Regret and despair

"What have I done?" Naomi murmured as she straightened herself. "No, no... Meriana... I didn't mean for any of this to happen."

Daegal hissed at the guards who had just watched the entire scene unfold. "Clear the room and speak nothing of what you have witnessed here."

His command was quickly obeyed and in a moment, only he, Naomi, Azriel, and Meriana's dead body remained.

Naomi covered her mouth with her hand, stifling the sob that fought to come out but she couldn't stop the tears from freely flowing down her cheeks. She tentatively walked over to where Azriel knelt on the ground, clutching his sister's body.

His entire form was rigid. There were no tears in his eyes or pain or anything. He was blank, almost as lifeless as the bloodied body he held against his chest.

Naomi fell to her knees beside Azriel and placed a shaking hand on his shoulder. Beneath her grip, she felt him freeze, becoming even more rigid than he previously was.

"A-Az... I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. I never—This was