It was too silent, too calm, too cold, and too dark. The only sound was the stressed rapid steps of someone running through the foggy woods. Her breathing was unstable, her heart felt like it would explode out of her chest, and her nerves were erratic as she tried to stay focused on finding a way out of the darkness.
"Clarissa!" The voice called out from behind her but she did not turn. She was all too familiar with that voice, it was the voice of a person she loved. She loved so limitless, so unconditionally that she was willing to die for him. But there was no way she could face him now, not after what she did.
It was then she ran into a dead end. The huge concrete wall extended to heights that even she couldn't see its end. She started punching on the wall as she wailed out loud in pain. She kept sobbing and kept punching the wall until her fists had been bloodied.
"Clarissa." The voice calmly said as she heard the steps approaching her from behind.
"No!" She cried as she kept punching the wall trying to break it. More and more tears fell down her cheeks as she kept punching and punching. She then felt someone wrap their arms around her and pull her back as she struggled to get out of his grip.
He pushed her against a wall holding her wrists easily in his grip as he placed them above her head. He leaned a little down to face as he came face to face with her.
"Calm down, baby." His words were as warm as she remembered. She looked right into his silver gray eyes.
His face was well sculpted and sharp with his hair still a curly mess. His beard was still as un-neat as she had remembered. He still looked like the person she was in love with. More tears fell down her eyes as he smiled softly at her and let go of her as she fell to the ground. She hugged her legs as she rested her forehead on her knees and started to sob.
"Why are you crying?" He asked as he looked down at her and she just shook her head vigorously.
He lightly laughed as he sat down in front of her and held her face carefully pulling her head up to look at her. He smiled as he looked at her tears and snot-drenched face. He pulled her cheeks shaking her head a little too rough as she fought his hands off of her.
He laughed as he fell back. "You're so fucking stubborn." He said after calming down. "I told you to live your life. I told you to be happy. I told you to let me go."
"I can't," Clarissa said looking down at her knees still hugging her legs.
"Why not?" He asked still lying on his back.
"Because you are my mate, Yoon." She said and there was silence.
"Your mate?" She heard another familiar voice say as she looked up and horror filled her eyes.
Agathon was standing there with his hand through Yoon's chest. His sharp monstrous hand had ripped through Yoon's body as Agathon stood there with a huge grin. He then turned to look down at Clarissa who was stricken with fear and completely frozen in her place.
The look in his crimson eyes was sinister. "He's your mate?" He questioned as the look of disgust filled his eyes. "Look at yourself," Agathon said bitterly as he threw Yoon to the side and walked towards her. He held her and pulled her up.
She was now standing at one end of the aisle dressed in her wedding gown as she saw Agathon standing at the other end. There was no one else in the room but the two of them. He smiled at her bitterly and said, "Walk."
She started to walk forward as if something had compelled her to do so. Her steps slowly pushed her closer and closer to Agathon and even though she wanted to stop she kept walking with her head down under the white veil.
She stopped by the steps as she saw a hand reach her. She looked up at Agathon who was smiling at her softly. "He was your mate and you married her murderer?" He stepped back.
As Clarissa was hit by something warm and wet all over her. She stayed still as the liquid slid down to her feet. It was then she realized she was drenched in blood. Her white dress was now a deep red colored gown.
She looked up at Agathon who was standing there calmly as he said, "I may be his murderer but you- you are drenched in his blood."
Clarissa gasped and opened her eyes as she woke up breaking into a sweat, her face was already wet with tears and her heartbeat was so loud that she could hear it echoing through the whole room.
Just then the door to her room. It was a red-headed girl with her hair pulled back into two long braids falling just upon her waist. She was typing something on her phone when she entered.
"Clamy, your dad-" Leah looked up from her phone and stopped in her steps as she watched Clarissa for a second. "Clarissa?" She said as she rushed to her bed. She sat beside her as she touched her hand and her eyes widened in shock.
"You're freezing and why are you shaking?" She asked as Clarissa pulled her hand away from her and broke into sobs covering her face with both her hands.
"Clarissa…" Leah said in a low voice as she slightly moved away from her. "It's okay. Just breathe slowly." She said as Leah helped her through her breathing exercises.
