Khal was holding Devion and running towards where the healer was located.

He continued running, but for some reason, the path seemed to be stretching endlessly. No matter how fast he had become, he could not see the end of the path.

Khal paused slightly, catching his breath. His mind was so focused only on getting Devion to safety that he had not once realized the anomaly.

Fear crept within him, and Khal found it was becoming harder to breathe.

"Kill me, Khal." The hollow voice rang out, and just as Khal was finally about to snap, he paused.

With shaking pupils, he looked down at Devion in his arms.

Khal’s lips quivered as he stiffened. His whole body chilled as he saw what he saw.

"Babe?" he called out in a daze.

Only to meet Devion’s eyes, which were now empty; pupils had been pulled out as blood gushed out from them.

"Why?" Devion’s voice rang, "I told you to kill me, didn’t I? Why don’t you kill me, Khal?"

The blood continued to flow in his face until it overflowed and flooded the whole room. Khal’s heart slowed down, and he froze where he stood.

His face had turned ashen; Khal’s fingers trembled, and his knees almost buckled.

As he looked up, the scenery had changed, and the endless path disappeared; darkness shrouded his vision as the blood continued to rise.

They were Devion’s blood.

"No..." Khal’s voice had never been this low and weak before.

Devion’s face became closer, with hollowed pupils, and his devilish grin occupied Khal’s vision. 𝒇𝙧𝙚𝓮𝙬𝙚𝓫𝒏𝓸𝓿𝓮𝒍.𝓬𝙤𝓶

"Khal... Khal... You should have killed me."

He whispered over and over again.

Khal saw himself standing in a blood sea, as if reminding him of how many drops of Devion’s blood had been poured in all these years.

"You should have done so... or I can kill him."

The whisper messed with Khal’s mind as he heard a bloodcurdling scream. Khal stiffened further as Devion’s laughter rang in his right ear, while on his left was that scream and familiar voice.

Ayen...

It took almost all his power to turn his head around and look in that direction.

Khal’s eyes widened, and dread rose from the bottom of his heart.

At the end of the path, which suddenly appeared, Ayen was hanging by the door, screaming at him as blood also poured out from him.

"Khal... Save me..." Ayen reached his hand and pleaded.

Khal’s hand loosened to Devion, feet about to go where Ayen was, but Devion’s voice rang again.

"Khal," Devion’s voice brushed against his ears. "You can’t save him without killing me. Choose, babe."

Khal’s heart sank, and his gaze shifted to Ayen and back to Devion’s almost unrecognizable face. The grin on his face widened, and he laughed.

"Save him and kill me. Khal, you can only choose one."

Devion’s laughter overwhelmed him, as though savoring Khal’s terrified expression. The despair that sank throughout his whole being was like his greatest joy.

The blood continued to rise until it was already up to Khal’s waist. And Ayen’s voice continued to weaken as time passed, while Devion’s laughter became louder.

"Choose one. Choose him or me. Save him or kill me."

Khal’s pupils dimmed as it continued to shake; his hands tightened around Devion’s body. The laughter and screams made his eardrums sting, and Khal felt like everything was falling apart once more.

Who did he choose?

The screams continued to weaken as the laughter...

No, there was no laughter anymore. But only a struggle and grunting noises. Devion, in his armor, flailed around as he touched Khal’s arms, strangling him; he stared at Khal with his empty pupils.

"So, you... chose him?" Though he struggled, there was no pain in his tone. The grin also remained. "You are finally killing me, Khal?"

"For someone you only know for a few months?"

Khal’s face still remained pale, and his twisted expression showed how shaken he was at this moment. Yet, his hands only tightened around Devion’s neck.

Tears fell from the corner of his eyes, and it continued, Khal not stopping them as he watched himself strangle Devion.

Devion laughed despite the pain.

"Khal..."

That was his last word as Khal broke his neck. Khal swallowed and let Devion’s body fall. Khal’s hand twitched, but he clenched it, veins coiling in his arms as he watched Devion’s body sink below the blood sea.

As he turned around, Ayen stared at him, not screaming anymore.

"Kh...al," he managed to voice out.

Khal took a deep breath and looked up; darkness greeted him.

As he returned his gaze to Ayen, the guide only stared at him as if he already knew his decision.

Khal’s breathing became faint, and he tried his best to calm down.

"Not... saving me?"

Khal clenched his jaw and looked down at his hand, the one that broke Devion’s neck.

"Why...? You... chose me."

After hearing this, Khal let out a laugh, one laced with misery.

"You’re not wrong." Khal let his tears fall and smiled faintly. "But not right either."

He began walking, but not towards where Ayen was.

"Why...?" Ayen’s voice rang, and Khal paused.

He looked up again.

Khal’s lips curled up ominously.

"I know this isn’t real, but it’s messing with me." Khal sighed helplessly. He had not known from the start, but his instincts told him.

When did he realize he was dreaming? At some point, Khal had been lost in the memories and his sense of self.

How did he wake up?

"Ah, you made me choose."

It was probably at this point.

"Ayen and Devion won’t do that to me."

Since when has he had this deep faith in their relationship? It never failed to amaze Khal.

"They won’t make me choose." Khal let out a sigh before a laugh as he wiped his tears.

The uncomfortable sensation of strangling his beloved, though not real, lingered, and seeing Ayen hanging there with only a few breaths left fucked him up.

A realization came to Khal.

His pupils glowed in the darkness as a stark contrast to the blood.

He turned and made eye contact with Ayen.

"Ayen’s not the only one greedy." Khal’s eyes flickered. "I’m worse than him."

Between the three of them, there was no need to choose.