Read Guevarra's Nirvana :: Chapter 15 - Demise

The world around me blurred, everything fading into a haze. I could barely see, and I could barely feel. My entire being was in a daze, but.. I had.. to keep.. going.

whywhywhywhyWHY IS THIS HAPPENING?!!! BETRAYER, WHY WOULD YOU TAKE THIS BRIBE?! YOU IDIOT, I TREAT YOU SO WELL. YOU WERE MY ONLY FRIEND. WHY WOULD YOU SIDE WITH MEGAN?! WHY, WHY, WHY, WHY - AFTER EVERYTHING - YOU TREATED IT LIKE NOTHING!

Rain splashed relentlessly, mingling with the tears streaming down my face. The ground beneath me seemed to start crumbling, cracking repeatedly due to pressure. My head throbbed with pain, shocking throughout my entire body to the point of being numb.

..And Brielle was right in front of me, her voice rising in panic as she tried to reach my senses. I could hear her yelling— pleading, begging for me to stop—

But... I was beyond reason.

"GRACE! PLEASE, LISTEN TO ME!" Brielle yelled, her arms wrapped around me, trying to hold me back. "STOP IT ALREADY!!—"

"—AAHHH!!"

I smacked her, making her stumble and fall away.

...

Doing that... somehow jolted my senses awake. The world faded into clarity. The storm inside me calmed, yet the devastation still remained.

I could hear faint movements behind me, the squelch of footsteps on the wet ground. she's still trying, isn't she?

And before I knew it— Brielle was in front of me once again, her pace pale- streaked with rain and tears. I could see the desperation in her eyes, the sheer will to fix things she can't undo.

"P-Please... I'm sorry.." She sobbed, her voice cracking in emotion, refusing to give up on me.. "You don't have to forgive me... but please don't do this to yourself!"

The ground beneath me... was now smeared with hints of red— Blood, mixing within the rainwater. I had only realized it at that moment— my deep, emotional pain had turned physical. For I had been smashing my head on the ground, repeatedly, relentlessly.

...

I stared at the mess I had made— my blood, my pain— wondering how it all came to this. It was just a bitter reminder of how broken I had become. I couldn't bare the sight of it anymore... and knowing that the very people who've hurted me are just.. watching me fall apart, I wanted to get away. I wanted to escape.

With trembling limbs and a body weighed down by despair, I pushed myself up. "Grace...?" Brielle's voice softened, yet still filled with uncertainty as she watched me slowly rise to my feet—

"GRACE!!!"

I broke into a frantic sprint, my legs more rapid than my thoughts. Every instinct screamed at me to run—to escape from this place— from them, from everything! It didn't matter where I was going, I just needed to be anywhere but here—

I plunged through a shallow forest, burying myself within its shadows. Branches lashed against my skin as I tore through, their stinging pain I couldn't afford to be bothered. Wet leaves whipped past, absorbing through my hair and clothes. I stumbled over bushes and undergrowth, the mud clutching at my feet like quicksand— It was hard to see and even move through this chaos, yet I kept going and going...

The trees overhead swayed under the weight of the storm, a tree could fall on me at any moment. The rain pounded around me, drowning out everything else from my ears.

"GRACE!! WAIIITT!!"

..But that scream of hers, it cut through the chaos as if the storm were nothing. It was frantic, repetitive, and desperate. I could hear her footsteps, rummaging through the bushes behind me. She was following me... why?! WHY?!

I didn’t want to face her. The shame, the humiliation of her seeing me like this—broken, vulnerable—was too much to bear. I’d rather she return to Megan, free to chase her dreams without struggle, while I stayed here, struggling alone. She doesn't need me. Not anymore.

Then suddenly—!!!

A figure appeared in front of me, its silhouette cutting through the lightning storm. My sprint faltered, my heart pounding in my chest as I tried to make sense of what I was seeing.

"Y o u . . . k n o w t o o m u c h . . ."

A young boy... motionless in the downpour. His face too dark to see, but marked by eerily glowing white eyes.

Who... was that? Was that even a person, or just a figment of my exhausted mind?

The hairs on my arms stood up— I had a bad feeling about this. I wanted to veer away, to escape from whatever or whoever this was! But before I knew it, the wind grew stronger, pushing me sideways and sending me crashing to the ground.

