` ❀ 𝓓istance, timing, breakdown, fighting, silence, the train runs off its tracks . ݁ ꒱

– It was a cold night, the sky overcast as if reflecting the heaviness that hung in the air. The trees of the swayed in the biting wind, their leaves falling like small sighs of farewell. In the heart of the battle, the creatures of darkness had been defeated, but the price had been high.

Zoë Nightshade, her long black hair disheveled and her silver cloak torn and stained with blood, lay sprawled on the ground. The glow of her stars, the emblem of the Hunters of Artemis, seemed to fade. Her dark brown eyes, always determined and fierce, were heavy-lidded now as she struggled to focus on the figure beside her.

You were kneeling beside her, your heart in pieces. Zoë’s breathing was ragged, each sigh weaker than the last. Her eyes searched yours, and for a moment the world around her faded, as if only the two of you existed in that moment frozen in time. Your body trembled as you held her head in your lap, your fingers gently stroking her hair as if your touch could keep her there, with you.

Zoë smiled, a small smile, barely noticeable, but there was love there. Love she had never dared to confess, hidden behind her duties as a Huntress. She reached out a trembling hand, her icy fingers brushing your cheek, a caress that was as gentle as it was painful. – “I always knew that…it wouldn’t be possible." – her voice came out weak, a whisper you could barely hear over the wind.

Deep in your heart, you knew. There was something between you that had always been there, unspoken, but felt in every lingering glance, every furtive smile.

– “I… couldn’t…” – Zoë continued, her eyes now fixed on yours, the pain of a lifetime of denial mixed with regret. – “I wanted to be… with you… but the Hunters…” –