Chapter 55: Last few moments |
[Aster]
Aster and Silvia watch in horror how their once sturdy wooden barricade gets destroyed, being nothing but a mere inconvenience for the goblins on the other side. The cave door creaked loudly after each hit, and it didn't seem like it would last much longer. The boy's heart beat faster than ever before, fear paralyzing his mind and body.
'What should we do? What should we do?' he repeated in his head. But nothing came, no answer. The monsters' roars and screams filled his ears, drowning out all other sounds. Their claws scraped against the wood were the worst.
He knew what would happen if that door gave way. He knew he had to act, had to do something, anything, but Aster couldn't move. His entire body trembled with fear as he stared at the door. All the training, the practice, and the pain, yet his knees trembled as the monsters tried to break through.
His sister reached for his hand and squeezed it tight. Her cold, freezing fingers intertwined with his, squeezing tightly. Their golden eyes met, and for an instant, Aster saw his reflection of fear mirrored back at him. She offered a weak, reassuring smile, her voice trembling as she whispered, "It will be alright."
She squeezed his hand tighter, taking a deep breath and focusing on the door. Over and over again, she whispered, "It will be alright," as if trying to convince herself that it was true. Then, she raised her other palm toward the door, her fingertips turning an eerie shade of blue, and a layer of frost started spreading across her arm.
"I'll... protect you... Asty..." Silvia muttered, her voice barely audible. The ice on her arm spread like wildfire, engulfing her shoulder and swiftly crawling up to cover half her face in seconds. Frost began to form around her bare feet, gradually creeping up her legs under her loose tunic as if trying to claim her entire body. Her breathing grew ragged as convulsive spasms shook her petite body. Her fingers dug painfully deep into his hand, the grip so strong that it made him wince.
— "Silvia?" Aster croaked out, his eyes widening in horror as he watched the ice spread across his sister's delicate body.
Just then, another hit from outside shattered the door, revealing the ugly, disgusting, muscular goblin on the other side. But before it and the other goblins could enter, the well-familiar mist of Silvia's magic erupted from her body and filled the entire cave in mere seconds. Aster took a deep breath and immediately regretted it; his lungs burned from the cold air, and his throat constricted with a violent coughing fit.
— "S-Silvia?!" Aster called out again, his voice hoarse and painful. However, all he received in response was a weakening of her grip on his hand, her fingers slowly releasing their hold.
He felt her weight leaning against him, her tiny, fragile body going limp and collapsing onto his chest. Her head tilted to the side, and her golden eyes rolled back, showing only the whites.
Aster held her in his arms; his legs were barely able to support him as he struggled to breathe. Silvia's skin was covered in a thin layer of frost, making her look lifeless. A loud sound rang through the entire cave again, coming from the entrance, but it was different this time. Not the wood being smashed into pieces but a dull, heavy thud. Aster blinked a few times, trying to see at least something.
As the mist started to disperse, he could see the entrance clearly. There was no more wood or anything else that could be used to block the cave's entrance. Only a solid wall of ice. A wall thicker than his entire height, perfectly smooth and without any cracks. Aster blinked again, not believing what his eyes were telling him. On the other side, he could see the silhouette of the goblins, their red eyes glowing with rage as they pounded on the wall with their fists and weapons, trying to break through it.
— "Hey," Aster coughed, his throat still burning from the cold. "Silvia," he repeated, shaking her gently. She did not respond. "Silvia," he called out again, louder this time, but her body remained unmoving, her eyelids closed, and her mouth slightly parted. "Wake up," he said, his voice cracking as tears filled his eyes.
— "Wake up, please," Aster begged, hugging her fragile body. "W-We're... safe," Aster sniffled, burying his face in her silver hair. He glanced to his left and saw his mother desperately trying to crawl towards them, a pained, terrified expression on her face.
She tried to say something to him, but the cold mist affected her lungs, too, making her cough violently, her breaths short and raspy.
...
The goblins relentlessly pounded against the thick ice barrier, their claws and spears scraping against its surface in a futile attempt to break through. Aster sat on the ground, cradling the spear in his lap as he stared at the silhouettes of the monsters moving outside. An exhausted, tired face reflected back at him from the smooth surface of the ice. His eyes were dull, almost lifeless, and his cheeks were stained with tears. Goblin's angry roars could also be heard, though the frozen barrier muffled them.
"Aster, come here," their mother's raspy, strained voice called out, pulling him away from his thoughts. The boy turned his head towards the bed where she lay, her unconscious daughter sleeping in her arms. Despite how painful it is for Nivalis to lay like this, due to her injuries and broken ribs, she had to. She needed to hold her daughter, to warm her cold body.
