Ian:

He grunted, shoved my father aside, and held the dagger at me.

"I am telling you the truth. I said no to the deal," I said to my brother, watching a tear roll down his eye.

"But he suggested it, and he would have done it. Because, let’s be honest, he is not wrong," he uttered, smiling softly, but in defeat.

"I have never done anything right. It is not like I am a good person," he continued, speaking very softly, causing my heart to ache for him.

"Because sooner or later, I would have shown you that I am not worth it," he continued. "That I am incapable of thinking right."

His body showed that he was going through immense pain.

"But I would have stayed with you. I would have been right there with you. I would have made you change your mind, to do better, to do the best," I said.

As I continued, my brother shook his head, laughing a little at my words.

"It does not matter. Even you would have changed your mind. Because you are starting a new life with the perfect Clementine. You would have gotten tired of me. And I do not blame you, because I would have done the same."

As soon as Zian stopped speaking, he rushed at me with the dagger.

I do not know why I could not stop him.

The dagger came straight toward my chest.

Only the tip pierced my skin before Zian was suddenly pulled away from me.

It was my father. He had wrapped his arm around Zian’s neck and dragged him back.

My father landed on the road, holding Zian’s neck from behind and locking his legs around his, not letting him get up from the ground.

"Ian, I am proud of you. Spend a good life with Clementine. Have kids and be happy. But please take care of your pack and finish the academy."

As soon as my father said this, I saw the monster, the Hollow Man, suddenly leap toward my father and my brother.

We had been so busy fighting each other that I did not realize when the monster had come so close.

Their blood splattered onto me. Right in front of me, that monster crushed them under its body.

For the first few seconds, I just kept watching. Then my throat started to tighten.

"No," I let out a small whimper, so faint that it barely registered in my own head.

Then I looked up and saw the monster starting to come toward me. I was so numb that I forgot to move.

The monster approached and lifted its foot. I watched in silence, not moving, not trying to get away.

I just stood there, almost as if I had accepted what was coming, until something dragged me back.

I was suddenly jolted awake as my body hit the ground hard. I looked up and saw Clementine holding me tightly.

"Have you lost your mind?" she uttered as she got up and helped me to my feet.

We watched the Hollow Man walk away because we were already deep in the woods, among the trees.

Her eyes shifted to the road.

There was almost nothing left of my family, just blood, crushed bones, and pieces of flesh.

The rest had been dragged away by the monster.

"Oh no, is it...?" Clementine asked, pointing toward them.

I nodded before dropping to my knees, crying hysterically.

"I am so sorry," Clementine uttered, wrapping her arms around me and pulling me into a tight embrace.

For the first few seconds, we both cried. Then I sniffled and looked at her.

"What happened to them?" I asked her, barely able to speak.

"Troy is still there, and I buried the stone. I am sure the others have done the same," she said, pointing toward the sky. 𝗳𝗿𝐞𝕖𝘄𝗲𝕓𝗻𝚘𝚟𝕖𝐥.𝚌𝕠𝕞

I noticed the sky was growing darker, but there was something else too. Something was shifting.

"Come on, Ian, we have to go. Remember, the dark side is getting detached from the mainland," Clementine reminded me, dragging me backward toward the woods again.

As I moved forward, I suddenly stopped. Clementine felt the resistance and stopped as well.

"What happened? Why are you stopping?" she asked, watching me with a frown.

"What is left? What is there to go back to?" I asked softly.

"I wanted to go back earlier because I thought my father needed me, so that together we could bring Zian back to the right path and fix everything. But now I think about it, my brother is gone, and my father is gone. So what is the point of going back?"

As soon as I said that, I saw Clementine quietly staring at my face. It was the first time I had seen her this confused.

She was probably thinking about what to say to make me go with her. Then she began to shake her head.

"No, I will not let you do this to yourself," she snapped at me.

"You have a pack. You have an academy. You have things to deal with back home. You cannot just give up right now."

The moment she said that, I remembered what my father had told me.

His last words were similar to what Clementine was saying.

He had entrusted the academy, the pack, our people, everything to me.

He knew that once he was gone, the council would try to take control of the academy and keep it running.

"Now, if we are done talking, let’s go. We do not have time," Clementine said, giving me a sharp look as she grabbed my hand again and started pulling me away.

This time, I did not have the strength to pull my hand free. I knew she would get angry if I did.

So I followed her silently.

For a brief moment, I kept watching Clementine lead me forward, and I realized how blessed I was to have her beside me.

She knew what to do and how to control me.

Instead of agreeing with every foolish thing I said, she was always there to counter it, to challenge me, and to guide me in the right direction.

As we reached the woods, near the same spot where Troy was, I was met with another dreadful sight.

Rue stood there with a gun, pointing it at Troy, and then she turned it toward us.

"Glad you are here. Now get in line," she hissed.