The ringing in his ears prevented him from thinking clearly, and his eyes, though open, refused to take in what was happening.
Pressed against the wall, he silently gazed at the world engulfed in flames and ashes.
He looked, but could not see.
He heard, but could not make out the sound, because If he had realized...
"*******!" Annabelle, who was covering him, shouted something, but he couldn't hear her. If he had heard, then...
The only thought that came to his mind was, What's stuck to me? Because of the sticky feeling on his cheek.
Silently, he tore the sticky substance off his face and looked at it.
What appeared to be a slightly writhing piece of pale pink flesh lay before him.
It was a piece of his mother's brain.
Finally, he saw it, and...
"Aaa... Aaaaaaaa... Aaaaaaaaaaaaaa!!!"
He screamed, tearing his throat apart with the cry and tearing his heart apart with the pain.
- ***********!
- Agh... Aaaaaaaaaa!!!
- ***********!
- AAAAAAAAAAAA!!!
He couldn't hear what his sister was saying as she hugged him, because if he had heard...
Annabelle didn't stop holding her brother tightly. He was screaming, either from grief or horror. She turned her gaze, full of bloody tears, to the slowly burning world.
She was forced to do so because she was the only one who could.
The almost 16-year-old girl was forced to stand between her brother and the fiery ashes and what would come out of them.
Two people in black robes exchanged silent glances and stepped through the fiery smoke. They passed through the ruined walls of what was once a warm house. Now, the heat was more like that of a hellish furnace.
Upon entering the ruined building, they saw a picturesque yet tragic scene.
A girl with wheat-colored hair and wearing a bright white and blue dress covered a small, screaming boy with her body. Through blood and tears, she looked at her tormentors. She looked tragically beautiful.
However, the two men felt no pity for her, despite it seeming out of character for them to cause such chaos.
"Ah, beauty requires sacrifice, doesn't it?"
The other man didn't answer, but he seemed to silently agree.
The first man turned to the girl, who was glaring at them with hatred.
"Listen, baby. I'm sorry we made such a mess here, but we didn't really have a choice. I promise that if you follow us quietly, no harm will come to you. On the contrary, it will be pleasant." The first man smiled nastily.
The girl looked at them silently and asked coldly,
"If I go with you, will you leave my brother alone?"
"Um... No, sorry, but we can't make any concessions on that. The guy has to die."
"I thought so." The girl said in the same tone.
"So, do you agree, or will we have to persuade you?" The first one said sarcastically. The second one silently supported him.
The girl didn't answer; she just looked at the boy, who had gone from screaming to wheezing quietly.
He was the boy who had given her a light she had never dared to dream of.
The boy who had filled her life with meaning—beautiful meaning, at that.
Tears flowed more freely from her eyes.
She knew this day would come. Even as a child, she had known it would come.
And she was ready for it.
She was only sorry that it had happened so soon.
Her heart ached at the thought of leaving the boy alone after this tragedy.
Her soul was slowly torn apart by the realization that she would have to leave him.
She wanted to hold him in her fragile arms forever.
She wanted to run away with him as far as possible.
But that was impossible.
Instead of crying endlessly, she smiled as she always did.
Always with love and warmth.
She began to speak with even more love.
"You know... Before you were born, I couldn't imagine loving someone so much... Just seeing you, catching a glimpse of you, or receiving a smile from you makes me feel so warm that I don't think there's anyone happier than me." She said with warmth in her eyes.
"You know, even if everyone in the world were looking at me, you alone would be enough for me to never notice their glances because you have always shone much brighter to me than anything else in this world." She said without taking her eyes off the boy.
"When you go to bed, I like to stay with you and watch until you fall asleep. Although you often grumble, I find it cute how you shy away from my gaze, even though you say that's not the reason." She said tenderly.
"I love your hair, which is a couple shades darker but so similar to mine."
"I love your scent... It's a little embarrassing, but I often sniff you when you're not looking." She said, blushing.
"I love your hands... They used to be tiny and cute. Even though you don't hold my hand as often now, I always remember those moments fondly. It's embarrassing to admit, but when your little hand first wrapped around my finger, tears welled up in my eyes... I was so happy that I felt like I could die from the overwhelming joy. " A couple of tears of happiness rolled down Annabelle's face.
"I love your eyes... When you look at me, it feels like two little suns are shining down on me, and I'm standing there, basking in their warm rays."
"I love your voice when it calls out to me, 'Annabelle!' brightly, or purrs affectionately, 'Sis...' when you need something. How can our parents tell me not to spoil you after that?" She said with a sweet smile.
"Haha, would you believe me if I said it was love at first sight?" The boy heard his sister's happy voice, lost in memories, reach his ears.
Elion listened to her in silence.
He forgot about the whole world.
He forgot about the bloody horror and the burning tragedy.
In this world of fire and ashes, she was the only thing that mattered to him.
When she told him about her love, she seemed fragile, vulnerable, and so small. He had never seen her like this before. But she also seemed so...
Radiant.
She always shone only for him.
She was always his light.