Chapter 248 - Farewell Snow ( Part 2 )

They were not the only ones.

Over the ruins of the Black Capital rose yet another figure.

Noctis floated under the red sky, his dark cloak swaying in the wind. The Lord of the Seven Generals had survived the fall of the palace, his face blank as he examined the fallen stronghold.

After a while, his eyes fell on the fleeing figure of Snow.

"Divine Wolf."

He watched how the broken wings of Snow had trouble staying aloft.

"And White Sword Hunter."

Noctis lifted one of his hands.

Dark magic accumulated over his palm. It started off as a small black ball which grew into a long spear of compressed magic energy. It was covered with rotating symbols and formed into a point with a ring of darkness surrounding it.

The weapon vibrated.

Noctis aimed.

"Loyalty is something commendable."

There wasn’t any emotions in his voice.

"But it does not change anything."

He pulled his hand back.

And he cast it.

The weapon disappeared.

Not flying through the air like an ordinary projectile, it covered the distance with a single stroke of black light.

Snow felt it.

He flattened his ears and narrowed his pupils.

"Jennie!"

He tried turning his body.

But the spear hit him before he understood what was happening.

It went straight through his chest.

In that awful moment, the world went silent.

Snow’s body twitched in the air. The spear pulled out of him, its black tip shining with dark energy. Dark fissures spread from the wound and consumed the pale blue energy of the divine wolf inside him.

Jennie could feel his whole body spasm under her touch.

"Snow?"

His wings struggled.

"Snow!"

He made a sound of agony. The magic of the spear attacked him, assaulting the very energy that allowed him to be a divine wolf. His nine tails flickered, one by one, their light disappearing into the dark energy surrounding him.

Jennie stared at the sword inside his body. And at the blood covering his snow-white fur.

"No..."

She whispered.

"No, no, no..."

Snow started to fall from the sky. The shore was still far away. He had to keep going. Just a little bit more.

But the spear had gone through his heart.

The Divine Wolf was dying.

"PULL IT OUT!"

Jennie extended her left arm toward the spear.

"We can still—"

She cut herself off.

The spear glowed with black runes. Each time Snow moved, it extended its power over his body even further. Jennie could feel it—the slow, inexorable devouring of his life force.

This was not a regular wound. This spear was devouring Snow from the inside.

"Snow..."

He turned towards her. For the first time in the long history of their relationship, the ancient Divine Wolf looked tired.

Not the tiredness he usually pretended to feel right after the battle because it was always an excellent excuse to ask for food or some attention.

But this was genuine fatigue.

"Well..." Snow forced himself to smile. "This is embarrassing."

Hot tears formed in Jennie’s eyes. "Don’t talk."

"I imagined dying in a grandiose way. Standing proudly on the mountain top with the wind in my fur and choir singing in the background."

"SILENCE!"

Jennie’s scream was so loud that it cut through the wind. Snow flinched.

Jennie grabbed Snow’s fur and started shaking in fear.

"PLEASE..."

This single word was said in a broken voice.

"PLEASE, don’t..."

She had already seen Rudy being killed and Lilia dying. She had lost all she came to this Demon Continent for.

She could not lose Snow. Not him. Not the one who remained loyal to her in every impossible battle, who complained about her awful decision, but still followed her into a trap. Not the one who swore to protect her with his last breath.

Snow looked beyond the horizon where the coastline was visible. Then, he looked at Jennie with tender look.

"Jennie."

"No."

"Listen to me."

"No!"

"Jennie."

This time, Snow sounded more demanding. Jennie looked at him through her tears.

Snow took a deep breath.

"I want you to do me one favor."

She violently shook her head. "I won’t listen."

"Then pretend I give you an order." Snow tried to smile. "It is known how poorly you follow the orders."

Sob escaped from Jennie.

Snow turned his head forward. The Ashen Isle was getting closer. He started beating his wings. First beat was weak, second was even weaker. Still, Snow forced himself to continue to fly, even though it was difficult.

"Do you remember," he asked in a low voice, "when we first met?"

Jennie could hardly form words. "You were... wandering in the forest wondering so small and cute ."

"I made the attempt to make an impression."

"You called it cute first impression ? ."

"Yes , at I deserved it."

Despite everything that happened, this broken laugh escaped from Jennie.

Snow heard it. For a second, his eyes became brighter.

"There. Now it is better."

His wings twitched.

"I have watched the deaths of countless humans during my thousand years. Kings, warriors, children, fools who dared to challenge the destiny armed only with sword and unreasonable confidence."

He painfully swallowed.

