He always used to do that.
Racing headfirst into death as if he had something to prove.
Just as when we sparred. Just as always.
I cradled him in my arms, blood from his mouth seeping into my shirt, and for an instant, I heard my heart shattering — not loud, not melodramatic, but a soft *snap*, the way a twig snaps underfoot in the still forest.
"Aurie…" I whispered, almost inaudible.
He blinked up at me, one eye swollen shut, the other dazed but searching. "Crim.? What are you…doing here?"
I hushed him, pressing two fingers to his lips. "Aurie, sleep. We've got this."
He coughed again. Blood splattered onto my collar, hot, thick, and wrong.
I laid him behind a fallen tree, cradled him like porcelain, then stood — slow and steady.
The demons were circling.
Dozens. Crawling like shadows that had caught wind of something hurt. Something they could rend.
But it wasn't Aurie's turn anymore.
It was mine.
And this time, they weren't battling a rookie.
Kael was a couple of paces to my left, motionless as moonlight, his hand on Shizukazakura's hilt. The sword's spirit glowed in the air — a whisper of petals on a battlefield. Gorgeous. Lethal. Serene.
We didn't say anything.
We never had to.
One demon charged — and Kael was gone.
Before the demon's corpse even noticed it was dead, Kael was long gone.
Me?
I wanted them to *see* me.
I pulled out my sword. Not its true form — they weren't worth using that against.
My blade was made up of Starflame, the finest of its kind, it was laced with a dark red tone on the sharp end of the sword, Starflame is known across the land as the "Flame that cuts through darkness." it means what it says he blade is made so sharp that one slice of this sword on your arm its almost impossible to mend.
So just by unsheathing my sword should be to their upmost honor.
I drew the steel that had been tempered in the fire of everything I'd lost. Fueled by rage. Honed by grief. And given purpose by Aurie's blood.
They charged me like thunder.
I replied like lightning.
Steel blurred. Screams broke out. Limbs flew.
Each swing was a heartbeat. Each heartbeat was a promise.
One of them closed in — too close — left a scratch along my cheek.
A miscalculation.
I smashed its skull with the hilt before it was able to take another breath.
Kael moved like the petals of the cheery blossoms — silent, elegant, unavoidable. He didn't fight like a man. He fought like memory. Like the breath before a typhoon. A petal floated by. Then another.
Four demons dropped silently.
And then, strangely — he spoke.
"Amethyst… do you think he's dead?"
I blinked.
That moron. I was so blinded by Kael's timing that I actually stumbled.
"What the hell do you mean, Kael?! He's not that weak!" I snarled, catching myself as I stared at him.
Kael let out a short laugh, the sort that stated "I knew you'd say that", and disappeared once more in a flash of silk and steel.
We continued to fight.
I lost track of how long we danced with death. Minutes? Hours? Time didn't exist.
Only the last scream did.
And it didn't sound hungry.
It sounded afraid.
The clearing was quiet.
I stood once more over Aurie. My knife still dripped. My arms shook. My breathing was ragged. And amidst the combination of blood, sweat, and silence — I noticed that my cheeks were wet.
Kael held out his sword letting the blood of the sword bleed out. The petals dissolved in the wind.
I dropped to my knee and swept the blood-matted hair from Aurie's forehead.
"Aurie…" I whispered. "Why are you so reckless you should take more care of yourself....?"
He didn't answer.
He didn't have to.
Because next time…
He'd be holding me.
The fight was done. The final scream had long dissolved into silence, all that remained as testament to the destruction being torn earth and red-stained leaves. Slowly, the sky lightened, pale gold and soft pink spreading across splintered treetops, and the world began to breathe again.
Peace had been restored — at least for an instant.
I adjusted Auren's weight on my back, being careful not to disturb his wounds. His shallow breaths against my shoulder were uneven but consistent.
That was all I needed for the time being. His blood had dried cold on my skin, sticky on my clothes, but I didn't mind. His body was heavy — not from weight, but from everything it represented. He was a burden, yes. but one I'd carry repeatedly without complaint.
Kael walked in silence alongside me. His own steps made almost no noise at all as we walked along the forest trail. Shizukazakura hung quietly on his hip, the tempest within it quieted, though a soft buzzing still emanated from the sheath — an aftershock from some living, ancient thing.
We said nothing. Verbal attempts at expression seemed too feeble after what we had just experienced.
Finally, the cabin appeared in front of them — far but discernible, half consumed by fog and dawn light. It seemed like a memory, or a promise. Safe.
"You did well," Kael said at last, breaking into the silence. "He would've died without you."
I readjusted Aurie's weight once more and cast him a sidelong glance. "He's constantly walking the line between life and death. Someday he's going to tip over. and I won't be quick enough." I appended hastily, "And I always do well. You'd best recall that."
He chuckled quietly. My final remark was no jest.
Kael never spoke to me as an adult. At fifteen, after everything, he still regarded me as if I were a child who had tried to wield too large of a sword.
My voice fell. "This time was different. He really would've died."
Kael hesitated, then nodded. "But he fought. Even if it was reckless."
"Doesn't make it smart now, does it?" I barked, defending Aurie even as I condemned him. "He slew one demon, Kael. One. He's not strong yet."
"But that's what makes him him," I grumbled, more softly now — not wanting to wake him.
