After Ren was shrouded by darkenss by the Sheperd, the world returned in pieces.
A rush of sound.
A flicker of light.
The cold-
Gone.
Warmth pressed against his skin. Dust motes drifted lazily in golden afternoon sunlight. The scent of chalk and old wood filled his nose. His breath hitched.
He blinked-once, twice.
He was no longer in the castle.
No ruined walls.
No blood.
No Shepherd.
No war.
Only... a classroom.
Wooden desks scratched with years of names and secrets. A green chalkboard. Open windows letting in a gentle breeze. The faint rustling of leaves outside.
Ren sat there, hands trembling faintly on the edge of his desk. His heart thundered in his chest like a war drum-wild, frantic.
No, this can't be real.
He shot up from his chair, eyes scanning the room, his voice low and shaken-
Ren:
"...The Shepherd. The seal. The ballroom-we were just-"
His breath caught in his throat.
Then-
"Booo!"
A voice from behind him. Playful. Warm.
Leah.
Leah, alive and breathing, popped up beside him like she always did. Her arms behind her back. Her smile teasing, eyes sparkling.
Leah:
"Is the window really that interesting?"
Ren froze.
His eyes went wide-like he'd just seen a ghost.
Leah, confused, tilted her head.
Leah:
"Huh? What's with the face? You look like you've seen-well, me. But scarier."
Ren stumbled back a step, chair scraping loudly behind him. His lips moved before his mind caught up.
Ren:
"Why are you here?"
Leah (half-laughing):
"Uhh... because it's school? And that's my desk? Right there?"
(she points to the seat beside him)
"Are you okay, Ren?"
He couldn't answer. Couldn't think.
His eyes scanned her. Her hair in a slightly messy ponytail, the little clip she used to wear still crooked. Her uniform-unwrinkled, except for the back where her bag must've leaned. Her hands were ink-stained.
Alive. Real. Here.
Ren (whispering):
"This... isn't real."
Leah (frowning):
"Okay, now you're scaring me. Did you hit your head or something? Should I call the nurse? Wait, do you even know what day it is?"
He didn't answer. Couldn't. His mind raced.
Was this an illusion? Another of the Shepherd's traps?
Or had something gone wrong-so wrong-that the timeline itself had bent?
He stepped forward, hand reaching out slowly-hesitantly-toward Leah's shoulder, like one wrong move might shatter everything.
Ren (softly):
"...Leah."
Leah (even softer):
"Yeah?"
Ren:
"I... thought I lost you."
She blinked. Then laughed-awkward, confused, the kind of laugh you give when your friend suddenly turns poetic or weird.
Leah:
"Well, you didn't. I'm here. Like I am every day. Like I will be tomorrow. Unless you're gonna push me off a cliff or something dramatic like that."
He cracked a small smile-broken, shaking.
She frowned again, more seriously this time. Her voice lost its teasing edge.
Leah (gently):
"Ren... seriously, what's going on?"
He looked into her eyes.
All the memories crashed in-her grave. The way he never got to say goodbye. The haunting echo of "So basically, I'm just your rebound?" The silent meals. Her empty seat. The weight of her absence carved into every year that followed.
And yet here she was.
In the past.
Smiling.
Warm.
Could he change it?
Should he?
His hands balled into fists.
His heart still hadn't slowed.
His voice, quiet but heavy:
Ren:
"I... I think something happened. Something wrong. I was just-there was a war, and a castle, and you..."
He stopped.
He couldn't unload it all. Not yet. Not to her.
She gave him a long, slow look. She could read him better than most. Always could.
Leah:
"You're scared. I can tell."
(she nudged his side lightly)
"But listen-whatever nightmare you just woke up from... you're safe. Right now."
She smiled again.
Leah:
"Besides, you have me. Lucky you, huh?"
Ren laughed-hoarse, barely audible.
But it was real.
He slumped into his chair, eyes still flicking around as if he expected the shadows to start whispering again. But the only sound now was birdsong from outside and the squeak of someone running late down the hallway.
And beside him-
Leah.
Alive.
Bright.
Unaware of the death that once found her.
But maybe... just maybe...
Ren had a chance to stop it.
The world might've broken. Time might've snapped.
But in this moment, it didn't matter.
Ren sat beside her again.
Not the hardened one. Not the Flame of Starborn.
But the version that came before the flames.
