Blood dripped from the arrowhead that had pierced Noa's heart, each crimson drop soaking into the soil and creating a heartbreaking scene in the heavy silence. Noa's head rested against Rion's chest; he was no longer breathing, his body growing colder by the moment.
Rion's breath caught in his throat. It constricted painfully, forcing him to swallow air with difficulty. He looked around wildly, as though time itself had frozen. No sound reached his ears except the frantic pounding of his own heart.
The archer he had failed to find moments ago flashed before his eyes—the coward who, seeing his party slaughtered, had fled without a backward glance.
"That filthy coward…" Rion whispered, voice choked, barely able to breathe. His eyes remained fixed on Noa's face.
"I wanted to protect you…" he thought, voice trembling inside. "Even if it cost my life… I had finally found a friend worth dying for…"
He squeezed his eyes shut.
