His anger abated only to be replaced with a black sense of despair. "I'm not fit to save anything, let alone save everyone. And how anyone could care about me I'll never know."
"Ethan," Alana said gently.
"What!?" He snapped. "What could you possibly want from me? I'm a miserable failure and you're better off without me."
"I care about you Ethan." She smiled at him in spite of his rage. "I love you,"
It was a simple declaration of truth; one she'd never made before. How could she possibly love him?
How?
It was at once innocent and powerful; uplifting and heartbreaking. Something inside of Ethan just broke. He felt tears welling up in his eyes. It broke through the black cloud that hung over his head...
But only for a moment.
Then darkness returned with a vengeance. There was no way
