Faust was anxious.

‘How many of them are there even? How unlucky are we, to encounter them???’ he cursed.

Inevitably he thought of his father and how he sacrificed himself in an attempt to save his loved ones.

His vision started blurring when the image of his father’s death assaulted his mind, but he refocused and looked at his friends and an idea formed in his mind.

‘If there really is no way to get out of this… maybe I at least can save my friends…’ it sounded crazy, but he was seriously considering giving himself up. When he saw Leona running in front of him his heart ached, and he heard the screams of his mother resounding through his ears.

‘FUCK! NOT NOW!’ he thought and tried to move his right arm to wake himself up using the pain. It worked. The pain made him jolt and groan. But his mind was focused again.

‘No. Not yet. There's not even a way they would escape even if I distracted the orcs…’ he frantically thought while running without a shield or spear. He had discarded his shield to be able to run faster. His spear was lost when his shoulder broke.

He stumbled several times as the fight before had severely exhausted his body. He caught himself every time and kept on running. They were running parallel to the forest entrance he thought.

Leona’s legs were weak and burned like hell. Her face looked determined and cold. But below that mask of her facial expression, her thoughts raced frantically.

‘Shit! Shit! It's all my fault! Why did I have to become a soldier? I’m implicating my 3 friends with me!’

She regretted bringing Faust, Aquila, and Cassius. There were so many things she still wanted to do. So many things she wanted to change. People to talk to.

‘I could’ve been kinder to my parents… I haven’t told Faust how I feel… life is so short… if we survive this, I will confess to him. A soldier’s life is too risky to wait. I have to tell him.’

Her heart was beating, and her lungs hurt. Her lung felt like it had turned into hot iron. Breathing got increasingly difficult for her, and she felt dizzy. They had run for so long everyone felt exhausted. Not even the adrenaline could hide the fact that they had been marching for an entire day, fought a battle, and sprinted for several minutes. All that in heavy armor.

They ran another minute before Leona fell on one knee and was unable to continue. Aquila who still had the most reserves and could think clearly immediately tried to help her up, but she was barely conscious. She threw up when Faust arrived at the group. The screeches were closing in.

Cassius also broke down on one knee.

“We can’t…huff… continue… huff” Fear showed on his face.

‘So this will be it then?’ Faust started to realize there was no way they could still leave.

‘Father… Mother… Sister… wait for me. I’m coming…’ he thought and was ready to discard his life to save his friends.

Leona was on her knees and had trouble speaking.

“We need to hide…” she pressed out in between breaths.

“Not funny! Where? OH!” Aquila asked angrily before his eyes grew round. There was a stone right next to them. At its foot, there was a crevice barely big enough for a man to fit through.

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“There!” he pointed at the crevice. “Get inside now!” he shouted and helped Leona to get towards the crevice while Faust supported Cassius.

‘No way they won’t find us in there…’ Faust thought and gulped. ‘But my comrades would never agree to let me distract the orcs to save them… but I have to. I owe my life to Schenk and his family.’

Memories started to assault him. The day Schenk appeared next to him and offered him a coat… how Mirabella took him into her arms when he was at his lowest… the first wrestling and innocent flirting with Leona… the talk with Schenk on the castle roof…

‘Leona…’ he watched her as she dropped her shield and spear into the crevice and glid after it. His mind got even more determined. Then a shocking thought crossed his mind.

‘Flora hasn’t even crossed my mind right now… only Leona… I just wish I would have realized earlier what my feelings were… I could’ve told Leona… maybe I still should?’ he watched Aquila and Cassius disappear in the crevice and the screeches came even closer. Soon they would be in sight range.

“Quick, come inside!” Aquila shouted as he saw Faust standing before the crevice. He didn’t budge.

He just looked at them and smiled weakly. Then he shook his head.

Aquila grew desperate. “FUCKING GET INSIDE YOU BASTARD!” he shouted and hit the rock wall before him.

Leona’s eyes grew wide as she realized what he wanted to do.

‘No! Get over here! I don’t want you to do this! I never wanted to bring you into this position!!!’

Tears started running down her face as Faust didn’t move. Their eyes met. He only smiled.

“Leona. I love you.” He wanted to say, but the words didn’t leave his mouth. He opened it, only to close it a second later.

‘I… I can’t… I will just put more pain on her…’ he shook his head and a tear rolled down his face.

They both knew what they felt for one another, now more intense than ever. Their feelings were clear in the face of death. Yet this was also the moment they would be separated. They would never be together.

‘He will die, and I am the reason for it!’ she cried out in her head and wanted to climb back out of the crevice.

“No, you don’t!” Cassius hissed and held her back with all his might. She struggled, but the burly man was just too strong for her in this state. Eventually, she stopped struggling and quietly cried.

“He’s not coming,” Cassius said with a raspy voice while Aquila was still shouting at Faust. The man knew exactly why Faust acted the way he did, and he respected it. He chose an honorable death to save his comrades.

Still. Cassius wished nothing more than for Faust to join them in hiding. Yet the reasonable side of his brain told him that this was the best chance to get Leona out of the forest alive. After his words, Aquila turned to look at Cassius and he could see a crazed look in Aquila’s eyes. They were red and the pupils were widened unnaturally. He was breathing heavily.

Leona had cried silently as she looked at Faust, who by now had made his peace with the world. His face had no trace of a smile anymore and all that showed was a grim determination. He would die today.

Faust felt strangely calm in the face of his death. He saw things so clearly. He only now realized how foolish his love for Flora had been and that they had used each other as an escape from their trauma. He finally admitted to himself how he felt towards Leona. Not that it mattered. He would not see another day.

A grim determination filled his mind. But he was not angry or panicked. In fact, he was calm. Too calm. He felt oddly at peace. Nothing could shake him anymore. He didn’t even feel the pain in his arm anymore.

Now, 50 meters away from him he could see the first few orcs appearing.

‘These wretched creatures. Let’s see if I can distract you away from my comrades.’

He cast one more glance at the crevice where he saw Leona’s face one last time. He was stuck. Time seemed to pass incredibly slowly. With tears flowing down her cheeks, she mouthed the words ‘I love you.’ Or so he believed.

He took one last look, smiled, and then turned around to run. He heard one last sob before Cassius pulled her down to hide from the incoming orcs. He was now on his own.

He turned around to see the monsters slowly running towards him. They were coming from the direction that led out of the forest. He couldn’t leave. The only way to escape was deeper into the woods. Deeper into danger. Deeper into unknown territory. But he didn’t mind. He had made his peace.

‘So many have died on the battlefields before me. I must show no fear in front of death! Its such a normal thing.’ He thought as he ran away from the rock and screamed loudly to attract the attention of the orcs.

“It works!” he exclaimed with a laugh as he saw the orcs running past the rock and towards him.

‘My friends… Leona… I am so glad I could save you by sacrificing my life.’ He smiled and continued to shout and run deeper into the forest.