"Promise me you will not fail."
No, I cannot promise that Andrushkaivka will not fall. I cannot even promise that I will not fail. I will not fail, but I cannot promise.
Her hand fell into mine. A promise was made then.
"Promise me that you will not fail me. " Her eyes played tricks. They were wide with fear, but her words were clear enough. "What happens if you fail me?" The repeated question confused me.
I could not tell her. She would not understand. She would not believe.
"Please" she said, not looking at me. "Please, promise me. "
I did not answer. But I did. Her head was tilted to the side, and she did not look at me.
"Who is going to protect me then?" she asked. "I need you to answer me."
I could not leave her unprotected. I promised her that I would try.
"Promise me." She said. "Promise me you will come back to me, " she said, pulling my hand closer to her chest.
I told her I would, because I wanted her to believe. She asked me to touch her gently. I ran my finger down her cheek gently.
"Is it strange to have feelings... for someone like me?" she asked, "but I do. I feel... for you... and I cannot and will not let you die and be torn apart by it."
I did not let her speak further. I did not let her say what was on her mind. Instead I told her that she was wrong. That it was not strange or wrong for her to feel that way. That I did not feel anything for her but her. I did not say that I loved her.
She did not require me saying it. I did not say it. I did not say it to her. I said it to myself. It was enough.
But I knew she was not wrong. But it was wrong of me to say. To show her love. It was wrong of me to fight against the monster of time.
For she will be mine. She will be lost to nothing forever. There was no keeping her. There was no keeping her.
Yet she was. I became her. I became her.
"Once more, promise me you will come back to me, " she said. I had forgotten her. I did not know her. I did not know her.
"Yes," I said immediately.
She smiled. "She smiled. "I love you," she said, "I love you."
"I love you too." I said, "but then I felt something. I felt warmth. I felt her. I felt her. She was there. She was all around me. She was there. I could not see her. She seemed so real. I could touch her."
She smiled and laughed and said, "The girl in the light... and the boy with the scar across his face"
The world became cold and dark and chaotic. I could not see. I could not see clearly. I could not see clearly. I could not see.
She could not see. She touched me. I could not see her. She was there. I could not see her.
I was then with Thanatos. He appeared at the end of the day. He was as real as I was. He was as real as everyone was. He was as real as I was. He was as real as everyone was.
"I can feel them" he said. "There are so many." He said. "They are so close" He said.
"I hate them" he said.
"You are wrong" I said.
"You can feel them" he said "You can feel them. You will feel them soon. You will feel them first. You will feel them first. You will feel them first."
"I cannot" I said "I cannot keep them all" I said.
"You can." He said. "They are there. They are close" he said "And you are here. You are here. You are here. You are here. You are here."
"I am" I said "I am here." I was. I was here. I did not feel it. I did not feel it. I did not. I did not. I did not.
"I am here" I said "And you are here. You are here."
"I am here" Thanatos said "I am here."
"I do not know what I will do when I arrive" I said "I do not know what I will do when I arrive"
"I do not know either" he said.
"We must be brave" I said.