Stray

Locke took a deep breath and tried to calm his inner turmoil. He reached out and gently ripped away the messy strands of hair on Ariel's forehead, trying to see her once-life-filled eyes. He found that Ariel was actually really beautiful, her facial features were delicate and picturesque, but she was always covered by casual attire and a tired look. An inexplicable sense of remorse welled up in Locke's heart, and he realized that he had never paid serious attention to the woman who was fighting alongside him before.

At this moment, Locke's heart was filled with endless pain and self-blame. He held Ariel's hand tightly, a determined glint in his eyes. He knew that he couldn't just give up, and he had to do everything possible to save her. Perhaps, sometimes it is only after loss that people really know how to cherish it. At this moment, Locke is already deeply aware of his feelings for Ariel, which is an indescribable preciousness and attachment.

The air around them seemed to freeze, and only Locke and Ariel were present in this bloody and sad space. Locke silently prays, hoping that a miracle will happen and bring Ariel back to life...

It's been a while since Brooke and the others left, and Ariel's life force is passing away like grains of sand in an hourglass. Locke stared at her anxiously, his hands clenched, his knuckles white from overexertion. His eyes were filled with helplessness and despair, as if the whole world was weighing on his shoulders. His heart was filled with fear, a deep fear of losing a loved one. He couldn't imagine how gloomy Ariel's world would be if he did leave him.

Locke stared at Ariel tightly, his eyes full of pain and reluctance. He watched as her once-vibrant face grew pale, and watched as her once-bright eyes faded into brilliance. His heart was crying, but he couldn't make a sound. He could only watch, as if time had stood still in this moment, and the air was filled with unspeakable grief.

"Late ...... It's too late to hurry......" Locke's voice was low and trembling, and every word seemed like pain squeezed from the depths of his heart. His eyes became hollow and dim, as if all the light had been swallowed up by this sudden grief. His heart was full of endless remorse and self-blame, if he could have discovered this crisis earlier, if he could have solved the other party's solution earlier, maybe all this would have a chance to be redeemed.

Locke's body seemed to freeze in place, and his gaze never took off Ariel. He watched her life force pass away little by little, and his heart was full of helplessness and despair. He knew that he could not undo it all, and he could only watch his beloved leave him. At this moment, his heart was filled with endless grief and sorrow, as if the whole world had collapsed.

......

"Locke!" Brooke's anxious shouts were heard in the distance, their footsteps getting closer and closer, and finally, the figures of several of them appeared in Locke's sight.

Locke turned his head slowly, his eyes should have had a hint of anticipation, but more of a deep despair. He saw that Brooke was covered in blood, apparently after a fierce battle. In his hand, Bigg held a blood-red flower bone, the petals as bright as freshly shed blood. Brooke clutched a unique handful of grass with blades as sharp as a sword, apparently desperate to find the herbs. Leo, on the other hand, was holding a black radish-like thing with a beard on it, which should be the ginseng they had been looking for so hard.

However, Locke just glanced at it, and his eyes dimmed. It was clear to him that the age of this ginseng was far from enough, and even if it was a little earlier or later, it would not make a big difference, and it would not be able to save Ariel's life. When Bigg and the others saw Locke's face, their hearts sank suddenly, and a sense of foreboding came to their hearts.

"Locke, the herbs are all ready, you try it, try it quickly!" Bigg eagerly handed the herbs in his hand to Locke, his voice trembling slightly.

Locke took the herb, his fingers trembling slightly, but he didn't act immediately, but sighed deeply. He looked up at Bigg, his eyes filled with grief and godlessness. "Big...... It's late, it's all late. His voice was low and trembling, and every word seemed like pain squeezed from the depths of his heart.

"No!no! No way! Locke, you're lying to me, aren't you? You must be lying to me, right?" Bigg couldn't accept this fact, his eyes were red, his expression was twisted and he cried out, his hands gripping Locke's shoulders tightly, shaking his body.

Locke didn't move, he just knelt there quietly, staring blankly ahead. His heart was filled with endless grief and self-blame, and he knew that he could not undo it. He looked at Big's distorted expression and listened to his heart-rending cry, and his heart was even more painful.

"Locke, we really tried our best, but ...... But why is this still the case?" Brooke's voice was filled with endless grief and reluctance, and his hands clenched into fists, as if trying to dispel the feeling of powerlessness.

Locke didn't answer, he just silently lowered his head and looked at Ariel's pale, quiet face. His heart was filled with endless remorse and self-blame, if he had found a cure earlier, if he had come back earlier, maybe none of this would have happened. But now, everything is irreparable.

"Locke, cheer up! we have other ways, we can save Ariel!" Leo's voice was firm and powerful, and he tried to give Locke some hope and encouragement.

However, Locke only shook his head, his voice low and resolute. "It's useless, there's no way around it. Ariel is gone, and even a miracle cure can't save her. "

Hearing this, Bigg and the others suddenly felt like knives in their hearts, and they couldn't imagine what their days would be like after losing Ariel. They stood silently beside Locke, looking at Ariel's quiet and pale face, their hearts filled with endless grief and reluctance.

At this moment, it seemed that the surroundings fell into silence, and only sadness and despair filled the air. Locke gripped Ariel's cold hand tightly, a determined glint in his eyes. He knew that even if he couldn't save her life, he would accompany her through the final journey.

Locke knelt beside Ariel, his eyes hollow and deep, as if he had lost all focus. His fingers gently caressed her cold cheeks, as if trying to regain the warmth she once had. His voice was low and trembling, with endless grief and remorse.

"I'm sorry, Ariel, I violated our little secret. "Their secrets, the promises and expectations they once made together, are now unfulfillable regrets.

"We haven't gone to climb mountains and wade through the sea, we haven't stood at the end of the world together, and we haven't spoken out loud to that vast sky about our love of life. Locke's words were filled with endless regret and remorse. Those dreams and expectations can now only turn into endless grief in his heart.

He closed his eyes and took a deep breath, as if he wanted to suck all the grief and self-blame into his heart. His heart was filled with endless remorse and pain, and he knew that he could no longer make up for it, and that he would never be able to let Ariel fulfill those dreams with him.