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[Archive] Of Ash And Fire - Original Thread


SirNerdsAlot5
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Intermission

 

Combat was –at it’s most basic- a dance. A study of objects in motion. One move followed another, each choreographed by masters to provide the most benefit possible. In the case of regular dance, it was beauty that was the goal. In the case of combat? Anything but.

 

“Tenno Skooom!”

 

The yells of the Grineer trooper that saw the Tenno were loud and drew the attention of all of the other Grineer in the area. Of which there were a bunch. The Grineer were not the brightest of bulbs. Most people knew this. Their lack of brains was not the problem. The billions upon billions of the degenerate clones that were still pouring from the cloning vats around the solar system were definitely a problem. They clomped forward gracelessly to crush their foe.

 

The Grineer Galleon mirrored it’s makers. Dirty, smelly and ugly, it had one purpose and one purpose only. To fight. Either ship to ship against anyone foolish enough to challenge them one on one or with the host of soldiers who lived and died aboard it, it was an extension of the Grineer Empire and an integral part of that Empire’s grasp. But that grasp… occasionally faltered. It wasn’t spoken of. But it happened. Today, it was happening to this Grineer ship.

 

One on one, any Tenno was a match for dozens if not hundreds of Grineer. But the Galleon carried about a thousand Grineer. The only good news was that the bulk of the Grineer were searching the ship and only a fraction of the whole were available to try and stop the Tenno from reaching the prescribed goal. The bad news? They had seen her.

 

The first Grineer to see the Mag warframe spun to warn his companions and died, the alarm on his lips as a Kunai throwing blade tore through his helmet as if it wasn’t there. He was dead before his weapon fell from nerveless fingers to clatter on the deck, warning his closest companions, but for them as well, it was too late. The Mag raised her arms and every Grineer in the compartment was suddenly lifted off their feet, their cries of pain muted by the crunching of their armor. She wasn’t powerful enough to crush them completely, but when they fell, none would be rising again quickly. Some would die from organ death, others from shards of the bionics that all Grineer thought were the epitome of fashion. But far too many would rise, shake their pain away and chase after the Mag.

 

That was why, as soon as her power faded, she took to her heels. She wasn’t stupid. She knew her forte wasn’t open combat like so many others of her clan. Her warframe wasn’t built to stand and trade blows with powerful enemies. No. She was a guerilla. A ghost. She would strike and disappear, leaving dead Grineer in her wake. She was no mistress of stealth like her mentor. The Loki who was teaching her the way of the Tenno was downright terrifying at times at how he could simply not be there even when visible. She was good, no question, but she didn’t have the long experience of the others in her clan. Which is why, when she entered a compartment and the hatch slammed behind her, she was taken completely by surprise.

 

“You call yourself a warrior? Show some honor!” The familiar voice shouted and the Mag went still.

 

Vor? What is he doing here?

 

The Mag slowly and carefully inched up to a set of boxes that had been left haphazardly near the entrance to this section of the ship. Yep. It the big Grineer himself, his Orokin key easy to pick out. He stood near a containment device. One that held the familiar gold outline of an Orokin artifact.

 

“You will not take my prize!” Vor snapped, his pistol up and aimed towards where the Mag was in cover.

 

Lousy thief. The Mag though as she unlimbered her Snipetron Vandal. Vor blustered some more, but she ignored him as she had been taught, focusing, not on the Grineer, who would be too tough to take out with a single hit. But on his key. He fired his oddly shaped pistol, but the energy bolt missed. The Mag… did not.

 

The bullet hit the glowing golden key and it exploded into a shower of sparks. The Mag felt elation for a moment, but then her heart plummeted. The key was reforming before her eyes! The key was absorbing the limitless power from the containment system behind Vor to repair the Orokin tech!

 

“You. Sniper scum.” Vor said, his voice soft and deadly. “I remember you.”

 

Do you? The Mag said in her mind and then, started aiming at the lights around the area. Killing Vor wasn’t her mission. It wouldn’t work anyway. The Orokin tech he had stolen made him immortal. But even Grineer needed some light to see. After a few shots, the chamber was plunged into almost total darkness. The only light came from Vor's key and the artifact.

 

“You cannot hide forever!” Vor taunted, his shots lighting the darkness.

