I was in a trance. Looking at him, fighting off the monsters surrounding us, I couldn't move a single muscle.
"The night skies are beautiful, that's why I always love looking at them." Nox said. A contented smile spread on his face as he gazed at the moon and the stars, taking the sun's throne in the sky.
He was no fighter. He loved nothing more than to travel the world and put every sight he saw on a canvas. An artist such as he had an audience from every corner of the globe, but I was his biggest fan. Every piece of art that he made, I had seen. The frustrations he felt when he lost inspiration, I had felt. The joy he felt when he painted, I loved it.
"Ah!" Nox cried out, a wound on one of his arms making him lose his grip on his sword. With a swift movement, he switched the sword to his right hand and continued fighting, buying me time to run away. But why couldn't I move?! He was risking his life for me... And I...
"Stella?" He said, snapping me back to reality. I had been staring at him again, studying every line on his face, every little shade of color that made up this beautiful young man.
"Sorry, I spaced out." I replied, a little flustered that I was caught staring. Then again, Nox was kind of dense when it came to stuff that wasn't art, so he probably wouldn't know I liked him even if the gods were to tell him so.
He smiled at me and chuckled lightly. "It's okay, just stand right over there." He said, pointing over to beside a beautiful tree.
"Should I make myself pretty for you?" I asked, preparing to act cute for his drawing.
"You're already pretty." He said a-matter-of-factly, prompting my cheeks to turn a shade crimson.
Nox had bought some time, the monsters weren't chasing us yet. At this, he took my hand and sprinted away, taking me somewhere safer. We walked quite a distance, and we saw the small hints of smoke above the trees. We were close to the village, so close...
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A shrill cry erupted from behind us. Nox and I turned around to see the hounding figures of the undead, still running after us.
"Is something wrong?" Nox said, stopping his painting to look up at me. How could I not worry him? This was the first time he's seen me blushing this much. And could you blame me, after what he said? He then walked up to me and suddenly put a hand on my forehead, saying "Wow, you are hot! What's wrong, got a fever?"
'Shut up, stupid! You're only making it worse!' I thought as I got even more red.
"S-stop worrying!" I said, pushing him away gently. "I'm fine, I swear, just... I just wanna see the drawing already..." I added, trying to control my breathing.
"Alright then..." He said, walking back to his painting. Seeing that, my heart suddenly ached. Would I always be like this? Just an admirer from afar? A muse to his talent? Nothing more?
"Nox!" I suddenly called out, making him turn. "The thing is... I like y-" I started to say, before we heard a horrifying sound. We turned to the source of the sound to see a horrific monstrosity of flesh and bone. The undead.
Nox pulled a small bottle from his pocket and gave it to me. He was shaking. There were tears running down his face, but he looked into my eyes with a strength. A finality.
"Stella." He called my name out. His lips quivered, but his voice was steady and spoke clearly to me. "This is a recall potion. It'll take you back home. Drink it now."
I nodded and unstoppered the bottle, putting it to my lips before realizing-
"I'm not leaving you alon-"
"JUST DRINK IT!" He screamed at me. Not with anger, though. He was desperate. He wanted to save me, even if it meant leaving him here to die.
The screams of the undead were getting closer. Nox turned away from me and held the sword in stance once more, preparing to hold them off one last time. In that moment, he stopped shaking. The tears stopped coming. He greeted death with dignity. With beauty. With grace.
I put the bottle to my mouth and drank the potion. Immediately, my body begin emitting a bright blue light, and I felt a blanket of safety envelop me. It felt like seeing your house after a long time of travel. The nostalgia and longing for home. I closed my eyes and-
"Goodbye, Stella." I heard Nox say.
----
I felt a pair of arms wrap around me as I stood my ground, preparing to attack. I looked down and saw Stella's hands hugging me tightly, and I could feel her body pressed against mine. From the corner of my eyes, I could see the magic glow of the potion fading from her.
"Stella! Why aren't you home?!" I asked, raising my voice higher. If she didn't leave, we'd both die!
"I... I am home..." She whimpered, and I almost dropped my sword. She was crying, crying so hard that my heart ached. "You are the painting that I wake up each day to see, the colors that brighten up this world I live in. If I could, I'd stop time from moving and just look at you forever, because you are the art that makes me happy." She said, in between chokes and cries.
I let go of the hilt and turned around to embrace her fully. She sounded a bit surprised, but she moved into my hug, crying and sobbing into my chest. My tears began streaming again too as I saw the monsters appear from behind the trees.
----
"I'm home. I love you." We said.