Darkness swallowed everything.
Not the mist.
Not the roots.
Colder.
Leah couldn't feel her body anymore.
No ground beneath her.
No air in her lungs.
Only silence;
And then...
Voices.
Faint at first.
Whispers.
Layered.
"…she's not fit…"
"…too weak…"
"…a mistake…"
The darkness shifted.
Shapes formed.
A hall.
Familiar.
Too familiar.
Figures stood in the distance;
Faces blurred.....
But their voices were clear.
"…the princess is weak."
"…she can't protect anyone…"
"…she will fail."
Leah's chest tightened.
"No…" she whispered, her voice small, shaking.
The words echoed;
Louder.
Closer.
"…weak…"
"…weak…"
"…weak…"
She covered her ears.
"Stop… stop it…"
But it didn't stop.
It grew.
The sound pressing into her skull;
Breaking through her thoughts;
Then....
A hand on her shoulder.
Warm.
Firm.
The voices vanished.
Leah turned sharply.
Uncle Garron.
Standing beside her.
Clear.
Real.
He looked at her with that same calm strength.
The same reassuring smile.
"Your time will come," he said gently.
"Today is the prince's day."
Leah's breathing slowed.
Her shoulders loosened slightly.
"Uncle…" she said, almost pleading.
He nodded once.
Reassuring.
Then...
The world shifted.
The arena.
Crowds roaring.
Light pouring down from above.
At the center;
The prince.
Standing tall.
Smiling.
Proud.
Alive.
Leah's lips parted.
Relief flooded her chest.
"…you did it…" she whispered.
The prince looked at her;
That same warm smile.
For a moment...
Everything felt right.
Safe.
Then...
The mist crept in.
Thin at first.
Then thicker.
Curling around his legs.
Around his body.
Leah's expression faltered.
"…wait…"
The smile didn't change.
But his form did.
His edges blurred.
His body;
Dissolving.
"Stop…" she stepped forward.
The prince's figure broke apart;
Turning into white mist;
Falling;
Collapsing to the ground.
The mist cleared.
He was there.
On the ground.
Still.
Blood spreading beneath him.
Soaking into the earth.
Leah froze.
Her breath caught;
Then shattered.
"No… no no no!"
Her legs moved on their own;
She stumbled toward him;
Hands trembling;
"Get up… please...get up!"
Behind her;
A sound.
Crying.
She turned.
The king and queen.
Kneeling beside the body.
Broken.
Their faces twisted in grief.
The queen's hands shaking as she reached toward the prince.
The king's shoulders heavy;
Collapsed under something unseen.
Leah stepped back slowly.
"I… I didn't..."
They stopped crying.
At the same time.
Silence fell.
They turned.
Both of them.
Slowly.
Toward her.
Leah's heart began to pound.
"No…" she whispered.
Their eyes locked onto hers.
Cold.
Accusing.
"You should have listened to us."
Leah shook her head violently.
"I tried....I...."
They stood.
Their movements unnatural;
Too smooth.
Too slow.
They began walking toward her.
"You failed him."
Their voices deepened.
Layered.
Wrong.
"You let him die."
Leah stumbled back.
Tears spilling down her face.
"No....please.....I didn't....!"
Their forms began to dissolve.
Breaking apart into white smoke.
But their voices remained;
Echoing from everywhere;
Now distorted.
Deeper.
"You are the reason."
"You are the cause."
"You are the failure."
The smoke rushed past her;
Through her;
Cold.
Suffocating.
She gasped;
Fell to her knees;
Hands clutching her head.
"STOP!"
Silence.
Sudden.
Heavy.
Leah's breathing was ragged.
Broken.
Slowly;
She looked up.
The prince.
Still lying there.
Motionless.
Her body trembled.
"…please…" she whispered.
Then.....
He moved.
Slowly.
Unnaturally.
His body lifted.
He stood.
Head tilted downward.
Still.
