Chapter 20 - Alex's Regrets

Amid the dense forest, dappled sunlight pierced through the canopy, casting fleeting patches of warmth on the forest floor. The boy, Alex, just 18 years old but already marked by life's harshness, ran with a determined grit etched on his face.

In his arms, he held his 6-year-old sister, Lily, a fragile bundle of innocence, her eyes wide with both wonder and fear. The forest around them whispered secrets of ancient times, but there was no time to listen.

Behind them, the cruel pursuers closed in, a group of ruthless men with wicked daggers gleaming in their hands.

Their leader, a menacing figure named Renar, barked orders to catch the siblings. They were relentless, fueled by a dark purpose.

Alex's breaths came ragged, his body bearing the scars of their desperate flight. He glanced down at Lily, her tiny hand gripping his shirt, and he whispered, "Hold on, Lily, just a little longer. We'll make it through this."

Lily, her eyes teary but trusting, nodded, clutching her brother tightly. "I trust you, Alex."

The forest seemed to offer a sanctuary, hiding them amidst the trees and tangled vines, but the danger was real, the chase relentless.

"We're almost there, just a bit farther," Alex encouraged, his voice strained but resolute.

As they pressed on, the boy's heart raced, his body pushed beyond its limits.

The sound of footsteps grew nearer, and the menacing figures drew closer.

One of the pursuers called out, "Give up, boy! You can't escape us."

With a fierce determination, Alex turned his head and shouted back, "I'll never give up, not while I still breathe!"

They burst into a small clearing, the end of the forest in sight. The siblings could taste freedom, but the danger was not over.

Alex reached the forest's edge, and with a final burst of strength, he sprinted into the open, his sister held tightly in his arms.

But as they reached the edge of the forest, what lay before them was not what they expected.

A massive cliff stretched out before them, shrouded in an eerie fog that seemed to be the gateway to another world.

It was a passage to the lower realm, a place of mystery and danger. At the brink of the cliff, Alex came to a halt, his heart pounding.

He gently placed Lily down, shielding her with his body as he turned to face their pursuers one last time. The men approached, drawing wicked swords, ready for a final battle.

With an otherworldly grace, Alex engaged in a battle like no other, his movements a dance of both desperation and determination.

As the battle raged on, he couldn't tear his eyes away from Lily, who watched her brother with wide, innocent eyes.

But in the midst of the chaos, one of the pursuers, a man named Darian, slipped on a moss-covered rock and lost his balance.

He hurtled toward the cliff's edge, his eyes widening in terror as he realized his impending doom.

Alex's heart stopped as he saw Lily, unaware of the impending danger, standing near the edge, her small figure framed by the swirling fog below.

With lightning speed, he released his internal energy, sending a powerful shockwave that threw Darian back. The pursuer crashed to the ground, dazed but alive.

However, in that split second, he couldn't reach Lily in time. She slipped over the edge, her tiny fingers reaching out toward her brother.

"Alex!" she cried out, her voice filled with fear.

Time seemed to slow as Alex's heart pounded in his chest. He lunged forward, desperately extending his hand over the precipice.

His fingertips brushed against Lily's, but it was not enough. She slipped through his grasp, her eyes locked onto his.

"Brother!" she screamed, her voice fading as she descended into the foggy abyss.

Alex's world shattered. He was left clinging to the edge, his fingers numb and trembling. Tears streamed down his face as he looked into the empty space where his beloved sister had been just moments ago.

"Alex! What have you done?" Renar, the leader of the pursuers, shocked as he and the others saw lily falling from the cliff, making their heart strain from the aftermath.

But the boy was lost in grief, his world reduced to a foggy abyss of despair. He barely registered Renar's words as the man raised his dagger, ready to strike.

In that moment, as the fog swallowed his sister's memory, Alex's heart was consumed by a darkness deeper than the abyss itself.