Chapter 74

Chapter 74
I couldn't waste time. My instincts screamed at me to act. Without a second thought, I lunged forward and attacked him. But he was fast—far too fast. With just a single swing of his massive sword, he managed to knock my weapon clean out of my hands like it weighed nothing.

The clatter of metal against stone rang through the battlefield. My heart dropped. I needed that sword. Without it, I was vulnerable—useless. I sprinted towards where it had landed, desperation pushing me forward. But before I could reach it, someone was already there. Celeste. She had picked it up and now extended it towards me.

"Are you okay, Astra?" she asked, her voice strained but steady.

I barely nodded. My chest was heaving, and my hands trembled. Then, out of nowhere, a cold voice cut through the air.

"Shit. A dagger..." Randolf suddenly appeared behind Celeste. His gaze wasn’t on us, but on someone else. On Albina.

"She's—" he began, but I shook my head before he could finish.

"No. We need to help her." My voice was hoarse, barely more than a whisper.

Randolf clenched his jaw. His fists were shaking. "He's one of the elders," he growled. "Damn it." Then he turned to Celeste, his tone changing as urgency overtook him. "Take Astra with you. Go ahead to the castle. Now."

But Celeste didn’t move. She squared her shoulders and stood her ground. "No. We're not leaving you here. You said it yourself—he’s an elder. You’ll die if you face him alone."

"Just leave!" Albina's voice ripped through the chaos.

We all turned to her in unison, and what we saw rooted us to the ground.

Albina was crying tears of blood.

Her skin was changing, darkening into a sickening blackish hue that crawled up her throat and spread across her face. Veins pulsed visibly beneath her skin like black vines consuming her from within.

"J-just run, please?" she begged, her voice broken and hollow.

I couldn’t breathe.

"Astra," Randolf whispered, his eyes flicking to mine. "I’ll attack from the front. You stay here and shoot from this side. Aim for his head. You won’t land a hit, but you’ll draw his attention. That’ll give me time to grab Albina."

"Fucking go now!" Albina shouted again, stronger this time. Her eyes glowed red with agony.

"Got it," I muttered, positioning myself and pulling out an arrow.

Celeste reached for Randolf’s hand and gripped it tightly. "Be careful..."

"I know..." he whispered back, eyes never leaving the enemy ahead.

I steadied my breath and nocked the arrow. That’s when I realized it—I only had three arrows left. My quiver was almost empty. This was all I had left. And I had to make it count.

"Now!" Randolf charged forward.

The elder raised his arm, and with an almost lazy motion, blocked Randolf’s blade with one hand. The impact rang out like thunder.

That was my cue. I released my arrow.

It flew straight toward the man’s head—but with a flick of his sword, he deflected it like swatting a fly. Randolf barely had time to react before the man kicked him squarely in the gut. Randolf stumbled back, coughing, but didn’t fall.

He lunged again—but this time, he wasn’t alone.

From behind, two more figures joined the battle. Erikson and Lady Nathalia. Together, the three of them attacked in unison, forcing the elder to release Albina as he struggled to block their coordinated blows.

A flash of steel caught my eye—Erikson had managed to tear the man’s cloak.

"You insolent brats!" the elder roared, enraged now.

Randolf didn’t wait. As the others held the elder off, he scooped Albina into his arms and ran back toward us.

My heart dropped again when I saw Albina up close.

Her face... her face was nearly unrecognizable. Black veins had overtaken her skin, twisting across her cheeks and down her neck like ink spilled into water. Her eyes were fading, losing their color.

I reached for the dagger embedded in her chest. My fingers wrapped around the hilt, and I pulled with all my might.

It didn’t budge.

"I can't!" I cried, frustration and fear choking me.

"I got it," Erikson said, kneeling beside me. He gripped the dagger and tugged hard, once, twice—but it wouldn’t move. He cursed violently, slamming his fist into the ground.

"Shit. Shit. Fuck!"

Beside him, Albina chuckled softly, her voice barely audible. "It’s okay..." she murmured, shaking her head gently.

Lady Nathalia stepped forward. Her eyes burned with cold fury. "Remove the dagger," she commanded the elder, her voice cutting through the chaos like a blade.

The man laughed in response. "Why would I do that?"

"I said remove it." Her voice was low, controlled—but lethal.

The elder smirked, readying his sword, but then—

She disappeared.

One second she was standing before us, and the next, she was gone. A violent gust of wind whipped through the battlefield, strong enough to send mud and leaves flying.

"T-that’s so fast..." Randolf breathed.

The elder's eyes darted around wildly, trying to follow her movements.

"Remove it," Lady Nathalia’s voice echoed again, this time from behind him.

The elder turned and lashed out blindly, but he hit nothing.

Then—

His head was gone.

Just like that. No one saw the attack. One second he was standing, laughing in defiance—and the next, his head was flying through the air, landing with a sickening plop in the mud. His body followed, collapsing in a heap.

Lady Nathalia reappeared before us, her eyes gentle now. She knelt beside Albina.

"Miss Montereal..." she said softly.

Albina gave a weak smile. "Y-you take care of my makeup," she whispered.

A lump formed in my throat, and tears burned my eyes.

Erikson suddenly stood and turned away from us, his shoulders shaking. He couldn’t bear to watch.

"Sure," Lady Nath replied, brushing Albina’s hair back. "I’ll make sure you’re prettier than me... for the first time."

Albina let out a short breath, almost a laugh. "Please... win the war..."

She closed her eyes.

The blackness spread fully now, overtaking her chest, her face... her everything.

She didn’t speak again.

I bowed my head, tears falling freely as the storm above opened once more. The dagger still pierced her heart, now lodged deeper than before.

Somewhere nearby, Erikson screamed.

I fell to my knees in the mud. The cold, the wet, the grief—it all blurred together. My body felt like it had turned to stone. I couldn’t move, couldn’t speak.

Lady Nathalia stood, carefully lifting Albina’s lifeless body into her arms. She looked at each of us, her expression unreadable.

"You heard her," she said firmly, voice unwavering despite the tremble in the air. "We need to win this war."

Celeste dropped to the ground beside me and pulled me into an embrace. I clung to her, unable to breathe.

Rain poured down like judgment from the heavens.

But even through the sound of thunder, I heard Lady Nathalia’s voice rise again—clear, strong, and fierce.

"We will win this war!"

And in that moment, despite the pain, despite the loss—I believed her.

Because we had to.

For Albina.

For all of us.