Aster slowly got up and walked toward them. His feet shuffled across the cold stone floor, his movements slow and almost mechanical. He stopped beside his mother, never taking his eyes off his sister's pale blue body. Her weak, barely audible breathing was the only sign of life coming from her shivering form.
Nivalis looked at him with sadness in her sapphire-blue eyes. "Is it holding?" she asked, looking at the ice wall.
— "Mhm," Aster nodded, his gaze falling on the extinguished fire nearby, where embers still flickered weakly. With a sealed entrance, oxygen inside the cave became a serious problem. The last thing they needed right now was the fire burning all the oxygen in the air, killing them even faster than goblins.
"Crawl inside, honey. It's getting colder," Nivalis whispered, lifting the blankets and motioning for Aster to join them. The girls were completely naked underneath, the shivering bodies of mother and daughter pressed against each other.
Aster silently obliged, grabbed the hem of his loose tunic, and pulled it over his head, exposing his skinny, hairless body. The boy crawled under the covers and wrapped his arms around his mother and sister, sandwiching the little girl between them. Aster immediately noticed how incredibly cold Silvia's skin felt. It was like hugging a block of ice, so cold that it burned his skin.
Nivalis noticed her son's discomfort, "Try to ignore it. She needs our warmth," she whispered, pulling her son close by pressing his little bum with her hand. "Just hold her tight, and don't let go," she instructed him, continuing to rub his little behind, providing him with at least some heat.
Aster nodded, hugging his sister and pulling her as close as possible. Nivalis covered all three of them with the heavy blankets, their warm breaths filling the tiny space under the covers. They remained like this for hours, their bodies pressed together, limbs tangled in a tight embrace.
From time to time, the monsters banged their fists against the ice, their roars and screams echoing in the cave. Each time that happened, Aster's muscles tensed, his body stiffening as he expected the ice to shatter and the goblins to rush inside. The only thing that somewhat calmed him down was the constant feeling of his mother's soft hand rubbing his bottom, gently squeezing and releasing it over and over again.
"Please, don't... don't worry, Aster," Nivalis suddenly whispered, breaking the silence. "Everything will be okay. We'll make it..." she said, her voice sounding sad and defeated. She did not believe her own words, and neither did Aster. The reality of their situation was too bleak to hope for a miracle.
"I want you to know that I'm proud of you, my sweet boy," Nivalis whispered, her voice cracking as she struggled to speak. "You did so well, my love. Better than I could have hoped..." she added, fighting back the tears that threatened to fall from her eyes. "Just know that I will always love you, both of you, more than anything else in the world. No matter what."
Aster couldn't find the words to reply. All he managed to do was move his small hand up and down his mother's naked hip in a gentle caress, trying to soothe her worries. He had no words left, no strength, and no courage. Everything he had done, all the training, preparations, and planning, was meant to prevent a situation like this. He failed miserably, and there's no way to fix it now.
This might be his last night alive, the last chance to spend time with his mother and sister. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath, trying to calm his racing heart.
...
One seemingly endless day passed — the longest, darkest, and most terrifying day of Aster's life. Every hour felt like it could be their last, every minute a gamble. Somehow, the goblins hadn't managed to break through the ice wall, and the three of them were still alive. The sound of their tools scraping against the ice never stopped, growing louder and louder as time passed, yet somehow, the ice held firm, refusing to break.
There was nothing Aster could do, no way to escape, and no one to save them. He just lay there, eyes closed, holding his sister's icy body, hugging his scared mother, and praying for the nightmare to end.
Silvia remained unconscious, her breathing weak and her pulse so faint that it could hardly be felt. Nivalis did her best to stay strong, trying to comfort her son, but her voice betrayed her. No amount of lies and false hopes could hide the fact that things were beyond horrible, no matter how badly they wished they would.
At some point, she just started to sob quietly, unable to hold back anymore. It was awful to hear her like that, but Aster had no idea how to help her. He felt so useless and weak, completely powerless. There was nothing he could do to make things better, and he hated himself for it.
After hours upon hours of listening to his mother's cries and the monsters outside, his mind finally started drifting away. It became harder and harder to keep his eyes open, and eventually, he gave in, closing them and surrendering himself to the darkness.
Nivalis continued to lie there in silence, waiting, hoping. Hoping for a miracle that would never happen.
...
The first thing Aster noticed was the scent of his mother and sister's skin mixed together under their covers, forming a unique, almost sweet fragrance. His nostrils twitched, and he inhaled deeply, enjoying the scent of their naked bodies.
