The End, part II
The path through the cavern was a perilous one. Creatures Francis had never seen until that day emerged from the fleshy growths and charged at him and his fellow man. When the two of them finally emerged, to the mining shaft, battered and bruised, Francis knew they were safe.
It was that assumption that made him careless. A grenade clanged at his feet. Suddenly the world collapsed on him.
Francis, you we can make it through this, the inner flame told him.
Get on your feet, yes, like that. Your work is not done.
He sprinted along the caverns and finally stopped when he saw the man he'd come with. It didn't feel so bad any longer, but when he shook his head at the man and chuckled, he started choking on blood. In a stupor, he looked down at himself.
His robes were tattered. There were burnmarks all over, slowly hidden under red as his robe was becoming more and more drenched in what was pouring from inside him. He faintly recalled a pickaxe digging into his stomach no more than a minute ago. How was he still on his feet?
He tried to open his mouth to manage at least a whisper, his final words to the other man, but his open mouth made no sound. The cavern was getting ever darker, like the night itself was engulfing Francis. The back of his head crunched against the uneven cavern floor, and he realized he fell, just like the Republic.
In his final moment, there was no justice or pride. There was a strange, bleak sensation as he thought to all the people he had failed to protect, but it turned to conclusion when he reminded himself of home and Ghaenthgrand. His loving family, and the families of many others. People worth dying for. His cause.
The faces of the dead appeared to him again, but it only felt nostalgic. They were welcoming him in their midst, but made way for someone who approached with a steady pace, finally halting before him. It had been one hell of a journey, but he had made it to the end. Francis nodded gratefully to his old friend and reached up to grab Alban's extended hand.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mfVkU-UMXtM