The Last Beacon

XLVII

When Sascha locked eyes with Laurenz, the tension in the room skyrocketed.

"Sascha, there you are," he breathed, sighing in relief.

Sascha took a step back, confusion clouding her judgement. She shook her head, whispering nonsense, trying to understand what she was seeing.

It can't be him. I killed him, it's not true. Surely, it's the spirits playing a trick on me. He's not here.

"Sascha," Laurenz started, but Sascha cut him off.

"No, you're not here. You're not real," she said, trying to reassure herself.

"I know it might be hard to understand, but this isn't what you think. I'm alive, Sascha. I really need to talk to you," he said.

Sascha shook her head frantically, "no, I killed you. You're dead."

"You killed me, yes, but I was brought back. I was brought back to help you. We've stuck through this journey together, so there's no point stopping now. Please, let me explain everything to you, and damn it, let me help you."

At first, Sascha didn't know what to think. Seeing Laurenz alive after watching him die was both confusing and overwhelming. She could vividly remember feeling his heart stop, and watching the life drain from his face. To see him again, though, standing, walking, and perfectly healthy, it evoked an emotion within her that she couldn't contain.

"You're really alive," she breathed, her chest tightening, trying to understand it for herself.

Laurenz nodded, moving away from the door frame and softly closing the door behind him.

"How?" She asked.

"Decius, he... had a change of heart. He brought me back," he responded, calmly.

"You mean you're working with him now?" Sascha spluttered, narrowing her eyes.

"Sascha, give it a chance. I'm not against you in any way, and neither is he. Everyone that knows you is rooting for you. We all want the best for you, I want to help you. Believe it or not, he actually apologised to me for what he's done. We've all made mistakes, and no matter what, I want you to know that I forgive you for yours. What you've done is gone now, it's in the past, and I want us to move on. If you don't think you'll ever be willing to trust Decius, at least trust me. You know me, Sascha. I really want to help you," Laurenz pleaded.

"I don't know," Sascha started, "it's a lot to take in. Right now, I'm just relieved that you're not gone."

"That makes two of us," Laurenz said, attempting a joke.

Sascha did not respond. Instead, she sighed softly.

"What are you doing here, Sascha?" Laurenz asked, his tone quieter and more caring, "you deserve to be out there in the world, not stuck in this tiny nothing town."

"I've seen enough of the wider world to know I don't want to be a part of it. There's so many things out there that make me realise how much better it is to stay at home," Sascha replied.

"What about all of the good things out there? You can't say there's no good in the world, because you know there is. There's so much you haven't explored, and there's so much left for you to be a part of. Even though it feels like you've been dealt a bad hand, you can still go out there with optimism and a positive outlook. The world is wide, and it's waiting for you to be out there in it. So why would you hide from it?"

"I'm not hiding from it, I'm keeping the people out there safe. We all know what I'm capable of now, and it's only a matter of time before I hurt somebody else," Sascha retorted, as if it were obvious.