Chapter One Hundred And Sixty One

Chapter One Hundred And Sixty One
Naomi's Pov

Today was the day. The D-Day, as they called it. The day we would hopefully put an end to Deluna’s reign of terror. The weight of what lay ahead pressed on my chest, but I wasn’t going to let fear control me.

Everyone was preparing. Weapons were being sharpened, and some muttering their last minute prayers.

And yet, as I sat here, my mind was not on the battle. It was on her.

Deluna.

Despite everything DeLuna had done, the confusion she had brought, the destruction, the bloodshed, the lies. I couldn’t help but feel that beneath her hatred, there was still something good left in her. 

If she truly wanted us dead, she could have destroyed us long ago. She was powerful enough. Ruthless even. But she hadn't.

That had to mean something, didn't it?

I wasn't foolish enough to think she could simply be talked out of her darkness, but a part of me, maybe the most naive, hopeful part, wondered if there was another way. A way that didn't have to end in more loss.

I hoped that, when we came face-to-face, I could find a way to reach her, to talk some sense into her. Maybe, just maybe, she could still turn back from this dark path she had chosen.

I was so lost in my thoughts that I didn't even hear Travis approach until his voice cut through the silence.

His voice brings me back to the present moment.

“What are you thinking?” His words caught me off guard, and I looked up at him, startled.

He was now seated across from me, arms crossed over his chest.

For a moment, I hesitated. I didn't know how to explain what I was feeling without sounding ridiculous. But Travis wasn't just anyone. He was a friend. And he understood things in ways others didn't.

Instead of answering, I shook my head, offering a weak smile. "Nothing important."

"Liar." He smirked, though the concern behind his teasing tone was unmistakable. Are you getting cold feet? He chuckled, clearly trying to lighten the mood. His eyes held a playful glint, but I could see the concern beneath it.

“No, Travis. Just thinking.” I shook my head, trying to push my doubts aside.

“Oh, okay,” he said, but there was a teasing edge to his voice.

“I know you like her, Travis. Don’t you?” I asked.

My question hit him like a jolt. He stared at me for a moment, unsure of how to respond. 

"Who?" He asked, trying to prove oblivious of who I was talking about.

“Who else? Deluna, of course. Or have you liked anyone again, Travis?”

I wasn’t sure why, but a knot formed in my stomach. There was something talking about Deluna this way, something that felt wrong and right at the same time.

Travis seemed to dismiss it easily, but I wasn’t letting it go. I pressed on. “You liked her, didn’t you? Or maybe you still do?”

He stiffened slightly, trying to play it off with a quick laugh. “Well, I liked her. She is past tense now.”

“Past tense? That’s a cop-out,” I said with a raised eyebrow. “Feelings don’t change overnight.”

Travis sighed and rubbed the back of his neck, avoiding my gaze for a moment. “Well, it has,” he muttered, but I could tell he wasn’t convinced by what he had just said. “Things changed,” he added.

I watched him carefully, and his avoidance of the topic only made me more curious. "To tell you the truth, Travis," I said softly, "I still think you like her."

He shifted uncomfortably but eventually met my eyes. “Maybe I do. Maybe I still do like her,” he said quietly, the words slipping out like they were a confession. “But it’s complicated, Naomi.”

“Complicated?” I echoed. “You can’t just ignore the fact that you might still love her, can you?”

His expression softened at the question, and for a moment, I saw something vulnerable in his eyes, something that made me feel guilty for pushing him like this.

“That’s the issue,” he admitted, his voice barely a whisper. “Despite everything she’s done, I still do love her. I don’t know how to turn that off. Maybe it never really goes away.”

The air between us seemed to thicken with his words, and I couldn’t help but feel the weight of them. Love... was it possible to feel love and hate for the same person? Could that kind of love ever really die? 

“Does love really die?” I asked, more to myself than to him.

Travis looked thoughtful for a moment before responding, “No... I guess love only changes into something else. It might fade, but I don’t think it ever truly dies. It just becomes something else.”

I nodded slowly, absorbing his words. It made sense in a way. Maybe love wasn’t always so clear-cut. Maybe it was more fluid, more complicated than we realized.

Before I could respond, Lucian’s voice interrupted, cutting through the heavy silence. “Enough of the chit chat. Let’s get going.”

His tone was commanding, but it wasn’t harsh. We all knew what we had to do. There was no time to waste. The battle we were about to face could change everything, and we needed to be ready.

I glanced at Travis one last time. There was so much left unsaid between us, but for now, it had to wait. The war against Deluna awaited us. 

And I knew as much as Travis tried to hide it he was hurting badly.

And if there was any chance at all of saving her, and for his sake, if there was a way we could try to save her, we had to try.

Lucian led the way, his resolve clear in his movements. I followed behind, my heart pounding, unsure of what would come next, but determined to face it head on.