Ten days had already pa.s.sed since Elion saved Vaeri. They both were now running through the forest. Vaeri looked behind, trying to find their pursuers, but there was no one. Her ankle had already healed.In the first few days since Elion saved her, he had to carry her around, which made their escape hard. They were almost caught a few times, but Elion managed to escape at the end. They didn"t meet anyone in the last two days, but Vaeri was sure that their pursuers were still after them.
She looked to the side, Elion was running next to her with his indifferent face as usual. Vaeri blushed, remembering how he saved and carried her. Why did he do that? They knew each other since they were kids, but he was always following the rules. His personality was cold. Saving her was the first time when he broke a rule.
Elion felt her gaze and turned to look at her. She avoided his gaze, not willing to meet his eyes. A few moments later, she peeked back at him and saw his curled lips. Her heart skipped a beat and she increased her speed, focusing her gaze forward.
"We should change our course soon. We are only getting away from the castle. Even though there isn"t anyone we could see, I"m sure those wolves are still after us." Elion said, getting her attention.
"But they blocked our way to the castle. Isn"t that why we are now detouring? To find another way to reach it?" Vaeri asked, tilting her head.
"Yes, that was the initial plan, but I feel that we are only wasting more time. We need to penetrate their blockade and reach the castle." She could feel the conviction in his voice., but that wasn"t what Vaeri wanted.
"No! We will find another way and go back! It"s too dangerous to go through the blockade." Vaeri wasn"t sure why, but she didn"t want to risk their lives to go back. If they continued like this, they would eventually find a way to return.
"Vaeri!" Elion said in a reprimanding voice. "Our mission is to bring back the information we collected! Every delay on our part might be fatal! Are you willing to take responsibility?" He looked at her, his gaze heavy.
Vaeri panicked. She felt guilty inside. It was true that they had to report their findings, but...
"I still think it"s impossible to breach through them. Our only chance is to make a detour." She gulped after finishing her words.
"Vaeri!" Elion glared at her, disappointment could be seen in his gaze. Vaeri trembled. She wasn"t sure why she was so much against that. She lowered her head, waiting for his next words.
"I don"t want to do that either, but we have no choice. The information is just too important to be delayed." His calm voice somehow made her relaxed, but she felt pain in her chest from the conclusion.
"How about that, I will try to break through them alone while you make a detour." He said. His words were like he was trying to convince himself more than her.
Vaeri widened her eyes and looked back at him, speechless. "No! I won"t let you go alone! That"s suicide!" Her lips trembled, as she uttered those words.
A smile crept back on Elion"s face. She looked at that smile, mesmerized. Her heartbeat increased while she waited for his reply. She felt her cheeks getting hotter. "What is wrong with me? Why am I panicking like this?" She was confused by her reactions.
"You can"t be selfish with that. Tell me, is the mission important for you? Do you want to see our clan members suffering later when we aren"t able to deliver the information in time?" Elion looked at her eyes, his smile natural and his eyes soft. That was the first time Vaeri saw such an expression from him.
"I..." She hesitated. Her mind was in a mess. "He is right, we should report that. But for some reason, I have a bad feeling. I don"t want to risk our lives." Vaeri, bit her lips, hesitating with her answer.
"Fine, we will go through them." She nodded with determination in her eyes.
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Elion"s smile widened. "Good" He nodded back. "If that is the case, let"s change our direction." Saying that he turned around and rushed. Vaeri followed behind him.
A few hours pa.s.sed in silence like that. Vaeri felt her chest tighten more and more as time pa.s.sed. Her intuitions were telling her to turn around and leave, but she still followed Elion.
"AwOoo-"
The howling of the werewolves echoed in front. Vaeri tightened the grip of her daggers, preparing for the fight. She looked at Elion"s back and her mind calmed. Somehow, she felt safe when he was near. She took a deep breath and her gaze sharpened.
There were five werewolves in front of them. Elion was the first one to collide with one of the werewolves. Evading the claws, he leaned to the ground and sliced through the werewolf"s legs. His enemy lost balance and started to fall forward. Before the werewolf fell, Elion stabbed him in the heart. Pushing the body forward, he managed to throw it at another werewolf, making him stop in his charge.
Vaeri joined the fight, attacking another werewolf. With a few swift moves, she was able to pierce his neck. Blood gushed out when she retracted her dagger. Her whole face became red from it. She danced around the werewolves, looking for their weak points. In no time at all, the five werewolves were already dead.
