CRIMSON ROTH

Chapter 14 - Dagger

Sacrifice.

This word kept ringing in Crimson and Jake's head, as they were teleported back up. They didn't feel the piercing cold winds attacking then through their jackets, they just couldn't believe that word.

Sacrifice.

After everything they had done together, forming such a strong bond, that was the end. After all that adventure trapped in a single day, it was the end. A sacrifice. One of them had to die, for the sake of everyone else in the universe's.

But they weren't ready to let go.

Crimson was consumed in her thoughts. She didn't want Jake to die. Jake's life was still too troubled for him to be happy to die. No, she would sacrifice herself. So he could live life again and have happy memories before he went. For the sake of him and everyone else, she would be the sacrifice.

"I'll do it," Crimson suddenly announced, her voice only slightly wavering. It was a great feat, as she still carried great guilt in her. She hadn't even explained anything to her parents. And poor Otis, probably worrying about her as he wondered where his big sister went.

"No!" Jake responded sharply, eyes wide. "I'll do it. You still need to meet your family. To tell them what's going on." Crimson's eyes widened in surprise. How did he know what she was thinking? It was like he had read her mind.

Crimson felt her eyes go slightly wet as she the words tumbled out of her mouth. "No Jake!" she responded, almost wailing. "You still have so much to do. Go on a vacation at the beach, play with friends, eat IceShave, the best ice cream in the universe and more! You can't die now. You still have so much to do."

"You have a dream!" Jake responded sharply, his nose turning red at the thought of Crimson dying. "You want to be an aviatrix remember? You've waited all your life. That's the reason you're here, wasn't it!? You wanted to fly..." His voice broke at the end.

Crimson paused, a tear rolling down her cheek before being blown in the wind. She didn't want to die, but she didn't want Jake to die. "No Jake...." she whispered, shaking her head as she looked down. "No. You matter more to me."

The two stood there for a few more heartbeats, looking away from each other. Their hearts were broken from even the thought of a sacrifice. They couldn't bear to watch the other die. "Let's go and get the dagger," Jake finally spoke, his voice a little bit stuffy. "We need it don't we?" Crimson, relieved to find something else to focus on, nodded.

Jake shifted his hands, which he had turned back into human when they were walking down the staircase, back into claws. He leapt down and dug the claws into the side of the clock. Crimson could only clumsily climb off of the ledge, almost slipping because of that.

The two focused their minds in climbing down, trying not to think of anything else. Luckily, or unluckily really, the way down was harder. They had to use all of their brainpower not to slip and fall, tumbling down the high monument and ending up as paste.

Crimson suddenly stumbled, but managed to lodge her hand back into a different crack. Jake looked up, worried, but Crimson reassured him. The tension between the two was weird. They were uncomfortable around each other, their mind somehow not able to pry away from the action they had to do later on. But they were still friends, and cared deeply for each other.

"I can fly as down," Jake offered, holding a clawed hand out. Crimson hesitated but ended up shaking her head. Sure, her hands felt like they were bleeding from gripping the stones for so long but she didn't want Jake to exert himself by shifting into a dragon.

"I'm fine," Crimson replied, her voice raspy. She was surprised herself when she heard her voice, the deep scraping sound piercing the silence.

Jake didn't want Crimson to keep climbing down. He could sense that this was taxing on human body. However, he also didn't want Crimson to worry anymore so he had to comply with her wishes.