Anthesis of Sadness

I was lying down, eyes closed, my mind drowned in pain and memories. Every scar, every wound marking my body seemed to blend with the turmoil of these past weeks. Why us? Why this misfortune? On the first day, we had encountered that chimera, that vile creature, and since then, everything had spiraled out of control. Battles followed one after another without end, each victory seeming to be nothing more than a breath before the next trial. Losing an arm was another blow to my life. But despite the pain, I had held on. I had learned to wield my heavy sword with one hand, supported by the strength of the group. Anger and determination had pushed me forward.

We were no longer just a group of survivors; we had become a family. Marie, the eldest, with her wise advice and motherly heart, brought us the necessary calm amidst the chaos. Romain, the leader, made the hard decisions, always ready to protect each of us. Jules, with his sharp instincts, watched over us in silence, always prepared to react. Janna, though discreet, was that protective older sister. Anthony, a bit on the outskirts, but of incredible strength in battle, was indispensable to us. And then there was Lucas, the youngest, our little brother. Barely 17 years old, he carried a rare innocence, a fragile light that, with every smile, erased a little of the darkness of this world.

But that night, everything collapsed. The tranquility of the night was shattered by a strange, distant sound, like the faint rustling of leaves under a furtive step. Anthony was on guard—I wasn't worried.

Yet suddenly, a scream tore through the night. "BEHIND!" The voice rang out, powerful and filled with terror. A cry of alarm. My heart leaped in my chest, and my whole body tensed. My mind froze for a few moments, trying to understand. And then, another sound. The sound of hurried footsteps. Then, I saw.

My gaze fell upon the body lying in the distance. The world stopped. It was Lucas. An arrow right in his eye, the other staring into an eternal silence. Horror seized me, a cold shiver running up my spine. It was unreal. I couldn't breathe. The shock paralyzed me. The ground beneath me seemed to collapse, and a veil of panic washed over me. I wanted to scream, to run to him, but everything was blurry, my muscles wouldn't respond. I just stared, as if trapped in a nightmare I couldn't escape.

Suddenly, a sharp blow to my side. Pain burst through my flesh, hot and searing. Blood was spreading, but it was a secondary pain. A woman, hidden in the shadows, dressed like Anthony, had attacked me, a dagger buried in my side. My breathing quickened, my body reacted before my mind could comprehend. I raised my arm to defend myself, the second dagger plunged into my hand, the pain almost making me scream. Yet it wasn't the physical pain that tore me apart. It was the pain in my heart, the pain of losing Lucas, the pain of watching death strike once again.

A dull scream, an instinct for survival. I pulled the dagger from my hand, my teeth biting into the cold metal, my fingers trembling. Then, in a surge of rage, I seized the woman's throat. She struggled, but I was consumed by a devastating fury, an insane rage fueled by pain and loss. Tears streamed down my cheeks, but they were not from physical suffering. It was my heart that was crying. Lucas's lifeless body haunted me, his empty gaze paralyzed me.

"If it had been him, he would have aimed for the neck first. And I wouldn't be here anymore, I wouldn't have had to endure this," I murmured, my voice broken. The words were an echo of my suffering. My hands tightened. The superhuman strength within me, amplified by adrenaline, snapped the woman's neck. Her body convulsed, but I couldn't bring myself to let go. I wanted her to suffer, to feel even a fraction of what I was going through.

Then, a figure appeared in my blurred vision. Jules. He stood there, his features marked by anger, his eyes filled with sorrow. Without a word, he stepped forward, his hand resting on my arm, a soft yet firm pressure. Slowly, I loosened my grip, letting the woman fall heavily to the ground, her neck twisted in a grotesque position. I stared at her lifeless body, and for a moment, everything around me seemed to fade away.

Jules wasted no time. His orders were clear, sharp. "Marie, heal him. Romain, protect them just in case." He turned to Janna, indicating the direction to take. "Let's go, we need to move fast." They ran off, vanishing into the darkness of the forest. The sound of their footsteps faded into the night, but the distant noises remained. Screams, menacing sounds. The sounds of war. The wind howled through the trees, and the crackling of the fire near the camp echoed in my ears, each burst of flame a brutal reminder of what had happened.

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