And suddenly the blade moved. Not away. Down. A slow, deliberate drag through flesh.
Pain flared white-hot across my ribs. I choked on a scream. My knees gave out, but he didn't let me fall—he held me upright like a marionette, his grip tight, his breath disturbingly calm.
"You should've killed her the easier way."
The words burned—because they weren't said. They were carved.
Letter by letter, into my skin.
The scream finally tore out of me. But no one heard. No one ever came here.
Blood soaked through my shirt. My vision blurred, the edges of the world darkening. I barely felt the second cut or the one after. Letter by letter. My body already too overwhelmed to register where the pain ended and I began.
Nihil crouched slightly, looking at the message he had written on me like an artist admiring his masterpiece.
"For Kaze," he whispered. "So he remembers what mercy costs."
I couldn't speak. Couldn't move. Couldn't even feel myself.
Then he let me go.
I collapsed onto the cold ground, my cheek hitting the pavement with a dull thud. I heard his footsteps fading, slow and unhurried. He didn't run. He didn't need to. I wasn't going anywhere.
But I did. Somehow. I crawled.
Dragged myself through the dark like something half-alive, limbs trembling, blood leaving a trail behind me. Every breath felt like a scream stuck in my throat. My body refused to give more, but I made it to the dorm building.
I reached the door. Lifted one hand. Tries to knock but then I heard it
The world dimmed. My pulse thundered. I heard the door creak open.
Quiet footsteps. And Then "Sae?"
Kaze's voice.
I should be scared but- he looks like he could save me. Please Kaze. Please.
Not loud. Not frantic. But something in it cracked. Something broke. I
A breath that wasn't quite steady. A silence sharp with panic.
I wanted to say something. To scream or talk or cry. But nothing. Nothing came out.
His hands were on me in the next second, gentle but shaking. I wanted to say something---anything—but I was already slipping.
And just before the dark swallowed me whole— I felt him pull me close.
Like he was trying to hold me together. Who is this man?