Page 141 of Bound to the Dreadlord

She does not acknowledge me at all.

I step closer, but she does not move.

She simply exists.

Like a specter.

Like something not entirely human anymore.

I open my mouth but I hesitate to say anything. I don’t have the words to articulate myself.

She saves me the trouble.

"You got what you wanted."

Her voice is raw, low, devoid of anything but cold acceptance.

I exhale slowly, watching as her fingers curl at her sides, barely restrained.

"Sera—"

She finally looks at me.

And I wish she hadn’t.

There is nothing left in those eyes.

Not rage.

Not sorrow.

Not even hatred.

Just emptiness.

A hollowness so vast it makes my chest ache in a way I did not know was possible.

"You killed me."

It is not an accusation.

It is a fact. A truth we both have to live with.

I grind my teeth, my jaw clenching so tightly the tension threatens to crack my skull. "I?—"

What?

What could I possibly say?

That I had no choice?

That I never wanted this?

That I would have died in her place if I could?

"No,"she murmurs, shaking her head, voice distant."You wouldn’t have."

I flinch. She is right.

---