Chapter 83

Chapter 83
Celeste and I held each other's hands as we followed the rest. My heart felt unbearably heavy knowing we were leaving them behind to face such a powerful man. But what else could we do?

Truth be told, we couldn't help them. The only thing we could do was reduce the number of lives lost in this battle.

Trust them.
Trust him.
We will win this.

Erikson and Randolf met us along the way. Erikson moved beside me, and Randolf went to Celeste. Erikson smiled at me, and I nodded.

"Are you good now?" I heard Randolf ask.

Only then did I remember Celeste's condition.

Celeste slightly nodded. "I feel better now."

"Wait..." I looked around. "Where’s Lady Vienzara?"

"Wasn’t she with Nigel?" Erikson asked too.

"I didn’t see her," Randolf looked back and shook his head. "I think she stayed there."

I stopped walking. She stayed there?

Erikson shook his head at me. "You can’t go back, Astra."

"But she's still weak." A vision of her leaning against a tree, gasping for air, flashed in my mind. "If she stayed behind, there's a chance she'll get caught in the crossfire."

She’s one of the reasons our odds improved. She convinced her father to join this battle. We can’t just abandon her after everything she’s done.

“Fuck it!” Erikson grabbed my arm. “We can’t go back. You hear me?”

“But—”

“If Lord Vienzara couldn’t convince her to come with us, what chance do we have? Why would she listen to us?” Erikson sighed. “Can you listen to me for once, Astra?”

Shit. That woman’s even worse than I am. I admit I act impulsively sometimes, but I know when to hold back.

“She’s with her father. Lord Vienzara won’t let anything happen to her,” Randolf added. “I know you're worried, but we have to do what we’re told—for our own safety too.”

I nodded. “I’m sorry.”

We continued walking. Randolf was right. Lord Vienzara wouldn’t abandon his daughter. Even though Yngritt looked exhausted earlier, I knew she still had the strength to fight.

“Randolf…”

“I know, Mr. Nadija.”

I didn’t have to ask. I also sensed that someone was following us, so we quickened our pace to catch up with Nigel’s troops.

“Enclose everyone in a circle!” Nigel ordered. We were surrounded by soldiers, forming a tight ring. “Fill all the gaps. Don’t let anyone in. Don’t let your guard down!”

There were eyes watching us from within the thick fog. If my instincts were right, they outnumbered us—by a lot.

I could hear the guards panting. They were just as exhausted as we were. We weren’t just outnumbered—we were outpowered too.

“Listen, Mr. Nadija, Mr. Wenson,” Nigel whispered, “you need to get out of the castle. Take Astra and Celeste. The rest of our allies are near the outer walls. The troops here can’t hold them much longer. Do you understand?”

I frowned. “What about you?”

“I can’t abandon my army.”

“You’re trying to be a hero now?” I forced a laugh. “No. You’re coming with us, Nigel.”

“Astra’s right, Mr. Hezuera,” Erikson agreed. “You can’t save these troops anymore, but you can save yourself. This isn’t the time for heroics.”

“Fine! You’re cool!” said Randolf. “You’ve been cool to me since the war began. But that’s enough. Come with us. Lord Hezuera will kill us if something happens to you.”

The enemies finally emerged from the fog, ready to break our defenses. They were all cloaked in black. If my hunch was correct, they were followers of The Five Cloaks.

Nigel quickly moved closer to us as the enemies launched their attack. They came all at once. As time passed, the circle around us grew smaller and smaller.

“The swords aren’t working!” one of the guards shouted.

“Go for the head!” Erikson shouted, grabbing my hand. “Once the shield breaks, we run into the woods. Hold on to Celeste, Randolf. We can’t be separated this time. We’re all tired. We need each other.”

“Noted!”

I saw the defeat in Nigel’s eyes as he watched his comrades fall one by one. That’s when I held his hand, too.

He looked at me. He was on the verge of tears, breathing heavily.

“You’ve been a good leader, Nigel,” I told him. “But this is war.”

“One…” Erikson began counting.

“Have you heard your father? He’s proud of you.” I smiled.

“Two…”

“Many are hoping you survive. Your team is waiting. You need to live to tell the story of how your troops fought—for your clan, for freedom, for the next generation. You must live to carry their legacy.”

“Let’s go!”

A tear rolled down Nigel’s cheek as we ran.

I’ve learned so much just tonight. One thing is how powerful our eyes are. It’s amazing how they can express emotions, stories, and truths our lips can’t speak.

“Stick together!” Erikson didn’t let go of my hand.

“I’ll lead the way!” Nigel went ahead of us. I noticed his fists clenched. “They’re chasing us. I can’t protect the rear very well, so just keep up!”

But they were fast. I could feel them closing in. We had a long way to go before escaping the woods. We wouldn’t outrun them.

“Can you still carry Celeste?” Randolf asked Erikson.

“Fuck you, Mr. Wenson! You carry her!”

“Someone has to stop them, or they’ll catch us all!” he snapped. “Celeste is still recovering! She can’t fight yet!”

