The Last Embrace

The wind howled like a beast in mourning. The sky, dressed in gray, loomed heavily over the coastal village, where soldiers were suiting up for the fight of their lives. Among them stood Kossack, eyes set on the horizon, armor glinting dimly in the overcast light. His hands trembled not from fear, but from the weight of goodbye.

Behind him, Liora, his beloved, approached. Her steps were hesitant, her face pale, her eyes already glistening.

Liora: "Kossack... please don’t go."

He turned slowly, the strength in his shoulders faltering just a bit when he saw her. He reached out, brushing a strand of hair from her cheek.

Kossack: "I am not fighting to die, Liora. I am fighting to live."

She grasped his hand, clutching it tightly to her chest.

Liora: "But I’m so worried. I wake in the night, breathless, thinking of the wave... of what it might do to you."

Kossack (gently): "I have to go. It’s my duty. If we don’t stand against it, the wave will destroy everything we love. The village, our people… even you."

Her voice cracked, raw with fear.

Liora: "And what if you die? What if it swallows you whole, and I never see you again?"

He smiled softly, a smile that could tear hearts in two.

Kossack: "Then I’ll still watch over you. I’ll protect you in ways you won’t even see. And if you let me… I’ll find you someone who can give you the life I couldn’t. Someone better than me. Someone who’ll love you even more."

Her eyes flared, tears spilling over.

Liora: "I don’t want someone better. I want you. Alive. With me. Always."

He cupped her face, kissed her forehead with trembling lips.

Kossack: "But I will be with you, Liora. Waiting—in war, in peace, in life, even in death. I’ll never truly leave. But now... you must let me go."

She shook her head, her tears soaking his tunic as she pressed herself against him. Her sobs were quiet, but they pierced his armor deeper than any blade could.

He pulled her close one last time, then stepped back, his jaw tight with restraint.

Kossack: "I need to go."

Liora (whispers): "Then come back. Promise me that—come back."

He kissed her once more, long and deep, pouring into it all the words he couldn’t say.

Then he turned and walked away, the wind wrapping around him like a shroud, as her weeping faded into the march of war.

And behind her tears, Liora whispered to the wind: "Then I’ll wait... in life, and if need be, in death."