Alice part 2

Alice's head was dizzy. With memories of the past still fresh in her mind, she was slowly beginning to return to reality.

 With her eyes still closed, she felt as if someone was carrying her on his back. Her hands were wrapped around that person's neck like a koala.

  It had been so long since she had touched or even talked to another person and that seemed so nostalgic.

She could feel the warmth in front of her as their bodies were touching each other. It was a really comfortable feeling. 

  ("NO! Remember for what are you here!") 

  As those thoughts went through her head, Alice remembered that she had a mission to accomplish. 

  Through a simple magic circle, she materialized a dagger and aimed it around the neck of the person who was supposed to be "The heir of the first human" and her target. 

 Yes, at this moment, Alice was carried on Eric's back through the darkness of the night. Eric glanced at the blue dagger.

  "You don't need that."

  Those words came unexpectedly. There were no words of threat or prayer not to be killed. Alice's knife stopped a few inches from Eric's neck. 

  ("I'll take these as the last words of a dying person.")

  Eric took this as a sign that he could continue.

  "I said you don't need that because I'm planning to die tonight anyway. But if I do it, I want it to be a little farther from my house, and I want you to do it so no one can find my body."

   Those words came unexpectedly and Alice didn't know what to do. As he thought about a decision, Eric pointed in front of him.

 "Look, in front of us is a forest that is wide for a few hundred kilometers, when we get far enough you can kill me and finish your job. Oh, and can you create a bridge over the forest? It's quite dark and I wouldn't see anything if we entered it. "

   Again, Alice was very confused. A few dozen yards in front of her was really a forest that they were slowly approaching. 

      Unconsciously, she raised her hand and created an ice bridge that rose above the forest.

   But that didn't matter. " Did he say I could kill him when we got far enough? Shouldn't a person normally want to live? Why does he give up his life so easily? Why did I try so hard to live so far? ")

 Alice's mental state was in a complete mess and she could only say one word.

"Why?"

   That word was more than just a question. That word meant everything at that moment. 

  Why did he accept death so easily? Why didn't he kill her while she was still unconscious? Why did she cling so much to live when death was such an easy solution?

   In addition to these three important questions, other questions she wanted an answer to for so long had arisen. 

   Why did all those important to me have to die? Why does that man always have to take everything I care about? What did I do wrong to deserve this? And the most important question: 

("WHY ME ???")

 "Why ... you ask?"

    Looking ahead, Eric thought for a few seconds about an answer.

     "I saw your tears when you were unconscious..."

      Eric said that with his eyes still looking at the darkness in front of him.

     "I think it was very hard for you ... But you did your best."

     Before ending his sentence, his gaze turned to look at Alice who was still on his back.

    "It's okay now, you don't have to suffer anymore."

     His words were spoken softly and it seems like he really believes them.

      Even if those could be empty words, for Alice was enough. She suppressed her feelings for a very long time. 

     Being all alone, immersed in revenge, she wanted to hear those words too many times. She wanted someone to tell her that she didn't survive for nothing, that her existence had a meaning. 

     At that moment, tears that even Alice didn't know she still have, started to fall from her blue big eyes.

    Her hands tightened around Eric's neck, dropping the dagger, and dipping her face in his back. 

     She started to cry. She cried for all the years she didn't do it.

      Eric didn't stop her. He didn't say anything else. Carrying her, he continued to walk over the ice bridge in the dark of the night.

      After several minutes, the cries slowly began to stop. Wiping her tears with the cloak sleeve she raised her head from Eric's back. Now she realized that crying on his back was so embarrassing and her cheeks started to redden. Alice kept her eyes closed and didn't dare to look at him.

     " Ahem! Sorry for this and... thanks...for all you said...!

   Even if she thanked him, Eric didn't answer. Thinking is a little rude of him to not answer, Alice opened her eyes to look at him.

    " Hey, I..."

      She didn't manage to end her sentence because she observed that Eric's face was a little pale and sweat had accumulated on his face. Now that she looked around a little she observed that he stopped walking.

      " Ah, sorry about this..."

     His voice was very weak. With his eyes half-closed, Eric turned his head at Alice and tried to put up a smile.

      At that moment, a gust of wind hit them turning their world upside down. In the blink of an eye, they started to fall.

      At the same very moment, Eric wrapped his hands around Alice's head and back. Turning in the air with his back to the ground he protected Alice from the fall. His back hit some tree branches and at the very end the hard ground. Because the ground was sloping, the fall did not stop there and the two rolled a few meters until a tree stopped them.

     Alice was confused. What happened? Why did they fall?

  ("Did he do it intentionally...? No!)

     Remembering Eric's pale face, Alice negated that possibility. Now that she realized, what happened with him?

     Eric's back faced the ground with Alice on top of him and with his hands still around her.

   ("Is he embracing me...? No, he protected me from the fall?")

Alice raised her head and Eric's hands fall off her lifeless.

"Cough!"

     Eric coughed a mouth of blood and slowly opened his eyes.

      " Oh... seems like you're not hurt... that's good..."

     His voice was weak and his eyes started to slowly lose their life.

   " That's NOT good! Why did you fall? Why do you keep protecting me?"

     Blood rolled down from the corner of his lips painting his cheeks and lips in red.

     " Oh...that... when we were fighting...some arrows hit me and I lost a lot of blood... seems like I almost lost my conscience here... and... as for why I protected you...? I already told you that... I will give you my life tonight..."

     After hearing these words, Alice burst out.

   "NO! I don't need it, I don't want anyone to die because of me again."

     Tears started to fall from her eyes again. 

    At that moment she forgot why she come here. She just wanted the guy who was so kind to her not to die. 

     The memories of her father and mother, her sister and friends come to her mind one after another. They're all gone and can't come back. She couldn't resist seeing another person die because of her.

      Eric raised a hand and wiped her tears living a trail of blood on her cheeks. He gazed at her and their eyes meet.

     " I'm not your friend... nor your family... you don't know me and I'm nothing to you... so, you have nothing to worry about. I won't die because of you... but... because that's what I want... Currently... I have several broken ribs and I can't feel my body anymore... so I will... Cough!"

    Eric coughed another month of blood.

    "Don't speak anymore! I will freeze some parts of your body for slowing down the..."

      Alice started to draw a magic circle in the air but Eric caught her hand before finishing it and interrupted her words.

      " Hear me out...Cough... I don't have much time left... so I will be blunt... The choice of death is a coward one... you always can be selfish... and... Cough... if you are alive then... that means you're meant to do something... so... don't give up... and live for those who couldn't..."

      With these last words, Eric's eyes closed slowly, giving his last breath.