Erikson gripped my hand tighter. I knew he knew Randolf was right, but what he was about to do could get him hurt.

“We don’t have time, Mr. Nadija!”

“Damn it. Fine!”

“N-no—”

“I’ll catch up soon, Celeste. I’m just buying you some time. I promise.”

Celeste could only sob as Erikson grabbed her and Randolf let go.

“Shit, Randolf! You better follow us right after!”

“I will. Take care of Celeste for now. Please, be safe!”

“I’ll wait for you to come back, Randolf,” Celeste said.

“Please do... milove.”

Randolf slowed his pace until he finally stopped. I looked back. He stood still, watching us run away. Then he smiled, sighed, and turned to face the enemy.

“He’ll be fine,” Erikson tried to reassure Celeste.

We kept going as instructed.

Only then did I realize how wide Brix’s fog had spread. If it reached this far, it must have covered the entire kingdom.

I gasped. We were still far from the forest’s edge.

“Hold on, guys! Keep going!” Nigel urged.

“Wait, Celeste! Why are you letting go?” Erikson’s voice pulled our attention. “Damn it. What are you doing?”

“What?” I let go of Erikson’s hand and moved beside Celeste. She was hunched over, still sobbing. “It’s okay, Celeste. Are you tired?”

I could carry her on my back if needed. I still had the strength.

“N-no…” she answered weakly.

I held her hand.

I felt something.

“Wait. Stop!” I shouted.

“What’s wrong?” Nigel came closer. “Are you okay, Celeste?”

Instead of answering, she just cried harder.

“Shit. Are you alright?” Erikson asked anxiously.

“I-I’m sorry, guys…” she sobbed.

I swallowed hard before kneeling. I lifted the cloth covering her leg. I slumped in shock—her legs were turning black.

“What the fuck?!” Erikson burst out. “N-no.”

“P-please go…” Celeste tried to push me away. She stepped back and shook her head. “Don’t mind me. I can’t run anymore.”

I froze. The reason she needed Oscar’s blood was because it was the most potent—it gave her life. The reason she rejected others' blood was because she had become too weak.

“W-where’s the dagger?” I asked.

“Damn it all!” Erikson cursed.

Celeste slowly raised her clothes to show us her side. “I-I got this when you were saving Albina. Their leader threw a dagger, and it hit me. I just kept it because I knew it was too late anyway. I’m sorry.”

The dagger was almost fully embedded in her body.

I nodded. I gently helped her sit by the tree and rested her head against it. I sat beside her and held her hand.

Her hands were trembling so much, she could barely hold on. No, she wasn’t letting go—her strength was fading.

“It’s been a long night. Let’s rest a little,” I whispered.

“No, Astra. You need to go,” Celeste pleaded. She wiped her tears and forced a smile. “I’ll just rest here. I’ll wait for Randolf.”

“You’re not the only one who’s tired, Celeste,” I said. “We need to rest too.”

Celeste coughed blood. She held her side with every painful breath, wincing at the pain. Her chest rose and fell in labored gasps, trying to calm the cold seeping in.

“S-sorry…” she whispered.

I couldn’t speak. One word and I’d break.

Erikson sighed heavily. “Prepare, Mr. Hezuera.”

“I know…” Nigel knelt before Celeste and wiped the blood from her lips. He smiled. “I’ve seen you grow as a vampire, Celeste. I remember when you were new—so afraid of everything.”

Celeste chuckled. “I was already scared, and you scared me even more.”

“You were fun to scare. You’d cry and run to Oscar.” He brushed her hair back. “Oscar beat me up because of you once.”

I tilted my head and wiped my tears.

“They’re coming, Mr. Nadija,” Nigel warned.

“What’s your surname again?” Erikson asked Celeste.

“Whoa. Someone suddenly got curious about my surname.”

Erikson laughed. “I mean, Celeste alone is already a good name.”

“I am Celeste Merjudio,” she said proudly. “Lord Oscar took me in when I had no one left. I lived in the Mansion of the Nightfall Clan where I served one of the Cardinals… with all my heart. I’m happy now with Randolf Wenson.”

“It’s an honor to have known you, Lady Celeste Merjudio.” Erikson kissed the back of her hand. “I’m glad I met you. I don’t regret scaring you back then. Thank you…” Nigel bowed.

“You’ve been…” She paused to cough. “You’ve been good to me, Mr. Nadija. Thank you.”

Just like that, we were surrounded. Erikson and Nigel stood and protected us. I watched a blade slice Erikson’s back and another pierce Nigel’s chest.

“Stay back!” Erikson yelled when he saw Nigel wounded. “Go to Astra!”

“No!” Nigel spat blood.

“Damn it!” Erikson moved beside him. “Stay next to me so I can protect you!”

“A-Astra…” Celeste whispered.

“I’m here.” I squeezed her hand.

“Go and help them. I’ll be fine here.”

“No.” I held her hand tighter.

“Please? They can’t hurt me anymore. You know…”