Second Heartbeat

Tragedy

A/N: Second to last chapter~♥ Noctis-centric

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It's almost impossible to comprehend just how quickly the tables can turn, leaving previously unsuspecting and carefree individuals trapped between a rock and a hard place, nothing but their own destruction lying ahead of them.

Such a fate has befallen four such people.

One lost the battle, his body slumped in the snow and hidden behind a shed.

Two lost the battle, but not the war. Their quickly cooling bodies are collapsed in the snow, just waiting to reanimate back with life.

And one is struggling for a chance, a tiny sliver of hope, as she fights against her attacker, her own fiancé.

Kadaj drags you through the snow, your strength nothing compared to his. His arms are practically crushing your chest as he all but carries you along beside him. Your breath is coming out in haggard pants, gasping for air as your lungs are tightly squeezed by your ribcage.

"You're wasting what little strength you have," you fiancé whispers in your ear, brushing aside strands of your hair. "Just a few more minutes, dear, and you can join your beloved brother in death."

Your lungs fill with delicious air as the iron grip on your body is suddenly released, his arms slowly sliding down your side. You barely notice, however; it feels like your heart has been hit with a sledgehammer.

"Hayner...?" you murmur, turning around to face Kadaj with widened eyes.

"He didn't even see it coming."

Slowly, you start to shake your head as a hand rests on your chest. Your heart is racing and your throat is burning uncomfortably. No. No, no, no. There's absolutely no way your brother, the only family member to not betray you, is gone.

"Don't believe me? See for yourself."

Kadaj reaches a hand out, grabbing you around the neck. You're tossed forward with the strength of ten men, colliding with the wall of the wooden shed a few feet away. You fall to the snow with a pained groan, grabbing your now-sore head as you sit up on your knees. Your eyes immediately begin to pulsate, and your mouth trembles.

"What..." you murmur, picking up your hands.

Bright red blood is dripping from the tips of your white gloves, and your fingers are completely drenched. The hunger grows in your stomach as you glance at the ground; the snow is stained with blood. You follow the puddle with your gaze, a sob escaping your mouth as your eyes land on a figure slumped against the shed, hidden in the shadows.

"No," you whisper as you crawl forward, ignoring the painful feeling in your eyes and your mouth as you reach out for the figure.

Gently, you rest a hand out to outline his jaw, and the man's head falls forward at the action. You start to gag, the smell of blood filling your nostrils as your eyes land on your brother's lifeless face. His eyes are wide open, completely unresponsive.

"I wasn't lying," Kadaj speaks up from behind you as you sit before your brother. "It was a necessary sacrifice. 'As the last in a Hunter's bloodline falls, true power will be at your call'," he recites.

Your head is dropped as you fight back tears, Kadaj's words falling on deaf ears.

"I am... so sorry," you murmur, resting your head on your brother's chest, desperately listening for a pulse.

You're greeted by nothing but silence.

A lone tear falls on his hand, before you're suddenly torn away from Hayner as your hair is roughly grabbed. You reach out for him as you're dragged to your feet, your head forced backwards as your fiancé glares down at you. A knife is raised to your neck, but his narrowed eyes quickly widen.