"At first, I thought it was a waste of time. People lived so short life. They struggled, fell in love, died, never having time to realize just a little bit of the whole world."

His gaze shifted to the sea.

"But then I met you as Leonis ."

Jennie buried her face in Snow’s fur. "Please..."

"You were stubborn, reckless, arrogant. Brave and one of the most annoying person I have ever met ."

"Snow..."

"You constantly threw yourself in danger, and expected everyone else to fix the mess."

His voice trembled.

"And somehow, made an ancient Divine Wolf like me care whether you’ll come back or not ."

Jennie sobbed.

Snow slightly lowered his head.

"I used to think that immortality is the best thing in the world. The more you live, the more you know. The more you know, the less it becomes surprising for you."

He paused to breathe.

"But this is a lie."

His wings fluttered.

"Living forever means to watch your beloved ones disappearing. To remember the voices that no longer exists, the faces that time erased, and the promises the world has forgotten."

His eyes shone.

"I have lived for thousands of years, Jennie. I have waited for you , Leonis ."

The coastline was now right below them. Waves broke on the dark rocks of Ashen Isle, illuminating them with the weird light coming from the sky.

"And yet..."

Snow smiled.

"These past few months have been among the happiest in my life."

Jennie shook her head. "Don’t say that."

"I am happy I met you."

"Snow, please..."

"I am happy I followed you."

His voice became softer.

"And I am happy that for a while I was not just an ancient Divine Wolf protecting this world."

He looked at Jennie.

"I was your friend."

Jennie’s tears fell on Snow’s fur. Snow smiled faintly.

"That is enough for me."

The beach emerged under them.

Snow fell towards the shore; his wings were disintegrating already. The impact with the sand was heavy, and he continued sliding several meters until he came to a halt near the dark and foaming waves.

Jennie was thrown off his back. She fell to the sand sideways, crying in agony as her wounded body felt the pain. But it didn’t matter now. She immediately got up on all fours and rushed toward him.

"Snow!"

The Divine Wolf was lying on the beach. His enormous body was shaking, and the black spear dissipated into drifting particles. But the wound remained. Darkness was spreading beneath his coat, and the splendid tails were lying motionless on the sand.

Jennie approached his head.

"Snow, look at me."

His eyes opened slowly.

"There you are."

He sounded relieved almost.

Jennie put her left hand on his cheek.

"Stay with me."

Snow blinked. "It sounds familiar."

"Stay with me!"

She put her hand on the wound in his chest, trying to stop the bleeding.

"I can help you. There must be a way. You’re a Divine Wolf. You’re ancient. You’ve been surviving for thousands of years!"

Her voice cracked.

"You can’t die from a single spear!"

Snow was watching her quietly for a moment. Then he moved his head to press his nose against her palm.

"Jennie."

"No."

"Look at me."

She did.

His eyes were still crystal clear – the eyes she had seen many times when he teased her, fought alongside with her, or stood in front of her, shielding her from the enemies.

But the light in his eyes was fading.

"I cannot heal this wound."

Jennie shook her head. "No..."

"The spear was designed to kill creatures like me. It destroyed the energy which sustained my existence."

He breathed deeply.

"I am sorry."

These words hit her harder than any weapon.

Jennie’s face crumpled. "Why are you apologizing?"

Snow’s ears twitched weakly. "Because I have promised to protect you."

"You have protected me!"

"Not enough."

"YOU HAVE SAVED MY LIFE!"

She screamed aloud. She leaned over him, letting the tears flow freely.

"You have come for me! You have carried me here! You have done everything you could!"

Her shoulders shivered.

"So please... please do not apologize..."

Snow’s eyes softened. For a long while, he just looked at her.

Then he spoke.

"Jennie, there is something I want you to remember."

She put her forehead against his.

"Anything..."

"Do not let this be the end of your story."

Jennie went silent.

Snow continued.

"Rudy is gone. Lilia is gone. And I may be gone too soon."

His breath became even weaker.

"But you are still alive."

He nuzzled her hand gently.

"You are allowed to grieve. You are allowed to hate Zuko. You are allowed to curse the gods, the world, and every miserable creature that led you here."

A faint smile appeared on his muzzle.

"I would even encourage the last one. Some of them deserve it."

Jennie cried out a sob that seemed to sound like laughter.

"But do not let him define what your life is."

Snow’s gaze hardened.

"Zuko wants you to believe that pain is all that is left. That love makes you weak. That everything precious you ever had will be stolen from you sooner or later, so nothing really matters."

He shook his head weakly.

"He is wrong."

Jennie looked at him. "How can you know?"

