Alexandria's Genesis

Goodbye

Avrel covers his eyes. Aleissia was shining too bright for him. But he could hear Sevantei getting ripped to shreds. When his voice fades out, so does the light. He looks back and finds Aleissia fallen at Alexandria's side. 

Avrel hardly saw any of the fight, but he witnessed Sevantei committing the final blow. It stabbed Avrel just as much as Alexandria. He was torn inside. She can't be dying. She can't be gone!

Avrel sprints forward.

"ALEX!" he shouts. "ALEEEEX!"

When he reaches her side, he falters on the ground. He puts his hand around the side of her head, and lifts her up.

"No. No you can't go!" Avrel orders her. He pulls her up onto his lap. 

Nikal looks closely at her injuries. She's beaten and battered, scratches all over. And the biggest offender, the gut stab. Alexandria's shirt is soaked in her blood, and it pools beneath her. Nikal looks over at Aleissia, who's staring at Avrel. 

Nikal could see her heart shrivel up and shatter. She knew that look better than anyone. Hadn't she just had that face only a few minutes ago? But they all had bigger problems at the moment. Alexandria was about to die, and she was the only person out of them that could fix this. 

Worse than that, Nikal notices something off. And that was especially surprising; what could be more off than THIS. 

But just as Nikal chides herself to not worry about it, she spots a sparkle in the corner of her eye. When she turns to inspect the sparkle, it turns into what looks like cracks, jutting out of the sparkle.

They almost look like they were forming-

"Crystals," Nikal mentions.

"What?" Aleissia murmurs, trying to pry herself from her excruciating revelation. "What?" she asks again, looking at Nikal. Damn, she's strong. What the hell happened to old Aly? But the fracturing sounds brought her back to their problem. The crystals grew more numerous. Nikal points to the rapid crystalline trap heading straight for them. Aleissia sees it too.

"AVREL!" Nikal shouts at them.

Avrel looks up at Nikal with red eyes, just to notice like the other two. 

"Oh my god," he mumbles. He turns back to Alexandria and calls to her in desperation rather than grief.

"Alex, wake up," Avrel says while shaking Alexandria. "Alex, we need you. Come on, please."

Nikal takes a defiant stance, glaring at the oncoming terror. She blasts the crystals with her green energy. Her target area halts its growth and even recedes, but she can't shoot everywhere at once. Aleissia lashes out red bombs in hopes of stopping the crystals in its tracks all over. 

But the crystals continue their conquest. Avrel takes one last longing gaze at his newfound love of his life, before laying her down gently and standing up. Nikal is shifting her beam across the crystals, and Aleissia continues to break up larger formations. He shoots out two smaller beams and swings them around viciously. 

The clock ticks its last second, one loud, strong, booming chunk in the clockworks, before enveloping in distorting reality crystals. The crystals seem to be contained to a pocket around them, but the natural order is resisting their struggle. Nikal gives in, knowing she can't keep going forever, but Avrel continues in spite of it, and Aleissia of fear.

Nikal shouts at them to stop, and Aleissia obliges. Avrel tries his best, knowing it's not enough, when Aleissia walks in front of him and wraps her arms under his and around his back, planting her face up to his chest. 

Avrel forfeits his last attempt to beat back the crystals and lowers his arms. 

"I'm sorry," is all he can muster. He hugs her back. "I'm sorry. I wish there was more time."

Nikal grabs onto Aleissia and Avrel and they huddle over Alexandria. 

As the crystals close in, they shut their eyes and hold on tight. They had only half a minute left. Everything had only half a minute left.

The crystals begin grabbing hold of them. Three seconds left. Two. One. 

Zero.

The four of them, encased forever, remain motionless.

Vitrified in the catacombs of time.

~~~

But through all, Aleissia's voice carries.

"Goodbye."