Before Vaeri and Elion could catch their breath, another group charged at them. This time there were eight enemies. Vaeri gulped and charged forward once again. She threw one of her daggers, stabbing a werewolf in the forehead. With a few jumps, she reached him and took out the dagger, while parrying another attack from the side.
Their fighting only brought more enemies against them. In a few minutes, more than forty werewolves were at the scene. Vaeri and Elion fought with all their strength, but it was impossible to fight against so many enemies.
Looking at Elion, Vaeri started to panic. He was still fighting, but there was a frown on his face. It was clear that he was hesitating, too.
"Elion, we need to run, now!" Saying that she retreated backward, trying to disengage from her enemies. One of the werewolves swiped with his claws and wounded her on the left shoulder. The pain made her flinch, but she gritted her teeth and finally managed to separate from them.
"Ugh!"
Vaeri heard a grunt and turned her head in that direction. There was a big wound on Elion"s stomach. She felt her body weaken for a moment and stumbled forward. She had to dodge to the side to avoid another attack while trying to regain her balance.
"Elion!" Her scream was desperate, as she wasn"t able to see him anymore.
"I"m fine, keep going!" His voice made her relax her nerves. She continued to struggle to escape for a few hours more. During that time, she was separated from Elion.
Vaeri roamed around, looking for him while trying to keep her movements silent. She was nearly exhausted from the battle. Her heart was beating fast and her chest tightened. She had to find him at all costs.
While she searched, she heard ragged breaths from nearby. She tightened her grip around the handles of her daggers and got closer to the sound. Up at the tree, she saw Elion. He was holding his stomach with one hand, as his other hand was used to support himself next to a tree. His forehead was full of sweat. Vaeri"s heart skipped a beat. She came next to him in a few swift movements.
"Elion!" Without waiting for his reply, she started to check his conditions. He was barely managing to stay awake. There was a big wound on his stomach that he tried to bandage and stop the bleeding, but everything was soaked in the blood. There was a new scar on his left cheek and his back was soaked in blood. His right hand was bent in an unnatural direction. It was a miracle that he was still alive, but his condition was extremely bad. She could see that he didn"t have much time left. Only his willpower had brought him so far.
"I-I"m fine, don"t worry." He stuttered. Blood started to seep out from his mouth. Vaeri felt a sharp pain in her chest. Without thinking, she hugged him. She felt Elion shudder and loosened her grip.
"I-I"m sorry, I didn"t mean to hurt you..." Her vision blurred as her tears started to fall. Her lips trembled and she wasn"t sure what to do. "I...Let me help you with the wounds. I will bandage them." Her trembling hand reached to her sleeve, preparing to tear it out and use it as a bandage.
"There...is no need. We both know...that I don"t have...much time left." Vaeri paused at her actions. So he said it out! He wasn"t even trying to lie to her this time. She buried her face on his neck, her tears soaking his leather armor. Her arms enveloped him in a hug.
"Haa...If I knew earlier...I would have confessed to you." His words startled her. Her whole body froze. Vaeri looked up in his eyes, confused.
"What do you mean?"
"You know... I love you... I loved you for a long time...Now I regret...that I never told you." He had a weak smile on his face. His confession brought more pain to Vaeri. She felt like suffocating.
"I-I love you too." With trembling lips, she answered. That was it. That was what she felt in the last few days with him. Her mind cleared at this time and she already knew the answer. But looking at him, she started crying again. It was already too late.
"You need to... escape from them... Don"t worry about the mission...stay alive." His voice sounded even weaker. Vaeri tightened her hug. She just realized her feelings and now he was saying that to her? When he was about to die? She bit her lips.
"You won"t die." She murmured.
"Hey... can I ask you... for one last thing?"
"What is it?"
"Can I... kiss you?"
That took Vaeri off-guard. What was he thinking now? Her whole face blushed. She looked at his eyes and leaned forward, kissing him. Silence followed their kiss. They only hugged, staying like that for a few minutes.
"Don"t die... Stay alive." With that said, Vaeri felt his body relaxing. Her eyes widened.
"Elion, Elion!" She started to shake him, but there was no reaction. "No, no, don"t die, Elion!" Her vision blurred and she collapsed on the ground, hugging his body. "Why, why did you have to die now?" Her wails echoed through the forest.