"Aghhh!!" I cried, rolling helplessly over and over the soaked earth. In an instant, Mud and rainwater splashed all over me, smearing my clothes and skin with dirt. The world spun wildly around me, a neverending whirl that sent me downwards, until finally—

Thud!

My body hit solid concrete. Somehow, I had been thrown from the forest, finding myself at the neighborhood's harbor. The scene before me felt surreal— a river stretching out before me, the distant glow of the city shimmering just beyond.

"Grace! Thank god!"

And then I heard her.

I turned around, finding Brielle absolutely dirt-streaked and soaked. Had she really chased me through the storm, through the forest, all the way to this harbor? Maybe she truly wanted to talk to me, to explain. Maybe… maybe she was finally ready to admit her mistake, to tell me why she had done it.

Maybe there was something more to this.

The harbor lights glowed faintly through the downpour, casting a muted glow over the rain-soaked harbor. And there she was—Brielle, soaked to the bone, finally standing before me.

My heart twisted painfully as I looked at her, years of shared memories now stinging with pure betrayal. Her eyes were wide, pleading with guilt. She approached me slowly, hesitant, as if she was afraid of the distance and coldness we had now.

She knew she wasn’t the same person to me anymore—I couldn’t see her that way, not after everything she’d done.

She chose Megan over you, remember that. She saw the chance to climb up and left you behind.

Those words gnawed my mind repeatedly, and rightfully so. I wondered how she imagined this conversation unfolding, what possible words she thought could undo the damage. Does she expect me believe her again? To forgive her? Every ounce of trust I’d had in her felt absolutely shattered. Either way...

It's time for closure.

"Grace, please..." Brielle sobbed, her voice rough and loud. "I'll admit it... I was selfish! I wanted to win—I wanted to get into Guevarra Academy more than anything! I was willing to do anything!"

"But… one thing was... is that I never meant to hurt you!"

I didn't say a word. I couldn't. My throat was tight, my hands clenched. What was this? Why the hell is she twist this like it was for my sake?

"I thought... I thought choosing Megan would help the both of us!" Brielle confessed, her voice trembling. "S-She promised she'd pull strings, and told me there was room for us if I just did what she asked!"

She paused, her voice unravelling like a storm.

“BUT SHE TRICKED ME— USED ME!"

"I painted her submission for her—Copied her style, followed her sketches, made it look like her... I shouldn't have done that— I know! Yet, she reminded me of the benefits... how she'd pay me and let us get a spot in the academy!"

And then, at the peak of her shame, she let out a raw, gut-wrenching cry.

"I-I shouldn't have trusted her!" She choked out between her sobs, "I-I'm so sorry, Grace!"

...

She raised her head, eyes swollen and desperate, and locked eyes with me— A beg for forgiveness, or at least, a flicker of understanding of the wreckage between us.

"P-Please... don't hurt yourself over this," she pleaded, barely holding herself together. "I'll... I-I'll..."

Her expression shifted, misty-eyed yet burning with anger, her lips trembling as if she'd just made a decision she'll swear on her life.

"I'll withdraw my enrollment! I swear—I'll walk away from it!"

She stepped closer, firmly declaring herself, "None of this was worth it! Nothing's worth risking our friendship... Nothing ever was!"

My heart skipped a beat. I didn't expect that at all. She would really walk away? From Guevarra? She had the future she always dreamed of right in her hands—A path out of poverty, a shot at something bigger, better. But... she'd drop that, just for me?

I didn't want her to—not like this. No... I'm not worth that. She couldn’t possibly drop all of that just for me?!—

"THAT'S NOT FAIR, BRIELLE!" I lashed out, tears in my eyes. "You don't get to say this now! Not after everything you've done!"

"You saw what Megan offered— and you didn't just take it, you helped her behind my back!" I shouted, "You left me behind like I was nothing. Like all the years we spent together... fighting for ourselves... meant less than some shady shortcut for a better a life!"

I couldn't take it anymore. The weight of her words, the ache in my chest—it all crashed over me at once. My vision blurred with tears as I turned my back on her.

The world pressed in too tightly—too loud, too suffocating—and she stood right at the center of it all.

And yet… deep down, I knew. She'd always run after me. No matter what.

