CHAPTER 49
(Lyria POV)
The moment Kael's body stopped responding properly, the world around Lyria stopped making sense.
For a few seconds, she could not even breathe correctly.
Her arms were still around him, holding him against her as if her grip alone could force him to stay awake.
"Kael…" she whispered again, her voice breaking, "no… you can't stop like this."
His eyes were still open.
Barely.
Still looking at her.
"I am… here," he said faintly.
But his voice no longer carried strength.
It was just sound now.
Weak.
Fading.
Lyria shook her head quickly. "No, no, no, don't say it like that. You are not allowed to sound like that."
His hand moved slightly toward her wrist again.
It was slower than before.
Like it cost him everything just to reach her.
"I hear you," he whispered.
That was all.
And then his hand dropped again.
Lyria froze.
"…Kael?" she called softly.
No response.
Her heart started beating faster immediately. "Kael, answer me."
Silence.
She pressed her hand gently against his face. "Kael, please—look at me."
His eyes were still open.
But unfocused.
That was when panic fully broke through her.
"No…" she whispered. "No, no, no, no—this is not happening."
She pulled him closer, her voice rising now. "Kael, you said you would stay with me! You said you would not leave me!"
Her words echoed through the forest.
But the forest gave nothing back.
No help.
No voices.
No movement.
Just emptiness.
---
Lyria suddenly looked around sharply, as if the forest itself had hidden someone.
"Is anyone there?" she shouted. "Please! Someone help us!"
Her voice cracked at the end.
She waited.
Nothing answered.
She tried again, louder. "Please! He is hurt! Someone—anyone!"
Only silence returned.
Her breathing turned uneven. "No… no, this cannot be real…"
She looked down at Kael again.
His face was pale now.
Too still.
Too quiet.
And for the first time since the attack began—
Lyria felt completely alone.
---
She grabbed his hand tightly. "Kael, listen to me. You are going to get up. You always get up. You always do."
No response.
Her grip tightened harder. "You don't get to stop now. Not here. Not like this."
Still nothing.
Her voice broke completely. "Please…"
That word came out smaller than the rest.
Almost like she had run out of strength to even speak.
---
A distant sound echoed through the forest.
Lyria snapped her head up instantly. "Hello?!"
She listened carefully.
Footsteps?
Movement?
No.
Just branches shifting slightly.
False hope.
She swallowed hard, tears already forming. "No… please don't do this to me…"
She turned back to Kael, her hands shaking now.
"I don't know what to do," she whispered. "I don't know what to do without you."
His fingers twitched slightly.
Barely.
Lyria noticed immediately. "Kael?"
She leaned closer. "Kael, did you hear me?"
A weak breath.
That was all.
But it was enough to break her further.
---
She pulled him closer to her chest, holding him tightly.
"You are not allowed to leave me," she said again, more firmly now, like she was forcing the words into existence. "Do you understand? You are not allowed."
Her voice cracked again.
"You said you would protect me. You said you would stay."
Tears finally fell freely now.
"I did not agree to this," she whispered. "I did not agree to lose you."
The forest stayed silent.
Even the wind felt distant now.
---
After a long moment, she forced herself to breathe again.
In.
Out.
In.
Out.
Then she looked around again, desperation rising in her chest.
"There has to be something," she said quickly. "There has to be a village… or a healer… or someone—anyone!"
She shifted slightly, trying to lift Kael's weight again.
But he was too heavy now.
Too still.
Her arms shook under him.
"No…" she muttered. "No, I can still move you. I can still—"
Her strength gave slightly.
She almost fell with him.
That was when she stopped trying to pretend.
---
Lyria sat back down, holding him tightly again.
And this time—
She didn't move.
Her voice dropped into something smaller.
Broken.
"Kael…" she whispered, resting her forehead lightly against his. "Please… just come back to me."
Silence.
And in that silence—
She finally understood something she had been avoiding since the moment the attack began.
There was no one coming.
Not for them.
Not for him.
Just the forest.
And her.