CHAPTER 457: GIVING IN HER ALL

Evaline:

My knees gave out beneath me. I would have hit the ground had Kieran not caught me, pulling me against his chest. But even his warmth couldn’t reach me. It felt like someone had dug a hole in the center of my chest and scooped everything out - heart, soul, breath, life... all gone.

"Evaline, sweetheart, breathe... please breathe," Kieran whispered into my hair, but I couldn’t.

How was I supposed to breathe when Draven wasn’t... at least not like I wanted him to?

The world blurred around me. I couldn’t hear, couldn’t think... just the sound of my pulse roaring in my ears, and the unbearable stillness of the man on the bed.

He looked so peaceful. So still. Too still. His chest rose and fell only faintly... the healers’ powers keeping his body alive... but his soul... it was gone. I didn’t need anyone to confirm it, I could feel it. The bond that once burned so fiercely between us now hung by a thread, cold and faint, like the last flicker of a dying star.

"Why?" I choked, the tears streaming down my face. "Why him? Why now? He was... he was fine... he promised he’d come back."

"Evaline..." River’s voice broke somewhere behind me, low and strangled.

I turned, and it shattered me all over again - seeing my strong, steady River looking so broken, his eyes rimmed red from sleeplessness. Oscar stood beside him, rubbing his face with both hands, silent tears cutting down his cheeks. And Kieran looked like he had aged years in four days.

None of them said anything because there were no words. There was only grief.

I pulled away from Kieran, moving back to Draven. My fingers trembled as I touched his cold cheek. "You said you would never leave me," I whispered. "You said..." My voice cracked as the sob rose again, wracking my entire body. "You lied."

Kieran crouched beside me, his hand on my back, gentle but firm. "Evaline, listen to me," he said, voice rough but steady. "We haven’t lost him completely. He’s still here. His body... his energy... it’s holding on."

He was repeating the same words before, and this time... I did hear him.

Oscar crouched on my other side, his hands coming up to cup my face. His thumbs brushed away my tears, his expression full of desperate hope. "You - of all people- can still reach him, love. You can’t break down like this."

Their words struck something deep inside me... like a bell ringing in a hollow room.

I could still reach him.

I could still try.

My eyes fell back to Draven. The bond between us might be faint, but it was there. Barely. Flickering. Weak... but not gone.

But this hope also came with the memory of how my power had recoiled when I had tried to heal those black veins. A part of me was afraid that my power wouldn’t respond again.

Still, if there was even the smallest chance that I could bring him back, I’d take it.

I pressed my trembling hand against his chest, right over where his heart lay still beneath his skin. "Please," I whispered, closing my eyes. "Help me... please."

At first, nothing happened.

Then I felt it - the familiar tingle of warmth beneath my skin, the quiet hum of my gift stirring in response. It was faint at first, hesitant, like a frightened bird... but it answered.

And when it did, I almost sobbed again - not from pain this time, but relief.

The light bloomed from my palm, soft and golden. It seeped into Draven’s skin, threading through his veins, spreading from his chest to his shoulders, down his arms. The glow filled the room, and for the first time in days, hope filled it too.

Healer Ren took a cautious step forward but didn’t interrupt. Kieran’s hand on my back went stiff. River and Oscar stayed close as they watched. No one spoke. No one dared break the fragile moment.

The power flowed through me like a river. I poured everything I had into him... every drop, every ounce of strength and love. It was draining, terrifyingly so, but I couldn’t stop. I wouldn’t.

"Come back to me," I whispered. "Please, Draven... please come back."

His body didn’t move. Not a flicker.

But I kept going.

Seconds passed. Or maybe several long minutes... or hours... I couldn’t tell anymore. The world narrowed to the pulse of power between us. My head spun, my vision dimmed at the edges, but I still clung to his hand, still kept pushing my healing into him.

He took it all. Every drop. Like an endless pit, drinking it in without a hint of response.

"Evaline." River’s voice came softly first, cautious. "You are pushing too hard."

I shook my head weakly. "I can do it," I murmured. "Just a little more..."

Kieran moved closer, his hand wrapping around my wrist. His voice was hoarse, begging. "Love, you have done enough. Please, you are hurting yourself."

"No." My voice cracked. "Not yet."

Oscar’s hand joined his, his touch trembling. "Eva, look at him. Nothing’s changing. You’ll drain yourself dry."

But I couldn’t stop. I wouldn’t. The moment I stopped, I would have to face the truth, and I wasn’t ready for that.

My vision blurred further. The room began to sway. My heartbeat was loud in my ears, but faint... distant. My chest ached, my head pounded. The warmth that once surged through me began to turn cold.

Still, I didn’t let go.

"Come back..." I whispered again, my voice fading. "Please, Draven..."

I didn’t feel the tears slipping down my cheeks anymore. I barely felt the hands on me - Kieran’s arm around my shoulders, River’s fingers gripping my other hand, Oscar’s steadying me from the side. Their voices blurred into the same desperate chorus.

"Eva, stop!"

"Sweetheart, please-"

"You are killing yourself-"

Even Healer Ren was saying something.

But I couldn’t hear them clearly anymore. Everything was fading, the world dipping in and out like a flickering light.

My power kept flowing even when I had none left to give.

Until the light around my hand began to dim, flickering once, twice... then fading completely.

I swayed, the strength leaving my body entirely. Someone shouted my name, and then everything went dark again.

The last thing I felt before I lost consciousness was Kieran catching me, his arms strong and trembling around me.

The last thing I heard was River’s broken whisper... raw, full of despair.

"She’s gone under."

And the last thing I felt was Draven’s hand still cold beneath mine.

He hadn’t woken up.