Slowly, like being pulled up from deep water, Khael's senses returned. Everything was chilly, heavy, and weird. For an instant, he believed he was completely devoid of all emotions—no warmth, no pain, only a quiet, blank emptiness.

Then, little by little, the pain started. Everywhere on his body ached. Every time he attempted to breathe, a sharp agony shot through his chest, his head pounded, and his ribs throbbed. Painfully, he became aware that he was still alive.

He felt a soft, uneven surface beneath him as he lay on his back. His fall was softened by damp leaves that pressed against his skin. He sensed that the landing had been slightly softer to prevent him from colliding with solid surfaces.

His eyes opened, and he blinked as his vision progressively improved. Though it was difficult to see because of the dense mist, he could just make out the edge of the cliff above him where he had last seen Finn. He made an effort to move, but each limb seemed heavy and unresponsive. His only action was to tilt his head, which caused his neck to ache again.

His hand went slowly, stretching out until his fingertips touched a nearby rock's rough outer layer. He grabbed it weakly, more as a matter of comfort than anything else. Then he pushed himself up, sitting up straight, branches and dried leaves sliding off his chest.

He straightened himself after taking several long breaths, allowing the pain ease into something he could put aside for the time being. He stood up slowly, trembling a little, then faced the stone wall in front of him. He started climbing, one cautious step at a time, his hands finding their way to the rough stone and holding its jagged edges.

When his hands finally made it to the top, he gave it one last effort and pulled himself over the edge, landing on his side to catch his breath. Gathering his strength, he laid there for a minute before pushing himself up on weak arms to look about.

What he saw was bleak. Small fires flickered across the charred ground. The ground was blackened. He took a few steps forward, watching as bits of ash floated up with each step. Everything was silent except for the quiet crackling of dying flames. The scene felt haunting, and as he kept walking, he couldn’t help but wonder about the others.

Then he spotted a figure on the ground ahead—Finn, lying face-down. Khael hurried over, bent down beside him, and shook his shoulder.

“Hey, get up!”

No answer.

"I swear, I’ll kick you for throwing me off that cliff. You think that was funny?"

No answer.

“I might not walk right for weeks because of that”

But as the silence stretched, worry clawed at him.

“Why aren’t you getting up?”

He gave a firmer shake, but when there was still no response, his chest tightened with dread.

“Hey…” His voice softened

After hesitating, he gently flipped Finn onto his back. His breath froze in his throat the instant he did. Finn's neck was twisted at a broken angle, his chest was ripped apart, and half of his face was gone. Khael's hands froze in place as his mind went blank. His chest constricted, and he was left staring down in frightened silence.

“H-hey, Come on... don’t leave me here, buddy. You said we'd get through this together.”

…

“You’re stronger than this. I’ve seen you fight through worse. Don’t quit on me now.”

…

"You said you didn’t want to die hungry! Remember? We were going to eat together at my place. You can’t eat if you stay like that…”

…

“What about the plans after returning? Did you forget? The ride will be here in a few hours. They can make you feel new. Just… just open your eyes. Just once.”

…

This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.

“Just once…”

Silence.

With one last feeble punch, he let his hand fall to the ground, defeated. Finn's motionless body was in front of him, and Khael felt a sea of loneliness that was as heavy as a storm. He felt completely lost in a world that no longer made sense.

Suddenly, the radio strapped to his shoulder crackled to life.

"Is... anyone... th... there?”

Khael quickly pressed the button on the broken radio.

“I... repeat... is... an... an... th…”

“Chief!”

"Oh Kha... you'r-e ali-v…”

“Chief, where are you?” he urged.

“I’m o-o-n th-e nor-th s-si-de."

Khael quickly stood up and ran north. His eyes scanned the surroundings as he ran. Nothing seemed out of place—until he spotted a crater up ahead. Pushing himself to run faster, he reached the edge and looked down, spotting her lying against the wall. Without a second thought, he slid down the rough slope toward her.

“Chief!”

She turned her face towards him. One of her eyes was swollen shut, one arm was gone, and both of her legs ended just below the knees. The ground around her was soaked with blood, yet her expression was unusually calm.

“Oh, you’re here—”

“I’ll go back, get some first aid…” Khael said urgently, already moving to turn, but she reached out stopped him.

