16. Evelyn

16

EVELYN

D arkness. Cold, endless darkness. It's all I know, all I feel, as the last vestiges of my life slip away. The pain is gone now, replaced by a numbness that seeps into my very bones, into the deepest corners of my soul.

But even in the void, even in the emptiness that threatens to consume me, I feel a warmth, a presence, a love so fierce and bright that it seems to chase away the shadows, to hold back the infinite night.

Malakai. My love, my heart, my everything. I can feel him, even now, even as I drift further and further away. I can feel his anguish, his desperation, his refusal to let me go.

And then, suddenly, impossibly, I feel something else. A surge of power, of energy, of life itself, flowing into me like a river of molten gold. It chases away the cold, the numbness, the darkness, filling me with a warmth and vitality I have never known.

I gasp, my eyes fluttering open, my lungs filling with air that tastes sweeter than anything I have ever known. And there, hovering above me, his face drawn and pale, his eyes filled with a love and devotion that takes my breath away, is Malakai.

"What..." I whisper, my voice hoarse and weak. "What happened? What did you do?"

He smiles, a smile that is filled with joy and sorrow and a terrible, aching weariness. "I saved you," he murmurs, his hand cupping my cheek, his thumb brushing away the tears that spill down my face. "I gave you my life force, my power, my very soul. I couldn't lose you, Evelyn. I couldn't let you go."

I stare at him, my heart swelling with love, gratitude, and fear so profound that it steals the breath from my lungs. "But… but your power, your life… Malakai, what have you done?"

He shakes his head, his smile never wavering, his eyes never leaving mine. "I did what I had to do," he whispers, his voice growing weaker with every word. "I love you, little mouse, more than my own life, more than anything in this world or any other. I could hardly live with myself if I let you bear this burden alone."

Tears stream down my face as I realize the depth of his sacrifice, the magnitude of his love. He has given up everything, his power, his very essence, to save me, to bring me back from the brink of death itself.

"I love you," I sob, my arms wrapping around him, holding him close as I feel the life, the strength, the power that he has given me flowing through my veins. "I love you so much, Malakai. You are my world, my life, my heart. And I will never, ever let you go."

He smiles, his eyes drifting shut, his body growing heavy in my arms. "I know," he murmurs, his voice barely more than a whisper. "I will always be with you, Evelyn. In this life and the next. I will always find you."

I nod, my tears falling faster now, my heart breaking and mending and breaking again with every breath. "Always and forever," I repeat, the words a vow, a promise, a prayer to the universe itself.

And then, as Malakai's life force fades, as his power dwindles to a flicker, I feel a surge of something else, something deeper and truer and more powerful than anything I have ever known. It's our bond, our connection, the love that ties us together, now and forever.