My breathing turns ragged as I feel my whole body turning weak. There is nothing but fire everywhere, burning down the Magdalene with every passing second.
I cough up my blood and let it drool on the floor. The bruises on my skin and wounds on my wrists make my entire body ache so badly. But my mind only races with thoughts of Agatha as I lay on my back on the ground.
“But today it ends for you,” I hear Geryon’s rough voice as I see him choking Agatha to her death.
No. I won’t lose her.
Not now. Not ever.
I won’t let Geryon take her away from me. With every ounce of energy I have left with determination and rage fueling my nerves, I get up and rush towards Geryon as he raises the knife in his hand.
But before he can plunge into Agatha’s body, I hold him by his waist and pick him up, throwing him over my shoulder. The knife clanks away from his hold.
“You have taken everything from me, Geryon. But not her,” I murmur, breathing heavily.
He smirks and gets up. “You won’t be able to save her when I kill you.”
“Not before I kill you first, brother” I threaten him, spitting out blood. “You are returning back from where you came and that is surely not heaven.”
With a roar he charges at me and raises his hand to hit me, but using my arm I dodge his attack and knee him on his stomach. He grunts back but I don’t give him time to recover and rain punch after punch across his face, that with every hit he staggers back with bruises already forming on his cheeks.
I hold him by his collar and hit his forehead with mine as hard as possible twice in a row. Ignoring the ache in my temple, I hold his shirt and belt before swinging him behind me, watching his body slide on the floor until his body hits the statue, making him stop.
Adrenaline pumps through my body, awakening up my nerves. I stalk towards him and as he is getting up, I kick him on his face, stomping his nose and chin as hard as possible with my feet.
“Urgh! Fuck!” he growls in pain, holding onto his aching face.
But I don’t let him compose himself. I grab his collar with one hand, making him lie on his back and astride him. With my other hand I punch him blindly without any pause, pouring every ounce of locked up anger, guilt, agony and heartache I feel because of him.
Every hit that I land reflects all those miseries he cost me and today nothing will stop me from repaying him back. His grunts of agony and breathy curses are like music to my ears.
But none of it feels enough.
He deserves to suffer endlessly.
His blood coats my knuckles and I relish the bruises and cuts that are forming on his face already. But I crave to hurt him more.
I grip his hair tightly and smack his head continuously against the statue until more blood pours out. His body is turning limp and weak like he has no ounce of energy left to fight me. His face is starting to swell with his eyes half closed.
I lean him away, making him look at me while my hand grips his bruised jaw.
But he still grins with a blood coated smile. “What are you waiting for, brother? End me. But you know well that your sins will always lurk behind you like a shadow for the rest of your life. You will always carry the burden of your sins no matter where you go,” he nods weakly at Agatha who is unconscious on the floor, “-even she won’t be able to get you out of it.”
He chuckles under his breath. “The Magdalene will always be a part of your life.”
I look right into his eyes, fearless and unbothered by his words.
“I know the shadow of the Magdalene will never leave me, but unlike you, I will repent for my sins. I don’t care if I will be in heaven or hell, but will make sure to give myself the life I deserved that was taken away from me. And Agatha brought me out of that darkness the day she got here and nothing will ever change that.”
“You will rot in hell, Eryx. You and I both know that.”
I shrug with a dark grin. “Maybe, but I do know that you will be burning here and even in hell, because the devil tainted you, brother. Die and never come back.”
I hold his neck, guiding him towards the burning tapestry.
“May your soul rot for eternity,” I curse him, pushing him into his death, hearing him screaming and crying in endless agony. And in a few seconds when his voice is no longer heard, I feel the cloud of darkness escaping from my heart. I grab the cross necklace that he gave me when I first came here and throw it into the fire, erasing his last remaining presence from my life.
I turn to Agatha and quickly take her in my arms.
“Agatha,” I call her name, lightly tapping her cheek. I check for her pulse and it is steady. I look around, seeing the fire reaching the rooftop and pillars. The ceiling makes a loud cracking noise, giving the sign it is about to fall down anytime.
I pick up Agatha, ignoring the excruciating pain throughout my body, and stagger towards the door. The second I step out of the building I hear the loud thud of the ceiling falling, spreading the fire even more.
Going around the Magdalene, I give it all to get Agatha to the back of the island where the boat is ready. Every step I take feels like thorns spiking my nerves again and again, making me bleed more.
But I don’t give up.
I have to save her even if it means sacrificing my own life. The distance feels like a forever journey but when I hear the crashing sounds of the waves with the wind howling, I feel a surge of calmness going through my nerves.
I start to walk towards the spot where the boat is hidden and soon, I find it. Lowering Agatha on the ground, I get the boat ready, dragging it to the shore side, before returning to get Agatha and place her inside the boat. Taking the oars, I begin rowing the boat and turn it around the island.
When I notice Agatha’s wounded wrists, I find a wooden box that I told Julius to send along with the boat, containing essentials. Thankfully there is a small first aid box with bandages and antiseptics inside. I disinfect her wounds and wrap the bandage around her hands to stop the bleeding until we reach Vailburg, where she will get proper treatment. I even treat my scars on my wrists but weakness still lurks upon my body.
I resume rowing and look over my shoulder, seeing the Magdalene burning…the place that turned my life into a living nightmare every single day, is finally being destroyed into ashes.
And with one final look at Mery Heights, I bid farewell to this cursed island, vowing to myself to never return back here.
The darkness ends today. It ends now.
