Chapter 32: Bonds Forged in Blood
The night sky was choked with smoke and fire, casting an eerie orange glow over the battlefield. Gabriel stood at the ridge's edge, his mocking smile still painted across his face. His clothes, once pristine, were splattered with the blood of both allies and enemies.
Alex gripped her sword tighter, her heart racing as she stared him down. The battlefield was eerily quiet now, the cries of the wounded and dying carried on the wind, but here, at the ridge, everything felt still—like the moment before the storm hit.
"Do you even understand what you've done?" Alex spat, her voice trembling with rage. "You've led us into this, dragged us into your madness for what? Power?"
Gabriel chuckled, the sound sending chills down her spine. "Power is everything, Alex. It's the only thing that's ever mattered. All this—" he gestured toward the valley below, where bodies lay strewn across the ground— "was inevitable."
"None of this was inevitable!" Ethan growled, his grip tightening on his blade. Blood dripped from his leg, but he didn't flinch, his focus completely on Gabriel. "You did this. You betrayed us."
Gabriel's eyes gleamed, cold and calculating. "Betrayed you? No, Ethan. I did what had to be done. The weak die. The strong rise. That's how the world works."
Alex felt her pulse quicken, her fury bubbling beneath the surface. "You never cared about any of us, did you? Not the faction, not the people who followed you. You just wanted this—wanted control."
Gabriel tilted his head, considering her words, then shrugged. "Is that so wrong? The world is a broken place, Alex. The apocalypse made sure of that. Those who don't adapt—who don't take power when they can—are doomed to be crushed underfoot."
"You're a monster," she whispered, shaking her head in disbelief. "You don't even care about the lives you've destroyed."
A dark chuckle escaped Gabriel's lips. "Lives? What are lives in the grand scheme of things? Power is the only currency left in this world, Alex. You've just been too naïve to see it."
Before Alex could respond, Ethan stepped forward, his blade drawn. "Enough. We finish this."
Gabriel's smile widened, almost as if he was anticipating the challenge. He slowly unsheathed his own sword, the blade glinting in the firelight. "You think you can take me, Ethan? After everything?"
The tension between the three of them was palpable, the weight of years of conflict hanging in the air. This was the culmination of everything—the battles, the betrayals, the bloodshed. Alex knew there was no turning back now.
But Gabriel, always calculating, took a step back, his eyes flicking between them. "You know, Alex," he began, "you're making a mistake by siding with him." He nodded toward Ethan. "He's not who you think he is."
Her breath hitched, and she shot Ethan a glance. Gabriel had always known how to twist the knife, how to plant seeds of doubt. But not this time. Not now.
"He's been hiding things from you, hasn't he?" Gabriel's voice was soft, almost like a serpent's hiss. "Secrets. From the beginning."
Alex's jaw clenched. "Shut up, Gabriel."
Ethan's expression darkened, but he didn't move. Gabriel continued, his tone dripping with malice. "Do you even know what he did to survive? Do you know the bodies he's left behind? He's no different from me."
Alex's heart pounded in her chest, and she forced herself to look at Ethan. She had seen the darkness in him, felt it, but she had trusted him. Trusted that whatever demons he was fighting, he was still on their side.
But now, doubt was creeping in.
"Alex…" Ethan began, his voice rough with guilt. "He's twisting things. You know me."
But did she? Gabriel had played this game before—dividing them, making them question each other. She couldn't afford to let it happen again, not now.
"You want power, Gabriel?" Alex stepped forward, her sword raised. "Then come and take it."
The wind howled as she lunged at him, their blades clashing with a force that sent sparks flying. Gabriel was fast, his movements precise and deadly, but Alex fought with everything she had, the rage boiling inside her giving her strength.
Ethan moved to flank him, but Gabriel was ready, turning and parrying with a speed that belied his arrogance. They fought in a deadly dance, the sound of steel on steel echoing across the ridge.
But as the fight dragged on, it became clear—Gabriel was toying with them. He had the upper hand. Alex's arms burned from the effort, her breath coming in ragged gasps. Ethan was slowing too, his injuries catching up to him.
"You can't win," Gabriel taunted, his sword cutting through the air with lethal precision. "You were never strong enough."
But then, as Gabriel raised his blade for a killing blow, Ethan threw himself in the way, blocking the strike with his own sword. The impact sent him staggering back, blood pouring from a new wound across his chest.
"Ethan!" Alex screamed, panic clawing at her chest.
Ethan fell to his knees, his face contorted in pain, but his eyes never left hers. "Finish this," he rasped, blood dripping from his lips. "Do it."
The sight of him, broken and bleeding, ignited something inside her—a rage she had never felt before. This wasn't just about survival anymore. This was about justice. For everything Gabriel had done, for everyone he had betrayed.
With a scream, Alex charged, her sword cutting through the air with deadly precision. Gabriel barely had time to react as she struck, her blade slicing across his chest. He staggered back, shock flashing across his face.
But Alex didn't stop. She couldn't stop. Every swing, every strike, was fueled by the fury burning inside her. Gabriel tried to defend himself, but it was too late. She was relentless, her sword finally driving through his chest.
Gabriel gasped, his eyes wide with disbelief as he fell to his knees. Blood poured from the wound, staining the ground beneath him.
"You... fool..." he wheezed, his voice barely a whisper. "You'll never survive without me. The world... it'll eat you alive."
Alex stood over him, her chest heaving with exertion. She could feel the weight of his words, the truth buried beneath them. But it didn't matter anymore.
"You're wrong," she whispered, raising her sword one final time. "I'll survive. We'll survive."
And with that, she brought the blade down, ending Gabriel's life once and for all.
The battle was over. Gabriel's forces, leaderless and broken, had either fled or surrendered. The valley was littered with the dead, the stench of blood and smoke hanging in the air.
Alex stood in the aftermath, her heart heavy with the weight of what had just transpired. Gabriel was dead. His twisted ambitions, his plans for power, all of it was over. But the cost had been high. Too high.
Ethan was lying on the ground nearby, his face pale, his breath shallow. Alex rushed to his side, her hands trembling as she knelt beside him.
"You're going to be okay," she whispered, her voice cracking. "You're going to be fine."
Ethan smiled weakly, his eyes fluttering shut. "You did it," he whispered. "You beat him."
Alex's throat tightened as she pressed her hand to his wound, trying to stop the bleeding. "Stay with me, Ethan. Please."
But his eyes were already closing, his body going limp in her arms.
The Exile
The camp was silent as Alex returned, Gabriel's lifeless body slung over a horse behind her. The others looked at her with a mix of relief and fear, their eyes flickering to the bloodstained sword at her side.
She had won. But the victory tasted bitter.
Mason approached her, his expression grim. "What now?"
Alex glanced at Gabriel's body, her stomach churning. "We burn him. No grave. No monument."
"And then?" Mason asked.
Alex looked toward the horizon, where the sun was beginning to rise, casting a pale light over the carnage.
"Then we rebuild," she said softly. "But Gabriel's gone. And anyone who followed him... is exiled."