Kira stared at Baba Razz dumbfounded.
She decided to wait a bit, thinking, “Maybe that’s not the end.” But when he didn’t continue and stared back at her, she sat up straight and asked. “Don’t tell me… that’s the end?”
“Yes. The end,” Baba Razz answered casually. “Do you mind getting me another glass of water?” He added.
“I do… very much mind,” Kira responded, her eyes still wide from how dumbfounded she was. “You are not getting any water with that ending of yours. Lilith could not have possibly died like that.”
“Well, she did. She died. Just like that,” he said, knowing fully well it didn’t sit well with her. “I said I would try to make it a happy ending, but we don’t always get what we want now, do we?”
“I guess we don’t,” Kira answered after some minutes of letting his words sink in, his words reminding her of her own situation. “But still, if there is a chance for a happy ending, we should take it.”
“We should,” Baba Razz agreed. “Now, do I get that glass of water?” He asked again politely with a wide smile.
Kira gave him a glare, but then smiled back and got up. “This doesn’t change the fact that I don’t like the ending.”
“You don’t have to,” he said, but then immediately pressed his lips together, pretending to be distracted and looking around when she turned.
“Better,” she muttered, and continued on her way to get the jug of water. “And for the record, Baba Razz,” she said over her shoulder. “I am not bullying you.”
“Of course. You are not,” he agreed sarcastically with a laugh as she returned with the jug and poured some water for him in his empty glass.
After drinking the water, she returned their glasses and the jug, then came back out to the living room.
“Do you want to take a walk?” She asked him, her tone calm and soft. “I can also talk to you about what I wanted to tell you while we walk.”
“Sure,” Baba Razz agreed almost immediately and got up. “Let’s go. I do need to exercise more often.”
“I literally have no words for you,” Kira said to him and shook her head, leading the way. “Let’s go.”
They both stopped for a moment and took a deep breath when they stepped outside, enjoying the refreshing breeze that welcomed them.
“Mmm, exactly what is needed,” Baba Razz exhaled happily.
“Agreed,” Kira chirped in, and soon they started taking their little walk in the woods.
It was quiet as usual, the only sound being their footsteps, which from time to time crunched over dry leaves.
“So… about what I wanted to tell you,” Kira started, not wanting to waste any more time. “My mates and I-well, they are not my mates anymore because of an issue. We had to sever our bond.”
“I see,” Baba Razz said, nodding.
“So, the issue…” Kira continued. “Is that, they are-”
But before she could finish her sentence, a sharp whistling sound cut through the air.
Baba Razz’s body stiffened, and his eyes widened in shock the moment the arrow struck his neck.
A choking sound escaped his lips, and blood started gushing from his throat, spilling down on his shirt.
His hands shot up, and he tried to press against the wound, trying to stop the bleeding, but it was useless. His blood just kept gushing out and seeping between his fingers.
At first, Kira didn’t notice or react. She was too focused and lost in what she was explaining that she didn’t even notice that he had stopped walking with her.
It all happened so fast, and when she finally noticed that he wasn’t beside her, she turned. “Baba Razz, wher-” she was going to ask, but the words disappeared when she saw the scene in front of her.
Then-
He staggered.
Kira’s heart stopped for a second before it started beating again, and she shouted, “Baba Razz!” running forward as his knees gave out.
She caught him just in time before he hit the ground, her hands immediately pressing against his neck to stop the bleeding. The arrow was still there, but she dared not take it out; instead, she pressed harder, but the blood still kept flowing, warm and sticky against her fingers.
“Hold on! Don’t you dare-” she warned him, her voice cracking as panic filled her chest. “I’ll call for help, just… just hold on, please!”
“Baba Razz, please!” She cried out, her vision already blurry as she watched a wet cough escape his parted lips, blood bubbling at the corner of his mouth, and it scared her with how his breathing became ragged and shallow. “Stay with me.”
Then-
Another arrow came flying.
This time around it was aimed at her, and pain exploded in her chest as it hit her.
She gasped sharply, her body jerking from the impact. Yet, even with the pain from being hit, she refused to remove her hand from Baba Razz’s throat.
Wondering who was shooting arrows at them, Kira looked up, pain and disbelief written in her eyes.
And that was when she saw them…
Three men, dressed in black, approaching.
Their faces were covered, and so she could not make out who they were, but she noticed that one of them, who was holding a bow, was already preparing another shot.
“What do you want?” she spat, her voice shaky but filled with anger. “Stop! Just tell me, what do you want?”
But no answer; just another arrow struck at her shoulder.
Kira hissed in pain, and her other fingers, which were not on Baba Razz’s wound, curled into a fist.
“STOP!”
They didn’t.
Instead, a third arrow hit her from behind, making her body lurch forward.
Kira’s vision became hazy from the pain, her mind screaming.
“Stop,” she whispered, her voice breaking.
But they kept coming.
Another arrow.
Then another, as if they were trying to torment her since she didn’t go down on the first hit.
With all that happening, a wave of frustration, pain, and pure rage started building inside her.
All the emotions she had buried, all the pain she had endured, how she tried to remain sane even when her insides felt like it was about to explode…
Everything came crashing down at once.
Her eyes burned.
Her fingers clenched.
And then-
She screamed.
“I SAID, STOP!”
A shockwave exploded from her body immediately, causing the ground to tremble. Dust and debris swirled around her, forming a strong force of magic.
The power from her didn’t even give any of the men who surrounded her a chance to react as it hit them hard, sending their bodies blown back.
They slammed into the trees with a force that snapped their bones on impact. Some of them didn’t even need to slam into anything for their bones to snap; their heads lolled.
Lifeless.
Dead.
Silence.