The cost of remorse

The cost of remorse
Hearing the anger in her voice, Kiara found her way off Chase. She jumped off Chase immediately, and then seeing Dali, Chase also rose to his feet. 
Standing by and watching this play out were the three leaders and Celyn. They had not said anything with Kiara on top of Chase, nor did they even make a move. 
It was clear as day that they approved of whatever Kiara was doing.
Why would they?
“What’s going on?” Dali asked, looking around specifically at the three leaders.
Alexa glanced around and then cleared her throat, but before she could say anything, Celyn spoke up. “Why are we owing you any explanation?” she asked, raging at Dali fearlessly. Her eyes were red with either anger or something Dali really couldn’t point out. 
“It’s so clear how everything is going to turn out. My mom will explain how useless and stupid Chase is, but just like always, you will support him, so what’s the need?”
Dali was torn between feeling bad that Celyn thought this way of her and feeling happy that Celyn was actually talking to her, even though it was only to say nasty things about her. At least, she was talking to her and they were staring at each other.
“No,” Dali shook her head. “I definitely will not believe him over you,” she said. “It’s been two years, Celyn, I’ve changed.”
“And what did we have to lose for you to change?” Celyn shot back at her coldly. “If you had listened that day and just stayed out with us, none of this would have happened. But you’d rather be with a man that didn’t love you than be with me, your best friend!”
Her best friend.
They were still best friends?
“Do you want me to kill him?”
This question stunned everyone. Including Chase. He froze, staring at Dali like she had just said the craziest thing yet—and probably she did. She just asked Celyn if she wanted him dead.
Did that mean Dali wouldn’t even think it through and actually kill him? Would she actually kill him if Celyn asked?
Celyn was also shocked. She blinked rapidly, her eyes darting around as if she could not collect her thoughts. “What?”
Dali stepped forward. “Just tell me,” she said, her eyes pinned on Celyn, heavy with the truth that lay behind them. “If you want him dead, I will kill him now.”
Celyn shook her head slowly. “You don’t understand, do you?” she asked. 
Dali was stunned. Celyn suddenly did not look angry, but rather she looked sad. She stared at Dali wordlessly for a few minutes before she turned around and walked away.
Kiara followed her that instant.
The crowd also began to disperse, and Dali dropped her head. All that mattered to her more in this life was Celyn and this village. It was quite unfair that Celyn would ask her to burn the village down and she would.
She turned to Alexa after Celyn walked away. “What happened?”
Alexa shrugged. “I don’t know what to say…” she shook her head, staring at Chase as if he would suddenly grow the need to do something good other than what profited him. 
“I know what to say,” Chase suddenly spoke up, successfully startling everyone around. 
Dali turned to face him. She had a quizzical and impatient look on her face as she waited for the explanation he wanted to give to her.
“I wanted to see Kiara,” he blurted out.
Those words sounded so weird to Dali. How could he want to see Kiara? He was the one who killed her. He was the one who killed them all and he wanted to see Kiara?
Dali had a lot to say to him, but when she parted her lips, his voice came.
“I wanted to see for myself what I had done. Two years ago, I don’t know why I acted like a fool, but I did and it cost you all your happiness,” he said. “And maybe I never felt any remorse until now, until the information reached me that I might’ve likely destroyed the world.” 
“I feel miserable about that, but I thought maybe I needed to see Kiara for myself. To see her hurt and almost dying.”
Dali didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. So she just stared at him, her mouth agape. Her eyebrows knitted in confusion. She had no clue, not even the faintest, about how to react to this.
What shocked her most was the sheer immaturity. He knew what he did, and he dared to say he wanted to see her broken? He wanted to see her utterly miserable? 
Why?
Because he wants to realize what he had done? 
Real regret shouldn’t come because you see what you have done. You should feel guilty, you should feel remorse from simply placing yourself in the shoes of the person you wronged.
Needing to see the pain it caused, the damage you inflicted, was nothing else than to boost your fucking ego.
Those were words Dali wanted to regurgitate. Words she felt this man needed to know about. He needed to hear them, he needed to come to his right senses, but the truth was that he really was dead to words.
Without even thinking twice, she lifted her hand and slapped him across the face.
Gasps circulated round, filling the air.
Chase was hit so hard his face turned to the other side. 
For some reason, his lips tugged high into a smile. There was a stinging pain on his cheeks, one that he knew came with an imprint of her fingers.
Dali herself was caught off guard by this. Her eyes flashed with shock, her gaze dropping to her hand before she quickly dropped her hand to avoid him seeing the look of surprise on her face.
He dragged in a deep breath. “Dali.” His groan came out guttural, animalistic, and dangerous.
He slowly turned his eyes back to her. 
He was far from being surprised that what met his eyes were her fierce, unyielding eyes, challenging him. Asking him if he was man enough to actually hit her back.
Was he man enough? His blood boiled from the apparent disgrace. His fingers twitched, and as he looked at her daring eyes, seeing nothing like regret for what she did, he got angrier.
All he wanted to do was see the girl. Why did she have to make a big deal out of it? Why did she have to hit him?
“Dali?”
She slapped him again.
This time, on purpose.
“Fucking take a look at the person you’re glaring at,” she said through gritted teeth. 
Chase took a step forward, his shoulders broad, his chest rising and falling, and his eyes filled with anger.
“Chase.” Marisol called his name out in a warning.
But that did not stop him; he took another daring step forward. 
It happened too fast, like a blur, and he was unable to see where the blade came from, or even when it went right through his flesh. The knife was straight, aiming right into him, tearing his flesh in the process.
Chase froze. His eyes dropped to the blade and the blood dripping from it. He lifted his eyes again and met hers. 
Her slim fingers wrapped around the handle, pushing it into him.
“Dali,” he groaned again.
Her lips curved into a smirk. “Take another step, and I will fucking kill you here.” She quietly whispered.