Escape (4)

Dorothy glances to her side and notices the red flowers that surround the two of them beautifully.

She sighed deeply as she tried her best to lift her body from the grass and try to walk in Azrael's direction.

She was limping because of the wound that affected her after throwing herself off the horse and the ruins that made her body even worse than before.

"Azra-"

She slowly reached out her hand to him and caressed his cheek.

Azrael was quite taken aback by her warm action, especially of what he just did to her.

"I'm sorry..."

She apologized genuinely even though Azrael knew he was actually the one at fault but he tried to deny it.

Her tears burst forth like water from a dam, spilling down her face.

Azrael feels the muscles of his chin tremble like a small child when he looks at Dorothy, who is crying for his sake.

Dorothy hears her own sounds. It was like a distressed child raw from the inside.

"I'm sorry that you have to go through all of that alone.."

Azrael's eyes went wide when he heard such a statement coming from her mouth.

He looks at her with his crimson eyes which slowly darken as time passes on.

Because of Dorothy, Azrael can easily lose his sanity and can't attain his usual calm self.

"... The times I've spent with you..."

She moved her hand from his cheek to her chest and formed a gentle smile for only Azrael.

"... are truly the best joy this wretched kingdom ever gave me..."

She lifts her head to be greeted by Azrael's shocked expression as his hands start to tremble and he looks at her with parted lips.

"That's why... Let's go together-"

Dorothy's face suddenly makes him remember someone that he's not supposed to remember.

The thought made him grit his teeth in anger and clenched his fist in frustration.

He unconsciously pulls her collar harshly with her facing right on to him despite her effort to try to have a conversation with him.

"SHUT UP!"

He shouted at her angrily in front of his face, telling her he already had enough of her nonsense.

Even though Dorothy was the one he faced, she still felt weird about the gaze.

She felt that Azrael was actually not yelling directly at her.

His expression was like he was yelling at someone else in the same position as she was.

Dorothy continues to remain silent since she thought if she continues any further it would make matters worse.

With that thought, she can only confront Azrael while listening to his rant.

"What do you know!? Are you an idiot!? I will destroy everything around you! I took your family and your future because of my stupidity! I caused the Directive Order to exist!"

He grips her collar harshly that later slowly choking her and thus resulting in the fabric around her tighten with it being pulled by Azrael.

"Are you out of your mind!? Are you foolish!? You dumb wench!"

She started to cough out of breath because of the pressure that was towering over her with her hands starting to tremble.

Despite that, she didn't stop him nor did she try to let go of his grip.

"Why are you crying when I'm the one who felt my sins!?"

Once again, a pitiful scene struck through Azrael's head the more he shouted towards her and the more pitiful her expression turned out.

"... Why are you still acting with this kindness!? Why didn't you yelled at me for making you born in the era that I partly created!? Why aren't you angry that I told you many fat stupid lies!?"

He glared at her before the gaze eased when he saw her current state and immediately loosened his grip.

He notices that if he keeps that up she will die for sure.

When he released her, she immediately caught up with the air and finally flew through her.

"... If you're being like this... I can't kill you..."

Azrael releases her as she stumbles backward but manages to keep standing and regain her position.

Despite his effort and violent act that almost led her to death, she still foolishly reaches out to him once again.

While looking at her hatefully, Azrael slapped her hand away.

"What are you doing!?"

He immediately pushes her away harshly, making her fall on the grass harshly.

"... Are you out of your mind!?"

To his surprise, she wasn't fazed by the violent act and rose again from the grass.

She had difficulty lifting her own wounded body but she did it and walked towards him.

She raised her hand as she was trying to reach him once again even though she was pushed as many times as he'd liked.

"S-stay away!"

Azrael begins to panic with him subconsciously stepping back.

She keeps walking towards him with her effort risen with determination.

Despite his actions towards her, she still kept trying to get close to him.

When she is closer to his figure, she gently pulls his hand and involves him in a warm embrace.

"... Ah.. It's still warm.."

