Ren's jaw clenched.
"I keep thinking maybe I wasn't meant to be forgiven. That whatever I did—before—I don't deserve to forget it."
Eva looked down. "It's...hard for me to think of an answer for it...If forgetting is a punishment or a blessing?"
Silence fell between them, the surrounding area eerily windy. It pushed in the direction of the chapel, which stood just ahead of them, untouched by the decaying world.
But then, something touched Ren's back.
He flinched slightly, turning his head.
That towering, ghostlike creature stood behind him, its cracked body glowing faintly.
The creature leaned forward again, its long snout gently bumping the space between his shoulder blades.
Not demanding.
Not forceful.
Just enough to say, it's time.
Ren blinked, surprised by how present the gesture felt.
"Yeah...you're right. I can't sit here any longer." He muttered, voice quiet with a flicker of fondness for the horse.
The horse huffed—a low, steady exhale that brushed across his cloak like the sigh of an old friend. It nudged him again, more gently this time, then simply stood there, waiting.
Ren reached out slowly and rested his hand against the side of its bony face.
"Thanks," he said softly. "For not letting me stay down too long."
Eva watched from beside him, the faintest smile touching her lips.
The horse remained still under his touch, head dipping slightly, almost in a bow.
Then, with a final exhale, it stepped back and melted into the shadows of the tree line, not disappearing—just watching.
Ren stood, brushing the dirt from his knees, and turned to Eva, offering his hand to her. "We should go now."
She nodded, taking his hand and rising beside him, brushing a few crumpled leaves from her dress. Together, they walked toward the main chapel door. When they arrived on the front steps, Ren looked over at her with worried eyes.
"Acutally, You should stay here...I'll go in alone."
Eva tilted her head in his direction. Even with her closed eyes, Ren could feel her piercing gaze on him.
"I just—" Ren gestured toward the chapel. "If she sees me first...maybe she'll focus on me. If anyone gets pulled apart in there, it should be me, right?"
Eva didn't answer right away.
The wind pressed against her midnight dress, fluttering the hem around her knees. Her lips parted, then closed again, as if trying to find words that could cut through the weight in the air between them.
"I...hate that you talk like that," She finally whispered.
Ren turned his head, not expecting the sharpness in her tone.
"I hate that you think your life is something to bargain with," Eva went on, voice trembling. "That if pain needs to be handed out, it should be yours. Like it's what you deserve. Like you were made for it."
She took a step forward.
"You're not some...sacrificial thing, Ren. You're not a shield...You're not a blade, or whatever else you think this world decided to turn you into. You're—you're a person."
Ren swallowed hard, turning away from her.
"You don't even know who I was," He murmured, his voice quavering in sorrow. "What if I was made for it? What if everything I've done—everything I will do—is just another piece of proof that the only thing I'm good at is being broken so someone else doesn't have to be?"
She reached up and touched his face gently. Her hand was cold, but steady. "Then let me be the one who breaks for you, just this once. Let me walk through the door first."
"No."
His answer came fast. A little too fast.
Eva didn't pull her hand back.
"Then don't ask me to wait out here while you go in and get torn to pieces."
"I'm not asking you to wait," Ren said, softer this time. "I'm asking you to remain who you are."
The wind had died. All that was left was the faint creaking of the chapel's doors.
He looked over his shoulder, a concerned look written on his face.
"I don't need saving...I know what I'm getting myself into." He steps closer to the door and lowers his voice. "I know there's no telling what's waiting for me in there, but—"
"That's why you shouldn't go in alone..." Eva whispered, not able to stand his mindset.
He closed his eyes for a moment, steadying himself against the ache in her voice. "If she sees both of us—if she thinks I have trust in you—she'll use it."
He exhaled softly to maintain his composure.
"That's why I will face her..alone..."
Ren placed his hands on the door handles and pulled with full force, the doors slowly opening. Nothing could be seen inside, pitch black and noiseless. But a chill came from inside, sending shivers down both of their spines.
"Ren..."
"Please, Eva...Just let me do this alone..."
Before she could even respond, Ren walked into the darkness.
His voice was dulled, but she could faintly hear his last words. "I promise, I will come back..."
The darkness swallowed him whole. The black felt tangible, thick like oil pooling at his feet. Cold air blew past him constantly, like it was reminding him he was alone."
"Why did I tell her to stay? Because I thought I'd be noble?" He took a step forward, wrapping his cloak more tightly around himself. "I mean...I didn't want her to get hurt, but...being honest with myself here, I think I didn't want her to see me scared. I wanted to look strong in front of her. Yeah, to be someone she can depend on."
Feeling threatened by the silence, he reached for the dagger.
Fingers touched the hilt—
And stopped.
The cloth that made the handle was completely torn off, the blade itself little more than a jagged stump of iron where once there had been a clean edge.
He pulled it from the sheath anyway, holding it out in front of him for protection.
"This was stupid. I should've let her come with me. I should've let her stand beside me." Ren tried to control his breathing, to push the thoughts out, but they wouldn't leave him.
Her words.
"You're not a blade..."
He kept hearing it. The way her voice trembled. The way her hand stayed on his face.
"I know I'm not...But I want to be...I want to be able to defeat any threat before me."
"You're not a shield..."
"But I want to protect myself, I want to protect what I value." His grip on the dagger tightened. "And to be that, I have to be brave...To push forward even when I'm scared."