more hopeless could not have been. They had everything they could use as a weapon. Daggers, pitchforks and some even had real swords. They had a day's march before they would find the herds of men in Dermont. Most of the villagers would be in the fields to die fighting, but there was hope that some, if not victorious, would return.

Cut me free, bleed with me, oh no
One by one, we will fall, down down
Pull the plug, end the pain, run n fight for life
Hold on tight, this ain't my fight
* Flashback end *

The snowstorm had blown all the brown leaves that had stubbornly resisted winter from the trees. The forest looked creepy and deserted. No animal, no bird, no green plant could be seen far and wide. The only thing that stood out from the gray-brown wasteland was a post that stood in the middle of the forest. All around him were dead soldiers, but also peasants. The great stake was by no means erected for otherwise.
The blood slowly ran down him and the white fabric of her dress was blowing strongly in the wind. The unconscious Kalia had been tied to the wooden post by her hands and feet. Her black hair covered her face and her head rested on her cleavage.She drew her eyebrows together and slowly opened her eyes. Due to the heavy blowing snow, she could hardly keep it open because the wind was blowing right in her face. She screwed up one eye and tried to look around with the other. The handcuffed woman could only make out the outlines of the trees and some figures. It reminded her of the first time she met her loyal friends and companions. They had taken her in even though she was only a child ... A child who had already killed nine people at the age of 14.
“KALIA!” Someone shouted her name, but immediately he fell silent again and you could only hear indistinct things from his mouth, because that was exactly where he was stuffed with snow. She winced. // This voice ... // "Damion!" Desperately, she pulled at her bonds and found that they were pulled incredibly tight. A searing pain made her stop because otherwise she would have cut her flesh.
A man took a few steps towards her and the snow creaked under his feet.Your head whirls around. "Argh ..." Only now did she notice that he was hurting a lot. It must have come from the blow of the soldier who knocked her out and carried her here.
"A woman ..." A cold, rough voice penetrated Kalia's ear. But now she could also see who it belonged to. She had prepared for the worst, and the worst happened upon. Manuel Dermont stood in front of her and had put on a nasty grin. Kalia glared at him. "Dermont ..." she growled, not avoiding his cold gaze. She would rather die here and now than bow to him ... whatever he wanted from her.
"Beautiful eyes ... such wonderful black hair ..." he enthused and ran a gloved hand over her stomach. He grinned again when she winced at his touch.
"Don't be afraid ...", he smiled, but his smile was by no means pleasant and reassuring. He kept talking and his voice became deeper than normal.It seemed to Kalia as if the devil was speaking through him.
[i]"I envy the 9 lives that gave me hell, my path made up by their torn bodies. Man to man, soldier to soldier, dust to dust." men lying on the ground. Kalia discovered her two friends Huke and Tylor among them. Tears welled up in her eyes and when she saw the renewed grin of the "Lord of Darkness", she couldn't contain herself anymore.
"COWARD !!!" she yelled at him.
His grin grew even wider. But then he suddenly became serious again and screamed just as loudly, in an angry tone:
[i]"Call me a coward but I can't take it anymore!"
Kalia was trembling all over. She thought of Damion, held somewhere here by probably a dozen men, only to see Dermont mock Kalia.
"We found six men in your village ... they were really good in fighting for their lives.", He continued. Kalia's stomach tightened. But not just hers, Damion's too.He was standing a few yards from the post and was being held by a couple of men. He couldn't speak or move. They would kill him, he knew that. But he didn't want to watch them torture his girlfriend, Kalia.
Images came into his mind; Pictures when he learned to use the sword from little Kalia. She was a tough trainer. After many hours of practice, he was always really exhausted. But when he always saw her sitting alone and sad by the stream in the evening, his heart was always heavy. She had no one. That's why he decided to always be by her side and always protect her. // I've failed ... That's all my foul. //
He tells himself it was all his fault. If Kalia had heard his thoughts, she would have slapped him for sure because that was not true. That was her way of getting him back on the ground.
