As Finn and his group made their way out of the clinic, his eyes scanned the chaos-ridden compound. His heart raced with every snap of a tree branch and every scream of his fellow students. Suddenly, he heard a loud scream bearing a familiar feminine voice and when he looked, he spotted Emma, lying on the ground clutching her half left leg.
"Finn, help!" She cried out, her voice laced with pain and fear. She had forgotten about all the wicked deeds she did to him.
"Help you? You can as well rot there," Finn scoffed and turned to continue but her voice came again.
"Please... Finn."
Finn's eyes locked onto Emma's desperate form, her cries piercing the chaos. For a moment, he was transported back to a time when they were inseparable, sharing laughter and adventures. But the memories were tainted by the bitter taste of betrayal.
Emma's eyes met Finn's, filled with a mix of pain, fear, and regret. "Finn, please... help me!" she begged once more, her voice cracking.
Finn's expression remained impassive, his heart heavy with the weight of her betrayal. He remembered the day she and Ryan abandoned him, leaving him to face the world alone.
Tim, sensing Finn's turmoil, woke up and placed a hand on his shoulder. "Finn, we should—"
Finn shook his head, his voice barely above a whisper. "She made her choice, Tim. She and Ryan left me when I needed them most."
Emma's face contorted in anguish, her eyes welling up with tears. "Finn, I'm sorry... I was wrong to leave you!"
Finn's gaze lingered on Emma's pleading form, but his resolve remained firm. He turned away, his voice cold and detached. "You should have thought of that before you betrayed me."
As Finn walked away, Emma's cries grew fainter, lost in the chaos and destruction surrounding them. Finn's heart remained heavy, the wound of her betrayal still raw and unhealed.
He remembered developing a liking to her before, perhaps it was because of this that he chose not to chase her truly. If he had blindly given his heart to her only to get it broken in the end, he wouldn't have been able to live with it.
He was lucky.
As he disappeared into the distance, Emma lay helpless, with half of her left leg gone, her right leg was throbbing in agony. She closed her eyes, tears streaming down her face, and whispered, "Finn, I'm so sorry... please forgive me."
She was now regretting... Regretting why she listened to Ryan and followed him. She agreed to distance herself away from Finn, develop hatred for him, and see him as a failure. Why? Because she loved Ryan. She had fallen in love with him for long and as such, she was ready to do anything for him.
This thing called love... It was dangerous.
She laid there for many minutes and just as she drifted into unconsciousness, she felt a tiny, scaly creature crawling onto her chest. She opened her eyes to find Lui, Finn's small salamander, perched on her sternum, its beady eyes staring into hers.
Emma's initial fear gave way to confusion and hope. "Finn... he sent you to help me?" she whispered, her voice trembling. She had seen the creature with Finn so she had to assume that it was here on his accord.
But Lui's expression remained unreadable, its eyes gleaming with an unsettling intensity. Emma tried to sit up, but Lui's tiny claws dug deep into her skin, holding her in place.
Suddenly, Lui's body began to glow with a soft, blue light. Emma's eyes widened as she realized that Lui was not there to help her – but to kill her.
A voice, low and menacing, echoed in Emma's mind. "You made my master sad... now you will pay."
Emma's screams were drowned out by the sound of her own heartbeat as Lui's glow intensified, and the tiny salamander's jaws opened wide, revealing razor-sharp teeth.
Emma's screams were cut short as Lui's jaws snapped shut, delivering a deadly, venomous bite. Her body convulsed, and her eyes froze, staring blankly into the sky.
Lui, her mission accomplished, released its grip on Emma's lifeless body. The tiny salamander stood up, her chest heaving with exertion, and let out a faint, triumphant hiss.
With her task complete, Lui turned around and began to crawl away from Emma's lifeless body. The tiny salamander navigated through the ruins, her senses guiding it back to her master.
As Lui disappeared into the distance, Finn were unaware of the events that had transpired. They continued on their journey, focused on finding safety and refuge in a world that had been turned upside down.
Lui, still crawling, finally saw Finn's figure in the distance. The tiny salamander's pace quickened, her heart filled with loyalty and devotion.
As Lui reached Finn's feet, she let out a faint chirp, seeking attention. Finn looked down, surprised to see his tiny salamander standing before him.
"Lui? Where have you been?" Finn asked, scooping up the tiny salamander.
Lui snuggled into Finn's palm, her eyes gleaming with a sense of satisfaction and loyalty. Though Finn remained unaware of Lui's recent actions, the tiny salamander knew that she had fulfilled her promise to protect her master, no matter the cost.
Tim's face contorted in pain as Finn carried him through the ruins. "Finn, put me down... I'm only slowing you down," Tim said, his voice strained.
Finn's grip on Tim tightened. "Shut the fuck up, Tim. I'm not leaving you behind."
Tim's eyes widened in concern. "Finn, you can't carry me forever. I'll only get you killed."
Finn's expression turned grim. "You're not going to die on me, Tim. Not after everything we've been through."
Tim's protests were cut short as Finn silenced him with a stern glance. "Just hang in there, Tim. We'll get through this together."
As Finn continued to carry Tim, Lui peeked out of Finn's pocket, her beady eyes watching the surroundings with an air of vigilance.
Just as Finn and Tim were navigating through a narrow alleyway that led to an exit, a snarling winged monster emerged from the shadows, its eyes fixed on the pair. Finn's grip on Tim tightened, preparing for the worst.
But before the monster could attack, Leo appeared out of thin air, its ethereal fur glowing with a soft, blue light. The wolf's eyes blazed with a fierce inner light as it positioned itself between Finn and the Aerotriges.
The monster, taken aback by the sudden appearance of the Spirit Wolf, hesitated for a moment before launching itself at the wolf. The two clashed in a flurry of claws and teeth, their battle raging across the alleyway.
Finn watched in awe as Leo fought off the monster, his movements swift and deadly. Lui, still peeking out of Finn's pocket, let out a tiny chirp of excitement.
As the battle raged on, Finn took advantage of the distraction to carry Tim to safety. "We need to get out of here, now!" Finn exclaimed, already moving towards the end of the alleyway.
The Spirit Wolf, having defeated the monster, turned to Finn and Tim, his eyes shining with a deep wisdom. For a moment, Finn felt a sense of connection to the wolf, as if they shared a deep understanding.
'I'm glad I have you,' Finn thought.