The Price of Eternity (Part 5).

The sun rose above the horizon, a light breeze was rustling the leaves of the trees, nature woke up from a night's sleep and was filled with life and light.

The young man was walking barefoot along the grass, rising higher and higher along the hillside. In his hands he held a fragile girl who was still sleeping, unlike the world around her. Her skin became noticeably paler and her lips lost their former pink hue, similar to the delicate peach blossom petals.

Armand pressed Polina's head to his chest and looked around. The vast sky stretched hundreds of miles around, the wind was playing with his hair, and the rays of the sun caressed his skin.

"It's very beautiful here, do you agree? I have long wanted to show you this place. Please forgive me for not doing this before," the young man said and looked at the girl with tenderness. She did not say anything in return, and only individual strands of her hair wavered from the air.

Armand smiled, kissed her forehead and sat down on the ground next to a large tree, the crown of which created a pleasant shadow.

This tree was large and old, to grasp its trunk, it would take the hands of two or three people. It was the only thing that grew on top of this hill for decades. Behind it was a dense forest, with a seventeenth-century high castle, fields and a village, and ahead was a steep cliff that claimed the lives of many people, who came here to enjoy a beautiful view of nature before leaving for another world.

"You know, I found this place by accident when I wandered deep into the forest about four years ago," Armand began to tell the story, "Remember, I disappeared for a day, and then told you that I was in the village on behalf of my father? In fact, I was a little ashamed to admit that I got lost in the forest when I ran away from the castle without asking. You know that I'm not very good at finding directions, hehe, it's not surprising that Marcus said in childhood that I had spatial criticism," the young man laughed softly.

He straightened the girl's hair and slightly changed her position on his lap to make her comfortable. At least he wanted to hope that it mattered.

"Remember, when we were little, you often asked me about Marcus what he liked, what his favorite dishes were, and then you persuaded your mother to cook them for dinner. To be honest, I was a little jealous then, because I liked you at first sight, as soon as I saw you, and I was a little sorry that you liked him more than me... Maybe that's why I did everything possible to conquer your heart."

Armand looked into the distance, somewhere there, there were streams of smoke from burning buildings and explosions of shells were heard, somewhere there, in the distance, the great war was getting closer to its end, but here, on this hill, it was incredibly quiet and calm.

"Polina... What do you think, if I suppressed my feelings then, would everything be different now? Maybe it's my fault?" Armand's question remained hanging in the air without an answer.

The young man closed his eyes and took a deep breath, the sounds of the world in a chaotic dance mixed in his ears, and among all of them he hoped to hear the one that was waiting - the beat of her heart, but he didn't hear it among all the other sounds.

"Okay, get some more sleep. I will be there," he whispered, hugged the girl and looked at the horizon.

The blue clear sky was gradually filling with pink tones, the sun was going towards sunset, and the evening coolness appeared in the air. The birds singing gave way to chirping of crickets, and tiny moths were flying from side to side in flocks.

"Hey, Polina, you are such a big sleeper... You slept all day, are you going to sleep the whole night too? Come on, wake up, I really want to hear your voice... I promise I won't tease you for your appearance, honestly, word of honor. I am just asking you, wake up...," Armand whispered in a hoarse voice and pushed the girl's body slightly.

"Okay, I'm sorry... I'll wait a little longer. Hmm, by the way, do you want me to sing you a lullaby? Remember the one you sang to me in childhood? I still remember it, heh, I don't promise that it will turn out well, so don't be angry if my hoarse voice breaks your sweet dream," the young man laughed and tears appeared in his eyes.

"Ask the clouds in the sky

For a gift of dreams so white

Night is floating as we'll try

In to the world of mystic lights-"

The words of the lullaby echoed through the dark forest, dissolving into the depths of the night. The full moon again illuminated its possessions, lighting everything around with its dim light.

Polina's skin, which was still warm in the morning, turned cold as ice.

"Are you cold?" Armand touched the girl's lips with his, they were still tender and soft, but there was no warmth in them.

"Now, wait a bit, I'll help you warm up," the young man whispered, carefully laid Polina next to the tree, and he began to dig the ground.

With cold and bare hands, he was getting deeper into the ground, layer by layer. The hard surface was becoming softer, the deeper he made a hole, the more his palms were covered with abrasions from stones and tree roots, but this did not bother him. If he could, he would like to tear his skin into blood, but his body would restore much faster, and these small wounds were like specks of dust, imperceptibly disappearing the very next moment.

Armand lifted the girl's body and laid her in a hole, layer by layer, he began to cover her body with the ground - legs, belly, chest. His hands were trembling, and the ground soil was slipping through his fingers, the young man leaned to her lips and kissed them with love and tenderness for the last time.

"Forgive me," the young man said in a torn voice, took off his shirt and covered her face, then he covered her with the rest of the ground.

The sky began to brighten in the east when Armand moved his body a little after a motionless night spent on the ground. He parted his hands on a small mound, rose to his feet and walked to the edge of the cliff.

"Even if I jump from here, I won't die, right?" he asked and turned his head. Behind him, leaning on a tree, Marcus was standing.

"No," the older brother answered shortly. Marcus glanced at the fresh grave, and then at Armand, "The Taubert Brothers are officially dead. So nothing connects us anymore. I hope our paths won't cross in the future."

"Do not worry, I have neither plans nor the desire to see you again. The next time you catch my eye, I will kill you," Armand answered, turned his back to his brother and stepped into the abyss.

"I will be looking forward to it," Marcus whispered in response.

The young man laid several wild flowers on the grave, turned around and wanted to leave, but froze instead. Marcus narrowed his eyes and looked at the ground again.

To confirm what it seemed to him, he knelt down and began to tear the neatly laid ground layer by layer until he got to the very bottom.

His eyes widened in surprise, and a faint smile slid across his face, "I hope you will not sleep too long, my little butterfly."

Marcus straightened up, shook his hands, and walked away.

The sun was slowly rising above the horizon, and its rays ran across the ground, warming with its warmth a fresh grave that was empty.