"Because I am dying..."

His voice failed him.

"...and I do not regret having loved all of you."

The sea flowed gently onto the shore.

Snow looked toward the horizon.

"I do not regret the time I have spent with Rudy. I do not regret having protected Lilia. And I do not regret having chosen to follow you."

His eyes turned to Jennie.

"Even if I lived thousands of years again, I would still choose this life."

Jennie’s lips started trembling.

Snow smiled.

"So you must keep on living, Jennie Queens."

He hesitated.

"Not because you are Leonis KingHeart. Not because you have been burdened with the heritage of the king. Not because some goddess chose you for a certain purpose."

His voice softened.

"Live because you are Jennie."

A tear rolled down his muzzle.

"Because you still have your own life to live."

Jennie could not utter a single word.

She embraced his enormous head tightly and pressed herself against his coat as if she could somehow keep him in the world, embracing him tightly.

"Please..."

Her voice sounded hardly audible.

"You are my friend."

Snow closed his eyes for a moment. "I know."

"You are my family."

"I know."

"I don’t want to lose you too."

For the first time, the ancient Divine Wolf seemed ready to cry.

"I know, little human."

He took one more deep, unsteady breath.

"I know."

His tails started dissolving into bright blue light.

One after another, their luminous figures broke and scattered like small stars on the beach. Next to go was his ice wings – they turned into the drifting frost melting in mid-air.

Jennie hugged him tighter.

"No..."

Snow’s body grew silent. He stopped breathing, and the blue light faded from his eyes.

For a long time, Jennie remained silent.

She stayed by his side, holding his head on her chest while the sea washed the shore.

"Snow?"

No answer.

She touched his fur with her left hand.

"Come on..."

Her voice trembled.

"You haven’t complained about the food yet."

Nothing.

"You still owe me an apology for having eaten my dinner once."

The sea whispered to the sand.

"You said you would stay..."

Her voice cracked.

"You promised..."

She hid her face in his fur.

And Jennie Queens, the White Sword Hunter, the reincarnation of Leonis KingHeart, the woman who dared to challenge demons and gods, broke.

She cried so much that her throat was hurting. She cried until she could not breathe anymore. She cried for Rudy. She cried for Lilia. And she cried for the ancient wolf who had decided to sacrifice the final minutes of his immortal life to save hers.

The sun would not appear on the horizon. The sky stayed crimson. The earth was shaking because of the rising power of the Demon Emperor.

However, in that deserted place, the time seemed to stand still.

There was the sea. There was the cold sand. And there was the girl who managed to survive everything but losing the people she loved.

"Jennie Queens."

The voice was heard somewhere behind her back.

Jennie did not react. She was just too tired to turn her head.

Someone started approaching across the sand, moving slowly and deliberately.

A tall man in the black robe stopped next to her. His silver hair was hanging in his face. His skin was white, his eyes were cold and observant. A powerful presence was surrounding him like a living shadow.

Azrael. The Second Demon General. The Silent Observer.

The man looked at the Divine Wolf who fell to the ground. He stayed silent for a few seconds.

Then he looked at Jennie.

"You survived."

Jennie lifted her head hardly. Her eyes were swollen. Her face was covered with tear-tracks and blood. Her broken hand was resting on her chest and every muscle of her exhausted body was trembling.

She was looking at the man without recognition. Or maybe she did not care about the identity of the man standing right next to her anymore.

"Leave..."

The word sounded very weakly.

Azrael did not make any movement.

"The Emperor thinks you are dead."

Jennie closed her eyes. "Then let him think it."

A long pause came after that.

The man looked at the far horizon, where crimson lightning was splitting the sky over the Demon Continent.

"The world entered the new age."

He looked at her again.

"And you are the last person who can change its course."

Jennie tried to reply but her exhausted body gave up. The last energy left her body. Her head hung down and she fell to the sand beside Snow’s unconscious body.

Azrael caught the girl in time.

For the first time, his face changed slightly. Only for a second.

He looked at the unconscious girl in his hands and at the Divine Wolf who sacrificed everything to bring her there.

"So..."

His voice sounded inaudibly.

"Even now, you do not want to give your story an end."

He raised the girl carefully. Behind him, the waves were washing the beach, covering the blood and footprints left by the flight of the Divine Wolf.

Azrael moved towards the distant ruins. The Demon Emperor awakened. The gods will come sooner or later. And the last survivor of the fallen rescue party lost her consciousness on the deserted shore, carrying the sorrow of two worlds in her heart.

The battle is over.

But the war about the fate of the creation has just begun.