The last ones left

TW: mention of suicide

“Look what you’ve done,” Reiya shouts through the growing fire. I look around us. Everything I love, everything I know - it will be gone in a few minutes. The war between good and evil will be finished for good, with nobody left to tell the tale. And there is only one person to blame… her. 

 

“What I have done?” I laugh slightly in disbelief. My body aches from the fight, multiple bruises form along my arms and I can feel blood running down my left leg. This is all but funny but I can‘t think of what else to do in a hopeless situation like this. “This is all your fault! If you weren‘t an insane maniac I wouldn‘t be fighting you, this never would have happened!”

 

“Oh please, you’re the one with this sick idea of a revenge plan. Only because Chris died- “

 

„Don‘t you dare bring them into this!” I scream as I attack her once more. Our swords clang together as she defends my attack. She tries to push me away but I won’t let her. I shouldn’t have energy left, but my anger fuels it anew. I get closer and closer and she almost gives in as another explosion occurs next to us. It sends us both backwards but I won’t stop. How dare she talk about them, the person that meant so much to me, the person she killed.

 

We both get back up quickly, ready to attack again. Both of us are fuming with rage for the other. 

 

“-only because they died,” she continues, “doesn‘t mean innocent civilians had to! But you didn‘t care about them, did you?” She comes at me this time but I block her attack quickly. “Of course you don’t, you’re the villain after all. You never cared about these people, you only care about getting revenge on someone who is already dead! You‘re the most selfish person I have ever come across!”

 

„What are you even talking about? Me? The villain? You’re really trying to blame the other now that everything is gone? You are so pathetic! You started this when you became the villain by killing Chris!” Water starts collecting in my eyes but I don‘t let myself cry, not in front of her.

 

“Chris was my friend, Ifera!” Reiya‘s expression falls and I can see sadness reflecting in her eye. “I would never hurt them, what are you talking about?! Chris killed themselves!”

 

I feel as though someone had ripped my heart out. A wave of sadness and confusion follows, but disapears quickly as my anger returns. “WHAT? How dare you- Umeldo brought them in saying it was you! That you started the war shown in the prophecy, that you left us, that you switched sides!“ 

 

“Umeldo did- no. He told me you went insane. Chris‘ suicide made you irrational with anger. Ifera, he told me…”

 

Reiya goes silent and all colour has left her. She lets go of her sword and it falls clattering to the ground. 

 

“Reiya?” I scream through another explosion a few meters away. “What did he tell you?”

 

“He… he told me… that you started the war. He was supporting me through it all! Loosing Chris, loosing you…” She falls onto her knees. “He lied to me, he lied to you, he is the one who started this! He turned us against each other…” Her eyes widen. “On second thought… Maybe Chris didn‘t kill themselves.” She looks up at me once more.

 

“So you admit it? You killed them!” I am angrier than I ever was in my life.

 

“No Ifera, don‘t you see? It was him! It was Umeldo!”

 

My eyes widen in surprise. It can‘t be… not him, not my mentor, my best friend!

 

“No, you‘re lying!“ I yield my sword and slowly creep closer. “Umeldo told me you would try and manipulate me, it will not work. You did all this because… because you‘re just pure evil!” I stutter as I try to gather my thoughts that are running wild in my mind.

 

“Ifera, think about it. I would never betray you like that, I would never betray Chris!” Reiya looks at me and her eyes aren‘t filled with resentment that I usually see when fighting her. Instead it is filled with longingness. “Don‘t you see who the real villain is? It‘s not me, it‘s not you, it‘s-”

 

“Umeldo,” I whisper, realising the truth. My sword drops just like hers did. All this time I have been fighting the wrong person. And to top it of this person was the one I used to love the most, the person I would have sacrificed the world for. “Reiya?”

 

She stands up again, walking towards me. I do the same until she is only a few inches away from me.

 

“It doesn’t matter who the real villain is. Look around,” I gesture to the flaming destruction around us. The skyscapers that were once so tall and bright are destroyed and covering the ground. The blue sky is covered by black clouds of smoke and there is no sign of life except ours. And even though I see this for the first time it feels familiar. Of course!

 

“It‘s too late. We both lost. The prophecy was right, the earth has been destroyed through the villain,” I cry out and turn my head. Tears start running down my face and I let them. I don‘t need to hide from her. Never again.

 

“Ifera, look at me,” she says and touches my cheek with one hand. “It will be alright. I’m sorry for all this. But I have to say this because I will never get the chance again.”

 

“No, Reiya no, it can‘t end like this! It can't…”

 

“But Ifera…” she smiles sadly, the smoke causing her voice to sound hoarse. “It already has.” And with that the fire has almost reaches us - the last people alive. “I love you Ifera. I always have and I always will. I should have trusted you and not Umeldo. I should’ve known something was wrong when he said you turned. I’m sorry for not believing in you,” she coughs.

 

“I love you too Reiya. And I‘m sorry,” I choke out. The smoke makes it hard to speak but have to say this, I need her to hear this. “I never wanted to fight you. I never wanted to abandon you. Every time I fought you it hurt so much because deep down these feelings have never truly left.”

 

Reiya puts her forehead against mine and we close our eyes. For a few seconds I feel peace and peace only. I don‘t feel the heat of the fire or the pain running through my body. I don‘t hear the explosions and crashing of buildings. That is until I cannot control my sore throat and the coughing that it causes. 

 

“Ifera!” Reiya shouts as my legs give in and I slowly fall to the floor. “No no no, please, stand up. I can‘t lose you again!” Her voice gets more quiet by the second. The heat of the fire, the smoke burning in my lungs, my tearing eyes…

 

“Reiya…” I whisper faintly. I feel weak; I want to move, I want to stand up but my body won‘t allow it. All I can do is watch Reiya‘s face getting blurrier and blurrier until darkness surrounds me.