CH 440

I will never forget that smile.

Beautiful.

Fleeting.

Captivating.

And above all else, filled with love.

My knees fall to the ground, with a girl lying in my arms.

Her life is escaping her.

I desperately try to stop it, but nothing works. In fact, ironically, touching her makes my curses scoop up her life almost automatically.

I keep struggling, as that gentle smile is pointed at me.

Surely that eye that can see through time knows that there is nothing I can do to save her.

Potions that heal wounds, that sanctuary that can buy time…

I’ve used it all.

As I fall into despair, those lips try to put together words, but she has no strength left to even use her vocal cords, and fails to make a sound.

But I’m watching her intently and don’t miss a single movement, so her lips are enough for me to understand what she wants to say.

My everything…

I can hear wailing. It’s so loud and annoying, I can’t take it.

Ah, it’s my voice.

It easily drowns out Araysla’s anguished screams. Even I didn’t know I could be so loud.

And then, suddenly there’s silence.

I should still be hearing that wailing, but like a lull in my heart, I can’t hear anything from that moment on.

And as if spurred by that silence, I accept Ahri’s everything.

The golden band covering Rose’s vine explodes. It suddenly swells, and then quickly contracts.

The light tightens its squeeze on Araysla, and eventually digs into her body.

But strangely enough, there isn’t a single wound on Taula’s body. Instead, it feels like Araysla’s real form is being dragged out by the golden band.

I hear the loudest scream yet, but I only see that form of Araysla that seems very human-like for a brief moment.

Rose gently places Taula’s body on the ground, lets go of her, and wraps around Araysla’s body to support the band of light.

Araysla’s whole body is covered by that vine, until suddenly it’s crushed, and the screaming stops.

At the same time, the smiling face in my arms loses its strength completely, as if signaling that its job is done.

The eyes that were gently looking at me until a moment ago have lost their light.

And then, Rose starts to change.