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I wandered over and squatted before hiently over his "I won’t let this happen, Jase I swear I will find so past ument you had"

"You saw that?" I spun on the balls of ot to my feet slowly

"It’s over," he said, defeated "I tried I’ve tried so s to--" He stopped on a break in his voice "But nothing worked I’ to die"

"I can’t accept that, Jase"

"It’s too bad," he said kindly "He won’t wait for you to accept it, Ara It is what it is"

"Why won’t he helpto tears on the last word "I thought by co it all out in the open, ether--do so to do, but"

"But, it didn’t work He doesn’t care It’s like he wants to die"

"Or maybe he’s just already accepted it"

"H my nose

"No It’s not Don’t you see, Ara? It’s not that he doesn’t care or that he wants to die, but that it’s taken hionna co to lose all that again hatever plan you had fails"

I swiped a tear froet that I do I really understand what he’s gone through to cope hat he has to do, but I don’t care I just"

"I know"

"You knohat?"

"I knoill happen to you when he’s gone?"

"What do youin front of me "What does it er in it?"

"Nothing Empty," I answered quickly

"No Think harder Think about that first day, when you wake up and there’s a shift in the paradigm When you look out theand suddenly that sense that he’s out there, that you’ll see hi he said, will be gone Like staring at a blank canvas" He rolled his shoulders back sloatching the realisation form in front of him "There’ll never be any way to paint over that There will never be any way to fill that hole, Ara, and I love you, you know that, but even I can’t fill that hole for you I know" He sighed, dropping his hands to his knees for a second before standing tall again "I know you’ve messed up from time to time when it comes to him and the way you love him But you do love him, and that’s what counts in the end, Ara, because after a hundred years with one person, that’s the only thing that keeps you together God knows" He rubbed his brow "I tried Ibut we failed, and it breaks my heart so immensely deep that you’ll have to suffer that--that you’ll have to feel that way for even a second I would do anything" His fists tightened "Anything to keep you from that, because your life won’t just be e without air"

I stepped closer, my eyes wide "Jase?"

"He know this, too, Ara He knows all that his death will do to you, and he is still going to go--still going to let you suffer that, because his reasons for dying far outweigh anything else he ht care about"

"What reasons?"

"That’s just it" He offered a gentle s me with the presence of his dimple "I don’t even know"

"Ara?"

I spun around quickly "David"

"What are you doing in here?" He glared at Jason as he walked over and placed his arm around me possessively

"I was already in here when she came in," Jase said flatly

"Fine" David looked fro on"

"We were just discussing your recent decision," I said

"Ara?" He sighed, stepping away "Get back to bed We’re not having this discussion again"

"Don’t do that to her" Jason ht to fight for you There has to be another way"

David just s to my death if there were?"

"Look, I understand that, but--" Jase’s words stopped, his eyes going set that infor into the conversation

David glanced back at et it, brother? This has to end with her"

"David, what do you ertips over his forearing you"

He looked at Jason one , then softly spokehis voice in defeat "What you know of the prophecy so far is wrong"

"Whatwhat parts?"

"All of it It’s backward,"This child, this Blood of Knight and Lilithian, that’s not you Nothing has been foretold Only proes are is--" David stopped and looked away "They’re not a prophecy, Ara They’re a contract"