The mist around the boat grew darker as it moved. Kael held the side of the boat with one hand and held Leira with the other. His grip on her arm was tight because she kept drifting in and out of sleep. Every few seconds, her head dropped forward, and he had to shake her awake.
"Stay with me," he said. His voice shook a little. "Leira, keep your eyes open."
Leira tried, she really tried to stay awake, but the cold in her chest was spreading faster than before. It felt like something moving inside her blood, moving through her veins, making her weaker with every second that passed, she took a small breath.
"I… I'm awake," she whispered, even though her eyes were barely open.
Kael's eyes were full of worry. "I know you are. Just stay with me. That's all I need from you right now."
She wanted to nod, but her body was heavy, her arms felt like they weren't part of her, her fingers twitched slightly, even her voice didn't come when she tried to speak. The boat moved on its own, as if it was pulled by the strange magic of the echoes, there was no wind, waves, no sound at all. The water under them didn't ripple, barely even moved, everything was just quiet… empty.
Leira's eyes dropped again, her chest rose slowly, she took shallow breaths. Kael shook her arm.
"No. No. Look at me. Leira. Please, don't close your eyes," he said.
She made a small sound, something like a hum, and forced her eyes to stay open.
Kael looked at her arm, dark veins from the poison had spread further, her skin was pale, almost gray, the veins were halfway up her arm now. He pressed his hand lightly against the wound, hoping it would slow the poison, but he knew it probably wouldn't.
"We're close," he said. His voice shook. "Just a little longer."
Leira didn't know if she could last another minute, her body felt heavy, her mind was slow, the world around her seemed to move too fast for her to keep up with, like it wasn't real, like she was hallucinating. A faint light appeared in the mist ahead, slowly at first, then stronger. Kael saw it and fixed his gaze on it, he looked at Leira in his arms and the worry in his eyes was plain as day.
"That's it," he said quietly. "That's the next echo. We need to reach it."
Leira tried to lift her head, her eyelids felt heavy, she could only see a blurry light through the mist.
"Kael… it's… bright," she whispered, her voice was weak.
"I know. I see it too," Kael said. "It might help… it might slow the poison. I'm not sure, but we have to try."
Leira tried to nod but her head barely moved, her fingers twitched against the boat, she couldn't even speak anymore.
The boat glided toward the light, the mist around them slowly shifted, making a way for them to pass through and then a path was opened for them. They got to land and they saw a tower, it was broken, with lights seeping out of the cracks. Kael carried Leira in his arms and began walking towards it. Leira's body started trembling, she felt the cold in her chest, in her arms, in her legs… the poison was spreading way too fast.
Kael held her closer. "You can do this, Leira. You have to stay awake."
"I… I'm trying," she whispered. Her words were slow and small, her head drooped.
"You're doing it. You're staying with me. That's enough," Kael said.
Leira blinked slowly, her eyes flickered open again, the tower ahead of them grew brighter and brighter the closer they got. She could see shapes inside the glow, it wasn't just light, it looked like something moving, shifting. Shadows… colors… forms… she couldn't name.
"What… is that?" she whispered.
"It's the echo," Kael said. "I think… I think it's waiting for us. Just a little closer and we'll be inside it."
Leira struggled to hold herself up.
Kael tightened his grip. "Stay with me, okay? We're so close, please."
Her chest rose and fell slowly, her breaths were shallow as if she couldn't find the oxygen in the air and she slowly began fading.
"Leira…" Kael whispered. "You have to hold on. I promise we'll get there. I'll get you there."
The mist around them started to swirl. Shadows of things she could not name kept moving, for a moment, she thought she saw her dream kids in the mist. She blinked and they were gone. Her reality became unreliable, her mind was playing tricks on her.
Her head drooped again. Kael lifted her gently, holding her against his chest. "No. Stay with me," he said, his voice sharp with worry.
"I… I can't…" she whispered.
"Yes, you can," Kael said. "You have to. Please, Leira. Keep looking at me. That's all that matters right now."
The light ahead grew stronger, it reached into the mist and cut through the shadows. Leira tried to look at him but her eyes were too heavy for her to move, and she wanted to close them, her chest began feeling like it was being squeezed.
She blinked, she could see some shapes clearer now, they moved like they were alive, moving closer, showing her different things. She saw flashes of her life, flashes of the life she might have had, she saw her parents alive, her sister smiling, Kael standing beside her in the world that wasn't real.
"Kael… I… I see things," she whispered.
"I know," he said softly. "But try to stay focused. I know it's hard and I know you're in pain, but you can do it."
Kael saw the dark veins moving under her skin. "It's spreading too fast," he whispered. "We need to hurry."
The tower grew larger the closer they got, the glow was almost surrounding them. "Kael… I'm… scared," she whispered.
"I know," he said. "I know you are. But you're not alone. I'm here."
Kael held her closer. "Almost there, Leira. Just a little closer."
Her eyes were blurry, her vision dim, shapes in the light moved faster, the glow touched her skin, a faint warmth ran through her body and then she felt a tiny thread of strength.
"That's it," Kael said. "That's your strength. Hold on. We're almost inside the next echo."
Leira could barely speak. "I… I can… feel it…"
"Yes," Kael said softly. "Good. Just a little more."
The mist around them thinned, the tower's light grew brighter. Kael held onto Leira and he wasn't going to let her go.
He carried her as if she was weightless and walked even faster toward the tower, as fast as he could.
She took another breath when they were closer to the tower, shallow, weak, and felt a faint spark inside her, it was another small pulse of energy, just enough to make her hand twitch.
Kael's voice was soft. "That's it, Leira. You're doing it." Her eyes flickered, she felt the light of the tower surrounding her, brushing against her skin, then another thread of energy moved through her chest, weak but alive.
She whispered, barely audible, "Kael… I… I think…"
"Yes?" he asked.
"I… I'm… here," she said. Her voice was small, weak, but alive.
Kael nodded, relieved. "I know. Stay with me. We'll get through this. I promise."
They finally got to the an opening on the tower, it was small and tight but Kael turned to the side and carried Leira in…