silence.
I-I saw a motionless body!
I pushed myself forward, my vision blurred with tears and finally saw his body.
His hoodie was completely shredded, his body covered in numerous cuts, and there were even a few fingers missing. Blood flowed from his many wounds and from his forehead, tainting his once-white happy face.
He must have been in unimaginable pain and… yet there was a small, peaceful smile on his lips as if he had succeeded in protecting me.
Thud
My legs gave way, and I collapsed to my knees before him, the weight of my despair pulling me down.
‘Drip, Drip’
Tears poured from my eyes, unbidden and unstoppable. “A-Aether?” I called out, my voice breaking, but there was no response.
With a terrified expression, I moved my trembling hand towards his nose, hoping against hope that there might be some sign of life…
“NNOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!” My scream echoed across the now eerily silent place, a raw and primal expression of my anguish.
I hugged his dead body tightly, refusing to accept the unbearable reality before me.
N-No!! This had to be a nightmare. He must be playing with me… I thought desperately as I softly patted him and called his name warmly, “A-Aether, wake up. Y-Your princess is here… You’re making her c-cry…
p-please… w-wake up…” My voice cracked with pain and desperation, each word soaked in the fear of losing him.
“….” There was no response from him, only an oppressive, dead silence that felt like it was crushing my soul.
Drip
My tears dripped onto his face. In my mind, I imagined if he were awake, he would have already wiped my tears away, saying, ‘Don’t cry, princess. I am here!’
The memory of his comforting words and the warmth they used to bring now felt like a cruel mockery of my current despair.
“I-I want to hear that… Please, p-please wake up…. I won’t ever order you around again… please, just please stay by my side… I want you to be with me…. p-please,” I pleaded, my voice breaking as I rubbed my tear-streaked eyes against his still, lifeless ones.
The coldness of his skin sent shivers through me, amplifying my grief.
“….”
Holding his lifeless body, I hugged him tightly, trying to pour all my love and desperation into the embrace, “H-Here! You wanted to hug me before, right?”
“I-I am hugging you, so wake up!”
“…”
“Wake up!”
“….”
“WAKE UP, BASTARD!!”
“…..”
“AAAAAAAhhhhh!!!” I screamed in pain as I clutched his motionless body even tighter, crying uncontrollably onto his chest. My entire body shook with the intensity of my sobs, each tear feeling like it was carving a path of agony through my heart.
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“I… I… love you too, please…’sob’ I… ‘sob’… I realized now… Please ‘sob’ wake up…
‘sob’ Wake up,” I cried in his stone-cold embrace. The weight of my unspoken feelings crushed me, the regret of not having expressed them sooner becoming an unbearable burden.
W-What did I do to deserve this…. The question looped endlessly in my mind, a tormenting echo of my guilt and sorrow.
Please… M-Mother… I’m… so scared…
As I lay crying on his chest, I faintly heard something… It was so faint that I almost dismissed it as a figment of my desperate imagination.
“Ba…… Dump……… Ba………………..Du”
My eyes widened in shock and disbelief.
Could it be? Was it possible? I strained to hear it again, my heart pounding in my chest as I held my breath, waiting for any sign of life.
The faint thump of a heartbeat, barely audible, resonated through the silence. It was weak, but unmistakable.