As Roan lifted his head to meet her eyes, Delilah hurled a jagged shard of ice. It struck his leg with a sickening crack, shattering bone.
Roan collapsed with a strangled cry, his hands clawing at the dirt as agony tore through him. His breath hitched, his body trembling. Then, as he lifted his head again, his tear-filled eyes locked onto hers.
"Why…?" His voice was raw, shaking. "Why?"
Delilah didn't flinch. She didn't look away. There was no anger in her expression, no hatred—only something quieter, heavier. Regret.
"For the rest of us, Roan," she murmured. "For the rest of us."
Nemsus' breath caught in his throat. His eyes widened, flicking between Roan and Delilah as disbelief set in. Then, suddenly, he moved—his body acting before his mind could catch up.
But before he could take another step, a hand grabbed his arm. Nero.
Nemsus turned to him, furious, his body tense, ready to rip away from his grip. But Nero didn't meet his eyes. His jaw was tight, his face unreadable. And when he finally spoke, his voice was quiet.
"You're carrying Lunia," he said. "Remember that."
"You son of a bitch, you were in on this too!"
Nemsus' fist connected with Nero's jaw, the force snapping his head to the side. A sharp crack echoed through the night.
Nero didn't dodge. He barely even reacted. Blood dripped from his split lip as he wiped it away with the back of his hand. Then, slowly, he lifted his gaze, locking eyes with Nemsus.
"Move," Nero said, his voice steady. "You're not just protecting your own life here."
Nemsus' chest heaved, his veins bulging against his skin, fury twisting his face. He turned his head slightly, just enough to glance at Lunia. She was still unconscious, her tiny body limp against his shoulder.
His jaw clenched. His fists trembled.
Then, with a raw, guttural scream, he turned away from them and ran.
He bit down hard on his lip, his breath ragged, his muscles burning. He didn't look back.
Nero and Delilah followed close behind, their footsteps pounding against the earth. From time to time, they stole glances over their shoulders
Behind them, the wolves closed in.
The wolves lunged at Roan. He swung the sword with shaky hands, slashing wildly, desperation fueling his strikes. Ice shards shot from his fingertips, blades of compressed air whistling through the dark.
For a moment, he held them back.
But it didn't last long.
One of the wolves dodged his attack and clamped its jaws around his injured arm. Roan screamed, the sword slipping from his grip as blood splattered across the ground. Another wolf barreled into him, knocking him flat. Claws tore into his flesh, fangs sinking deep.
His screams turned to ragged gasps.
He kept fighting, even as his strength faded, even as his vision blurred.
But the wolves were relentless.
Nemsus turned away, his stomach twisting, but no matter how hard he tried to shut it out, he could still hear everything.
Nero barely spared him a glance as he hurled fire at the trees around them, setting them ablaze. The thick smoke curled into the air, masking their scent—not just the blood, but everything that could give them away.
Their lungs burned, legs aching with every step, but they didn't stop. They couldn't. If the wolves caught even a glimpse of them, if they picked up their scent again—then it whould have all been for nothing
Nemsus hadn't spoken a word since what happend. He just kept running, Lunia still limp on his shoulder, her shallow breaths the only sign she was still alive.
Nero and Delilah were drained. Their mana reserves were nearly empty, spent on concealing their scent, forcing their bodies to keep moving. It was taking everything they had left just to put one foot in front of the other.
Then, at last, they saw it.
A cave.
Nestled between a cluster of trees, hidden where the land began to rise toward the mountain's peak. It wasn't much, but right now, it was enough. Shelter. Safety—at least for now.
They didn't hesitate. They forced their battered bodies forward, pushing past exhaustion, fear, and grief until they stumbled inside.
The moment they crossed the threshold, Nemsus all but dropped Lunia onto the ground. Not roughly, but not gently either. His body trembled as he turned away, fists clenching at his sides.
Then, without warning, he started punching the cave wall.
Over and over.
Flesh meeting stone with sickening cracks, but he didn't stop. His knuckles split open, blood smearing against the cold rock. His breaths came in ragged gasps, but the rage didn't leave his eyes.
Five minutes.
Five minutes of relentless, mindless fury before he finally stopped, collapsing to the ground, chest heaving. He lay there, staring at the cave ceiling, his expression empty.
Delilah knelt beside Lunia, hands glowing faintly as she worked on what was left of the girl's face. The wound was sealed now, the bleeding stopped, but she couldn't heal what had already been taken. The eye was gone, and her face still burned
Nero sat on a rock nearby, watching them in silence
Back in the present—
His gaze shifted to Nemsus. He lay on the stone floor, breath ragged, soaked in crimson. Whispering to himself like a madman.
"You bloody bastards... why... Hhhah, why did you do it?"
He exhaled sharply, shoulders shaking. For a second, I thought he'd hold it in. But then his eyes burned into mine, and the dam finally broke.
"Nero, you piece of shit… you accepted this—hgkhhhh!"
Nemsus laughed—ragged, breathless, filled with agony, rage, and something close to pity. But even as he screamed, he kept his voice low. He knew what was outside.
He also knew we had to do it. But... he won't admit it. Not like this. He still somehow thinks he could have saved him but, he didn't ,he was doomed the moment he fell, the moment he...
"Answer me, Delilah... why, why did you kill him—Hhhahh—hhk—hahh—!"
Those fucking nobles. Those damn wolves. And now… these two fucking bastards.
"AGHHHHHH!"
Nemsus screamed again, his voice raw with pain, his agony reverberating off the jagged walls.
Nero just stared at him, eyes dull, face blank. Tired.
As he sat there, his mind circled back, over and over, to his choices.
Yeah, I could have saved him. But for what? Two more minutes? And risk all our lives? No.
My priorities were always clear.
Delilah first. She always was. Then me. Then Nemsus.
Nero's gaze drifted to the girl delilah was healing.
I don't want her to die. But if she has to… it won't bother me that much.
What a cruelty… I told you, Viser. I told you that I needed you.
Nero covered his eyes with his hand, Remembering how they got here, before casting his mana around to keep the smell from going out from the cave