Leah had known Clarissa since they were kids. They both have always had a sort of rivalry in between them. They first met when they were around eight and they both were for some reason hell-bent on hurting each other's pride. Unlike normal children they both were brought up in families of soldiers, they were taught to better themselves, to be able to stay the last one standing, and just burdened with being the best. That type of environment made them very self-dependent and competitive. Both girls at a very young age were filled with emotions of jealousy and anger towards each other. But around the time Clarissa's mother passed away, things changed between them. They both were thirteen at the time and the shock of her mother passing had left Clarissa completely silent and locking herself in her room. It was also around that time Clarissa had started to have panic attacks. When no one could break through Clarissa's shell, Leah chose to do it.
She forced herself into Clarissa's room and straight up started to verbally bully her. Telling Clarissa that she was a loser who did not have the guts to ever stand up against her. Clarissa found Leah so annoying that she jumped at her and they both broke into a fight. After months Clarissa was able to just let it out even if it was in the form of rage and violence. Leah's left arm was fractured badly during the fight and she had to be hospitalized for some time. During this time out of guilt, Clarissa started to visit her and they both started to grow closer.
By the age of fifteen both girls were best friends. At this point, Clarissa decided to join the army but Leah decided to study medicine and medicinal magic. They both had chosen different paths but they still stayed close throughout the years.
"Can you get me my medicine?" Clarissa said in a broken voice with tears still falling down her cheeks.
"Yeah." Leah got up and opened the drawer of her bedside table. She took out the bottle of pills and handed it to Clarissa then she poured her water from the jug on the table.
Clarissa took the pill and fell back onto the bed. Leah also lay down beside her. They stayed like that for some time.
"You were here for something?" Clarissa asked.
"It was nothing important," Leah replied staring at the ceiling.
There was silence in the room as they both just lay there. After a few moments Leah broke the silence, "I heard that asshole Lucas is back in town." She said and Clarissa chuckled.
"Yup. I met him at the hospital." Clarissa said sniffling lightly. Her eyes were now hurting a little and tears were dried up on her face. She seemed to have calmed down now.
"Can't believe you're friends with that cheating piece of shit," Leah mumbled under he breath.
"I'm not friends with him, we're like colleagues. I hate him completely but I have to be nice to him. Just so we're clear I was the one who started the rumor of him having ticks when we were rookies."
Leah laughed as she sat up. "That was so childish." She said and Clarissa laughed as she agreed. "You can be friends with him if you want. I am over him anyway. It has been ten years and we were eighteen at the time. He has surprisingly very much matured." She shrugged her shoulders looking away.
"Bitch, it's okay if you're not over it." Clarissa sat up. "I want you to hold a grudge even after he is dead. He cheated. Even if he has matured and become a better person, you can still stay petty if you want because he played with your feelings and hurt you."
Leah smiled as he looked at Clarissa. "See, this is why I love you! I knew you would slap me out of it. I should stay petty even after he filled my whole office with red and pink carnation flowers."
"He did what?" Clarissa said.
"Yup," Leah said as she pulled her phone up and showed her the image of her office.
"Isn't your hospital a no-flowers zone?" Clarissa asked and Leah nodded.
"The head of the department was pi-hissed but it wasn't technically my fault so he let it go." She swiped on her phone and showed her another image. It seemed like a small handwritten note. "This was on my table."
The note read, "I know you still hate me and I know you are still hurt by my actions but I need to apologize. I am sorry for everything I did at the time I was scared of just tying myself to one person. I was a young and stupid man who believed that being loyal is not cool but there are no excuses I can make for what I did to you. I still love you and I have never stopped loving you. I had multiple near-death experiences during those eight years of war but I needed to tell you how I felt and that was the only thing that gave me the motivation to keep going. I regret how things ended between us. I just have one request I want to apologize to you in person only if you want that. You can decline this request but if you change your mind Clarissa has my number, so you can let me know. Take your time and make your decision accordingly.
-Luke."
"He played the 'I went to war' card? Do you want me to beat him up?" Clarissa said with a straight face and Leah laughed.
"No. But after talking to you, I think I don't want to see him not because I'm still hurt and it's unfair of him to dump this on me after ten years." A sad smile made its way to her lips. "Michelle and others said that I was being stupid and I should give him a chance."
"Now that you mention them I have a bone to pick with them," Clarissa said and Leah looked at her confused. "They were bad-mouthing my husband during the wedding party and I hear they're still doing that while staying right here in my home."
Leah gave her a cynical smile. "Let's put them in their places their places then," Leah said as she stood up and held her hand towards Clarissa. "Shall we madam?"