The Alchemist of Krydon

Chapter Fourteen - Vacant Streets

A long paused followed after her words. My throat contracts each time I try to speak, it was as if I knew that I might end up making things worse.

If you knew you were dying. How would you act? What would you do with the time you have left?

"...Y-you're dying..?" I say as I carefully choose my words.

She lowers her head as she shifts it from left to right. 

"...No, It's not just me, we're dying." She specifies.

Her gaze falls onto her sword as I could see her hand gently brushing against it. As it glistens in the moonlight, it reflects as I see Jang Mi's sullen expression.

"...I can't hear her anymore."

"Oh?"

"I can't hear anything from her, at all."

Tears flow down her cheeks as I was almost in pain to how vulnerable she looked. By my side wasn't a swordsman from a foreign land, or a potential enemy. But a girl at heart.

"By her, you're referring to your sword..?"

She nods slightly.

"B-but.. why?"

"...I-I can't remember most of the details..."

....

"But... When I left the village, I remember this burning sensation. There was a lot of red. The smell was revolting. There were muffled screams and coughs.."

"M-my brother!"

She looks at me dead in the eye.

"I could have saved him from her!!"

Almost as though she found her resolve to take back what's hers, a confused expression was plastered on her face soon after.

"H-her... Who's her....?" She asks herself.

With her trembling body, she muffles an inaudible, "Why..?"

"W-woah are you okay?" I immediately rise as she clenches her head and groans.

I draw closer to her as I almost reach out my arms to comfort her.

Though she slaps it away.

"Don't touch me!"

She cries out into the night as her fierce gaze struck me. I could feel the vibrations of her words as though it could cut through stone.

"I-I."

Completely dumbfounded I didn't know how to act.

As she continues to grip her head with one hand and the other on her sword, she drops onto her knees.

Endlessly she cries out in agongy as sweat drops down her brow, I could tell how much pain she was enduring. Yet I was complete powerless to help her.

.....

After moments of heart wrenching screeches that sounded like the death of many, she stops as she gasps for air.

Wanting to speak first, she cuts me off.

"S-sorry... Kiro.."

"Nono, I should be apologizing."

Perhaps reaching out to a girl, was bad form in Kiridora.

"Every time I try to think back, I just... Can't grasp what really happened."

....

She tries to lift herself up, but staggers as she almost falls to the floor. Though I quickly intercept her in reaction, in complete disreguard for what might happen to me.