Blood.
More blood.
The air was overflowing with a sickening, sweet metallic scent.
Why?
My hands trembled as I lifted them to my face, droplets of blood rolled off my palms silently. Every corner of my body ached as if the bones had all been crushed.
Pristine valleys that used to coat with shrubs and trees were flattened with piles of corpses layered upon one another, with streams of blood flowing down the once clear creeks. The screams of the soldiers echoed in the back of my head like a cursed chant, dragging me closer to the door of hell.
Did I do this? Was it me?
The corner of my lips quivered at the countless dead bodies. A gush of wind brought along the foul smells of the rotting bodies, and a fragile, blood-stained piece of uniform fabric. That's from the dragon's junior scout.
It landed like a feather on the cheek of the deceased soldier in front of me. My hands froze in mid-air inches away from their skin. The facial feature of the soldier was way too soft, too small and pure for this battleground. My heart dropped.
They really sent children here. A glance around the field confirmed my thoughts. My eyes met with the young scout's lifeless eyes for a split second, and at once the laughter and cries of the children flooded my brain, threatening to tear me apart.
Those eyes...too hollow, too empty, no shine...they are all dead.
It's as if a million invisible claws grasped my heart, the sudden realisation of my sins engulfed me in a thick fog of guilt and despair as the images of the once-alive people flashed in front of my eyes. Is it because of me?
The battlefield was dead silent with only the sound of blood dripping, yet somehow it felt like all the people that had died today arose from their corpses and formed a circle around me. Murmurs of disproval, cries of regret and helpless sighs surrounded me like a barrier of sound.
But...but...
I covered my ears, yet nothing seemed to be helping.
But...but...
But you all wanted to kill me. I squeezed my eye shut in agony.
When I opened my eyes, a massive shadow was overcasting me. Before I get time to turn around, something clasped around my throat tightly, followed by the alarming sensation of cold, hard steel. My eyes widened as I grasped my throat. A sharp flaming sensation in my chest worsened with every breath I took. Who?
The bright silhouette of a young man emerged from the dark, bloody mist. His white robe remained untainted as he stood in front of me. He emitted a warm, comforting aura as he spoke, yet his voice was inaudible as if I was listening to him from another world.
I know him. My hands reached for him desperately as my lungs screamed for oxygen. I know you.
The man leaned down and whispered softly, but his face was still blurry, and no words could be made out of his sentence. His hand caressed my cheeks gently, so light it felt like he was made of plain air.
Why are you here? Despite his blurred features, my heart pounded fast at his presence.
I want to see you clearly. No sound came out of my throat except for a choked sound. What's your name?
His silhouette continued to glow, yet my own presence in this world seemed to fade away little by little. A mixture of feelings in my mind as my sight became distorted and hazy.
Piercing pain in my chest. Distanced chants and the inaudible whisper of the man resonated soundly as vivid sceneries of the tranquil valleys played at the back of my head like a movie.
Is this really the end for me?
Isn't death supposed to be agonizing?
Could I have done something differently?
I was a bad person after all.
But...but...
I gazed at the man through a hazy lens. It took everything for me just to keep my eyes open for a second.
That's when I saw it.
The sunlight had shone on his face, reflecting off the streams of tears on his cheeks.
He's crying...for me?
My fingers twitched in a failed attempt to wipe off his tears. Why are you crying?
A flow of warmth passed through my body for a split second when I met his eyes.
Such pretty eyes, let me look at you...just...for a bit...more...