 

But he was slow. Every time he fired, the Mag had frozen in place, her posture stiff to mimic machinery. She heard the door behind her clank open and Grineer start to pour in so she hit her most powerful ability again. Every Grineer, including Vor this time, were raised up and crushed by magnetic forces. Then she ran for the golden light. Vor recovered first and she threw a Bullet Attractor on him. He screamed in rage, but every shot he fired arced around and hit him! The Grineer who had pursued her also opened fire, but paused as Vor screamed at them to stop.

 

“You cannot escape!” Vor snapped, but as soon as the Bullet Attractor faded, she had another on him. Then she was carefully accessing the containment system. Vor screamed in rage as she transferred the Orokin artifact to her warframe buffers. Then, she couldn’t resist making an obscene gesture at him as she ran.

 

Behind her, she heard pursuit, but every so often, she would use Crush again and screamed behind her heralded more Grineer. But…

 

She slid down on the floor, underneath the legs of the Sawman who had tried to ambush her. The look on the misshapen almost human face was priceless as her skana came to her hand and sliced his legs off. She was gone before he even managed to scream.

 

Would you look at that… Karen said as she ran to extraction and slid into the alcove of her ship, aware of pursuit, but knowing it was too late for the Grineer to stop her. I got the strike right. Ah well… Better keep practicing.

 

Well done, Tenno. The Lotus’ mind voice was gentle, there and gone. But Karen basked in the achievement of her first true solo op. She was on her way. It felt… good to dance with death. Very, very good.

Edited by Kalenath
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Great story! I wish I could write this well.

 

Its just practice.

 

You DO write well. Let NO ONE say otherwise.

 

I just wanted to give people SOMETHING for today. :) Tomorrow is very special to me. I'll be 42.

 

LIFE!

 

THE UNIVERSE!

 

AND EVERYTHING!

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Holy S#&$, you'll be old!

 

No, I will be improbably old!

 

So tempted to go find Zaphod Breeblox and kick up the ol' Improbability Drive for a spin.

 

(Edit) Dear god, don't TELL me no one get that...

Edited by Kalenath
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You wouldn't make me suffer through it? Glad to know I'm forgiven ;3

 

Ok...

 

Ill make you read HIS: (the SECOND worst poetry in the universe)

 

Azgoths of Kria. During a recitation by their Poet Master Grunthos the Flatulent of his poem "Ode to a Small Lump of Green Putty I Found in My Armpit One Midsummer Morning" four of his audience members died of internal haemorrhaging, and the President of the Mid-Galactic Arts Nobbling Council, survived by gnawing one of his own legs off. Grunthos is reported to have been "disappointed" by the poem's reception, and was about to embark on a reading of his twelve-book epic entitled My Favourite Bathtime Gurgles when his own major intestine, in a desperate attempt to save life and civilization, leaped straight up through his neck and throttled his brain

Edited by Kalenath
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Part 1 and 2 of a three part encounter for Aiden.

 

The Fall

Aiden jogged towards the interception point: the long, relatively wide corridor that separated that section of the ship from the rest of the station. The Karak rattled slightly as his footsteps echoed around the empty passage. Aiden himself was humming his song, easing his worries and focusing on his goal.

 

Hold them off. Protect the others.

 

He had five magazines for his Karak and four for his Lex. It probably wouldn’t be enough. That was when Harbinger comes out, he thought, looking back at the giant sword on his back. He found a spot with a decent amount of cover from the other direction of the tunnel. He crouched down there, chambering a round in both his weapons. He decided to contact Ghost.

 

Ghost, are you all alright?

 

Silence. Then he heard the voice of the Nyx in his mind. Even through the mental link, she sounded tired.

 

We’re fine. Lycanos had a little encounter with the Stalker, but he managed to fight him off. We’re very low on ammunition.

 

What is a Stalker?

 

Oh, I forgot you’re new to this. It’s a story for later. Right now, there’s a small army of Grineer headed towards you. 45 seconds out. They are being led by Kril and someone else. There’s a hundred of them there Aiden. Are you sure you want to do this?

 

I am. I made a promise to protect my team, and I will keep that promise to the very end. Hold out a bit longer, Acantha and the others should be meeting up with you.

