Chương 377: A Mistake Almost Made

"Sooo... anything on your mind?" Vale asked, his voice rough and hoarse after another fit of coughing blood. Nym shot him an exasperated glance before releasing a long, weary sigh.

"Could you please do absolutely nothing for once?" she muttered.

"You're already half dead." Ignoring his raised eyebrow, she stood and knelt beside his battered body, her analytical gaze slowly traveling over every visible wound.

"Whoa," Vale said with exaggerated suspicion.

"What exactly are you doing?"

"Looking for a way to stop the bleeding." Vale rolled his eyes despite the pain.

"Don't bother. Almost all of it's internal. There isn't much you can do." Nym's emerald eyes narrowed faintly. After another careful inspection, she accepted his answer with visible reluctance. For several moments, she simply remained there, staring at him in silence while the ravine echoed with distant dripping blood and the occasional groan of shifting stone. Vale couldn't help smiling.

"What has gotten into you?" Without answering, Nym gently reached for his hand. He blinked in surprise as she guided it toward her lap before looking up at her, a faint flush rising to his face despite the blood staining half his body.

"Really?" She simply met his gaze, her expression calm and quietly expectant. After a brief silence, he let out an amused chuckle.

"Well... if you insist." Carefully, trying not to aggravate the countless injuries covering his body, Vale lowered himself until his head rested against her lap. Looking up, he found himself staring into her face, framed by strands of long black hair that swayed gently in the breeze drifting down through the ravine. A playful grin slowly tugged at the corner of his mouth.

"So... how come you're not nervous?" Nym didn't answer immediately. She simply looked down at him, her expression softer than he had ever seen before, a faint smile lingering on her lips.

"Who would I be," she asked quietly, "if I became nervous in a situation like this?" Vale snorted.

"Fair point."

"I know." Silence settled naturally between them, neither of them feeling the need to fill it. Nym watched him, or at least, she tried to. As always, her ability instinctively reached toward him, searching for the emotions, thoughts, and intentions that flowed so clearly from everyone else. It failed. Vale remained a void. His existence rejected her gift so completely that she couldn't grasp even the faintest thought. Yet beyond that emptiness was something she could never quite explain.

An indescribable warmth surrounded him, gentle and reassuring, somehow reaching her despite everything else remaining hidden. It frustrated her every time she encountered it, yet it also brought a peace she had never found in anyone else. She swallowed quietly before breaking the silence.

"Hey..."

"Hm?"

"Can I ask you something?" Vale looked up at her with mild curiosity before nodding.

"Go ahead." If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation. The words refused to leave her mouth. She hesitated for several long seconds before forcing herself to speak.

"Why do you still care about me this much?" Her voice was barely louder than a whisper.

"Even if you're in love with me... I've hurt you so many times." Her gaze drifted away from him as she spoke.

"What could be so wonderful about me... that it outweighs all the pain I've caused you?" Vale remained silent, giving the question the weight it deserved. Only after a long pause did he finally answer.

"Let me ask you something first." Nym slowly looked back down.

"Alright."

"When," Vale asked softly, "did you ever actually intend to hurt me?" She froze. Never. Not once. She had hurt him countless times, but never because she wanted to. Her fingers unconsciously tightened around the fabric covering her knees.

"What difference does that make?" His smile remained calm.

"It means something important." He looked into her eyes without the slightest trace of accusation.

"It means that even though you caused me pain... You never wanted to. And if that's true..." His voice became even softer.

"... then despite everything that's happened, all I want is to follow the feelings I have whenever I'm with you." Nym clenched her jaw. Her hands tightened until her knuckles turned white.

"Why can't you understand?" Her voice finally cracked.

"If I hurt you this much before we were even together..." Tears began gathering despite every attempt to hold them back.

"... then how much more will I hurt you if we actually are?" Slowly, almost lazily, Vale lifted a trembling hand and brushed his fingertips against her cheek with remarkable gentleness.

"Then..." he answered as though it were the simplest conclusion imaginable, "... that's a risk I'd gladly take." His thumb lightly stroked her skin.

"If it means I get to be with you." For several seconds, Nym forgot how to breathe. She slowly raised her own hand and wrapped it around his, holding it against her cheek while she stared into his pale eyes. Countless words reached the edge of her lips, yet none of them escaped. In the end, only a bittersweet smile remained, one filled with equal parts affection and regret.

"I'm sorry." Very gently, she lowered his hand from her face.

"I can't take that risk." Vale studied her quietly before letting out a long, weary sigh.

"Well." A small smile returned.

"It was worth asking." Nym frowned. Without warning, she lightly smacked his chest.

"Ow-!" Vale doubled over in another violent coughing fit, blood splattering across the stone between them.

"Would you stop hitting me already?" She folded her arms, still visibly emotional, though the annoyance she tried to project lacked any real conviction.

"Hopeless flirt." Before he could respond, she gently placed her palm across his eyes.

"Enough." Her voice softened once again.

"Get some sleep. You need it." Vale swallowed, the taste of iron still coating his mouth.

"Alright..." This time, he offered no resistance. Within moments, his breathing gradually steadied, and the tension slowly drained from his battered body as unconsciousness finally claimed him. Nym remained where she was, quietly looking down at him. A small sigh escaped her lips before her fingers began absentmindedly combing through his soft black hair. Each slow stroke brought another faint smile to her face, and before long her gaze drifted lower. Toward his lips. Her heartbeat quickened.

She remembered something Eskar had once told her.

"You're not greedy enough." She had dismissed it back then. Now, watching Vale sleep peacefully in her lap, she wasn't so sure anymore.

'Could I... just this once?' Her fingers gradually came to a stop as she leaned closer, long strands of black hair slipping around Vale's face like a curtain that shut out the rest of the world. Their faces drew nearer and nearer until only a few centimeters remained between them. Her breathing became shallow, her hands trembled ever so slightly, and she slowly closed her eyes. Then she stopped. For several long moments, she remained frozen before a quiet, almost amused laugh escaped her lips.

"I suppose..." she whispered into the still air, "... I should thank you." Her eyes opened, not toward Vale... But toward the rim of the ravine. Three beasts stood there in complete silence. They had arrived without making a sound, their hungry eyes fixed upon the wounded human sleeping helplessly below. Unlike the predator Vale had slain, there was no intelligence in their gaze, only crude instinct and the desire to feed. Their murderous intent rolled down into the ravine like a tangible weight.

Nym smiled at Vale one last time before carefully lowering his head from her lap onto the cold stone, making certain he remained as comfortable as possible.

"I'll be back in a moment." Her voice was barely above a whisper.

"Okay?" Vale, already lost to unconsciousness, gave no reply. The warmth faded from Nym's expression. In its place remained only perfect calm. She rose smoothly to her feet as her sword slid free from its sheath with a clear metallic ring that echoed throughout the ravine. The empty scabbard slipped from her hand, striking the stone with a dull clatter. Almost instantly, the three beasts leapt from the cliff above.

They landed one after another with heavy impacts, snarling like starving hounds as they slowly spread apart in an attempt to surround her. Nym calmly stepped forward until she stood between them... And the sleeping Vale. Lowering herself into a flawless sword stance, she leveled her blade toward the approaching predators without the slightest hesitation.

"I'm sorry," she said gently, "but I can't allow any of you to pass." The beasts answered only with low, rumbling snarls. Nym exhaled once, slowly.

"So... I'll give you a choice." Her grip tightened around the hilt.

"You can turn around now... and live to see another day." Her emerald eyes sharpened, and the air itself seemed to grow colder.

"Or..." The tip of her blade settled directly on the foremost beast.

"You can die here. The choice is yours."