Gradually, his eyelids fluttered open, revealing the dim, cozy space beneath the heavy blankets. A sliver of light seeped through a gap in the fabric, and he wondered, 'Is it morning already?' yawning loudly. He lifted the covers slightly to peek outside; a rush of cold air invaded the warm cocoon, eliciting a curse under his breath as goosebumps rose on his skin and a shiver ran down his spine.
'The ice is still there...' he sighed in relief, seeing that the wall at the entrance remained intact, though slightly melted at the bottom with small cracks here and there. 'Looks like we survived another day,' Aster thought, lowering the covers back. He couldn't help but think, 'Will today be our last?' as he closed his eyes. He took a deep breath, trying to push away the awful thought.
"Good morning," Nivalis's weary voice reached him, and he could hear her shifting under the covers.
Aster turned his head and looked at his mother, giving a weak smile. Her sapphire-blue eyes stared straight into his, shining brightly despite the gloomy light.
— "Good morning, Mom," Aster murmured, leaning forward to press his lips gently against hers. He shared a tender kiss with his mother, her palm gently rubbing his lower back in response. "How are you feeling?" he asked, resting his chin on his sister's shoulder, his chest pressed against her back.
"I'm sorry I cried so much yesterday," Nivalis apologized, forcing a warm smile. She looked ashamed as she said, "I... didn't want you to see me like that." With a gentle touch, she brushed the hair away from her son's face.
Aster smiled sadly, taking his mother's hand and bringing her palm to his cheek. "It's okay, Mom. It's normal to cry in a situation like this," he whispered, rubbing her wrist. "I'm the one who should apologize. I should've been more careful and prepared, but... I'm sorry," he muttered, averting his gaze. "If I did, we wouldn't be in this mess, and-"
"Shhh," Nivalis whispered, pressing a thumb to her son's lips. "It's not your fault, Aster. Don't blame yourself," she said firmly, staring intently into his golden eyes. "My sweet boy... You did everything you could. Sometimes, life throws unexpected obstacles at us. No one is to blame."
She caressed his cheek, her fingertips tracing the contour of his jaw. "It's not fair, but that's how the world works. No matter how hard you try, no matter how much effort you put in, it won't always work out the way you want it to," she whispered, leaning closer and pressing her forehead against his.
Aster swallowed the lump in his throat, his heart aching painfully inside his chest. "At least we are together," he murmured, his voice wavering. "And, if it has to end... I'm glad we can spend the last few moments together," he sniffled quietly.
"Mhm," Nivalis nodded, her sapphire-blue eyes glistening with unshed tears. "Yes, you're right, honey. We should be grateful for what little time we have left."
They both fell silent, their faces pressed against each other, breathing each other's air. The silence stretched on for a long while. Neither of them spoke, and neither moved. The only movement came from their chests, rising and falling rhythmically.
Finally, Nivalis broke the silence, clearing her throat gently. "I wish we could stay like this forever, my sweet boy," she whispered, stroking her son's head slowly. "But I think it's time to eat something," she said with a warm smile, her blue eyes looking into his golden ones.
Aster agreed, "Let's have a nice breakfast then, all three of us." He kissed his mother's warm cheek before reluctantly separating himself from the girls and climbing out from under the blankets. Without bothering to wear his tunic, he walked over to their food storage, grabbed a handful of dry mushrooms, and placed them on a wooden plate.
All they had were dried mushrooms he and Silvia had collected, a single batch they'd managed to finish drying before the goblins attacked. Unfortunately, there was no way to cook them properly, so they just chewed them dry. It tastes as awful as it sounds but is still better than nothing.
Aster then walked toward the ice wall where the sun's rays hit the ground, creating a bright, colorful rainbow. At the bottom of the wall, there was a small puddle of melted water, which Aster used to fill their wooden cups. He returned to their bed, taking care not to spill, and placed the cups beside them on the floor.
"Thank you, my love," Nivalis said, offering a weak smile as she took her cup and sipped the cool water.
Aster climbed back under the blankets and placed the plate of mushrooms between them. "Dig in," he said, selecting a single mushroom and beginning to nibble. The mushroom was hard and tasteless, causing his teeth to ache as he worked on chewing it.
They ate silently, munching quietly, washing down the dry mushrooms with sips of muddy water, and occasionally glancing at each other. It was a sad, depressing meal, but they pretended like it wasn't. They tried to act normal, trying not to think about the ice wall, the scratches of claws and tools on the other side, and the inevitable fate awaiting them.
