15. Malakai

15

MALAKAI

I watch in horror as Evelyn races towards the altar, her face set with a grim determination that breaks my heart. I try to follow her, to stop her, but my body is battered and broken from the battle with the demon lord, and I can barely keep myself upright.

"Evelyn, no!" I scream, my voice raw with desperation and anguish. "You foolish little mouse!"

But she doesn't hesitate, doesn't falter. With a final, agonized glance over her shoulder, she reaches out and grasps the artifact, her eyes closing as she pours every ounce of her love, her strength, her very soul into the stone.

The chamber explodes with light and power, the force of it throwing me back against the far wall. I hear Evelyn's scream and feel the shattering of the artifact as it explodes into a thousand glittering shards.

And then, silence. A terrible, deafening silence that seems to stretch on forever.

I drag myself to my feet, my body screaming in protest, my heart pounding with a fear I have never known. I stumble towards the altar, towards the spot where Evelyn fell, my eyes straining to see through the dust and debris that fill the air.

And then I see her, lying crumpled on the ground, her body still and lifeless. I fall to my knees beside her, my hands shaking as I gather her into my arms. "Evelyn," I whisper, my voice choked with emotion. "Evelyn, don't even think about dying. You will not!"

Her eyes flutter open, her gaze hazy and unfocused. But when she sees me, a soft smile curves her lips, a smile that breaks my heart all over again. "Malakai," she breathes, her voice barely more than a whisper.

I shake my head. "I'm here," I choke out, my hand smoothing her hair back from her face. "I'm here, Evelyn, and I'm not going anywhere. I'm going to save you, I swear it."

She smiles again, a smile that is filled with love and sorrow and a terrible, aching finality. "No, my love," she murmurs, her hand reaching up to cup my cheek. "You can't save me, not this time. This was my choice, my sacrifice. And I don't regret it, not for a moment."

I sob, my forehead pressing against hers, my tears mingling with her own. "But you are mine," I whisper. "I won't lose you."

She takes a shuddering breath, her eyes fluttering closed for a moment before opening again, fixing me with a gaze of pure, unwavering love. "You will never lose me, Malakai," she breathes, her voice growing weaker with every word. "I will always be with you…"

I nod, my heart shattering into a million pieces, my soul crying out in anguish and despair. "Always and forever," I repeat, the words a vow, a promise, a plea to the universe itself.

Evelyn smiles one last time, her hand slipping from my cheek, her eyes drifting shut. "I love you, Malakai," she whispers, her voice fading away like the last notes of a beautiful song. "Never forget that. Never forget… us..."

And then she is gone, her body still and silent in my arms, her life extinguished like a candle flame in the wind.

I scream then, a sound of pure, raw agony that echoes through the chamber, through the very fabric of reality itself. I clutch Evelyn's body to my chest, my tears soaking her hair, my heart shattered beyond repair.