 

Very well. I’ll keep watch. Good luck.

 

Aiden felt the Nyx fade away from his conscience. He was truly alone. He crouched down on one knee, keeping his rifle aimed ahead of him. He slowed his breathing down, focusing on the task at hand. He excelled in whatever he did because of practiced patience and composure. Today would be no different.

 

The tunnel itself was 25 metres wide with several mining rails running through it. The walls were rough stone, and the whole area was cloaked in dust and darkness. The sparse, loosely clustered lights seemed to emit a light so faint, it might as well have been absorbed by the rocks. Visibility was not too good, but luckily for Aiden, there was plenty of cover. It seemed like the Grineer just dropped all their activities to respond to the threat of the Corpus invaders. A myriad of machines lay haphazardly across the tunnel, their precious cargo balanced precariously over the rails.

 

He heard the footsteps in the tunnel, their echoes bouncing around the walls. The dustiness of the tunnel made it near impossible for him to figure out what formation the troops were travelling in, but he hoped that the reduced visibility meant that he had more time before his exact location was found.

 

Aim for the head. Shoot till they’re dead. Keep shooting till the ground is red. The old rhyme ran through his mind as he secured his grip around the trigger of the rickety old assault rifle.

 

As soon as the first Grinner soldier appeared in sight, Aiden let loose a volley of bullets, immediately alerting the whole company of troops and drowning the tunnel in the sound of the rifle’s report. He fired in short controlled bursts, each blast of fire from his rifle destroying the heads of the marines in his crosshair. Within seconds, his rifle clicked empty. With calm precision that befitted an experienced soldier, he fitted in another magazine and continued laying down suppressive fire.

 

The assault continued as the Grineer nervously sprang for cover, firing blindly at the location of Aiden’s muzzle flashes. Bullets ricocheted off the crate Aiden was taking cover under, but he didn’t let that faze him. Very soon, his rifle clicked empty, and he had expended all the ammunition he had for it. There were still a lot of them left, and Aiden could see a few giant forms lurking in the shadows, shouting out orders to rally the rest of the troops. Those were the HVTs. He needed to get close, the Lex wouldn’t be enough to fight them all.

 

He leapt out of his cover, amassing energy near his legs. As soon as he reached the threshold, he charged forward with a burst of energy. He stopped right in the middle of the Grineer column, and with poise that befitted a dancer more than a Rhino, be began to swing Harbinger.

 

The giant sword tore right through several marines in one swing with absolutely no effort on Aiden’s part. He activated Iron skin as the hailstorm of bullets rapidly drained his shields. He was nearly blind from the dozens of muzzle flashes around him, but he kept swinging. Most of the soldiers who fell underneath his blade wore green armour; large and cumbersome, these did little to stop the sheer momentum of the Galatine.

 

As another soldier was torn in half by an angled swing, Aiden leapt back as a hand clad in white armour plates slammed into the ground before him. He felt the shockwave as he backpedalled, trying to get a tactical advantage against this new threat. A female form stood in front of him, firing a large machine gun at him. The large bullets had a lot more power in comparison to the small arms fire from the smaller troops. Aiden felt his Iron Skin whittling away and he allocated more energy towards bolstering it. He wouldn’t be able to hold it much longer at this rate.

 

Deciding to make a tactical retreat, Aiden flipped backwards, ducking behind a mining machine. He unholstered his Lex and with a quick peek, fired at the large Grineer female. He grunted in satisfaction as the heavy caliber round destroyed her face, immediately silencing the staccato rhythm of the machine gun. He was forced to move further back to dodge two rockets fired at him, both explosions nearly knocking him over from the sheer force behind them.

 

Two large Grineer stood behind a collapsed wall, bringing down suppressive rocket fire. Aiden kept darting in and out of cover, narrowly avoiding direct impacts with the rockets. He moved back and tripped on the body of a dead soldier. Just as he fell, a slow moving rocket slammed into his body, erupting in a massive fireball and knocking him backwards into a wall. He grimaced from both the impact and the searing heat of the fire enveloping his Warframe. Just then a massive hammer came smashing into his torso, knocking the breath out of his lungs. Before it could strike again, Aiden rolled to the side and quickly made some distance between him and the source of the hammer’s swings.