Young. Warm. Reckless in a good way. The boy who still believed teasing someone was flirting, and that maybe, just maybe, the world wasn't so cruel yet.
Ren (grinning):
"If I'm lucky to have you..."
(he leaned closer, elbows on his desk)
"...then my luck must be diminishing real fast."
Leah blinked at him.
Leah:
"What's that supposed to mean?"
Ren (mock-serious):
"Because every time you're near me, I start losing brain cells."
Leah (gasps):
"Excuse me?!"
She smacked his arm with the back of her hand-not hard, more of a warning tap. Ren winced playfully.
Ren:
"See?! Proof! Physical violence from a tiny, adorable gremlin."
Leah (pouting):
"I am not a gremlin!"
Ren:
"You sure? 'Cause you growl like one when you lose at math."
Leah:
"That happened once! And that question was stupid!"
Ren (leaning in, whispering dramatically):
"It was 'What is 7 + 5'."
Leah:
"I panicked!"
She puffed her cheeks now, red with mock indignation, eyes narrowed like she was about to unleash righteous vengeance.
Ren (snorting):
"You're turning into a pufferfish. Look at you. All puffed up."
Leah:
"Keep talking and I'll puff up your other eye."
Ren (laughing softly):
"There it is. There's the Leah I know."
She looked away, arms crossed, trying not to smile. But the corners of her mouth betrayed her. The blush stayed. And Ren just stared at her for a moment-memorizing the view, this light, that face.
He couldn't help himself.
He took a breath.
Time to do what he should've done years ago.
Ren (quietly):
"Hey, Leah."
She glanced back, expecting another tease.
But there was something... different in his voice.
Ren (more sincerely):
"Will you be my girlfriend?"
Leah froze.
Her eyes widened slightly. Her breath hitched-only for a heartbeat. She stared at him, stunned, as if she didn't hear him right.
But she had.
Leah:
"W-what?"
Ren (smiling, still warm but nervous now):
"You heard me."
A pause.
She blinked again, cheeks still flushed-but not with embarrassment anymore. Something deeper. Something between surprise and something she never thought would come from him, of all people.
Leah:
"You're serious?"
Ren:
The author's narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.
"As serious as I was when I told everyone you eat crayons."
Leah (glaring):
"You started that rumor!"
Ren (grinning):
"And I'll start another one saying you said yes-unless you say it for real."
Silence.
She looked down at her desk for a second.
Then back up at him. Her eyes softened. Her lips curled just slightly, shy and unsure, but glowing all the same.
Leah (quietly):
"...Okay."
Ren blinked.
Ren:
"Wait. Really?"
Leah (playfully):
"You're losing brain cells, remember? Keep up."
He laughed-a short, startled sound, then just stared at her, smile blooming like it was lit from somewhere deep inside.
His hand moved to his chest, mock-clutching it.
Ren:
"Leah, this might be the happiest moment of my academically average life."
Leah (rolling her eyes, but smiling):
"Don't ruin it."
Ren (soft):
"I won't."
They didn't kiss. They didn't hold hands-not yet.
But between them now was something new.
Or maybe...
Something finally given the chance to exist.
...
Evening - Festival Week - Local Street Fair
The town had been reborn in color.
Paper lanterns bobbed along strings stretched across rooftops, painting the cobblestone paths in dancing hues of gold and crimson. Stalls brimmed with sweets, sizzling skewers, and trinkets that glittered like stolen stars. The scent of grilled corn, candied fruit, and woodsmoke wrapped the air in a blanket of nostalgia.
Ren stood near the festival gates, dressed... differently.
No hoodie. No untamed mess of hair. He wore a pressed, sky-blue button-up, sleeves rolled just enough to show forearms that looked stronger than they had last week. A black ribbon loosely hung from his collar, and his expression carried the awkward confidence of a boy who had asked someone to match colors-and was now silently praying she actually did.
And then-
She appeared.
Leah stepped from the crowd like a moment borrowed from a dream.
Sky-blue top tucked into a white skirt that danced around her knees. Hair braided to one side, and in her usual, no-fuss style, a single matching ribbon tied behind her ear. Her eyes found Ren-and then dropped quickly in embarrassment.
Leah (raising an eyebrow, half-teasing):
"Why sky blue? I still don't get it."
Ren (grinning):
"But you still wore one."
He took a step closer, eyes flicking to the ribbon, then back to hers.
