Due to the blood that entered his eyes, the colors of the blood and the setting sun mingled and flicked and reflected diffusely. Dazzled by the sight, he felt as if he had been thrown into a spinning kaleidoscope. Yuichiro thought he was going to die like this. Of course, he should die.
In fact, it seemed to him that death was the greatest comfort he could have given himself. There was no pain, anger filling his entire body, and no sorrow left threatening to tear him apart. Soon, a feeling of comfort enveloped his body, similar to a slumber before falling asleep.
[When I die, Iāll no longer feel anything. Finally, I can end this miserable life.]
He would be free of the hatred and resentment that had seeped into his bones, and he would finally be able to wake up from his nightmare.
[So, why am I crying?] His tears streamed freely, pushing the blood from his eyes. The tears were of regret rather than fear. He reflected that all he had so far was regret.
Upon having this realization, he immediately yelled, āIzrael!ā He yelled the dragonās name from the bottom of his stomach.
Every time he raised his voice, the lack of oxygen nearly caused him to pass out. When Azrael had grabbed his torso earlier, the chain on his left wrist had come off. Unmoved, Yuichiro reached up with his left hand as if he were grabbing at the clouds above.
As he yelled, he could hear the wind breaking. The sound was similar to a bullet flying through the air. His body, which was falling due to gravity, was quickly caught by something soft. He turned around to see Izrael, who had grown to enormous proportions, hugging his body. When he looked down, he realized he was only a dozen meters or so away from falling into the forest. If he had fallen right now, he would have slammed into dozens of trees, shredding his entire body into a thousand pieces.
āReally, my tamer is so rough with dragons!ā Izraelās ragged breathing belied his lighthearted demeanor. Blood was oozing from his stomach, most likely from wounds he sustained when Azrael struck him.
Just as Yuichiro was about to extend his hand to touch Izraelās wound, a deafening explosion of gunpowder shook the earth As he whirled around, he saw a shell being fired at him from the rebelsā base. A shell the size of a human head approached at a tremendous speed.
Before he could yell, āAvoid,ā a resounding blow shook his very core.
The dreadful roar of the beast echoed through the air, shuddering the atmosphere. The shell had apparently hit Izraelās body. Immediately, the dragonās torso was gutted open, and he sagged to the ground as his blood gushed out in a reddish-black fountain.
Unable to maintain flight, Yuichiro later fell into the forest, tangling with the dragon. Although he was being protected by Izraelās body, the occasional sharp branches tore his clothing and scraped his skin and flesh. After being slammed into a thick branch, his arm and leg made a snapping sound. In an instant, excruciating pain ran through his entire body, as if his body was being torn apart.
āYuichiro-sama!ā A voice from the distance called out his name.
However, before he could consider whose voice it was, his entire body slammed against the hard wooden plank. His throat let out a muffled groan. Apparently, the fall took place on what looked like a wooden deck set up on top of a tall tree. After Yuichiro fell, his body rolled several times on the plank, away from Izrael. Right when his body slid off the edge of the plank, someone unexpectedly grabbed his left hand. His body hung helplessly in midair after he nearly fell.
āPlease take hold of my hand!ā The voice from above his head seemed familiar.
Yuichiro angled his neck weakly and looked above him. Temeraire, who had grabbed Yuichiroās left hand, leaned far out over the plank. The man pleaded in desperation as he clung to Yuichiroās bloody hand, āPlease, please grab my handā¦ā
Nevertheless, the blood had made Yuichiroās hand slick. As a result, Temeraireās fingers began digging aggressively into the palm of his hand. Despite this, Yuichiro was unable to move because his injuries had rendered his entire body paralyzed.
āYuichiro-sama, please I beg you. Pleaseā¦ā
Yuichiro felt a pang of sadness at Temeraireās pleading voice. Temeraireās left hand, which was holding onto the splintered plank to keep from falling, was also dripping blood.
āā¦Letāmeāgoā¦ā Yuichiroās lips trembled, whispering weakly.
Temeraireās face creased up mournfully at Yuichiroās words. āI do not want to,ā he snarled, biting his lower lip.
āI absolutely never going to let you go! I wonāt let you die!ā Temeraire stubbornly refused. Meanwhile, Yuichiroās weight was quickly pulling him forward.
When Yuichiro noticed Temeraireās upper body leaning out from the edge of the plank, he whispered in a prayerful voice, āPlease, let go of me.ā Yuichiro could not explain why he was saying this. He simply did not want to send the poor, sounding man in front of him to his death. He was, after all, a murderer, and he wanted the man in front of him to live. He felt very foolish. He then exhaled a small breath.
āYour curseā¦will be lifted.ā
This seemed to be the last and only thing that he could give Temeraire. If he died, Temeraireās curse would be lifted, and the man would be free. The man would no longer be bound by anything or anyone.
Temeraire was crestfallen. Temeraireās lips quivered slightly as he looked down at Yuichiro, betrayed.
āā¦I wonāt let you die alone,ā his hoarse voice laced with a tragic determination.
In the corner of Yuichiroās eyes, he saw Temeraireās face gazing down at him with a wistful expression.
āLetās die together.ā
Before Yuichiro could understand the meaning of the whispered words, Temeraire let go of his left hand that was gripping the edge of the plank. Dragged by Yuichiroās body, Temeraireās body eventually slid down with one of his hands tightly gripping Yuichiroās handānever wanting to let go. Then, they both fell.
You know, at this point, Iām team Temeraireās all the way. Yuichiro and him has this special bond between them on a far more emotional level compared to his and Noahās.