Safari walked in silence, the weight of Angeleva on his back heavier than it should have been. Her sobs had quieted, but her frail body trembled with every step he took. The echo of her cries still rang in his mind, each sound twisting the knife of guilt deeper.
Safari: (thinking)
"What have I done? I wanted to make her suffer... but this? This is beyond anything I ever intended."
He could feel her weak grip on his shirt - a feeble tug, like a child reaching out for comfort. It wasn't a cry for help. No, it was something far worse. It was the unconscious act of a broken spirit.
Safari: (thinking)
"She's tugging at me. Me - the one who caused this. After all of it, she still clings to the one who humiliated her. How pathetic am I?"
He gritted his teeth. Every step toward the graveyard felt like a punishment. In the distance, the sky had begun to dim, the shadows of the mountains growing longer. The lingering ache from Nate's death still pressed on him, but now, the burden of Angeleva's pain weighed just as heavily.
He had once thought himself superior - untouchable, powerful. The ruler of Planet Sappy. But now?
Safari: (thinking)
"I'm not a ruler. I'm a coward. No better than those creeps. Maybe even worse."
Angeleva whimpered softly, her grip tightening just slightly. Safari instinctively shifted her weight to keep her comfortable. The warmth of her tears soaked into his back, a constant reminder of his failure.
At the Graveyard
By the time Safari arrived at the small clearing, Zack and Jen were still seated before Nate's grave. They were barely holding themselves together, their eyes hollow and red from the endless stream of tears. The sight stabbed at Safari's heart.
Jen's hands gripped the earth beneath her, her sobs muffled by the sleeve of her torn dress. Zack, though trying to stay strong, was trembling uncontrollably. His fists were clenched, his face a portrait of sorrow and rage.
But as they saw Safari approaching, their eyes widened. Not because of him, but because of the figure he carried.
Jen: (voice trembling)
"Angeleva...?"
Safari didn't answer. He walked slowly, placing the trembling fairy down on a small patch of grass. Angeleva curled into herself, refusing to meet anyone's gaze. Even in her silence, the torment was clear.
Zack: (hoarsely)
"What... happened to her?"
Safari's voice caught in his throat. He couldn't look at them. Not after what he had done.
Safari: (softly)
"I happened."
Jen's eyes flashed with confusion, then horror.
Jen: (whispering)
"You... you did this?"
Safari nodded. He forced himself to meet their stares, but his own shame burned through him.
Safari: (bitterly)
"I thought I was punishing her. I thought I was getting back at her for... everything. But all I did was break her."
He clenched his fists.
Safari: (voice shaking)
"I don't deserve to be called your big brother. I don't deserve to be anyone's protector. Nate died, and I... I did nothing. And then I took it out on her."
Zack's breathing quickened, his anger bubbling beneath the surface.
Zack: (furious)
"You were supposed to be the strong one! The one who kept us together!"
Safari didn't flinch. He accepted every word, knowing he deserved it.
Safari: (softly)
"I know. And I failed."
Jen's voice wavered, but she couldn't hold back the tears.
Jen: (crying)
"Why? Why would you do this to her?"
He knelt down beside Angeleva, his trembling hand brushing a strand of her tangled pink hair away from her tear-streaked face. She didn't react - she was too lost in her own sorrow.
Safari: (barely above a whisper)
"Because I'm a coward."
The words left him like a confession. Every layer of his pride shattered beneath the unbearable truth.
Safari: (voice breaking)
"I wanted to prove I wasn't weak. But all I proved is how worthless I am."
Zack and Jen remained silent. Even in their anger and grief, there was no satisfaction in seeing Safari like this. He was no longer the towering figure of strength they had once believed in. He was simply a man, drowning in his own regrets.
But the most painful part was knowing that no apology could fix what had been done. Angeleva's soft sobs continued, each one like a dagger to Safari's heart.
Safari: (thinking)
"I don't deserve their forgiveness. I don't deserve hers."
And yet, despite it all, he remained.
_ _ _
The atmosphere around the graveyard was suffocating. The evening air carried an unsettling stillness, as though the world itself had fallen silent in response to Safari's confession.
Zack and Jen remained still, their grief further amplified by the sight of Angeleva's broken state.
Safari sat on the cold ground, his eyes fixed on his trembling hands. His pride, his arrogance - all of it had led to this. The weight of Nate's death and Angeleva's suffering threatened to crush him.
Angeleva stirred slightly, her body still weak. Her eyes, though half-lidded and empty, seemed to carry an unspoken question. Why?
But Safari couldn't meet her gaze.
Safari: (whispering)
"You shouldn't have to look at me."
Zack, his expression still clouded with anger, finally spoke.
Zack: (softly)
"What now? You keep saying you failed. You say you're not worthy. But what are you going to do about it?"
Safari didn't answer. He wasn't sure if he had one.
Jen, tears welling once again, gently brushed the dirt from Nate's grave. She couldn't stand the silence.
Jen: (whispering)
"He didn't deserve to die... and neither did she deserve this."
She glanced at Angeleva, whose sobs had quieted but whose spirit was undeniably shattered. Jen couldn't ignore the undeniable suffering she had endured.
Jen: (softly)
"You were supposed to be better, Safari. Stronger. But all I see is someone who ran away from responsibility the moment it got hard."
Her words stung, but Safari didn't argue. She was right. Every painful truth that struck him only made his failures clearer.
Angeleva's trembling fingers twitched as she weakly tried to push herself up. She couldn't lift her body, but her broken pride forced her to at least attempt it. She had endured ridicule, humiliation, and fear. Every part of her wanted to disappear.
Angeleva: (whispering)
"I... I didn't ask for your pity."
Her voice cracked, though there was no strength behind it. Safari finally looked at her, the sight of her swollen eyes and trembling lips twisting his insides.
Safari: (softly)
"It's not pity. It's regret."
Angeleva let out a bitter laugh, though it held no amusement.
Angeleva: (whispering)
"Regret won't change what happened. They touched me, mocked me, and I couldn't stop them. I was powerless. And you... you let them do it."
Her words sliced through Safari like a blade. He wanted to defend himself, to say that he hadn't understood how far it would go. But there was no excuse. He had allowed it.
Safari: (clenching his fists)
"I'm sorry."
The apology felt hollow. Angeleva didn't respond. She simply turned her face away, the shame consuming her.
Zack rose to his feet, his healing powers still faintly glowing from earlier. He looked at both Safari and Angeleva with a stern expression.
Zack: (firmly)
"Enough. We can't stay here, wallowing in regret."
Safari blinked, startled by his sudden determination.
Zack: (voice steady)
"We lost Nate. And what happened to Angeleva is unforgivable. But sitting here, blaming yourself, won't undo any of it. If you really think you're unworthy, prove yourself wrong."
Safari's breath caught.
Safari: (softly)
"How?"
Zack: (pointing at Angeleva)
"Start by helping her."
Jen nodded, wiping her tears. Despite the pain in her heart, she knew Zack was right. There was no point in spiraling further.
Jen: (softly)
"She needs healing - not just her body, but her spirit. And you're the only one who can make it right, big bro."
With his new-found siblings' words echoing in his mind, Safari carefully bent down and lifted Angeleva once again. This time, it wasn't out of guilt or obligation - but out of responsibility.
Safari: (softly)
"We'll get you somewhere safe."
Angeleva didn't respond, but the tension in her body lessened slightly. She was exhausted, unable to fight anymore.
As they slowly left the graveyard, Safari made a silent vow. He would find a way to face the consequences of his actions. He would become the brother, and the protector he was supposed to be.
But most importantly - he would ensure that no one else suffered because of his failures.