"I don't understand it. Why are you holding me here, Melina? I need an answer from that bastard!" Wren shouted and struggled as the chains of shadows around his body tightened.
Melina released Wren from the binds of shadows and then sat on her bed. She had dragged him to her resting area before he could cause any more trouble.
She patted on her side, signalling him to sit beside her. Although he felt this was unreasonable, the look in her vermillion eyes made him feel forced. Without uttering a word, he sat beside her.
Melina stared at him for a few moments and then sighed.
"I can't really describe what pain you are feeling, and how much worse it is for you. All I can do is be with you; words will not heal those wounds. I am furious, too, but we are on the edge of a war, Wren.
I had known this before you, and the rage that is burning my heart, I have contained it, because I know words or curses at others won't do anything to satiate this flame. Only the death of my enemy can bring true meaning to her sacrifice.
Calm yourself down, don't drag yourself into the pit of rage. Sorrow and sadness will only destroy the meaning of her sacrifice."
Her words had a slow yet clarifying effect on him. It wasn't easy for him to control his emotions, but within moments, he was able to calm his mind and heart.
Melina felt the change in him and gave him a soft smile. Wren just looked at her before he spoke.
"I wish to meet Baldur."
***
In a dimly lit room, the only source of light was a single candle on the table. A man lay beside the candle, his burly body wrapped in bandages and surrounded by empty bottles of liquor.
He had lost all the vigour and fierceness that he possessed. The man felt defeated because of the loss of his cohort member.
She was annoying, and her way of talking and behaviour, all of it, he hated. But now, all that was left of her was just these memories. She didn't deserve a death like this.
Her dream was to create an orphanage, a world for those children like her past self, a hope for them to live through. But now, it was all futile.
He didn't want to remember her death, a death that even defiled her dignity as a woman, a death so vile and painful.
He cursed that mad shadowspawn; he wanted to rip him apart, but he was weak, so weak...and hopeless.
Baldur felt miserable.
'I am sorry, I am sorry, I am sorry....'
Vows of apologies kept ringing in his mind like an endless chant until someone broke that rhythm by opening the door of his room.
He peered through the tangled veil of his long, dishevelled hair as a figure entered the room. The newcomer had striking white hair and violet eyes.
He was clad in a mystical grey robe, layered over a deep, jet-black under-robe, accented with stark dark trims that created a sharp, structured silhouette. Long crimson ribbons cascaded from his shoulders and waist, trailing elegantly behind him and cutting through the dim light of the room with vibrant colour.
Two polished metallic guards rested on his shoulders, glinting faintly in the candlelight, while matching metallic wrist guards adorned his forearms, lending an air of subtle yet menacing armour to his ethereal outfit. The robe was cinched tightly at his waist before pooling gracefully around his boots with each effortless step he took.
Baldur recognised the figure; how could he not?
Wren looked down at the man. He couldn't bring himself to show an expression of pity or sorrow; he remained entirely calm, keeping his emotions under strict control. Words can't heal a man who has lost his will; only a goal can.
He walked forward and placed a hand on Baldur's shoulder.
Baldur looked up at the young man, his voice stripped of its usual boisterous tone:
"What are you here for?" It sounded like the last spite of a dead man.
Wren remained silent for a few moments before he spoke.
"A selfish request."
The words hung heavily in the silence of the room. When he spoke again, his voice was steady, carrying the weight of an absolute promise.
"Withdraw from the war and go to the War Empire. There, please fulfil this wish of mine—open an orphanage under her name. I want my friend to remain immortal, even after her death."
Baldur looked at him with an expression of slight shock, but then he gave him a toothy grin before tying his messy hair in its usual state.
Few tears flowed from his eyes, but he kept a small smile on his face. He stood up and put his large hand around Wren's shoulder guard.
"Kill that bastard."
Wren merely chuckled at his words.
***
Melina and Wren stood side by side on the balcony of one of the tower's highest floors, positioned just among the misty clouds. They were looking at the world below them: troops and armies, lodging equipment and supplies; it was the visage of war.
Melina looked at the clouds, her expression quiet and unexplainable.
"I never had the chance to have a family. My father was in a war during my birth, and his death had only brought grief to my mother, who passed away a few days after his death." Her voice felt distant, the longing in her eyes palpable.
Wren looked at her, and then he asked:
"Do you resent them?"
Melina chuckled softly at his question.
"Resent? Of course, I did. They left me in this world to survive on my own, but that was in the past; now, it doesn't even matter to me. Though I did wish to have a sibling, that is just a mere desire."
Wren hummed in response.
"You know, I have spent nine years with a person who is very much similar to you, but her situation is polar opposite to yours. She has a family, yet her father never treated her like his own child, but as a sword, used whenever needed.
Her mother died right after her birth. And her older brother, I would say, is very vile and different from what a person calls a human.
When I first met her, she was filled with hatred and bloodlust against her own brother, whom she had even spent more than a year with." He paused and gazed at the clouds; the misty formations were parting slightly, allowing rays of light to stream down from the radiant sun.
Melina looked at the streams of the bright sunlight; it was indeed a beautiful sight; however, she was more interested in this story of "her".
"So what happened next? Did she kill her brother? Or something entirely different happened?" She asked, curiosity sparking in her eyes.
Wren chuckled.
"Him, I can't imagine that man dying; he is sealed by sorcery. Although I don't know for how long, something different happened, and it all began the day I met her." He looked at Melina and smirked slightly.
"I guess it was my influence, maybe it is indeed. That woman has long forgotten her hatred for her brother, and I would say she is looking forward to their fated meeting. She has shown defiance at the words of her father, though she had to do it later on; he is a man of calibre, and she is very petty to lose her riches.
I am pretty sure the two of you will like each other. I mean, petty people attract petty people, after all."
Although the story was quite interesting to hear, she didn't really like the woman as much as the last few words he had spoken from his foul mouth.
A dangerous smile flashed on her face, making Wren take a few steps back. But then, a large sound of a horn honking throughout the raven fortress was heard.
It meant one thing.
Departure for the war.
Melina and Wren looked at each other for one last time, though only one had something to say before going to the war. However, the other, who looked calm and cool, wasn't feeling the same thing.
Wren gave her a small, yet sad smile.
"I guess I will go first." As he said that, the young man jumped from the balcony and fell towards the ground, but before he could plummet to his own death, a massive winged shadow came and took him with it.
A mighty winged creature, a noble beast known as a dragon, with its jagged black scales that absorbed the sunlight, carried Wren towards the battlefield with pure dominance.
Melina watched as their figures grew smaller and couldn't help but think.
'I wish I could have been that woman.'
She had noticed his expression, but chose to forget it. Shadows wrapped around her before her figure dissolved in them, she muttered.
"You always have a cool way to leave, for this battle...from me and from...this nightmare...your nightmare."