 

A large Grineer soldier stood before him, holding the hammer idly in its right arm. It seemed more like a machine, with a large, mechanical head and several tubes running along the length of its body. It was far too different to be a generic soldier.

 

Aiden crouched down behind a collapsed pillar, still keeping this Grineer in his sights. The other soldiers had stopped firing at him, and the only sounds in the tunnel were the crackling of flames and the moans of the wounded.

 

“You are different from the others.” said the garbled voice of the Grineer with the hammer. “You don’t hide in the shadows.”

 

Aiden clutched his sword tighter as the Grineer laughed; a deep, guttural sound. “The Queens will be amazed by this. A warrior Tenno!”

 

“My name is Lech Kril, and my hammer will feast on your blood, Tenno!” roared the Grineer, pointing his hammer at Aiden. At once, he was struck with the full force of the Grineer troops. He grimaced as he felt his shields take the brunt of the attack, but the bullets themselves left puncture wounds in his Warframe. Kril’s strike with the hammer had destroyed his Iron Skin and then cracked his armour plates. Aiden leaped out of his cover, bobbing and weaving between obstacles, formulating a plan of action.

 

Kril was a close quarters fighter, but I don’t know how fast he moves. The other supporting troops will keep me pinned down. They are a higher risk. They’ve hunkered down further into the tunnel. If I charge to the back of the pack, I will be open to their collective fire. No, I need to pick them off from the middle.

 

Deciding on whom to focus his attention on, Aiden charged forwards yet again, but he was thrown against a wall by what felt like a train. As he crumbled to the ground, Kril’s giant hammer thudded to the ground besides him. The impact had definitely broken his left arm. He grimaced as he got up slowly, wincing from severe pain in his chest.

 

And a few ribs.

 

He hopped backwards, activating Iron Skin yet again. The giant hammer hummed for a second before it flew backwards into Kril’s outstretched hand. The Grineer leader’s posture could be expressed as relaxed. This one might be different, thought Kril, but he is just as weak as the rest of his kind. Pitiful. He looked at the Rhino, who was making a beeline for his troops, this time, keeping his left arm still as he ran.

 

Kril slammed his hammer on the ground, channeling some of the energy he’d stored into a wave of ice shards. Aiden saw the incoming wave at the last instant and rolled to avoid it. The jagged shards of ice melted immediately because a rocket exploded right where Aiden was. He squinted, covering his eyes from the bright inferno in front of him. He was tiring very fast and he didn’t know how long he’d been holding the Grineer off.

 

As if she read his mind, Ghost replied to him. They’ve got Sophia. They’re halfway here. You’ve been fighting for twenty minutes.

 

Aiden grunted, hiding behind a minecar after blowing the head off a rocket trooper with his Lex. He was almost out of ammo for the hand cannon. Twenty minutes? It certainly didn’t feel like that long.

 

Aiden…you are wounded. You need to escape now! Kril is too strong for you to face alone. We can hold them off as a team!

 

No! roared Aiden, blocking a barrage of bullets with Harbinger. The giant sword hummed with the intensity of the impacts. Your team is already in a lot of trouble. I just need to keep them busy for a few more minutes!

 

Aiden! You will die if you keep fighting! I’ll tell team one to help you fight them off.

 

Ghost, don’t. If I die trying to save you all, then so be it. One life isn’t worth the lives of many others.

 

He cut his thoughts short as a Grineer soldier ran at him, waving a cleaver in his hands. Aiden ducked beneath the wild swing, countering it with a whirling slash of his sword. He hopped over the two halves of the body, keeping a wary glance at Kril and the rocketeers covering him.

 

Ghost was not ready to give up. But-

 

GHOST! I made my choice! Protect your team! I won’t die, just hurry up and get to the ship.

 

The Nyx abruptly left his mind. For an instant, Aiden felt bad about losing his temper, but he forgot about it immediately as Kril rushed in to fight him head on. He grimaced as he dodged the furious swings of the hammer. His Warframe had been perforated in several spots, and he knew that he was bleeding profusely. The light headedness was making dodging Kril’s never ending assault much harder, but Aiden willed himself to persevere.

