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there was nothing but debris and disaster around you. red mist clouded the skies of the once lively atmosphere of your homeland. shouts, cries, tears, you could feel everything and nothing all at once. so did the man before you, his vermillion eyes, filled with so much emotion you’d never seen before in him. his claws, wrapped around your hand, urged you to do something with the blade in your hands.
you swallowed, glancing at the man— no, he’s not a man anymore. he isn’t human, no. you glance at the shell of the man you loved so dearly one last time. your heart thumps in your chest, carefully looking over every last detail on him.
his silver hair, his handsome face, intense with emotion as he gazes back at you. his beautiful body, and his newly grown parts from his.. transformation. dark horns sprouted from his hair, and his ears had grown, pointy like an elf’s. maroon-ish scales had marred his skin, and as your gaze moved lower, darker scales were sprouting out of his skin, moving to the center of his chest rapidly.
you’d have to put an end to that somehow, and your heart throbbed, a pang of hurt shooting through your body at the mere thought of ever harming your beloved.
there was still something so beautiful about him. his beauty could never be matched, never. you feel a tear slide down your cheek, knowing that you’d inevitably have to let go of him, have to keep going without him.
he lifted his other claw, trembling as he tried not to scrape your delicate skin, gently wiping your tears away. “i’ll.. always be with you,” he croaked, his voice cracking. “even after this is all over,” he continued, trying to comfort you. “you.. should have already known very well by now, that i adore you,” he whispered, fighting tears of his own.
“and no love, is purer than mine.” your beloved smiled as he finished his sentence. his occupied claw suddenly tightened around your wrist, hurling the blade into his own chest. he winced, blood seeping out of the wound, splattering onto your cheek. the veins of his heart, and the veins of something else reaching for him pumped aggressively, as your eyes widened.
“qin che!” you gasped, fingers trembling around the hilt of the blade, his claws unrelenting to give way as your beloved’s blood seeped from his wound and onto the blade, eventually dripping down the hilt and onto your palms.
you were absolutely horrified. you watched the life drain from his eyes, heart sinking as you desperately called for him. “qin che, qin che!” you broke into tears, his grip weakening around your wrist and his hand falling from your cheek, as he grew limp.
you lifted your palms, his blood painted all over your skin. it was almost taunting to you, like you swore you’d never harm him. never depart from him, never leave him.
look at you now.
you broke into a sobbing mess, reaching out to bring him into your embrace, your tears falling onto his cold face. the vibrancy of his form was completely drained, his heart rate slowing down rapidly, until all you had was the lifeless body of the man you loved in your arms, weeping. you’d lost the one person your heart depended on, and you were sure that nobody could replace him, and the way he made you feel.
your mind ran with thoughts, thoughts of him, thoughts of your beloved qin che. you thought back to his words, and how you never responded.
you should know very well that i adore you, and no love is purer than mine.
you never doubted him, but now you felt a sense of emptiness fill you, regretting that you never told him your last ‘i love you.’
i love you, qin che.