“Don’t… it’s too late for that,” she said, her voice weak but calm. “I won’t make it much longer. Don’t go rushing around—you’re hurt yourself.”

Khael hesitated, then nodded and lowered himself to sit a little distance away from her, staring at the ground. She let out a tired sigh, glancing at the darkened battlefield.

“It got away. We couldn’t stop it.”

Khael stayed silent and barely reacted to her words.

She looked at him for a long moment, as though she was searching for something. Finally, she broke the silence, almost like she just needed something to fill it. “So… what made you join the war?” she asked, looking over at him.

Khael didn’t turn. His face stayed dark as he stared ahead. “My mom told me to,” he said quietly, leaving it at that.

“Just because she said?”

“Yeah…”

“That’s… something,” she paused. “I joined just for the money.”

“Why the war?” he asked. “You could’ve been a model, made more than this.”

The others would ask her that question all the time. However, she consistently ignored them. Since she was the one who started the talk, she decided to tell everything. After all, her life was coming to an end.

“My father was in the military. He was everything I could ask for... a loving, caring father. He ran an orphanage and gave everything to it. I would often go there and play with the kids. Life was good. But after he died, things got hard, and I was the only one left to keep it running. Money got tight, and the kids were suffering. I had no other choice but to step out in the world for their sake. I could’ve done other things, maybe easier things, but I thought I’d honor his memory. And… here we are.”

Khael listened quietly, his face softening as he watched her. The Chief gave him a small, hidden smile.

“What will happen to the others? Who'll look after them if you dont return?”

“Don’t worry,” she replied calmly. “I’ve already thought of this.”

After a brief silence, she spoke again, her voice filled with a bit more strength.

“Looking at you, I’m sure you won’t die.”

“…”

“Don’t keep that face—you’re not a kid. Who knows, maybe we’ll meet again.”

“Life isn’t a storybook, Chief. Once someone’s gone, they’re gone.”

“You’re wrong.”

Khael lifted his head and looked at her.

"Life is like a storybook if you think about it that way. We only see what we think we know and stop there. And that’s where people get it wrong. I used to be like that...but I’ve come to see there’s so much out there we don’t know."

She tilted her head back, watching something moving across the sky. Khael followed her gaze and saw a shooting star streaking through the darkness.

“Don’t you want to make a wish?” she asked.

“I don’t believe in those.”

“See? You’re one of those people.”

“Well, wishing is for kids, and what does that make—”

The Chief chuckled which surprised him. He stared at her like he was seeing a stranger.

“What’re you looking at?”

“I just… didn’t think you could laugh. All day you’re like, ‘Run 50 miles or I’ll kill you.’”

“You wanna die?” She raised a fist weakly.

“Whoa, sorry, sorry.”

She chuckled again, softer this time. “At least you got rid of that gloomy face, ”

“...”

“Now listen to me. Stay at the camp till dawn and wait for the ride. There’s a map and a phone if you—”

She couldn’t finish her sentence. A cough escaped her, which she tried to stifle with her remaining hand. As she looked at her hand, she realized it wouldn’t be long before she would leave this world. The moon peeked out from behind the clouds, playing a game of hide and seek. She stayed quiet for a moment, lost in her thoughts. Then she opened her eyes again.

“Khael…” she called softly.

“Yes chief?”

“Can you do me one favor?” Though her steady tone, there was a weight to it that made him concerned.

“What is it?”

“There’s a girl named Charlotte. She’s a sweet kid, but she’s really lonely. She doesn’t talk to anyone except me. I know that silly girl will be looking for me every day.”

“…”

“Just tell her that I went to the sun. That’s all I ask.”

"Why not the moon?" Khael followed her eyes up and asked.

“Because you can’t come back from the sun.”

She couldn't take her eyes off the moon, which was glowing over her in a soft glow. A soft smile pulled at her lips, the type that was tinged with despair but also with a sense of calm, as though she had already come to cope with what was ahead.

“Beautiful…” she whispered softly.

Then her eyes slowly lost their brightness, like seeing a candle burn. The moon had been covered by the approaching clouds. The light that had filled her eyes disappeared.

Khael stood up, then knelt beside her and gently closed her eyes for the last time.

“Rest well… Chief.”