I was thrown to the ground, my forehead hitting the sharp edge of the wall. Pain exploded instantly, my vision going white for a moment. Before I could even react, my body crashed into something behind me.
A skeleton.
I heard it crack under me, bones snapping with a dry, awful sound that made my whole body freeze. But what happened next was worse.
Celine suddenly screamed and drove the knife straight into her own left shoulder. I stared at her, my mind going blank.
Blood spread fast, soaking her clothes as she collapsed to the ground.
“Dahlia…” she cried weakly, her voice trembling like she was the victim. “I came to help you! I w-wanted to save you... w-why would you try to kill me…”
My heart dropped.
“No… I didn’t—”
I wanted to explain. I needed to explain. But Argus didn’t even look at me.
He rushed straight to her, his face full of panic, more panic than I had ever seen. “Celine!” he shouted, “Stay awake. Don’t close your eyes. I’m taking you to the hospital right now!”
He carried her like she was something fragile, something priceless. Like she was everything.
I stayed there on the floor.
No one even glanced at me.
—
At the hospital, everything became chaotic. Argus called in every top doctor he could find. The hallway was filled with people rushing back and forth.
His white shirt was soaked in blood, his hands trembling, even his arm was scratched and bleeding from forcing open some rusty gate earlier.
He looked broken. I had never seen him like that before.
Not for me.
“Get out!” he suddenly snapped at the people trying to comfort him, his voice sharp and furious. “All of you, just leave me alone!”
No one dared to speak after that.
Then he did something I never expected.
He dropped to his knees by the window.
“I’m begging you,” he said hoarsely, his head lowered. “If anything happens to Celine, I won’t live either. I swear I won’t.”
I stood there, watching. This was the first time I realized… how deep it went.
The operating room doors opened suddenly.
“The patient is losing too much blood,” a nurse said urgently. “The blood bank doesn’t have enough supply right now—”
“I’ll give mine,” Argus cut in immediately, already rolling up his sleeve. “Take my blood. We have the same type. Use mine, take as much as you need.”
“Are you insane?” one of his friends grabbed his arm, shocked. “She’s just a woman. Even if you love her, it’s not worth risking your own life like this!”