Love On Deathbed

Deep footprints sank where his feet met the sand. Every step seemed to send him further from reality. He resembled a dark twilight sky; his skin too damaged to look at. All he could smell was blood. The metallic smell made his throat burn with the urge to vomit. His legs were weak underneath him.

He was not sure where he was going. He was not sure where he could go. The sand stretched for miles beyond his vision, and the ocean was infinite. He might as well be walking in circles. He knew all about circles. An infinite cycle made him who he was. Who he was, was not pretty.

His limbs finally withdrew and sent him tumbling. Each shaky breath pulled life right out of him. Timid waves lapped at his side. His hands gripped the sand. It was all he could think of to keep him grounded to life. This was it. He fought so hard to keep his life but for what? He did not know.

"I knew I'd find you here."

He struggled to move his head. A woman stood before him, seeming to glow against the dim sky.

"Me?" He croaked.  

She giggled, not a bit phased by his state. "Yes, you. Who else?"

He blinked groggily. Life had already begun to leave him. "You know who I am?"

"I will," she said.

He wasn't sure what to say. The girl sat, so he pushed himself up. "W-who are you?"

She smiled, tilting her head. "You will know that too."

His head spun and ached. Death was upon him. He had no time for games, but in a sense, he supposed, he did.

"Mistrust didn't treat you well," she accounted softly. "Neither did Greed or Envy."

He looked at her, past his shaggy hair. He had no words. The memories seemed to pain him more than his present physical state. He murmured, "I'm so tired."

She nodded sympathetically. "Everyone takes you for granted, don't they?"

He almost laughed. Here, on his deathbed, the woman who understood him crossed his path. "I have limits."

"You're not gonna die, Love." Her grin was as easy as the sea breeze.

He was too baffled by her words to even question her knowledge of his name. "How do you know?"

Her eyes seemed to sparkle and sent a tingling sensation through his spine. "Because I'm Faith, and I won't let you go." Her voice was firm, leaving no room for contradiction. She knelt and intertwined their fingers. With the contact, his piercing pain was subdued to dull aches. In time, his discomfort was a thing of the past. "Your limits extend further than you could ever imagine. Don't give up on yourself, Love. You can not mend the world by yourself, but I'm here now."