People continued to shout and scream; panic had consumed the heart of Jeremias China Town's centre.
She closed her eyes, ceasing her struggle. There seemed to be no way to evade anymore.
She waited—seconds passed, two, three, seven, twelve. But nothing happened. No pain, no sensation.
'Am I dead?' she questioned herself, 'but I feel fine.'
Gradually, she opened her eyes, anticipating the worst. Instead, she was met with the familiar back of a boy. He seemed unharmed until her gaze fixed on the gaping hole puncturing cleanly through his abdomen. Big red rivers of blood streamed down his back. He took a step forward, then collapsed.
Snapping out of her stupor, she rushed to his side, crouching beside him.
His face was gradually turning pale as marble, his temperature plummeting alarmingly. Blood still flowed in rivers but was slowly thinning out.
She had no health potions or elixirs, and even if she did, the probabilities of success were slim. Only mid-rank potions would help, but they were too slow for the current situation. High rank would resolve everything, but she wasn't yet an adventurer and couldn't acquire them that easily.
"Stay with me."
"Glrgrlgrllggrlll" - he tried to speak but coughed out a mouthful of blood.
"I'll call for help. Hang on; everything's going to be okay."
"I need a medic! Is there anyone? Please help!"
No one stepped forward. It wasn't that there weren't doctors in the crowd, but from a mile away, they could see the chances of survival were close to zero.
"Anyone, please!"
"Grlglrlllgrl" - he coughed again, the blood double the last time. For a split second, he managed to talk again.
"It... it's been (cough) nice knowi... knowing you."
Her eyes blurred, and tears fell like a flowing river.
"Wait... wait, don't go... what about your master? What about the present?"
In a sobbing whisper, she said, 'What about me?' She didn't have many real friends; most had ulterior motives or wanted to use her. Most of her true friends had met their end. She had finally made another friend, and now he would leave her behind like everyone else. He treated her like a human being, like any other human being, and now she would lose him too.
Why was she always left behind?
She wasn't always this cold. She was once a cheerful girl, but that girl was lost long ago. Lies, schemes, burdens, losses, and pain had changed and hardened her heart.
"P... ple... please don't go."
He looked her in the eyes and gave one small final smile, closed his eyes, and finally released his last breath.