"Grace?"

"I get it—I understand where you're coming from. You don't have to forgive me... or anything..."

She took a shaky breath, then steadied her voice.

"But I've made up my mind— I'm withdrawing from Guevarra. It's not worth it anymore, and I want to live a life away from that— From Megan, her family... and everyone."

She hesitated, then stepped closer.

"I know it's a lot to ask but... I want you to come with me. It wasn't worth doing all of that, and I wish I realized it earlier. We can get away from those who hurt us, start over, and thrive in our own ways. Guevarra isn't the only way to succeed in our lives. And I'm sick of pretending like it is."

Years of staying up late, pouring our souls into every project. Pushing each other to be better, to keep going, while enduring everything and everyone who was against us... No matter what, we built our dreams side by side.

Through struggle, and through hope, we did it all. Together.

All of those memories... they weren't for nothing. And I couldn't just throw them away. Not for her.

Brielle didn’t betray me out of cruelty. She did it because she was scared.

Because she wanted to survive in a world that only seemed to reward the ruthless.

And maybe, in her own flawed way, she thought we could do it together.

But... it's time to realize it now.

By chasing the Academy, we wouldn't be after success anymore—We were willingly choosing to stay shackled to people like Megan. Choosing to suffer under their tricks, their poison, until we lost ourselves completely.

But we can choose to be better than that.

Before thinking twice, I pulled Brielle into a tight embrace. She froze for a second, stunned, then—relief washed over her, as she collapsed onto me. Her arms wrapped around my waist as if afraid I’d disappear.

The rain soaked through everything, but I didn’t care— I held her tightly.

"I hate that you hurt me," I whispered, "But I’ll still forgive you..."

I've made up my mind... we would now choose each other. No matter what happens.

The rain picked up again, harder than before, drumming against the harbor. We stood there—exhausted, drenched— but whole once again. Maybe, just maybe, we'd finally be okay...

"Let's go," I murmured, slowly pulling away from the embrace. She nodded in return, a faint smile on her lips.

I couldn't help but wonder what came next. Guevarra Academy was no longer our destination—It now stood as a dream we let go of, not because we failed, but because we chose to.

We didn't need to suffer under the hands of the Guevarras. We didn't need to prove anything anymore. We just wanted to go away from that environment, even if it means it would hold ourselves back for a while.

But... I believe we'll eventually make it.

Maybe we'd find a scholarship somewhere else, maybe we'd work some jobs—Either way, there's still hope.

We'll take it one step at a time, slowly but surely, we'll get to do what we love. Happily. Peacefully.

Then—CRACK!!

A deafening roar of thunder tore through the sky.

“GRACE?! GRACE!!”

An unnatural wind, violent and sudden, surged against me with impossible force. I was lifted off my feet, flinging backwards like a ragdoll. The world spun wildly, sky and water blurring together.

AAAHHHHH!!! W-What is this?!

What is happening?!

The wind shrieked around me, I was terrified— It howled like a living creature crying out in fury. It wasn't like any gust I'd felt before, it had weight, will, intent—I felt it in my bones. It was alive, clawing at me like it wanted to tear the very soul from my body. A mockery that there was no way out of this disaster.

And then—SPLASH!!

The river swallowed me whole. The cold was brutal, seizing my organs with icy water, pulling me deeper, and darker into the abyss.

Every second hurt. My body screamed, my limbs flailed against the current, but nothing fought back. Nothing answered. I was powerless.

"GRACE!! NOOOOOO!!"

Somewhere above, I heard her voice again—panicked, broken and yet... already distant.

I felt so… empty. A hollow ache heavier than the water pressing in from all sides.

How could this happen right now? We had just decided to start over…

And now… this?

Well, there's no use thinking anymore.

It's over.

Everything… my chances, my future, the dream I once dared to believe in… It's all just a cruel joke now.

After all, those things were never meant for someone like me.

All I do is try my best, yet every time I try, life just shoves me down deeper.

Harder.

Like the universe itself resents me for believing I had a chance.

I'm tired.

And I'm sorry, Brielle. I really am.

But maybe we weren't meant to make it.

Maybe… it was never meant to be.

[Arc 1 - The End]

This content is intended for mature audiences for the following reasons.