We walked in silence for a bit longer. The forest was stirring around us — birds singing, leaves rustling, gentle wind stroking against scars and silence alike.
The blood, the screams, the fire — already it seemed far away. As though it had occurred in someone else's dream.
"You know what I think?" Kael murmured. "I think he saw something."
I faced him. "What do you mean?"
"When you fell, he screamed your name. Before the final blow, that is. He wasn't stabbing at the demon just now. I think he thought he'd lose you."
My heart constricted.
"That idiot…" I whispered, voice cracking. "I don't know what you're talking about! Why would he do that?" I turned away sharply, hiding my face — not just from him, but from myself.
Kael just laughed, like he'd pulled off some stupid magic trick.
The cabin door creaked. I pushed it open with my shoulder and stepped inside, setting Aurie down carefully on the couch. Kael slid past me wordlessly, already pulling out herbs and implements to use to heal the wounds with his characteristic calm.
I stood there and watched them both.
This cabin was more than shelter.
This cabin was where the broken people learned again how to stand.
As the sunlight filtered through the dusty window panes, I made a quiet vow.
Next time… I'd be powerful enough to defend him first.
"You know, Amethyst," Kael replied nonchalantly, "truly, it was not your fault."
I gasped for air. Literally.
"Kael, if you're going to kill me, just stab me — don't drop things like that when I'm still alive."
A low grumble shattered the silence.
I whirled around. Auren adjusted on the couch, flinching as his hand automatically went to his ribs. His skin was white, lips parched, bruises still darkening on his cheekbone — but his eyes struggled to open, dazed and unfocused.
"Aurie?" I knelt beside him, rushing over.
His eyes focused on me. For a moment, I wasn't certain if he was coherent — but then he smiled crookedly, half-heartedly.
"You look like hell," he groaned.
That was enough.
"You absolute idiot!" I shouted, grabbing the closest pillow and slapping it against his chest — not hard enough to kill him, but hard enough to make the point.
"Ow—Crim—what the—?!"
"Do you realize what you did out there?! You could have gotten killed, Auren! You nearly did!" I yelled, my voice breaking. "Rushing at that demon like some stupid idiot! What were you thinking?"
He blinked at me as if I'd requested him to calculate a math problem. "Uh… that I could win?"
Incorrect answer.
You think you're joking?" I barked, gesturing at the bandages on his chest. "You think this is a win? Look at you! You're lucky Kael and I got there when we did or you'd be fertilizer in a demon nest today!
Auren's smile wavered. He glanced down at himself, then back at me — and the shame in his eyes mellowed some of the blaze in my chest.
"I didn't mean to frighten you," he muttered.
"Well, you did," I said softly now, sitting back on my heels. "You frightened the hell out of me, Aurie."
He was quiet for a long time. Then: "Did… did I at least do something helpful?"
I glared at him. "You sliced off a demons head. You got out of your own skin alive. I suppose that *technically* amounts to being helpful."
He smiled — then gasped, obviously regretting it.
"Don't do that again," I told him sternly. "Don't make us worry about you like that. Next time you get the idea to play hero, reflect on how it felt waking up battered and bruised with me screaming at you.
"I'll try," he whispered. "But you yelling is kinda worth it."
"You're lucky you're cute when you're unconscious," I growled under my breath.
"What?"
"Nothing shut your mouth."
Kael's voice filtered in from the table where he continued to stir herbs. "They always flirt right after one of them almost dies. It's adorable."
"We're not flirting!" we both exclaimed at the same time.
Kael shrugged, unaffected. "Sure, Sure whatever you say, but how nice to feel young again."
Auren smiled weakly, then coughed again — and my heart skipped just a little.
I touched out, pushing a strand of hair from his forehead.
"Rest," I said gently. "You're not finished healing."
He nodded slowly, his eyes already closing again.
As I sat there observing him sleep, something in me leveled. He was safe — for the moment.
And next time?
I'd damn well see to it he remained so.
The fire crackled quietly in the hearth, casting soft flickers of light across the cabin walls. Kael sat near the window, silent, sharpening his blade with slow, deliberate strokes. Outside, dawn had fully bloomed — the forest was no longer haunted by screams, only birdsong and wind.
I stayed beside Auren, watching the steady rise and fall of his chest. Each breath felt like a victory. Small, but hard-won.
There was something strangely peaceful about the silence that followed chaos. Like the world finally allowed itself to breathe again.
Kael looked over, his voice low. "You gonna be okay?"
I nodded, eyes still on Auren. "He's still breathing. That's all I need right now."
"He's tougher than he looks."
"He's dumber than he looks."
Kael chuckled lightly.
I stood up slowly, my legs still sore from the fight, and pulled a blanket over Auren's body. He murmured something in his sleep — my name, maybe. Or just a sound.
Didn't matter.
He was alive.
That was enough.
I might act like I do not care and act nonchalant, but..... I can't help myself worry about people around me who are hurt.
I walked to the door, stepping out into the early morning light. The wind tugged at my clothes, brushing my face like a cold reminder.
This wouldn't be the last battle.
There would be more demons. More blood. More days we'd have to survive by the edge of our blades and the strength of our will.
But for now?
We had one more sunrise.
And I'd fight for every one that came after.