The Sixth | Ekko

Chapter Sixty-Nine

Momo's state of awareness dwindled, making it difficult for her to recall how they'd gotten to the safehouse, her memory rune deemed useless in her current state of shame.

Ekko had carried her there, needing to get them somewhere more private and familiar.

There on the old, scratchy couch, she sat with her hands on either side of her thighs, her nails piercing the cushion's fabric. An evolved sense of self-loathing seeped into her veins, spoiling her blood and casting a cold itch across her skin.

While Daunter had invaded her mind and altered her memories, she felt the blame was on her. Everything that happened was a result of her own choices. Each one she made had been the wrong one. The further she thought back, the more she realized just how wrong she'd been.

How problematic her existence had been.

Ekko's hand found its way to her knee as he sat beside her, his presence having blurred to the background while her thoughts became her current focal point.

She looked at him finally, her vision hazy from unspilled tears.

"It isn't your fault," Ekko said once again, repeating it for what must've been the sixth time by now.

During their venture to the safehouse, she had whispered apologies into his neck continuously until he finally set her down on the couch. Afterwards, he witnessed her close in on herself, her apologies quieting.

She flinched away from him despite wanting to find solace in his arms. She didn't deserve the warmth that came from his embrace. Her pain was her consequence, and searching for any form of comfort would be unjustified.

Ekko could sense the war that waged inside of her head, her thoughts a conflagration to her mind and self-perception.

"Stop it," he said, his voice soft despite the demand in his words. "Whatever you're thinking right now, just stop." He watched as her eyes fell closed, pushing her tears past her waterline and down her cheeks. He reached up and brushed one of them away with his thumb. "All you have to do is listen, okay?"

She swallowed and opened her eyes, remaining quiet to let him continue.

"I know you're probably feeling a lot of things right now, and none of them are good. But... it's okay to feel sad about what happened—or scared—or mad." He turned so that he was facing her more, his knees brushing against hers. He collected her hands into his, lacing his fingers between hers. "What isn't okay is blaming yourself."

Her gaze dropped, his words reaching her ears but not truly heard enough to have much effect. Her internal turmoil remained, rotting away any fight she might've had left. She loved him. She truly did. But was that love enough to redeem her?

She didn't think so.

She pulled her hands from his and pressed her knuckles against her cheeks to wipe away her tears.

She was being selfish—wasting time by dwelling on her self-hatred.

Every choice she had made thus far might've been the wrong one, and that couldn't be changed. What mattered now was the next one she had to make.

She abruptly stood, prompting Ekko to do the same shortly after.

He reached for her, grasping her shoulders and holding her still in front of him. "I wasn't done." His tone held an edge this time. They had spent so much time apart—each day passing like a slow bleeding wound. Now they were together again, and he refused to let whatever doubts and falsehoods that were plaguing her mind take her away from him again.

Momo inhaled shakily, though she made no attempt to stop him from continuing.

"Blaming yourself is taking the fault away from who the real enemy is." His hands crawled up to her face, where he cradled it to ensure their gazes remained connected. "Daunter did this, not you. You're the victim here."