Today is the day Delyth and Tiarnan are supposed to get married and anguish is an understatement to how she feels. The letters never stop. In fact, she has an entire desk full of them. Half of them she has already read through.

She thought she had no one until Jothan burst into her room immediately after she let out a gut-wrenching scream.

"Delyth." His face contorted in one that reflects her pain.

"Goat." He chuckled and shook his head, finding it remarkable that even during a time like this she manages to be snarky with him. While the duvet is covered over her distressed body, he takes cautious steps toward the bed then stops when he reaches to the side.

"Would you be comfortable if I joined you and offered solace?" She took the time to think about her answer before nodding, realizing that he is the best person to help her at this moment, given he was recently in the same situation.

He climbed into the bed but laid on top of the duvet and carefully wrapped his arms around her in a comforting hug while she broke down in tears in his arms. He brushed her hair with his flat palm, trying to soothe her as she released all the agony she felt.

"It's going to be okay," He whispered in her ear with his head resting on top of her head.

She shook her head and sniffled before lifting her head to look at him. "No, it won't. I just want him back. How did you recuperate from Cybil's death?"

"I didn't. I still haven't. I'm simply trying to go each day with her close to my heart knowing that she's looking down at me, smiling." Delyth inhaled sharply and hiccuped.

"I don't know if I can–" She began crying again and he held her tighter and continued petting her hair. When she finally fell asleep, he stayed for a little while longer until he snuggled her in the bed and left quietly. He received a message that Silas wanted to have a word with him but he'll be damned if he listened to a single word he had to say after he murdered his wife and the fiance of the woman he claimed to fancy.

He really wishes that Delyth made his death a slow one, making him feel every pain he caused. He also hopes he gets to see him begging for his life.

Jothan couldn't bear to pass her room another day, knowing she's sulking and not taking care of herself. So, he forces her out of the room and to the side of Lardel Castle near a cliff, opposite to the one Kalodor sits on.

She lifts her chin and closes her eyes as she welcomes the coolness of the wind hitting her face and the warmth of the sun touching her skin. It has been a while since she felt this and she almost regrets wallowing in her room for days on end.

"The light suits you. It looks less depressing than when you were stuck in your dark room like a bat." She punches him in the arm and laughs. It feels strange having not laughed in so long but it is so refreshing.

The smile pauses on her mouth as she thinks about how much Tiarnan would've loved to see her smile. She remembers it being one of his favorite features about her.

She inhales deeply and glances around at Varusa's landscape. Its nature contradicts the sins of its King. It seems even man has no control over Mother Earth no matter how powerful he is. The colors splattered all over the nation are extraordinary. The purple, pink and white petunias mixed together in two acres of land with low shrubs around them. The children run in another field of tall grass while butterflies rise from behind and around them. Her eyes move to where she sees two pastures of sheep and cow merrily chewing on the bounteous field. Not too far beyond, there is smoke coming from the chimney of a house.

He pats her back and returns inside while she soaks up the stimulating atmosphere and view. Not too long after, she hears footsteps and assumes it is Jothan back with food to force feed. When she looks over her shoulder to tell him that she will eat later, she recoils when she makes notice of who the person actually is.

Silas Casteron.

"You have some gall coming anywhere near me. Do everyone a favor and drop dead." His face falls for a millisecond before he offers a small smile.

"How are you?" He asks and stands beside her, looking at the terrain. She turns her head and looks at his side profile, not believing the audacity he has to ask her such a question knowing what he did.

"You must be so pleased with yourself. I wonder what your parents must think. Presumably rolling in their graves." She ponders aloud, attempting to emerge some guilt from him, assuming he had a good relationship with them, given he hasn't spoken anything—not even a bad word against them.

She spins and faces him, vexed. "Why are you this way? I can't fathom what could've happened to make you..." She gestures her hands down the length of his body with widened eyes. "This diabolical."

He chuckles dryly and takes a quick peek at her, a smirk playing on the corner of his lips and lifts his chin to view the sky. "You are looking for a sob story to excuse my behavior. Sorry to disappoint but there is none. I am that cruel. If I want something, I take it. Even if someone gets hurt in the process. And that's what I did. I eliminated my obstacles to get what I wanted."

Delyth's nose flares and kicks a pebble off the cliff. "Good for you. You did what you wanted to accomplish something. I don't know what it is but I really hope you're proud of yourself." She makes no effort to hide the sarcasm dripping in her voice.

"Not quite."

Delyth rolls her eyes. "And what else could you have possibly not attained?"

"Pulchra." He looks at her while she maintains her focus on Varusa's magnificence. His hand twitches at his side, fighting the urge to reach out and touch her skin knowing he has no right to.

He inhales and gives her a strong shove off the cliff. His ears ache when she lets out a surprised scream. As she falls backwards and her arms reach out, hoping to grab onto anything, she stares up at Silas's blank while he watches her fall.

A single tear rolls out of his eye. "I'm sorry, but you made me feel too much."

She watches as he turns on his heel and walks away, not giving a damn about what he did. She should've known but she was so weakened by Tiarnan's death that she let her guard down. She looks to her left and right and all she sees are the spirits of her victims in Esadom and Naelund laughing at her demise.

She closes her eyes and shakes her head, not believing that this is how her story ends. When she reopens her eyes, she gasps upon seeing Tiarnan in front of her, tucking her hair behind her ear and his usual smile on his face.

"It's okay. We deserve to be together. To hell with Silas. At least you tried, my golden dream. I'm proud of you."

She looks to the other side of her and sees her parents smiling at her. "It's okay, my Little Odessa. We love you." She exhales and cries softly. She closes her eyes, she tightly clasps her necklaces with her family's necklace and her engagement ring in her palm and welcomes her prolonged death.

They were right. This is her end. The end of the Reaper's Voyage.

THE END

or is it...

03/08/22

Au revoir...

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