Kalia clenched her fists and struggled against the ropes as best she could.[i]"They wait for me back home, they live with eyes turned away, they were the first ones to see, they are the last ones to bleed ...", Kalia said desperately.
// They can't be dead ... //
As if Dermont had guessed her thoughts, he said, amused: "Hm, they fought two hours ... but they hadn't a chance ..."
Kalia felt a stab in her heart, but not a real one. It was just an incredibly painful feeling from a tyrant's mouth to hear these words.
// So they are also dead ... // She would have loved to throw something on Dermont's head, but it just closed her throat. She looked away from him and at that very moment Dermont realized that he had won. His eyes sparkled dangerously as he said:
[i]"The ultimate high as all beautiful dies. A ruler's tool, priest's excuse, tyrant's delight ... I alone, the great white hunter. I'll march till the dawn brings me rest. 10th patriot at the gallow's pole!"At the last words he had screamed and drawn his sharp, shining sword.With all his might and with all his anger against Kaila he had rammed it into her stomach.
"Nnnnnn ..." Damion choked out, muffled by the soldier's hand. He bit his finger and it read from him like a refex and cursing. "KALIA !!!!!", Damion shouted with a full throat and his eyes widened at the sight of her.
Her head was back on her cleavage and her eyes were closed.
//No...// Damion's eyes sparkled and tears came out of them.
Kalia's blood soaked her white dress that she had worn under her armor in deep red and slowly ran down her legs until it came to her bare feet and slowly dripped onto the snow-covered ground. Her body was no longer trembling, but there were still goose bumps to be seen on her skin. Her hair was covered in snowflakes and her hands had relaxed again. It seemed like she was sleeping ...
The other soldiers had let go of Diamont, as he was no longer a threat to them.He sank to his knees and stared at the stake in disbelief.
Kalia started shaking again, but nobody noticed. Everyone thought she was dead, but in reality she was only gathering the last of her strength to free herself from this unworthy position. She knew she was going to die. The wound was too bad to have made it to the village, where almost no one was anyway, she was sure of that. So she just prepares for her death.
"Cut me free!"she suddenly shouted and everyone around her winced. Dermont had moved away from her and mounted his white horse. He spun around when he heard her voice. "What the hell ...?"
She screamed and discharged all her strength, struggling with her against the bonds. They cut her wrist, but she no longer felt the pain. This incredible will ... she wanted to break free and see Damion one last time.
The handcuffs and feet tore slowly ... Kalia screamed louder and narrowed her eyes.The shackles tore and Kalia gasped a lot on the floor.
Damion took his chance and ran to her as fast as his legs could carry him.
"Kalia ..." he whispered and quickly sank down to her. He supported her and looked at her with tears in his eyes.
"You fool ... don't cry.", She laughed weakly.
The sword was still in her body. "It doesn't even hurt ..."
She took his trembling hands and placed them on the hilt of the sword.
"Shall I ...?" He asked and let his hands guide her.
"Yes ...pull the plug, end the pain."
"No, I can't," he said simply. She smiled weakly and closed her eyes. "Please ..."
It shook his whole body. He gripped the hilt a little tighter and pulled the sword out of her body. Immediately the blood began to ooze from the wound and it threatened to bleed to death. Her smile stayed on her lips as she leaned over and coughed lightly."Run'n fight for life. Hold on tight, .... this ain't my fight."She put her lips gently on his. He returned the tender kiss before she closed her eyes forever and slumped forward into his arms, which clutched her lifeless body tightly.
"Kalia ... no ... don't leave ..." But it was too late.

~~~~~

Damion somehow managed to break free from captivity. He didn't know how himself, because all his thoughts were with Kalia.
"I love you ..." he breathed as he held her body in his arms and stood on a hill, staring at the sky and thinking. The soldiers simply left Kalia there. Dermont hadn't even taken the sword with him. It was, as he said, a "contaminated sword" because with it he had killed a woman who had opposed him.
Damion had returned to the place of her death and had taken her body with her to the village. He had also taken the sword with him. He had sworn that one day ... one day he would kill Dermont with it.

~ Owari ~