Life Beneath the Fires - Part 08

What Blythe heard was a shock.

"Blythe... T-That's not who you are. You're not the one who would act with revenge. I never taught you to hurt other people. I told you to protect them, but you're doing the opposite. B-Blythe... please, j-just stop this slaughter and go with the officers. P-Please... I don't want to see more people dead. You've already gone overboard... so... just let him go and accept your faith."

Blythe's eyes started shaking. "B-But, Emma... They hurt you... They wanted to imprison you and shut down your shop. I-I can't let that happen after everything you've done."

However, he saw more tears in Emma's eyes. "They hurt me, but you... you didn't just hurt them. Y-You killed these men! You were never supposed to turn out like this! Didn't you want to become somebody reliable? Somebody who would help people in need?" She inquired, "Y-Yes, Emma... but-!"

"So then... why are you killing and fighting back? You and your sister wanted to keep your family's heritage in a way the previous people couldn't. Didn't your mother ask you to do it peacefully? She did! You told me that yourself," She slightly turned her view to the side. "So... one last time... Just leave him alone and go with them..."

While Blythe's mind was racing with fear, he knew that what Emma had stated was accurate.

Isobel got dropped after Blythe lessened his grip on his neck and severed the connection between his soul and Sam.

"I... I understand..." He claimed, reminding himself that what he did was horrible.

He had no complaints even after hearing Isobel's frustrated voice, "You'll leave this planet for good, Yasuda." Said Isobel, who held his neck due to being hurt.

He grabbed the chains and put them around Blythe's wrists, releasing Emma in the process.

Isobel turned Blythe around and prepared to escort him outside. But before he did, he looked at Emma. "Next time... be careful who you protect, ma'am."

Emma faced the ground, holding her arm from sadness and seeing Blythe escorted outside the streets, followed by Elian.

"Forgive me, Emma..." That was the final word she heard from Blythe. She closed her eyes as tears poured down her cheeks. "I'm sorry, Blythe. But this is better for both of us..." She whispered, seeing the killed officers on the floor.

Chiaki peeked from the storage door, and once she saw everyone leave, she rushed toward Emma. "E-Emma!" She leaped into Emma's arms, sharing a hug with her.

"I'm so glad you're okay, Chiaki," Emma claimed, hugging Chiaki firmly. "Emma... Y-You're crying. Where's my big brother?"

Emma tried to hold back her tears, but the more she thought about Blythe, the more she became emotional.

Soon she started sobbing louder.

"I-I'm so sorry, Chiaki. B-But your brother went to where he belongs. It's better for both of us." Chiaki seemed hollowed and lifeless as if she could feel and read Emma's mind. "M-my brother... he... he'll never come back... w-will he?" She asked, waiting patiently for Emma's response.

"N-No... Chiaki... He... He's never coming back."

Tears started to form around Chiaki's eyelids as her eyes opened wide. Her heartbeat grew quieter, and her breathing slowed.

She relaxed her hold on Emma's back as Chiaki's eyes started to glow pink.

Even though Emma's eyes were closed, she could still make out a single dazzling light floating in total blackness.

She noticed Chiaki in the pitch blackness. "Don't cry, Emma. My big brother made the proper decision. He will always remember what you did for him." Chiaki's voice was gentle and lovely, something like a soft echo. "You think what you did was wrong, but it was time for him to leave. My big brother knows you sent him with those individuals just out of love and concern for him. So Emma, please try not to cry."

Emma's eyes slowly opened, and suddenly she noticed Chiaki in front of her view. Emma became confused and paralyzed. "C-Chiaki... Y-You were in my head. H-How did you do that?" Emma wondered. Chiaki wiped Emma's tears without an answer.

"Oh, Chiaki..." She gave Chiaki an even tighter hug and made sure to hold her for a few seconds. "Chiaki, you should leave. You're not safe here anymore. I don't want anything to happen to you, and those men could come looking for you again. So, please, listen and flee from this island."

Chiaki became astonished. "B-But, E-Emma. I don't want to leave you. I... I... I want to be with you. You're the only friend I have left on this island. P-Please..." Chiaki begged, showing the sad nature behind her masked happiness.

"Chiaki... You're a good girl, one of the nicest and friendliest I've seen. You don't belong in a world where nobody cares about you. You need to find a new path and a true friend that will care about you and want you to live." Emma explained, smiling to remove any unwanted emotion.

"B-But I don't have any friends. N-Nobody will love me. Y-You and my big brother were the only ones who loved me. If... If I leave you... then... then I want to.. d-die... I don't want to be alone."

Emma gently reached for Chiaki's cheeks and wiped away her tears. "Don't say that, Chiaki. Nobody deserves to die, especially you..."

Chiaki listened carefully, and finally, it happened, "Someday, without any doubt, a friend who will protect you will appear. Run away and find that living heart, and once you find that heart, treasure it with your own."

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Timothy and the rest of his friends stood at the end of the bridge.

"Chiaki! I still didn't hear it from your mouth!" He called, being as serious as possible.

"Say you want to live!!!"

The dust particles and leaves rose in an encore and showed Chiaki the vision she wanted to die with, the love of her friends.

But that final vision reopened, and the soaked tears obstructed her view, hearing someone's voice, causing her to shake with fear.

"If I'm allowed to declare my wish..." The rain particles rained down on the ground, bursting into a small pop upon hitting the ground. "Then I..." Her soft, weak, and dissipated voice serenaded through the beyond of a new life.

"Want to live!!!" Her thoughts echoed.

Her face was saturated from the shining tears, covering the rest of the gaping belief and hope, till the missing ash, at last, flared into an inferno.

"Take me out to the sea with you!!!"

And so it came to pass that her voice resounded across the area and echoed past Timothy's and others' ears like a raging river and the sensation of a resurrected spirit.

To be continued...