Ren (softly):
"And now we match."
That gave her pause.
Just a second. But it was real.
Leah (smirking faintly):
"You're cheesy."
Ren (shrugging):
"Better than being forgettable."
They entered the fair together, shoulders brushing now and then.
The world around them was vibrant, pulsing with noise and chaos-but for some reason, everything beyond their immediate orbit dulled, like the festival was just a painted stage for two.
Stop 1 - Goldfish Booth
They hovered near a booth where small nets were handed out, the goal: scoop a goldfish before the paper dissolved.
Ren (grabbing one):
"Watch the master at work."
He dipped.
The net ripped instantly.
Leah (grinning):
"Flawless form."
She managed to scoop one in five seconds flat. The boothkeeper applauded. Leah didn't gloat-just turned to Ren and held out the bowl.
Leah:
"For your collection of heroic losses."
Ren (bowing dramatically):
"I shall name him 'Humble Pie.'"
Stop 2 - Shooting Gallery
Ren took another shot at redemption-literally.
A wooden rifle, ducks gliding across a rail.
Ren:
"This time... I got it."
He missed every single duck.
Again.
Leah (mock gasp):
"You're consistent, I'll give you that."
She hit four in a row.
She picked a prize: a plush cat with sky-blue stripes.
Leah (handing it to him):
"This one's for being brave enough to keep trying."
Ren:
"I'm starting to think I'm just here for moral support."
Stop 3 - Lantern Walk
They found themselves in the quieter part of the fair-where small bridges crossed koi ponds, and paper lanterns floated down the water's edge. It was cooler here, the noise distant, muffled under branches and low lights.
They walked in near silence, neither of them needing to fill the space with anything. Not yet.
Then-
Leah (suddenly):
"I didn't think you'd ask me."
Ren (without looking at her):
"I almost didn't."
Leah (after a beat):
"Why?"
He turned to her-his voice quiet, stripped of bravado.
Ren:
"Because sometimes, asking means hoping. And hoping is terrifying."
She didn't answer. But her fingers brushed his, and didn't move away.
Stop 4 - Ferris Wheel
They reached the last stop just as the sky turned indigo.
The Ferris wheel, lit with slow-turning lights, loomed above them like a waiting promise.
Inside the carriage, the world grew still. The city below them shrank, the lanterns like drifting fireflies. The wind tugged gently at Leah's braid.
Ren (finally breaking the silence):
"This is kinda perfect."
Leah (quiet):
"Even after all the missed shots?"
Ren:
"Especially because of them."
There was no crowd up here. No boothkeepers. No teasing.
Just them.
Their hands found each other again-this time slower. Fingers brushing, then tangling, soft and unsure.
No declarations.
No grand confessions.
Just one long look.
And a breeze that didn't dare interrupt.
...
Montage: The Days That Followed
Morning Study Dates
At the library, both pretending to study.
Ren kept doodling Leah with puffed cheeks in his notebook.
Leah kept flicking his ear whenever she caught him.
Leah:
"Focus, nerd."
Ren (smiling):
"I Can't. The cutest girl in the room is glaring at me."
Random Rain Shelter Date
They got caught in a storm.
Took shelter under a tiny umbrella kiosk outside a closed bakery.
Ren (soaked, dramatic):
"If we die of pneumonia, at least I die looking at the goddess themselves."
Leah:
"You're unbelievable."
She leaned on his shoulder anyway.
Shared Lunch Moments
At lunch, Leah would try to hide the chicken nuggets she made for Ren.
He always found it.
Ren:
"Don't hide it my dear Leah."
Leah:
"I'm hiding the fact that I burned the rice again."
Rooftop Stargazing
A quiet night, lying side by side on the school rooftop.
No words.
Just sky, stars, and two beating hearts trying to sync.
Leah (whispering):
"Do you think stars remember the people who watch them?"
Ren:
"Probably not, they don't need to. They just need to remember those that matter."
The Argument
One time, they fought.
Over something small.
He forgot a promised movie date. She didn't talk to him for a whole day.
The silence hurt worse than any insult.
Ren showed up at her doorstep holding a lopsided cake with the words:
"I suck, but I'm still yours."
She tried to stay mad.
She failed.
They laughed. Cried a little.
Held each other longer that night.
Her Birthday
Ren decorated her desk with tiny sky-blue ribbons and paper stars.