"Let's feed Silvia as well," Nivalis suggested, picking up a mushroom and started chewing it for her daughter, adding water to her mouth. Aster did the same, observing the tender way his mother's soft lips pressed against his sister's pale ones, how she gently parted them to transfer the softened mushroom with her wet tongue, delicately pinching the girl's small nose to make her swallow.
Silvia coughed faintly, a tiny trickle of water escaping from the corner of her mouth. Her eyes remained shut, her body still.
As Aster finished chewing his own mushroom, he leaned in and repeated the process, gently kissing his sister's lips and guiding the softened fungus into her mouth with his tongue. He gently pinched her nose, feeling her tongue weakly trying to resist his, pushing it out of the way. He could feel her throat constricting, swallowing the food. He wiped a droplet of moisture from her chin with his thumb before selecting another mushroom.
Taking turns, the boy and his mother continued feeding the unconscious girl. Their mouths met hers repeatedly, their wet tongues pushing the mush inside her mouth, forcing it down her tiny throat.
...
As evening settled on the fourth day, the ice wall was close to collapsing under the relentless goblin attacks. The orange sun cast long, ominous shadows of the monsters against the stone floor of their home, making them seem larger and more terrifying than ever before. The sound of their tools scraping against the ice filled the air as time ran out, each scratch a countdown to their inevitable end.
Aster's heart thundered in his chest; his stomach clenched with pain from eating only dried mushrooms. He sat on the cold, rocky floor, wearing his coat and pants, with his mother and sister behind him on the bed. His golden eyes remained fixed on the fragile ice wall, the only thing separating them from the monsters on the other side. The silence was deafening as he waited for the inevitable crack to shatter the barrier.
His grip tightened around the makeshift spear, his knuckles whitening as he readied himself to fight to the very end.
"Honey..." Nivalis called out weakly from behind him, her voice barely more than a whisper.
Aster turned to face his mother, meeting her sad, sapphire-blue eyes, swollen from the tears she had shed. Her trembling hand clutched a knife, its blade glinting in the waning sunlight as she protectively hugged her unconscious daughter.
"I... I need you to hide in the corner, behind the logs," she said, pointing at the spot with her head. "When the monsters break through... you must stay silent... and when you hear me scream... try to slip past them... make your escape," she struggled to speak, her voice catching in her throat.
Aster's heart skipped a beat, and his stomach twisted painfully from even considering such an option. "No," he stated simply, shaking his head in refusal.
"Please... Aster, my love, listen to me," Nivalis pleaded, her eyes welling up with fresh tears. "If you hide, they might overlook you... they'll focus on me and Silvia," she reasoned, swallowing hard. "That could be your chance to get away," she added, sniffing and wiping the tears off her cheeks.
— "No," Aster replied once more, his voice trembling slightly. "No," he repeated, his grip on the spear tightening even further. "I... I won't," Aster mumbled, his chest aching as if someone had already stabbed him. He shook his head again, tears silently streaming down his cheeks. "I won't leave you and Silvia behind, Mom. I can't."
Silence enveloped the cave for a moment, and neither dared speak. Nivalis stared at her son, her expression shifting from desperate pleading to a heart-wrenching mixture of defeat and helplessness.
"You must, Aster," Nivalis pleaded, the desperation in her voice growing even more. "Please. I won't... let you die here," she whispered, her lower lip trembling, her sapphire-blue gaze glistened.
— "Mom..." Aster choked back a sob. "I'm not... going to leave you two behind. Not now, not ever. Never," he vowed, wiping his face with his hand. "I will fight until the very end."
Nivalis took a deep breath, closed her eyes, and allowed herself to cry freely as she searched for more words, finding none.
Mustering the most innocent and courageous smile he could manage despite the tears on his face, Aster said, "Don't worry, Mom. I'll protect you and Silvia; I will protect you both, no matter what. Everything will be alright. Believe in me," his voice wavering slightly. "After all, we're the Silverfrosts! We won't go down without a fight, right?"
Nivalis nodded weakly, offering her son a tearful smile. "Y-yes..." she mumbled, her voice barely audible. "We're Silverfrosts..." she repeated, sniffling.
— "Exactly!" Aster exclaimed, struggling to maintain a cheerful tone. "We will fight those ugly bastards and make them pay for every second of pain they've caused," he said, looking straight into his mother's eyes. "I won't let them lay a single finger on my girls. I'll protect you, no matter the cost," Aster said, and for a brief moment, his hands stopped trembling.
"Mhm, I know," Nivalis whispered, burying her face in her daughter's soft hair, hiding her tears. His sweet lies did little to soothe her broken heart.
