NTR: Stealing wives in Another World-Chapter 34: Last breath

The boy’s breaths came in ragged gasps, each one a struggle that rattled in his chest. Allen knelt beside him, his hands trembling as he tried to stem the bleeding with a torn piece of his shirt. Fina and Rinni hovered close, their faces pale with worry.

"Kid," Allen said, his voice softer than anyone had heard from him before. "You’ve got to hold on. Can you tell us why they’re trying to kill you."

The boy’s eyes fluttered open, glassy and filled with tears. His lips moved, but at first, no sound came out. Then, in a hoarse whisper, he said, "The spirits... the dark ones... they... demand a sacrifice."

Allen’s brow furrowed. "What? For what reason?"

The boy coughed, blood dribbling from the corner of his mouth. "A map. To the... Vault of Souls... promises power. Riches. Anything they want. But... it needs blood. And I... I was just... easy to take."

Allen’s jaw clenched so tightly his teeth ached. "Those bastards... those fucking bastards," he muttered, his voice low and dangerous.

The boy’s tears flowed freely now, streaking through the grime on his face. "I... I didn’t want to die... but... maybe this is better. I... I hated every moment of it. Being their toy. The pain... the chains... It was never going to end."

He took a shuddering breath, his eyes locking with Allen’s. "But... I’m glad I... met you," he said, his lips curling into a faint, bittersweet smile. "You... tried... no one ever did."

Allen’s throat tightened as the boy’s breathing slowed. "Don’t you dare give up now," he growled, his voice cracking. "You’re not dying on my watch!"

The boy’s smile lingered, even as his eyelids began to droop. "At least... I can finally... escape... this hell."

His body went limp, the faint smile frozen on his face as his last breath slipped away.

For a moment, there was only silence.

Allen stared at the boy’s lifeless form, his hands still pressed against the blood-soaked rags. His shoulders trembled as the realization sank in.

"Fuck," he hissed, his voice raw. "FUCK!"

He slammed his fists into the ground, the force sending a shockwave of sound through the clearing. Fina and Rinni flinched, their ears flattening against their heads.

"Those goddamn monsters!" Allen roared, his voice shaking with fury. "Sacrificing a kid for some fucking map? For power? For riches? What kind of sick, twisted world is this!?"

Fina had never seen him like this. His usual calm sarcasm was gone, replaced by an unbridled rage that seemed to radiate off him in waves. She took a cautious step closer, her hand reaching for his shoulder. "Allen..."

He shrugged her off, his eyes blazing. "Don’t! Don’t try to calm me down! They’re nothing but fucking animals—no, worse than animals! How the hell do you justify treating someone like this?!"

Rinni, her own tears streaming down her face, whispered, "Allen..."

Allen’s gaze snapped to her, but the anger in his eyes softened when he saw her trembling. He let out a ragged breath, running a hand through his hair. "I’m sorry," he muttered, his voice breaking. "I just... I can’t. Not this time."

Fina crouched beside him, her hand finally resting on his shoulder. "We need to bury him," she said softly. "He deserves that much."

Allen nodded, his jaw tight. "Yeah. He does."

Together, they worked in silence, digging a grave beneath the roots of the ancient tree. As they lowered the boy’s body into the ground, Allen made a silent promise to himself.

This isn’t over. Not by a long shot.

The grave was shallow but sufficient, carved painstakingly with nothing more than claws, hands, and determination. The boy’s frail body lay wrapped in Allen’s torn cloak, a small effort to give him some dignity in death. The air was heavy, the atmosphere thick with sorrow and an anger that refused to dissipate.

Allen stood over the grave, his fists clenched at his sides, his breathing ragged. His head bowed, but his entire body trembled with barely-contained fury. Fina and Rinni stood nearby, both visibly uncomfortable and unsure how to console him.

Fina reached out, her voice hesitant. "Allen... we—"

"No!" Allen snapped, his voice cracking. He spun to face them, his eyes blazing with rage and something deeper—self-loathing. "Don’t—don’t you fucking start with that! We didn’t do enough! I—" His voice faltered, and he gritted his teeth, a growl rumbling deep in his chest.

"You w-wanna know what really s-sucks?" he spat, his words coming out in jagged bursts. "It’s that this w-world is so... so FUCKED that I—I wasn’t even surprised! Not one damn bit!"

Rinni winced, her ears flattening against her head, but she said nothing. Fina stepped closer, her claws retracting as she tried to reach him. "Allen, this isn’t your fault. You—"

"Shut up!" he yelled, his voice breaking again. "Just shut up, Fina! I didn’t... I didn’t save him. I couldn’t save him! What kind of useless piece of shit am I if I can’t even stop three scumbags from murdering a fucking kid!?"

Rinni’s lips trembled, but she couldn’t bring herself to respond. Fina’s gaze flicked toward her, silently begging for help, but Rinni shook her head.

Allen’s voice dropped, but his fury didn’t waver. "You tell me, Fina. Y-you tell me why—why people like them get to keep breathing while h-he doesn’t." He gestured wildly at the grave, his stuttering words punctuated by shaking hands. "What kind of sick joke is this w-world playing, huh? Where’s the fairness? Where’s the g-godsdamned justice!?"

Fina stepped closer, cautiously placing a hand on his arm. "Allen, there are no answers. Not ones that make sense. You said it yourself—this world is twisted. But you can’t—"

"Don’t you d-dare tell me to calm down," Allen growled, jerking away from her touch. His shoulders heaved as he sucked in a sharp breath, his chest rising and falling erratically. "He was a kid, Fina. A goddamn kid. How do you... how do you come back from that? How do you just—just move on from something like this?"

Neither Fina nor Rinni could answer him. They stood in silence, the weight of his words pressing down on them like a lead blanket.

Finally, Allen let out a bitter laugh, shaking his head. "Yeah. That’s what I thought. There are no answers. Just more suffering. More fucking bullshit. And we’re supposed to just... keep going?" fɾeewebnoveℓ.co๓

He fell to his knees beside the grave, his head hanging low. His voice, quieter now but no less anguished, cracked again. "I’m so fucking tired of this."

Fina knelt beside him, her hand hovering over his back. "Allen. I don’t have answers, but I can stand with you."

Rinni moved closer, her small voice barely audible. "Me too... even if I’m scared."

Allen didn’t respond immediately, his gaze fixed on the freshly turned earth. When he finally spoke, his voice was hoarse but steady. "Then let’s make sure this doesn’t happen again. No more kids dying because of monsters like them. No more graves."

Fina and Rinni nodded, their resolve hardening. Together, they stood, leaving the clearing behind but carrying the weight of the boy’s death with them. For Allen, the fire of his rage burned brighter than ever, fueling a quiet promise of vengeance.