121 Fragile heart II (2/2)

Evlin then looked around to confirm Ellie was still resting on Sphinx, unable to see her face, and finally dropped her mask while letting it all out.

”I... I'm not ok Daren!!” She said with tears on her eyes. ”I hate this!! I hate this so much!! I never asked for any of this!! I never asked to go to that world, I never asked to meet that girl! I never wanted to bring all this to my family!!”

Evlin then hugged Daren as if trying to find something about her life that wouldn't start crumbling out of nowhere.

”Why me?? Why always me?? I never did anything wrong!! I just wanted to live my own life without making trouble for anyone! Why do these things keep following me everywhere I go?? How many worlds do I need to travel to if I want to get away from trouble and finally find some peace for myself?”

Daren hugged her back but without knowing what to say. He wished Ashley or Gustav were here. They were the ones that knew Evlin the best and knew how to ease her pain. Even Ria would probably be a better option than him. What could he say to help Evlin?

But then, one thing came to his mind.

”If it wasn't for you... I would be dead right now Evlin...”

”...?” Evlin raised her crying face and looked at him.

”When we first woke up, we were so ready to just charge into the demon kingdom in an attempt to find a way to kill East. Looking back at it now... That was such a stupidly risky idea with so little chance of success... There were so many things that could have gone wrong and got us all killed...”

”...”

”But then we meet you and Ashley... Almost as if the universe was sending you to us as a way to save us from ourselves... You made the impossible happen and managed to make us all live through all that...You and Ashley saved us, Evlin...”

”...” She continued to stare at him and listening carefully.

”I know it must have been horrible to you... But if you hadn't been summoned to that world, I wouldn't be here right now... I would never have lost my curse, freed my friend's son from an evil goddess, or got together with Lilith... My son would never exist if it wasn't for you...”

Evlin's tears had finally stopped.

”I don't know if that's what you wanted to hear... But I don't think anyone else could have done what you did for me and my friends... You're our hero, Evlin... So please... Don't give up now...”

”...” She kept listening as if Daren's words were blocking the fear that was surrounding her.

”I know we will save your family and beat Mia... I believe in you!”

Evlin then started to cry again and hugged Daren one more time. Her worries were still there haunting her mind, but she started to feel a little safer after being reminded that she wasn't alone.

She then realized, every time she was about to lose herself, she always had someone by her side to keep her together.

She had her mother when she went through that trauma at school, she had Dalla when her body was broken after coming to another world, she had Ashley when she went on her quest to find a way home, and she had Gustav when she was afraid of Marcus's declaration of war against her.

Even when she was stuck in the white void due to Xadi's spell, she still had the gods by her side to talk to and keep her company.

Evlin then realized why Mia was pushing her so much to the edge. She couldn't bear the idea of being alone. More than falling from high places, more than being stuck in a strange dangerous world where she could die at any second, more than never being able to fulfill her dream of becoming a hero to children in need... Evlin was afraid of ending up alone, because no matter how much everyone else said they believed in her, she didn't believe in herself, and she always felt she would break if left by herself.

”I'm scared Daren!! I'm scared of losing my family!!” She said with a crying low voice, trying her best not to let Ellie listen to her.

Daren grabbed her and looked at Lilith and Marcus gesturing them to come closer.

”Then say what you need to say! Stop trying to do everything by yourself and try to trust us a bit!” Daren said with a strong and decisive tone.

”That's right Evlin, you always lent us your strength, try to rely on our strength as well!” Said Lilith next with Lance sleeping in her arms.

”We are right here for you! We are not going anywhere until we've solved all this!” Finally, Marcus talked next.

Evlin then looked at her friends again, and was reminded of the time she engaged in a conversation with the north god, and how he mentioned that Evlin needed to stop trying to do everything by herself and remember she had allies she could count on.

She then began to cry one more time and joined her hands to make her request.

”Please!! Help me!!” She begged. ”Please help me save my family!!”

Daren, Lilith, and Marcus all placed their hands on her to reassure help her stop shaking while showing their resolves.

”Of course!!” x 3