Left a note:
"To the girl who makes even Mondays glow."
She found him after school, behind the gym, pretending to nap.
Leah (teary-eyed):
"You're cheesy."
Ren (smiling):
"But it works on you, so it's still a win."
A Whispered Dream
Lying on the grass one evening.
Leah whispered:
"Promise you won't disappear on me?"
Ren didn't answer right away.
Then:
Ren (softly):
"If I ever do... I promise I'll find my way back."
These were the moments.
The little, chaotic, beautiful in-between pieces of young love.
They didn't know time was ticking.
They didn't know some stories don't get the ending they deserve.
But for now?
They were just Ren and Leah.
And that was enough.
...
The sun was warm, yet Ren's chest felt cold.
A folded paper sat in his hand - one Leah gave him earlier that day. Just a doodle, a simple drawing of the two of them holding hands under a tree. A small heart drawn beside it, shaded sky-blue.
He smiled at it as he walked.
Ren (softly, to himself):
"She's gonna tease me again if I cry over this."
He reached her house.
Rang the doorbell.
No answer.
Again.
Still nothing.
He frowned, tilting his head. That wasn't like her.
Ren:
"Leah?"
He tried the door.
Unlocked.
An uneasy feeling bloomed in his gut.
He stepped inside, calling gently, then louder.
Ren:
"Leah? You left the door open. You alright?"
Silence.
The kind of silence that feels wrong.
He climbed the stairs slowly. Every step heavier than the last.
At her door, he knocked. Waited. No answer.
Ren (nervous chuckle):
"Hey, if you're asleep again, I'm stealing your last pudding cup."
No response.
He turned the knob.
The door creaked open-
-and his breath stopped.
Leah.
Dangling.
Limp.
The rope creaked slightly from the ceiling beam. Her blue ribbon hung like a cruel mockery of what it once meant.
The world collapsed.
Ren (broken whisper):
"...No... no, no, no-LEAH!!"
He rushed forward, tried to lift her, tried to undo it, tried to reverse time with nothing but raw desperation in his voice.
But he was too late.
Her hand was cold.
And the warmth was gone.
He screamed.
A cry so ragged and raw it cracked something in the air.
But-
GLITCH.
The scene fractured.
Colors bled sideways.
Time tore at the seams.
And then-
"BOOO! Is the window really that interesting?"
Ren's head snapped up.
Leah.
Smiling at him.
Alive.
His breath hitched.
He shot up from his seat so fast the chair clattered.
Ren (frantic):
"Leah! You-no, no wait-"
Leah (blinking):
"Okay... that's a new reaction. You look like you saw a ghost."
He ran to her, hands trembling, touching her arms, her hair, her cheek.
Real.
Alive.
She laughed nervously, cheeks red.
Leah:
"Ren... you're kinda freaking me out."
He didn't answer.
Couldn't.
Because behind his eyes - he still saw her lifeless silhouette swaying.
He tried again.
Changed the timing.
Visited her earlier.
Texted more. Called more. Stayed longer.
Still-she slipped away.
This time in her sleep.
"Pills."
Loop 3
He followed her every step.
Watched for signs.
Cancelled his day to stay by her side.
They laughed. Held hands. Kissed under a bus stop while it rained.
That night, a car crash.
Loop 4.
Murder.
A break-in.
A shadow with a blade.
He arrived seconds too late.
Loop 5.
No cause at all.
He simply found her collapsed.
Body cold.
No answers.
Just grief.
Each time-
He tried harder.
Each time-
He shattered faster.
Every scream, every frantic cry, was met with silence.
Every save turned into another tombstone.
And every loop began again.
With the same words.
"BOOO! Is the window really that interesting?"
It became torture.
Mockery.
A sick melody of déjà vu.
He began to dread her voice.
Yet clung to it.
Because it meant she was still there... for now.
Final Loop
He stood still this time.
Didn't move.
Didn't greet her.
Just stared ahead, lifeless.
Leah (gentle):
"Ren? What's wrong...?"
No answer.
He sat there, shoulders slumped, like a puppet cut from its strings.
She nudged him lightly.
He didn't flinch.
Leah (worried):
"Hey... look at me."
He turned to her, eyes dull, rimmed red.
Ren (cracked whisper):
"I can't save you."
She froze.
Ren:
"No matter what I do. You die. You always die. And I break. Again. And again. And again."
