Goodbye

"Dress up," he said, still heaving from the effort. It was bad... it was really bad. The initial satisfaction of the pleasure he caused Edelgard and the feeling of accomplishment quickly passed, making way for a stabbing pain in his chest. It was time... "Go on, I want to go out."

"Ok," Edelgard said, dressing up. She even helped him back into his loincloth, which was nice of her. She even wiped them both clean... though she took too long. "Here you go."

"Thanks... now, ah!" He stumbled into her arms. The pain got worse since he stood up... "You must help me..."

She gently smiled back, unsuspecting of anything... or at least he hoped so.

They walked out the door, only to find an unexpected adversary.

"I was wondering what you were doing... but I see," Magmaranda said, unable to hide her worried expression when she saw Karkass leaning heavily on Edelgard.

Edelgard blushed, which made Karkass happy.

She was so cute when she was embarrassed...

Though he still hurt.

"This is actually perfect," he said, nodding. "Come with us."

"... Alright?"

She was looking at Edelgard, who nodded back enthusiastically.

With his childhood friend and his lover in tow, they made for the elders' three, where he led them. They climbed down the ladders and they placed him between two protruding roots.

"Why here, though?" Edelgard asked.

"Could you talk to the elders...?" he asked Magmaranda, whose eyes widened. She frowned as she fought against the tears, nodding. "And my brother, too?"

"I'll be back," she promised, running off.

"Your... and the... what's going on?"

Karkass raised a hand and placed it on her face. Edelgard snuggled against it, but Karkass couldn't hold it in any longer.

Cough!

Blood streamed down from his mouth.

His insides felt like they had been impaled on a thousand tiny branches, stabbing him again and again.

He had trouble sitting upright, so he leaned against the tree.

"I did a pretty good job at hiding it if even you didn't notice," he mumbled, smiling to himself.

"Karkass?"

Goodbyes were difficult.

"I'll go ahead, Edelgard," he said, pulling back his hand. "I would bow to you for everything you've done, but if I would, I wouldn't be able to sit upright again... I'm sorry." He pressed the palms of his hands against each other, his eyes falling shut. Something happened to his hair, but he couldn't feel what it was exactly. He just kept on talking. "When I met you, I didn't expect this to happen... you were the only one to bring some joy to my life... the only one... You liked me for who I was, you visited me when even my family wouldn't... You... loved me, and you allowed me to love you. For that and everything else... I... thank... you..."

In the distance, he heard his beloved wife call after him. It sounded like she was far away...

So this is what it feels like to become one with nature...

This seemed to continue for a while.

Many more voices joined his wife, and though he didn't know if it would reach them, he told them the same.

"Thank you. For everything."

At last, even his face turned to wood.

Like a statue, formed after his image, he sat under the elders' tree, where he had been imprisoned for so long...

Only now, he was free... and one with nature.