He didn't know where his legs were taking him , only that he needed to get away. Away from the screams. Away from the blood. Away from her.
Branches tore at his clothes and face as he stumbled through the forest, his breath ragged and uneven. Blood soaked his chest, streaming from the stump where his right hand had once been. Every step sent new waves of agony through his body, but he didn't dare stop.
He looked down, his hand was gone. Gone.
A sob ripped from his throat.
"I... I'm sorry..." he whispered to no one. "I'm sorry Rufo..."
The forest opened up into a clearing, and the sight ahead froze him in place.
Bodies.
Dozens of them.
Soldiers from the Monkey Tribe, the Deer, the Coyotes, sprawled across the ground, twisted and broken. Some still clutched their weapons. Others stared lifelessly at the sky. These were the same warriors he had laughed with that morning. The ones who believed they could change the world.
Now they were gone.
Kellix fell to his knees beside one of them, his stomach churning. He tried to scream, but only a broken, strangled sound came out. Tears blurred his vision as he stumbled to his feet and kept running, his breaths shallow and desperate.
"Don't stop... don't stop..." he whispered to himself. "Just run..."
He looked back once, and immediately wished he hadn't.
In the distance, he could still see her.
Debora standing across from Grixie
His blood turned to ice.
He turned back around and ran.
Kellix stumbled deeper into the forest, his legs heavy, his heart pounding like a war drum. He slipped on roots, slammed into tree trunks, gasped for air, and finally, his body gave out.
He collapsed behind a cluster of boulders at the edge of a dense thicket. Curling up against the cold earth, he pressed his back to the stone and covered his face with his only remaining hand.
"I don't want to die..." he whispered. "Please... please don't let her find me..."
The forest was silent except for the sound of his ragged sobs.
Meanwhile...
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Nini burst from the treeline, emerging onto the edge of the ruined battlefield. Smoke curled from craters. The air stank of acid and ash.
She glanced behind her, Hielo was still following. The Saber Knight's presence pulsed like a storm, her Abi flaring so intensely that the ground beneath her feet hummed.
Nini clicked her tongue. "Persistent..."
But then Hielo stopped.
Something above had caught her eye, a light drifting silently through the broken sky. Wings. White and gold. An angel.
It hovered high above the trees, its gaze fixed directly on her. And for a moment, time itself seemed to slow. No words were spoken. None were needed. Hielo understood.
She turned away from Nini and sprinted back into the forest.
"What...?" Nini whispered, blinking in confusion. "She's not following me?"
She looked around, but Hielo was gone.
Hielo followed the trail of blood and broken branches deeper into the woods. The angel above her faded into the clouds, but she no longer needed its guidance. She could feel the presence now, faint, trembling, terrified.
And then she saw him.
Kellix.
Crouched in the shadows.
Shaking.
Hiding like a wounded animal.
His clothes were soaked in blood. His body was battered. And where his right hand had been was only a mangled, bandaged stump.
"Kellix..." she whispered softly.
He flinched at the sound, scrambling back into the corner. His eyes were wild, unrecognizing. "NO! PLEASE!" he screamed. "Please don't kill me! Don't hurt me anymore!"
The words tore through her chest.
"Kellix," she said again, gently. "It's me. I'm not going to hurt you."
His eyes flickered, slowly focusing on the voice. "H-Hielo...?"
"Yes," she whispered, stepping closer.
The dam broke.
Kellix's sobs echoed through the forest as he collapsed forward, crawling toward her. He clutched at her armor with his one good hand and buried his face against her chest, his body shaking violently.
"I'm scared..." he choked out between sobs. "I'm so scared, Hielo... please don't let her get me, dont let her get me, don't let get me..."
Hielo's breath caught in her throat. In all the years she had known him, the stubborn boy who called himself brave, who swung his clay cleaver without hesitation, she had never seen him cry.
Not like this.
She dropped to her knees and wrapped her arms around him, pulling him into a tight embrace. "I've got you," she whispered, voice trembling. "I've got you, Kellix, in the name of my saber I swear I will never let anybody ever put you through this again..."
He sobbed harder, the sound raw and broken, clutching her as if she were the only thing holding him to the earth.
Hielo's gaze drifted to the blood-soaked bandages where his hand had been. She held him tighter, her own heart breaking. "I'm here," she whispered again. "I'm not going anywhere."
And in that shattered forest, as the war raged on in the distance, Hielo held the broken boy — and did not let go.
To Be Continued...