Knowing The End (SAA Book 2) ✔

27: Departure

Clayton looked at Oren with owl-wide eyes.

It was evident that Oren was trying to hold back the sobs that silently racked his body. He gripped tightly onto Clayton's arm, fingers trembling. "I'll have to go forever."

"Oren, I... You have to be lying, I-I can't function without you- You can't do this to me, please say you're joking, please," the human begged as his voice wobbled. Something inside him had shattered, and there was absolutely no way of hiding the dread and panic that leaked through his eyes and voice.

"I know you're strong enough to get over this. You've gotten over deaths before, so why is mine so different? A few years from now, you'll be raising Hunter with another person-"

"I'd never." Clayton's eyebrows sank with the weight of anger. He ran his hand along Oren's bicep, looking right through the elf's soul. "Don't ever think I could replace you."

The next few minutes consisted of little apologies and shaky cries. The two seemed inseparable, as neither willed themselves to let go. Euthenia took a step forward.

"I believe it is time that Oakley meets his fate. I assure you it will be peaceful and quick. He will not feel a thing." She gave Clayton a little smile, and rubbed his shoulder. He shook her hand off instantly, giving her a cold, silent stare.

"This is your fault." he hissed. She turned ignorantly and gently ushered Oren away.

The elf looked back.

It could all be a messed up dream. Oren would wake up, next to Clayton, who had a terrible bed-head as he snored lightly. The morning sunlight would pour in through their side window, and Xenia would hop onto the bed to wake them up. Oren would fetch Hunter and they'd all have breakfast... Together, as a family.

That's what he tried to tell himself as he walked further from his fiance. He was sentenced to death. That would be the last time he saw Clayton. He began to cry just thinking about it.

"Wait!"

Oren whirled around instantly, just as his vision began to flicker in and out, he saw Clayton dashing towards him, arm extended. He felt a hand grip around his forearm and it was sooner than later that they were back in blacksmith haven.

Clayton stumbled forward, bumping into Oren as he tried to steady himself. Euthenia turned to the human, grimacing.

"W-Wait, Oren, Oren--" he was panicking, trying to get anything out of his mouth to urge the other to stay. He wanted to say so many things, list out his racing thoughts, but nothing came to the surface.

"Oren please-" he sobbed, "-don't leave, please don't leave me... I'll do anything. Anything, just-" he began to cry hysterically, harder, which wasn't a pretty sight. "Please don't go.."

The elf looked back to Euthenia, watching as she stood patiently. It took a moment for him to realize something crucial. The woman had a chance of being sent to Tartarus. Maybe...

He turned back to Clayton and kissed his quivering lips, gingerly running a hand down his arm. "I couldn't leave you even if I wanted to." he whispered lowly, to which the other slackened, sighing with relief.

Clayton stepped closer, if that was even possible, and murmured, "Together then. Let's get rid of her." Oren flinched. He wasn't expecting something so morbid to fall from his mouth.

"But-"

"Consider everything she's done to us, all the things she put you through." Clayton leaned in, brushing his lips along the lobe of Oren's ear.

The elf had to pull back with a shudder, and he formed a shy smile as an apology. Now wasn't the time to get intimate, especially when there was a Goddess watching their every move.

Euthenia stepped forward, breaking the loving silence between the two men. "If you'll excuse me, I have an execution to perform." she said rather calmly, pulling Oren back by the shoulder. Clayton stepped forward briefly, yanking her hand away from his lover's shoulder.

"Don't touch him." he barked loudly, holding such a dark gaze that could pierce anyone's core. "I've made a change of plans." His eyes caught a glimpse of a dagger of... pure tungsten. At least what it seemed to be.

Clayton raised the decorative dagger, feeling the grip of dull goat leather under his calloused fingers. He observed the weapon; strange markings adorning the blade as it shined in the fiery light of the forge. It gleamed when at the right angle. The dagger dripped with versatility.

"I have something else in mind."

Euthenia cocked an eyebrow, "Don't be so egotistical." She quickly wrapped a chain of fire around her arm. The flames roared and wiggled with life, eagerly waiting for her next command. She torched the ground in front of Clayton.

He shuffled back, raising the blade as Oren fled. The elf found a recurve longbow hanging on a plaque nearby. The elegant weapon was crafted of something slick, golden and immaculate. The limbs of the bow were decorated with magical runes, etched in ancient Greek.

He quickly threw a quiver of steel arrows over his shoulder, pulling an arrow out and steadying it through the bow. He made a slightly curved shot, shooting the arrow right through a barrel on the other side of the room.

'Right. I've never used a bow before..' he thought, retrieving another arrow. Time seemed to slow and his heartbeat paused, lining up the shot with Euthenia's back, and he released. It soared from across the room, and pierced her lower back with a sickly 'thck' as it stuck.

She turned around and yanked the arrow from her flesh as Clayton attacked from behind. Oren looked down at his bow, internally celebrating his shot. It wasn't a shock that archery came naturally; he was a wood elf after all.

"You little-" her words her interrupted by a wail as Clayton swiped with the dagger, aiming for her neck but through the adrenaline, he managed to snag her shoulder. Euthenia managed to avoid Clayton and grabbed a tight hold of Oren, making him drop his bow. She held a sharp, enraged gaze.

"You think you're very clever, don't you, boy?" she murmured through clenched teeth. She lifted Oren from afar, making the elf kick and struggle against her telepathic grip. With no effort at all, she threw the man into a nearby bookcase, splintering the wood instantly.

Heavy ingots toppled from the broken shelves as Oren was barely able to avoid being crushed by them. A sharp, searing pain ran through Oren's back as he lay in the ruins of the bookshelf. He managed to use his nature powers to attack her.

'Water,' he thought, 'Water beats fire,' he opened his palm and unleashed a long, sturdy lotus vine, with which veins flooded rich water, and the petals grew little thorns and latched onto her cheeks, sucking the pure fire from her blood.

"I didn't even know I could do that," he breathed through Euthenia's strangled noises. He scrambled from the floor as Clayton approached from behind. He held the dagger up, gripping it so tight that his knuckles turned a ghostly white as Oren surrounded her in poisonous roots and bulbous herbs, injecting venomous fluid into her skin.

She conjured a large train of little embers, firing them through the chaos of leaves, roots and thorns that prodded her skin. Oren held his ground through the impact, even though he slid a few feet back.

She incinerated most of the plants and stumbled forward, Clayton's blade swinging through the air behind her. Oren stepped back but it was too late, her flame-laced nail swiped over his right eye, digging deep. In a flash, blood poured like a delayed waterfall and ran quickly over his cheeks. He stopped attacking and placed a hand to his eye, knees buckling loosely.

He fell to the floor and used his hand to stifle the blood, but it continued to flow from under his palm anyway. He was so shocked that he couldn't even make a noise, his mouth was open but not a sound erupted. An excruciating pain laced his veins, numbing his mind.

"Oren!" Clayton shrieked, dashing over to the fallen elf. Euthenia turned, firebolt in-hand as Oren lay to watch what seemed to be Clayton's last moment alive.

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