Chapter 33 - Second side

The air was thick with tension, and something felt wrong. I couldn't shake the feeling, a gnawing instinct at the back of my mind, urging me to move faster. I had only just left after waiting for hours but suddenly I couldn't go on. I had to see her.

I arrived at her dorm again and stopped cold.

My heart hammering in my chest, my eyes scanning the place for her. Then I saw it. A smear of blood on the floor.

"Sae?" I called, my voice low, steady, but something in it felt fragile, like the calm before a storm.

No answer.

I stepped closer, every instinct screaming at me to leave, but my feet betrayed me, moving toward the bloodstains. My mind couldn't keep up with the panic rising in my chest.

And then I saw her.

She was lying on the cold floor, her cheek pressed against the pavement, blood pooling beneath her. Her eyes were half-lidded, unfocused, like she was already slipping away from me.

"Sae!" I dropped to my knees, reaching out for her. Her skin was icy, her breathing shallow.

I turned her over carefully, feeling the sickening weight of her limp body. The damage to her—her skin—no, it couldn't be. The jagged cuts... the message carved into her... my breath caught in my throat.

"You should've killed her the easier way."

The words—written on her, burned into her flesh—tore through me like a blade. I could hardly process it, too consumed with the sight of her like this.

I held her in my arms, my hands trembling, but I couldn't show her fear. I had to be steady. For her.

Her face was pale, her lips parted as if she was struggling to keep breathing. "Sae, look at me," I whispered, my voice breaking on the last word.

Her eyes fluttered open just enough to catch my gaze. I could feel her slipping, every second pulling her further away.

I didn't know what to do. What could I do? I can't go to a hospital that will get us both killed and maybe more of us. I can't leave her here because-- because I just...I can't! No , that's not even an option.

My heart hammered, but my thoughts were moving too slowly, tangled in a haze of confusion and rage. I didn't think. I just reacted, pulling her closer, cradling her like she was the last thing I had left.

Her body was so light, and yet so heavy, all at once. It was like I was holding the weight of the world.

I knew this was my fault. I should've been faster. I should've-- what? I should've what?! I couldn't kill her. Not her. Anyone but her.

She barely moved, her breath catching in a soft, fragile gasp.

I couldn't lose her. Not like this.

"Sae, please," I whispered, pressing my forehead to hers, my hands running over her skin, feeling the warmth of her blood seep through my fingers. I didn't know what I was begging for—her to stay alive, or for some way to undo the damage that had been done.

She couldn't leave me like this. Not yet. Not like this.

But the darkness in her eyes was creeping closer, and I could feel her slipping.

The world around me blurred. Nothing else mattered. All that was left was her, and the emptiness filling the space between us.

And then, just before I thought I might lose her, I pulled her in close, holding her against me like my very life depended on it. And maybe it did.

"Stay with me, Sae," I breathed, my voice desperate, raw. "Please…"

I didn't know if she heard me. I didn't know if she could. But I couldn't give up. Not now. Not when she needed me the most.