Turning his head back towards the ice wall, Aster watched as the orange light outside illuminated the silhouettes of the goblins chipping away at their barrier. The noise rang through the cave, echoing off the walls, making the boy's body stiffen as it grew closer.
The heart raced so wildly in his chest that it felt like it would explode any moment now, echoing loudly in his ears. Fear filled every fiber of his being, but he showed no sign of it. His mother needed him to be brave and strong. And he would do everything in his power to be that for her.
Aster started taking deep inhales and exhales, trying to calm his beating chest, but nothing seemed to work. Sweat started trickling down his forehead, causing his hair to stick to his skin, and his hands became so sweaty that he had to wipe them on his pants every few minutes.
'It's going to happen soon,' Aster thought, swallowing hard, his saliva almost getting stuck in his throat. 'I better move to the left of the entrance so I can take at least one of those bastards by surprise,' he strategized, his knees trembling uncontrollably as he cautiously moved into place.
For some unexplainable reason, his sweating intensified as he stood there, grasping the spear, waiting. The heat spread through his entire body, making him feel uncomfortable in his clothes. But it didn't matter. Nothing mattered anymore. It was almost over. He just had to be brave in his last moments. Dying while protecting his family is a much better way to go than taking a bunch of pills in a lone hospital room. This thought brought a sad, bittersweet smile to his lips.
His heart was pounding so loud that it drowned out the noises coming from the outside, making him feel lightheaded. He could barely breathe, and the room seemed to spin around him. 'Calm down,' he told himself, briefly closing his eyes. 'Just damn breathe and calm down.'
A strange, painful ache started growing in his chest, making him gasp for air. The pressure in his temples was almost unbearable, and his head felt like it was going to burst open any second now. Sweat dripped from him, pooling in tiny puddles around his boots on the cold, dusty ground.
'What is happening to me?' Aster panicked, his grip on the spear loosening as he stumbled backward, leaning against the wall for support. Breathe in, breathe out. 'It's just a panic attack,' he realized, focusing on the sensation of air filling his lungs. 'I can handle this. It will pass.'
The agony only worsened, however, spreading through his body like wildfire, burning every cell in its wake. His skin tingled all over, and the tips of his fingers felt completely numb. His sweaty palms could barely maintain their grip on the spear.
Despite his best efforts, the pain persisted, forcing him to writhe and squirm uncontrollably. The world spun around him, his vision blurring as his ears rang incessantly. His lungs protested, refusing to accept any more air. He wanted to scream, but he tried desperately to keep quiet, not to worry his mother.
"Are you alright, honey?" Nivalis's voice reached him through the noise in his ears, making him turn his head toward her.
He could barely see her, his vision blurred by a combination of tears and sweat in his eyes. "Y-yeah..." he lied, forcing the words past the sharp pain in his chest. He took a deep, shaky breath, trying to calm down, but only worsening it.
"Your eyes, what-" Nivalis began, but her voice was abruptly cut off by a deafening crack of ice echoing throughout the cave. A chorus of furious roars and cheerful screams followed. The wall shattered, sending large chunks of ice crashing to the ground.
The moment the first goblin stepped through the entrance, its red eyes glowing with excitement and hunger, Aster lifted his spear and thrust it forward, aiming at its exposed neck. It was him, the one in the fur coat, the strongest and biggest one.
The sharp tip of the spear connected with the monster's throat, but it failed to penetrate the skin. The sharpened wood merely scraped against it, leaving a shallow scratch across the grey surface. Before Aster could react, the goblin grabbed the shaft and yanked it away, throwing it across the cave.
At that very moment, when the goblin's spear was now coming directly at Aster's chest, the boy saw his life flash before his eyes. All his memories, from the day he was born until his death and rebirth, appeared before his eyes. Every single event, every little detail, every single memory was vividly clear. The countless hours spent on music, playing piano, and the happiest moments spent in this world with his family.
He could hear his heartbeat beating rapidly, louder than ever before, pounding in his chest. He could hear the happy roar of the goblin echoing through the cave. He could taste the salty, bitter sweat on his lips and feel how his pants were becoming wet and sticky from the urine.
This is the very last moment of his life, the last few seconds of being a loving son and a caring brother. The end of his everlasting dream.
In a desperate attempt to save himself from the incoming attack, the boy raised his trembling hand, hoping to block the goblin's weapon. It happened instinctively, just a pure reflex.
The moment the tip of the spear pierced his palm, a sudden stream of bright, orange flames erupted from it, instantly engulfing the creature entirely. The monster released a shrill, high-pitched screech, filling the cave with its agonized cries.
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