He said in a comforting voice, "I know this is too much to handle, dear sister. But I had to tell you the truth. You and Lia have to be prepared for what's to come."
Helia looked up at the place where his voice was coming from, her eyes filled with tears and pain. "I can't believe it, I can't believe I was so blind in hatred," she whispered, her voice choked with emotion.
Leon's heart pained at the sight of Helia's anguish, but he was powerless to offer her any physical comfort by hugging her. He longed to embrace her and ease her sorrow, but he was nothing more than a soul.
Tears streamed down Helia's face, mingling with the raindrops that began to fall from the blue sky. The wind picked up, whipping her hair around her face, and the thunder rumbled ominously.
Suddenly, she felt a strong tug, a magnetic force that pulled her towards a shimmering tear in the fabric of space.
Helia stumbled backward, her feet slipping on the wet ground as she fought against the force dragging her toward the rift. Her heart was beating fast as she looked back at where Leon's voice had come from earlier.
"Noooo!" she cried out, but her voice was drowned out by the howling wind.
A sense of agony gripped her as she felt herself being dragged closer and closer to the rift, separating her from her big brother's soul as her body resisted against the unseen power.
As she reached the edge of the rift, Helia heard her big brother's voice one last time, his tone mixed with sorrow and happiness.
"Our time together ends here. I will always be with you, in your heart. take care, little sister."
With those final words of Leon, Helia was pulled through the space rift and into the unknown, her heart flowing with grief but also filled with the love and memories that she shared with her big brother.
The girl tumbled through the emptiness, she couldn't stop the tears from streaming down her face. She felt like she was leaving a part of herself behind with her big brother. It was as if a piece of her heart had been torn away.
Soon, the rift spat her out on the other side, Helia took a deep breath and wiped away her tears. She knew that she had to be strong and carry on, for her brother's sake, for her beloved sister Lia, and also for that boy who she had hurt.
As Helia was sent out of the space rift, she was tangled with her thoughts and emotions, but suddenly she felt a weight crash onto her body.
Before she could process what was happening, she found herself pinned beneath someone - and that someone was the boy she was just thinking about.
But as Rio shifted his weight, his hand brushed against something soft and plumpy. Without thinking, he squeezed gently, only to realize with a jolt of shock that he was groping Helia's rounded bosom.
Their sea-green and red eyes met, both of them confused, blinking as their gazes interlocked.
The two of them froze, locked in a moment of awkward intimacy. For what felt like an eternity, they simply stared at each other, neither knowing quite what to do.
But as the shock of the situation faded, a rush of embarrassment and shame washed over them both.
Rio quickly scrambled off of Helia, the girl's cheeks becoming pink with embarrassment.
"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to - I mean, I was lost in the fog, and I didn't know where I was going, and I just" He trailed off, unable to find the words to express how he ended up on top of her.
As for Helia, she was equally speechless, her heart beating faster against the same spot where his hand had unconsciously lingered earlier.
She and Rio both were feeling awkward, their minds were trying to get calm down at what happened.
However, before they could say or do anything, a deep voice boomed out of nowhere, "Welcome to the death trial. I am the person in charge of this place. In a minute, a trial will begin. A shadow will pursue you as you play the game.
If one of you can outrun it and reach the space rift portal in the east, then the first person who enters it will be able to escape this place. The second person will have to enter the death realm. If neither of you escapes before getting caught by the shadow, then you will both enter the death realm. You have thirty seconds to decide."
As the reality of the situation dawned on Helia, her body froze in shock, like statues trapped in time.
They were both trapped in a twisted game of life and death, with no time to waste. For a moment, the duo's eyes locked in a silent exchange of confusion.
Suddenly, without warning, Rio stood up, and swept Helia off her feet, making her heart race and her arms instinctively wrapped around his neck as he began to run.
She watched as his face was gleaming with unwavering resolve, the muscles in his legs bulging with each powerful stride.
As they ran, the sun was beginning to dip below the horizon in the west, casting long shadows across the desolate landscape.
Helia felt the wind rushing past her ears as Rio enchanted his feet with thunder, turning into a blue star that streaked across the barren earth.
Despite the fear that gripped her heart, she felt a sense of security in Rio's embrace. She clung tightly to him as he ran, her heart feeling warmth but guilt at the same time.
====////====
[SnowNote]
Are you guys liking the pace of novel? I have switched from slow to fast.
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Edited By: TheWhiteSnow