She quietly exclaimed after all the hard work she put in just to feel the warmth that she felt when she was in the Forest Dreams along with Azrael.

"..."

He didn't say anything and she didn't continue with her sentence either.

At that moment, Azrael remembered a certain woman from the past that made him into the current situation.

He remembered how that woman bowed desperately in front of his heartless self that didn't really care about others.

Azrael from 120 years ago was arrogant and full of himself. He never asked nor want to hear other opinions.

All he had was his pride and his own satisfaction.

That's all there is to it.

However, it changes when that woman desperately bowed in front of him.

He still treats her like trash that has no worth, finally died days after that pleading.

He felt another strange emotion that he wouldn't think he will felt.

That emotion he felt for the first time was guilt.

Which Azrael never felt before in his whole life.

He felt that when that woman died.

As if the question suddenly popped inside his mind,

'What if I help her back then? Will she lives?'

Azrael raises his hand reluctantly and put it around Dorothy's neck as he was aiming to strangle her.

He was in an insanity state after all and unable to control his emotions.

".. I know the way to the outside world. Do you want to go with me?"

Dorothy offered once again softly while looking at him in the eyes.

She did not mind Azrael's hand around her neck that is aiming to choke her.

She can feel that his trembling hands are trembling and already know that he wouldn't dare to kill her on the spot.

".. Then what?"

Azrael asked her back as he releases his hands from her neck and pushes Dorothy softly from the warm embrace.

"Then what would happen to us if we escape from this Kingdom? If we're going to die outside, then it's better to just live here and die here."

When Dorothy heard that statement, her expression quickly changes.

Dorothy grit her teeth in frustration as she raises her hand then slap him harshly on the cheek as his eyes went wide because of the pain and burning sensation from the slap.

"I am the heir of this Kingdom!"

After stating that with anger, she pulled his collar harshly as he did to her.

"No matter who you are, you're still below me! This is an order! Go with me even if we're going to die there!"

She releases her grip and looks at him in the eye confidently.

"Azrael, do you remember this question that you asked me when we first met,"

She inhales and exhales gently as she was trying to find the right words to recite his old question.

"I'm the one who realizes this and so are you. But the citizens and its people don't, as they live their lives every day with happiness all over them without knowing the truth about Directive Order. What would I do about that?"

She recites his question with her own point of view.

Azrael stared at her and continues to listen as he was curious about his long-awaited answer.

Dorothy forms a warm smile as she finally knows what to answer to his question from months ago.

"I finally got my answer."

She put her hand on her chest sincerely.

"My answer is, What's the point of living in a world full of saints?"

Azrael was quite taken aback at her answer which is more like a question to him.

"We have the right to commit sins. Why? Because we're human. Sinners also have a future waiting for them, not only saint."

She pulls out his hand and intertwines them together.

"Let's change this kingdom. If you feel guilty about something, I can't do anything about it because I can't comfort you without knowing the situation. But right now, I want you to come with me."

With Dorothy's confident statement, tears start to form in his eyes again as he pulls her hand and took her into a warm embrace.

He hugged her tighter as if he finally let himself lose his emotions.

"... I'm going crazy..."

He truthfully exclaimed to Dorothy.

"... Fine. I'll go with you. But that's all there's to it."

Dorothy from a really wide smile and she returned the hug happily as he finally gets his emotions stable.

But before they could even move or utter another sentence in the warm embrace, a blade met flesh.

It was soft and pudgy with a satisfying squish as the tip of the blade sank deep enough to reach Dorothy and Azrael's stomach.

The blade was sharp enough to cut both of their flesh as if it posed no resistance. 

Later on, blood flowed out of their stomach and splattered onto the green grass, making the once beauty of the green field had been ruined by the gore of the red, flowing blood.

The color was just like the red flowers around them.

The one who stabbed them was none other than the familiar Directive Special Knight,

Althea Genetta Third Order.

"Oh, my~ I deeply apologize to ruin your realization in such a heartwarming moment."

Althea's lips curved into a sinister smile as she looks at both of them that she stabbed.

"Two birds with one stone~!"

.

.

.