Neither of them spoke for a while. There was too little to be spoken and too much to be felt. Emily’s death came as a grim reminder of how frugal human life was. She had stayed back to help the humans and the gnomes even when the Goddess had given her the choice of leaving. Perhaps, if she had gone back to her own world, things would have turned out better for her. Jake now realized no matter how powerful he might become, he would never be able to protect those he loved. Every time, he was forced to pay a dear price for victory.
“Is Emily really...”
“Yes, she is really dead, Zill. It all happened so fast, I couldn’t save her. Marzenon killed her right in front of my eyes. It would have been better if it was me in her place. I wish I had—”
“Don’t say that, Jake! I have already lost one f
