The next morning, everyone was energized because we were getting close to the capital. Our group, made up of people from South City and some villagers, picked up the pace. We all just wanted to get to the capital quickly to feel safe.
"I think I see the capital," I announced when we reached the top of a mountain.
Ly Giai and Si looked and they nodded. "Do you see that? I think they're people," Ly Giai pointed at the moving dots towards the capital.
"Yeah, I see it too! They must be like us!" Si said.
"Let's go then. We shouldn't be left behind," I told them.
Descending the mountain, the scale of the migration shook me. There were floods of people, all converging towards the capital like rivers to the sea. The sheer number of people was overwhelming.
"There's so many people!" Si gasped, his young voice tinged with awe at the sight.
"We need to move fast. We have to get as close to the gate as possible," I immediately said while looking around to find the best path forward.
"Why in such a hurry?" Ly Giai asked, puzzled at my haste. I picked Si up and we started running.
Assessing the situation, I replied, "I'm afraid the capital can't hold this many people. There are so many."
I held Ly Giai's hand tight and told her, "Make sure to keep holding hands like this so that we don't lose each other."
We weaved through the crowd as quickly as we could, which annoyed some people. Eventually, we managed to get to the front.
But then.
"STOP!" a commanding shout from the city gates stopped us from moving. The voice sent a ripple of unease through the crowd.
"I AM THE COMMANDER OF THE GATE. DO NOT MOVE!" he ordered.
"Is something wrong?" someone from the crowd asked, but no one answered.
The crowd fell into a tense silence, questions hanging unanswered in the air. I couldn't help but wonder, "Why does the gate commander sound so hostile? Shouldn't he be welcoming us?"
The atmosphere was filled with anxiety, and Si, sensing that, looked at Ly Giai with fearful eyes. "Ly Giai?" he whispered.
"Things will be fine," she smiled and hugged him. She looked at me as well, but I didn't know any better.
"Why didn't they at least let in a few? What are they afraid of?" I asked myself.
Then, from afar, noises rose, louder and louder by the minute. All of us looked back to see a cloud of dust from the mountain furiously approaching us. The things that made those moving dust, were Sa's cavalry.
They were Ly's.
The crowd panicked. People from the back began pushing forward. It became a chain reaction. The sea of people ran to the gates, banging and crying for it to open.
"OPEN THE GATES!" We all cried for help, but nothing happened. A lot of people tried to force the gate open, but it wouldn't budge.
The horsesteps had reached their first victims. The screams of people signaled a parade of deaths.
We banged the gate harder, more desperately, but it didn't move at all.
"OPEN!! OPEN THE GATES!!!"
"HURRY! THEY'RE GOING TO KILL US ALL!!!"
Si clung to Ly Giai, his voice breaking with fear. "Ly Giai. Are we going to die?" he sobbed.
Ly Giai, her actions speaking louder than words, shielded Si with her body. She was willing to use herself as his protection.
"We were so close. The capital gates were right in front of me. There must be something I could do. Things can't end like this," I repeated those words again and again while I tried to see if there was any way for us to survive.
My search quickly became desperate and hopeless. There was nothing we could do. We were in the open field, with the gates behind us. The crowd had become too chaotic to organize and fight back. They all ran one on top of another, desperately trying to survive. Around us, bodies stacked up in clumps, blocking any possible path to escape. There was no place to hide or run.
"Why… Why is it like this? No… no," I began crying, tears streaming down my face as I kneeled and grasped Ly Giai and Si close.
"My happiest time was when I was with both of you. It is my blessing in this life to meet you two," I cried.
Si couldn't stop crying, his voice trembling, "We haven't met long, but I always see you two as my parents," he managed to say. his words were a bittersweet testament that recalled all of our memories together.
In that moment of despair, Ly Giai and I gave each other a look of understanding and affection.
"We will be together. So smile. Okay?" she whispered. Her voice was a beacon of strength in the chaos. Her words, though simple, carried the weight of unspoken promises and shared memories, binding us together in the darkest of times.
Si then raised his head to see both of us smiling. He stopped crying and smiled as well.
"Yeah! Let's be together!" he smiled brightly.
As the sound hooves drew closer and closer, signaling our last moment, we faced our fate with peace. Ly Giai and Si had closed their eyes. They have accepted and awaited their end.
It was then that I slightly turned my head and saw a cavalry was running toward us. A surge of courage that I never felt before overwhelmed me.
Quietly, I stood and drew out the kitchen knife. I ran toward the enemy with nothing but desperation.
*Slash
With just one swing, I was knocked back and lost my grip. The kitchen knife flew away from my hand and landed somewhere in this blood bath.
*Slash
A second swing. It was so quick that I couldn't see it was coming. The cavalry slashed across my body. I collapsed instantly.
"NOOO!!!" Ly Giai screamed, a heart-wrenching scream. She must have found out that I wasn't with them anymore.
My body fell. I felt heavier and heavier and I couldn't breathe properly. My sight was full of red from the blood of my own and other people who fell before me.
In that final moment, I felt oddly at peace, as if I had accepted my end. Lying there, flashes of memories of the short time I spent with Ly Giai and Si flew by. Seeing those smiles, those hugs, those encouraging words, I felt comfort even when my consciousness was fading.
"I felt tired. I wanted to sleep. This is enough enough," I told myself, smiling as I welcomed my end. All the pains, fears, and struggles that I have experienced in my life. The grudges and hatred that were in my heart, all went away, leaving behind only the memories of that short amount of time of happiness.
Such a small part of my life, just one month, yet my soul has been healed by Ly Giai and Si. With them, I felt what it's like for the first time to be treated and seen as a human. I felt needed and depended on. With Ly Giai, I was able to show my weakness and seek protection from her. With Si, I was able to play around and show my childness. Those were all the things that were luxury for me to even dream of. Yet, they have given to me.
Seeing their smiles and laughter for one last time, I grinned and accepted my death. "Thank you, Ly Giai, Si."