The air was thick as the last moment of the battle was to take place and Autumn knew what needed to be done but her heart felt as if she was the one to die. Her body was heavy on the dirt ground but she stood up and watched as the sky darkened and flames engulfed the ground around her. She stepped forward, each step telling her something different like pulling the petals off a flower, right foot forward - he needs to be killed, left foot forward - he should be saved and maybe he’ll be better. But she knew that one part was a need while the other a wish that could not happen no matter how hard she wished it. There was a demon in him that took root long ago, different from the ones they used to fight together as this was a demon that poisoned the heart. He was a different man than the boy she knew, the boy she grew up with. As her head races with all that could have been, her feet move her closer to his body. Just one foot away and it’s then she hears who she could only assume as Natasha and Raquel yelling either to kill Levi or to walk away from Levi, but whatever they said she had already made up her mind.
One more step and she falls to her knees right beside Levi and takes out her knife. The very knife that he gave to her, a gift so she could protect herself. She never thought that she would use it against him and with that thought her eyes begin to water clouding her vision of him. As he laid there, unable to move, beaten by the battle, barely able to open his eyes and talk.
Speaking in small whispers and watching as Autumn brings her hand to him chest, feeling what she knows will be his lasts breathes. She moves the knife toward his heart but before she punctures him, he moves closer and whispers “Why-why couldn’t you love me the way I loved you?…but all you wanted you just some-some fantasy of happily ever after… not-not being pure and not loving my flaws. All I wanted was you but you never-never loved me. You’re killing me and my spirit.”
Her breath caught in her throat, choking her but with a small whimper she spoke, “No. You didn’t love me, not truly. You just wanted to control me, you loved it. You loved making me feel at fault for everything and here you are, still blaming me for what you did to yourself.” She took more breathes to steady her speech
“I did love you, but not in the way you wanted me to. I loved your passion and I loved you… I just wasn’t in love with you and that’s when you did everything to hurt my family and my friends. You caused all of this and the worst part was you were my greatest friend but it came at a price. Your heart has darkened and you can’t come back from it so I-I have to do this.”
She raised her knife again and plunged it into his heart, she watched as the light left his eyes. Once she saw the light dim until it was completely out, she laid her head on his chest and began to cry out in agony. Gasping for air as she felt his body go cold.
She heard the dirt crunch under the weight of multiple people walking towards her. Looking to her right she saw Natasha and Raquel, their eyes openly pitying her and offering some ounce of reassurance. Natasha’s mouth opened but only for her to close it a couple seconds later for fear of not saying the right thing. With the warriors all waiting with them, Autumn finally had enough power to ask “Why does it hurt so much…even after all that he has done. I-I don’t - I just - can someone please help me?”
Raquel moves forward to Autumn and grabs her face makes her look straight at herself.
“You loved him…fiercely and your heart is breaking now but in time your heart will mend, the pain will lessen with each day until it becomes just a dull roar but you are gonna get better. Today you will rely on us, you can cry and morn him as the man you loved…just let your heart breath.”
With the end of her reassurances, Natasha helps Autumn up to her feet and makes sure she has no serious injuries.
“Commander, we have to leave soon, we don’t belong in this world.” One of the warriors state while looking toward the horizon, watching the the red light engulf the world and soon to engulf them.
Natasha returned a nod to the warrior and ordered them to get the wounded and the dead through the portal and they will be behind them.
Autumn took one last look at Levi, deciding to leave him for the world to consume with the knife still in him and walked towards the open portals. She took out a teleportation crystal to help stabilize the current portal and watched as the warriors took themselves through.
Autumn, Natasha, and Raquel waited for all the warriors to go through and took each other’s hands squeezed them, letting each other know that it was truly over. Raquel and Natasha letting Autumn know she made the right choices even as it caused this war. Together they walked through and felt the tingles of the portal send them home.