 

Just a bit longer…

 

He cursed as a rocket slammed into him, erupting into blinding flames. The shockwave threw him back onto a mining machine. The large machine’s reinforced frame crumpled from the combined force of the explosion and Aiden’s weight. He cried out in agony as Kril hammer slammed into his chest, destroying a vast majority of his armour plates. Aiden’s vision blackened as he couldn’t breathe. He spat out a glob of blood as he slid down onto his knees. He looked up to see the hammer swing towards his head. With a spurt of energy, he raised his sword to protect him.

 

The Galatine reverberated from the impact, and Aiden felt the sword wobble slightly. His defense had saved him but Kril was relentless. For a second time, the hammer came swinging and this time Aiden’s stomach was filled with a sickening feeling as Harbinger shattered into two pieces. Both halves of the blade cluttered to the ground besides him as the hammer slammed into his helmet. Aiden slammed into the mining machine, completely unable to speak. The upper right part of his helmet was crushed inwards, digging into his head. His throat felt like sandpaper and he couldn’t see much.  The silhouette of Kril stood in front of him, shrouded by flames. The luieutenant was roaring with laughter, a laugh that signaled Aiden’s defeat.

 

“You fought well Tenno. It has been a while since one of your kind has lasted this long. Against unbeatable odds nonetheless!” he said, pointing to the two dozen or so remaining Grineer, their rifles trained at him with terrifying stillness.

 

Kril kicked Aiden in the gut, making the Rhino wince in agony. His arms felt weak, and his vision was blurring. He had lost a lot of blood, and his Warframe was reserving energy to resuscitate him in case his body gave out. He looked up into the mechanical face of Kril, who had raised the hammer above his head.

 

“Your story ends now Tenno. Be proud that your miserable life ends at the hands of my hammer!”

 

Aiden’s mind began to fade as he saw the hammer swung downwards. He felt his thoughts being invaded by a familiar entity.

 

Aiden! Hold on! Screamed the voice of Ghost.

 

But it was too late. He gladly receded into the darkness.

 

Sweet, silent darkness.

 

Dark Secret

Ghost felt the Rhino’s mind retreat into the darkness. From her experience, she knew that he was going to die. But something made her stay with him to the very end. Just before he completely fade, she was suddenly pulled into the darkness herself. No matter what she did, the darkness did not stop enveloping her.

 

Ghost opened her eyes to find herself in a large open space. Everything was white and in front of her stood a woman. Her eyes blinked even though she didn’t control them. She realized that she was seeing what Aiden was seeing. The woman in front of him was beautiful, her warm smile made her face glow. She was wearing clothes which Ghost recognized as an old human skirt: a sundress. Ghost could vaguely feel Aiden’s emotions through the link. The beautiful red cloth accented her dark lustrous hair perfectly, and her hazel eyes melted Aiden’s soul. She saw his hands take hold of hers, gently linking their fingers together.  They moved closer together and Ghost realized what was going on.

 

Aiden and this woman are in love. There was no doubt from their emotions and expressions.

 

She heard Aiden speak up. His deep voice was laced with affection and admiration.

 

“You look beautiful,” he told the woman, to which she blushed.

 

“You look handsome yourself. “

 

Aiden chuckled. “I need to look presentable if I need to stand a chance. If I looked like a bum, somebody else might take you away from me.”

 

The woman embraced him, whispering softly to his ears. “I would still pick you, love.”

 

Aiden returned the embrace. “And for that, I am eternally grateful.”

 

They separated, their hands still linked. “Today is a big day. Are you ready?” asked Aiden.

 

She shrugged nervously, the blush returning to her cheeks. “As ready as I will get. I hope the others accept.” A tear ran down her cheek, and Aiden’s fingers rose to wipe them off.

 

“Cathy, it doesn’t matter what the others say. We will always be together.”

 

She sniffed back her tears, happily looking up at the man she loved. “Promise?”

 

Aiden nodded as their lips met. “I promise.”

 

They both stood together for a while, Cathy’s head resting on Aiden’s chest. Ghost could feel her humming a song as she held on to Aiden. It was the same song Aiden was humming back in the ship.

 

“Till the end of time,

We will be with one another,

My Aiden will be my saviour,

He will protect me forever.”

