Ruby Red

XXI

A glow so strong, it illuminates everything. It's coming from two sides. I come back to my senses, and when I sit up, I notice it's coming from my ring. Not just mine. Also, Kens. Both glowing. Both illuminating the environment.

Ken's head hangs low as he keeps himself upright with one hand.

Just like the darkness did before, a cloud starts to take shape. But now it's not just above Ken, it's above us. The smoke is coming out of our rings. But it's not black. It's red.

A voice hisses loudly from behind me. I turn around and see the shadower, meters away from me. The look on his face is different. He looks determined. He suddenly dashes towards us, letting out a terrifying roar. He's going to kill me. The high speed of his approach makes me throw my arms up defensively. I squeeze my eyes shut, ready to take the painful blow.

But nothing happens.

I open my eyes slowly, and peek through my fingers.

The red cloud has reached him before he could reach us. It impales him like a sword, from multiple angles. Painful screeches echo through the building as the redness intrudes his body through his eyes, his mouth and his nose. His desperate attempts at running away from it, all fail. It's eating him alive.

The last thing I remember before a strong blow throws me back and knocks me out, is a cloud of smoke dissolving into thin air. Both black, and red.

I could've been knocked out for

minutes,

hours,

days,

I don't know.

But when I wake up, I feel disoriented. I slowly open my eyes. Am I... alive? I blink a couple of times to see clearly. I'm still in the factory. The sky outside is slightly less dark than before. I lift myself up, groaning quietly at the strong ache in my head. Someone else groans too. Behind me, I hear something shuffle.

I turn around instantly, afraid of who it might be. I see him, and all my worry disappears. Ken pushes himself upright. Is he hurt? He lifts his head and looks at me.

My heart skips a beat.

I'm met with a pair of deep brown, comforting eyes. Not even a speck of black. Or red.

I tear up, an unfamiliar kind of happiness filling my heart. We both get up, never once breaking eye contact. His eyes are gentle, like those of a deer. I want to look at them, for a very long time. I tilt my head sideways slightly to look at his neck. No strikes. Just smooth, beautiful skin. I run my fingertips along it gently. He appears to be at a loss for words, and so am I.

The curse that has stolen away precious years of his life, is gone. For good. He's sure of it, and so am I. I look at our hands. The gemstones on our rings, are both identically red. Not transparent, not black. No glow. Just red. Ken pushes a strand of hair behind my ear. Behind him, I can tell the sun is starting to rise. But it doesn't matter. No sunrise beats what I'm seeing right now.

Moments of peaceful silence go by. I look at him. He looks at me. The early morning dawn shows off it's many colors in the sky. He lets out a satisfied sigh, and finally, smiles at me. I hear his voice.

I hear it loud and clearly, in my head.

I love you too.