Leah's eyes widened in horror.
"…"
He raised his head.
Looked directly at her.
His face;
Pale.
Empty.
"Look at me, sister."
Leah froze.
Her lips trembled.
"…no…"
His voice echoed;
Not fully his.
"Because of you…"
He took a step forward.
Blood dripping from his body.
"I am dying."
Leah crawled backward, panic overtaking her.
"No...no.....please!"
His steps quickened.
"It's all because of you."
Her breath broke into sobs.
"I didn't mean to...I didn't!"
He suddenly sprinted.
Fast.
Too fast.
"You are the reason I died."
Leah screamed;
Tried to move;
Tried to run;
But her body wouldn't respond;
He was right there;
Right in front of her;
Then...
He vanished.
Exploded into smoke.
White.
Cold.
The mist surged forward;
Rushing into her face;
Through her eyes;
Her mouth;
Her lungs;
She choked;
Gasped;
Clawed at the air;
Her vision collapsing into darkness;
Her mind breaking under the weight of it;
And the last thing she felt;
Was fear.
Endless.
Fear.
The darkness shifted again.
But this time;
It wasn't cold.
Light bled in.
Soft.
Warm.
Leah blinked.
Her breath slowed.
The pressure in her chest eased;
Just a little.
They were there.
Mauris.
Thalia.
Henry.
Frauner.
Standing together.
Talking.
Laughing.
Alive.
The sound echoed gently around her; real laughter, not twisted, not broken.
Normal.
For a moment;
Leah just stared.
Her lips parted slightly.
"…you're… okay…?"
Her voice was small.
Fragile.
Like if she spoke too loudly, it would all disappear.
Henry laughed at something Mauris said.
Thalia rolled her eyes, but there was a faint smile on her face.
Frauner stood slightly apart;
Watching them all.
Peaceful.
Mauris noticed her.
He turned.
Saw her.
And smiled.
Then he lifted his hand;
Waved.
Casual.
Like nothing had ever gone wrong.
Like none of it had happened.
"Leah!"
His voice echoed.....
Clear.
Warm.
Her chest tightened again;
But not with fear.
Relief.
"…Mauris…"
Her legs moved slowly toward them.
Unsteady.
Like she didn't trust the ground;
Or the moment.
She wanted to run.
But she was afraid.
Afraid it would break.
Afraid they would vanish again.
Then...
A shift.
Subtle.
But wrong.
The warmth faltered.
Leah felt it first.
That feeling.
That presence.
Right behind her.
Close.
Too close.
Her body stiffened.
The air grew heavy again.
Her breath hitched.
Slowly...
She turned.
A silhouette.
Tall.
Still.
Watching her.
It moved;
Closer.
No sound.
Just presence.
Leah's heart began to pound again.
"…no…"
She stepped back.
The light behind her flickered.
She turned again;
Desperate;
Looking for them;
For something real;
Frauner was there.
Right in front of her now.
Closer than before.
Smiling.
Softly.
His eyes locked onto hers.
Gentle.
Reassuring.
"Hey…" he said quietly.
Leah's breathing trembled.
"Frauner…"
He stepped closer.
Close enough to reach her.
"I won't lose you."
His voice was calm.
Certain.
Like a promise carved in stone.
Leah's eyes filled.
"…don't say that…"
Her voice cracked.
She didn't believe it.
Not anymore.
Not after everything.
He lifted his hand slightly;
As if to touch her face;
As if to ground her;
To pull her out of the fear;
And then....
Everything changed.
The light;
Snapped.
Gone.
Replaced instantly.
By red.
Deep.
Violent.
Unnatural.
It flooded everything.
The sky....
The ground.....
Their faces...
All drowned in it.
The laughter stopped.
Mid-echo.
Cut off.
Frauner's smile didn't fade;
But it changed.
Too still.
Too wide.
Wrong.
Leah's breath caught;
Her body locked in place.
"…no…"