The Bird and the Garden 2: Restart!

Chapter 45: Salem, Part One

Y/N's feet slammed against the floors of the empty castle, his breathing heavy as he ran. He was almost there. All he needed to do was find Salem. And given its ego, he was willing to bet it was high above, in the tower that held the throne room. He growled, smashing his fingers against the elevator button. But it didn't light up. When fighting Iris, they must've rendered the elevators inoperable. Hell, the lights above were flickering, threatening to go out. He sighed, knowing he'd have to take the stairs.

But when he rounded the corner, he saw the last sight he ever wanted to see. Weiss was crawling in the floor, coughing and whimpering. Y/N felt his world breaking again, just like it had when Vao, Verde, and Summer died. Except this time, it was even more painful.

"W-Weiss!"

His shriek made her stop. He ran to her, dropping his weapon and falling to the ground. Her shaky hands held onto his shoulders, the heiress pulling herself onto him. Y/N could already see it. She was bleeding. From her eyes ran the thin red rivers, from her lips, and from her nose. She looked up at him, those light blue eyes stained red.

"A-augh... Ohh..."

She was trying to speak to him, he realized. She couldn't talk right. Her lips moved in weird ways, her tongue practically useless in her mouth. He pulled her close, the lump in his throat swelling. He was fighting back tears, and failing. "W-Weiss... N-not... N-not you..."

Weiss looked up at him, her unintelligible speech faltering. Her eyes began to water. She couldn't tell him. She couldn't tell him to stop this madness, that Salem was an uncontrollable monster. She couldn't reveal Salem's secret. A small whimper escaped from the depths of her lungs, her grip tightening around him. She didn't want to let him go.

Y/N hiccupped, pressing his face deep into the crook of her neck. Weiss was the last person he wanted injured. But he failed again. He remembered the moment he let her go to the castle just a few hours ago. He had thought she would be okay. And now the reality was sinking in of just how horribly wrong he was. And now because he didn't stop her, she was almost a vegetable.

"W-Weiss... I-I..." Y/N's breathing hitched, the tears finally falling freely. "I-I'm so... S-so-sorry..."

Weiss shook her head lightly, the blood that dripped from her tear ducts mixing with her tears. "A-awau... Yo..."

It was his fault again. That was what Y/N kept repeating to himself. Just like with Vao and Verde. If he had told Vao that Verde was okay, he'd still be here. If he had been more wary about what Verde was doing, he'd never have had to kill her. If he had been a better friend, they'd be at his side, fighting this war. For the first time since their training, Y/N felt like giving up. To take Weiss out of here, to ensure her survival. But when he thought of the thing that caused this, caused their misery, he felt that fire burning in his chest. He gently pulled Weiss towards the wall, leaning her against it.

"S-stay here, Weiss... I'm g-going to fi-finish this," he whispered softly. The moment he tried to move away, Weiss let out a cry of despair, collapsing to the ground. Her fingers wrapped around his ankle, stopping him in his tracks.

"N-nauw... Nauw..." She whimpered. "D-don... Don gao...."

Y/N averted his gaze. He couldn't even look at her. He couldn't bear to see her like this. He tugged his ankle away, bringing a hand to his face to wipe at his eyes. "I-I'll... B-be back-"

Click.

He turned. Weiss had grabbed onto his sheath, tugging at it helplessly. He bit his lip, kneeling down in front of her. He took Weiss into his arms again, trying his best to give her a smile. But it was small and weak. "... I'll b-be back... I promise you th-that..."