 

Aiden smiled warmly when she sang. Ever since they were teenagers, Cathy had sung that song, and it never seemed to get boring. Ghost could hear his thoughts clearer now, as though Aiden’s conscience seemed to open up. He held her close, the both of them swaying to the melody.

 

They truly love each other, thought Ghost.

 

Through Aiden’s eyes, she saw Cathy look up with affectionate tears in her eyes; Aiden’s vision blurred as well.

 

Just then, the silence of the moment was destroyed by an earsplitting crack. Cathy lurched forward, her loving smile was now a shocked expression. Aiden panicked when he saw her red dress grew darker by her chest, the fabric torn apart by the bullet. He held her tightly as she sunk to the ground, cradled in Aiden’s arms. He didn’t notice the red bloodstain that was growing on his own chest.

 

“Cathy!” he screamed, frantically looking around for the source of the shot. A lone figure was walking towards them slowly, too far away to see clearly. Aiden looked back down at his lover, ripping off a piece of cloth from his shirt, pressing it against her wound to staunch the flow of blood. Her face still looked shocked, a little bit of blood dripping from her mouth.

“Hold on! Please! Hold on, Cathy!” he screamed, crying freely, the tears adding to the stains on her dress.

 

“Aiden…” came the weak whisper from her. He leaned closer to her, placing a finger gently on her lips.

 

“Save your strength. Everything will be alright! Hold on!” He looked around, screaming for help. The shooter was closer now, and Ghost could see the smoking barrel of the pistol. Aiden’s attention was focused on Cathy’s form, which was growing colder as time passed.

 

“Cathy…I’m so sorry!” Aiden cried, cradling her head to his chest. “I didn’t watch out…I’m so sorry!”

 

Pale hands landed gently on his blood soaked arms. “Aiden…it’s okay. You couldn’t do anything.”

 

His large frame shook violently. She seemed so weak. He placed a hand over hers, trying to ease her pain. He didn’t know what to do.

 

“Till the end of time,” sang Cathy, her eyes fluttering from the weakness. Aiden grimaced as he looked at the pool of blood growing beneath her. Despite her weakness, she continued to sing with her beautiful voice.

 

“We will be with one another,

My Aiden will be my saviour,

He will protect me forever.”

 

She coughed, spitting out a glob of blood. Aiden bit back an anguished sob as he held her up, kissing her forehead. She looked at him with the same affectionate smile she had a few minutes ago. Despite their situation, Aiden was left speechless.

 

“Live for me...it’s not your fault, my love.” She whispered to him, and her hands then went limp.

 

Aiden’s vision cleared to see her open eyes, devoid of the soul he loved so deeply. He wanted to cry, to mourn for her loss, but he simply couldn’t. He started at the lifeless body of the woman he loved, ignorant of the blood oozing from his chest.

 

A shadow loomed over him, and he looked up to see a man looking at them, a pistol held firmly in his hand.

 

“You loved her…didn’t you?” asked the voice, echoing ominously. Aiden was shocked at the man’s face.

 

Aiden gently laid Cathy’s body on the ground and stood to his full height, looking at the man with venom in his eyes. Hate bubbled in his heart, an overwhelming urge to kill the man standing in front of him.

 

His friend.

 

 His best friend.

 

“She was a beautiful girl. I loved her very much.” drawled the voice of Damien. “But, she never loved me back.”

 

Aiden was shaking from pure rage. Every word uttered by Damien pushed him further and further to the point of no return.

 

“Instead…she fell for you! Do you know how much it hurt me?” Damien continued, an insane expression on his face.

 

“Time and again, I tried to make her love me back! I failed each time!” He pointed the gun at her body, his voice was strained.

 

“That’s why I decided, if I cannot enjoy her company, neither can you!” Aiden walked towards Damien, his hulking form shaking now from pure rage, not grief.

 

“We are friends, Aiden! You should have known my pain!” shouted Damien, pointing the gun at him while backing away.

 

Ghost’s vision blurred as a new emotion began to emerge from Aiden’s conscience, a feeling that was overwhelming in every aspect.

 

Pure, undiminished anger.

 

She began to fade from his mind as Aiden embraced the anger, letting it take over his pain, letting it take control of him.

 

Before she blinked out of his mind, she managed to hear a single, indomitable thought.

 

Live for me…

Edited by bejuizb
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