Chapter Text
Phantylia is a ruthless opponent. With each life-ending strike, the Lord Ravager seems to only grow in power.
I feel my presence to be pointless: What are arrows to a Pawn of Destruction?
Distantly, I see Dan Heng fly up and launch his dragons at Phantylia as Jing Yuan strikes with his Lightning Lord. Welt is staying by March and Caelus’ side, and Hal and Francis are separated, trying to coordinate an attack to follow Dan Heng and Jing Yuan’s.
Once the General and Dragon strike, Phantylia seems to falter completely, crying out in pain. The siblings pause for a moment, not wanting to attack if the battle is already won. Phantylia seems to fall, hope glimmers across everyone’s faces.
‘No… something is not right…’ There’s a faint orange glow surrounding Phantylia. I step forward, bow in hand, as I see Hal slowly jog toward me with a smile on their face. ‘Oh how I long to melt into your embrace…but-‘
Suddenly, Phantylia jerks upwards with a shout, “How dare you?!” Her eyes dart around before landing on… ‘Hal…’
The Destruction Lotus plants appear around them within seconds. I drop my bow and dash forward toward Hal and shove them backward.
“EMELYN-!”
The only thing I can feel is a sharp, stabbing sensation all around my body: both the petals and the arrows I’m carrying on my back tearing through flesh. I hear the cracking of bones and a shriek.
The Lotuses release their hold on me. Everything goes still. I’m still up as I look at Hal.
“I…” I trail off before I crumple helplessly to the ground.
I hear a bunch of muffled shouting and a figure quickly runs up and kneels over me.
‘Hal…’ I’m able to register, despite the black dots swimming in my vision.
Hal looks frantically at me, still shouting, but I can’t hear. I can only guess at what they are saying.
“Hal…” I manage to say. They go absolutely silent as I stumble on my words, “I… had to- to save you… just one.. last time…”
There’s an odd, wet warmth pouring from my body that I don’t dare to look down at. I feel another source of warmth on my hand, but it’s not my crimson blood, it’s another hand. I feel them shift their weight to hold me in their lap and I blink a few times before I look at the pair of pleading eyes staring down at me. I feel tears on my face, but they are not my own.
“I don’t… want to- to leave you.. yet… who will be- be by your side..?” My vision begins to swim again as my breathing becomes shallow. I try desperately to reach up to their face, hand moving impossibly slow. “Hal, I lo…”
I never get to finish.