pte

ut through the thin wall, silencing Haylee's simpering.

y alone. It was a death sentence, disguised as a spiritual quest. My body, already a patchwo

through my skull, my vision blurring. I saw Collin standing there, his face a mask of sh

was twisted into a grotesque parody of concern, her eyes gleaming with a sick excitem

old, dead fury. "So, this is it?" I rasped, my voice barely a whisper. "You're going to sacrifice m

u heard... you shouldn't have been listening!" He stammered, like a child caught in a lie. He still couldn't look me i

ne, I pushed myself forward, my hand connecting with his cheek with a resounding slap. The sound

e, almost bewildered expression crossed his features. "I deserve that, don't I, Kira? I know you're

rip like iron, effectively pinning me. "Haylee,"

dagger glinting in her hand. Her eyes, usually so vacuous, now held

t. It was my arm. A quick, searing pain. Haylee shrieked again, not in pain, but in feigned horror

"It's okay, baby. You're doing great. J

Haylee, emboldened by Collin's approval, plunged the dagger into my arm again, and again, and again, until a small, ornate vial she held was filled with my

ad emerged from behind Collin, snatched the vial, his eyes gleaming with satisfaction. "Excellent! Now,

y met my gaze, a flicker of something unreadable in his eyes. I clo

each out, to shake me, to demand a reaction. To demand the fire, the anger, the defiance he knew so well. But I was just... empty

the mountains. Alone, as Master Feng instructed. Make sure she has only t

hin blanket around my shoulders. No warm clothes, no provisions. It was a clear message. This wasn' t a spiritual jo

n, cold, biting. My body, already weak, shivered uncontrollably. They threw me out at the base of a treacherous, icy path, pointing vaguely towards

as numb. I felt nothing but a dull throb. Haylee just wants to torment me. And Collin allowed it. The real

hoed through the mountains, growing louder, more ominous. The

rocks rained down, crushing me, burying me. I lay there, pinned, unable to move, the freezing sno

ure. All crushed, destroyed, by his monstrous ego and her insidious malice. Why had I

yself fading, the edges of my consciousness blurring. This is it, I

hout making them pay. A single, burning thought pushed through the encroaching darkness. I would not love him anymore. Never