NovelEnglishClutching the family seal ring in his fist, Oliver turned on his heel and walked away without a backward glance.
With a gentle touch, lan brushed Maja's hair from her sweat-dampened forehead as she lay on the ground, lost in a fitful slumber
that even her dreams couldn't soothe.
His heart ached for her, and guilt gnawed at him for not being able to save her mother.
But right now, protecting Maja was his only focus.
He buried his face in the crook of her neck, a rare moment of vulnerability washing over him.
Ever since they had set foot on Forbidden Island, he hadn't dared to rest, working tirelessly to convince Oliver, investigate the
elders’ secrets, and familiarize himself with the treacherous terrain.
He regretted dragging Maja into this mess.
The situation with Patric had spiraled beyond his understanding. He wasn't omnipotent; even he could make a mistake.
"Oliver, you've got ten minutes. If you're not back by then, I'm leaving without you," lan said into his phone, his voice steady but
firm.
"Okay," cthe terse reply.
Oliver was already a good distance away, his figure gradually swallowed by the smoke and chaos of the battlefield.
lan started the ten-minute countdown on his phone, determined to keep his promise to Oliver.
Leaning against the wall, he held Maja tightly in his arms as the seconds ticked by. Seven minutes passed without any sign of
Oliver, causing lan's brow to furrow with concern.
Follow on NovᴇlEnglish.nᴇtTwo more minutes slipped away, and still no Oliver.
As the final minute approached, lan's gaze was fixed, unblinking on the ticking clock.
He didn't know that Oliver, who had gambled everything, was now lying bloodied and broken, his body failing him.
Gazing up at the murky sky, Oliver felt raindrops kiss his cheeks. Desperately, he tried to crawl toward the rendezvous point with
lan, but could only manage to move a mere meter.
As his eyelids grew heavy, a figure approached, stopping close by. A pair of shoes cinto Oliver's fading vision.
"Can you walk?" It was lan's voice.
Oliver wanted to shake his head, but he couldn't even muster the strength to do that.
lan crouched down, taking in the gory sight of Oliver's chest wound. It was clear there was no saving him. A direct hit to the heart,
he was merely in his final moments.
lan closed his eyes for a brief second, swallowing the lump of sorrow in his throat.
Oliver raised his hand, a pained smile on his lips, but his arm fell limp, crashing to the rain-soaked earth.
Taking a deep breath, lan felt a newfound contempt for Forbidden Island. It seemed Oliver was the only one who truly wanted to
escape from the Inner Island. He shouldn't have cto confront Robin, driven only by a flicker of brotherly loyalty.
But as Robin plunged the knife into Oliver's heart, he uttered only one cold truth.
"The Bradshaw family must not vanish."
It all pointed to Ralap's influence.
The Porter family couldn't tolerate Oliver's defiance, and there was no way they would let him walk free.
Before closing his eyes for the last time, Oliver whispered, "Go on, don't wait for me."
lan looked up at the distant gunfire and explosions, then turned and walked toward where Maja lay, leaving Oliver's body to be
soon covered by the rubble of the destroyed surroundings.
When he reached the entrance to the tunnel, the others were still waiting.
Picking Maja up, he spoke softly, "Anyone who wants to leave with me, cnow. Those who wish to stay, this is your chance."
The remaining few exchanged hesitant glances. "What about Oliver?" one asked.
lan didn't reply. Instead, he strode into the depths of the tunnel.
After a moment, the group saluted in the direction he had gone. "Mr. Raymond, until our paths cross again."
They belonged to the Porter family, and having temporarily followed lan's command, returning would mean certain death. They
were unfamiliar with the world outside; it would be a fate worse than death.
They were not like Oliver, who had the resolve to break free from it all. They only wished to protect their own small piece of
territory.
lan didn't look back, holding Maja close as he moved forward.
Meanwhile, K sat on a ship with his face growing darker by the minute. He had expected a smooth operation, but Dylan and
Abner's men had arrived, and to his shock, Quentin had betrayed him.
Even if he and Quentin had never seen eye to eye, they belonged to the sorganization. How could Quentin turn against him to
help lan?
It simply didn't make sense.
Follow on Novᴇl-Onlinᴇ.cᴏm
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