His voice trembled into something smaller, rawer.
Ren:
"I tried, Leah. I tried everything. I would burn the world if it meant keeping you. But I... can't."
He began to tremble.
Then he screamed.
Ren (screaming):
"WHY!? WHY!? WHY!? WHAT AM I MISSING!?"
He fell to his knees.
His hands clawed the floor like he could rip time apart if he just tried hard enough.
Ren (desperate):
"Please... someone... anyone... tell me what I did wrong!"
The classroom blurred.
Desks warped.
Leah's figure flickered like a broken light.
His mind cracked.
His heart bled in silence.
And finally-
Ren collapsed.
Falling into darkness.
BLACKOUT.
Total silence.
No classroom.
No Leah.
Just void.
A stillness so thick it felt like the end of existence itself.
And Ren...
was gone.
Drip.
Drip.
The faint sound of water echoing off distant stone.
A cold wind slithered across the forgotten chamber, stirring dust and smoke where light could not reach.
And there-Ren lay on the floor.
Motionless.
Eyes open, staring up-but seeing nothing.
His limbs were slack.
His aura dimmed.
The glow of Vultherin - once blazing with frost and flame - now flickered dimly in the corner, the great fox curled in on itself, unconscious, wounded, twin tails limp across the cracked stone.
Across the room, amidst the darkness still pulsing like a heartbeat-The Shepherd stood.
Walking slowly in circles. Boots echoing like a ticking clock.
He was calm.
Measured.
Cruel.
Shepherd (softly):
"Back so soon, Starborn Flame?"
He crouched beside Ren.
Ren didn't respond.
Didn't blink.
Didn't breathe deeply enough to be called living.
Only his eyes twitched. Barely.
The Shepherd straightened and paced again, voice now rich and deliberate - like a sermon spoken in a cathedral of ghosts.
Shepherd:
"You saw it, didn't you? The loop. The cage. The lie."
(He turned.)
Shepherd:
"You believed strength was the answer. That courage could carry you. That love... would save her."
(He chuckled, bitterly.)
Shepherd:
"And yet, no matter how hard you tried-"
He stepped closer, shadows curling behind him like breathing ink.
Shepherd (low):
"She died."
(beat)
Shepherd (more pointed):
"And then again."
(another step)
Shepherd:
"And again."
(closer)
Shepherd:
"And again."
He knelt again, placing one hand beside Ren's face.
Shepherd (mock-gentle):
"Tell me, Ren... was it hope that failed you?"
(He leaned in.)
Shepherd (cold):
"Or was it you who failed them all?"
The words hit deeper than any wound.
Ren's lips barely parted-but no sound came out.
Only a breath. Shaky. Cracked.
The Shepherd rose once more, tone rising like a storm on the horizon.
Shepherd (booming now):
"You couldn't save Leah.
You couldn't keep Nikkita.
You couldn't protect Jonax.
You lost the Grimoire.
Your allies fight, bleed, and die-while you lie here, broken."
He gestured outward-toward the distance.
Shepherd:
"Even now, the seal cracks.
The darkness rises.
And you? You cling to a ghost of yourself. A boy who thought teasing smiles and half-written promises could change the stars."
He stopped pacing.
Faced Ren directly.
And then, softly-quietly enough it almost sounded like pity-
Shepherd:
"You can't stop me."
(beat)
Shepherd:
"You can't save them."
(beat)
Shepherd:
"You can't even save yourself."
The silence that followed was deafening.
Only the low crackle of dying embers where Vultherin's light had once glowed bright.
Ren twitched.
His hand... moved slightly.
But his face?
Still empty.
His thoughts?
Lost.
Crushed beneath loops of failure, death, and despair.
The Shepherd knelt again and whispered-like a final nail in a coffin-
Shepherd (soft):
"You are nothing but ash.
And the world burns tomorrow."
Yeah. That’s Leah for you.
And then she finally steps into the spotlight—just to remind Ren (and all of us) that sometimes, love isn’t just a memory… it’s a curse that refuses to stay buried.
(Also, I’m avoiding windows for a week. For reasons.)
If this chapter shattered you just a little (or a lot), do me a favor—drop a review, rate the story, leave a comment, and follow Bondforged.
Every bit of support helps me keep Ren’s heart (and mine) in one piece.
— Rein Silvers ??
