Extra's POV: My Obsessive Villainous Fiancee Is The Game's Final Boss-Chapter 126: A Mind In Fragments

Maria sat curled in the corner of the room, her knees drawn to her chest, arms wrapped tightly around them. Her face was pale, streaked with dried tears.

She didn't even look up as a shadow moved over her and Bellamy knelt beside her, placing a gentle hand on her shoulder.

"He's not waking up." She whispered, her eyes fixed on the man on the bed across from her. "Three days, Bellamy. Three whole days."

Bellamy pulled her into his arms, letting her bury her face against his chest. "I know." He murmured.

"He didn't even stir when the healers came to check up on him. Not even when they used more berry powder. When they tried to wake him up. What if—" Her voice caught, and she swallowed a sob. "What if he never opens his eyes again?"

Bellamy tightened his embrace. "Don't say that."

"But I can't help it. I keep thinking... I never really talked with him much before… before the battle. I was preoccupied with sending and receiving letters from Abram. So stupid." She sniffed. "What if his last memory of me is of a distant daughter?"

"Don't worry. He'll wake up. You'll have your chance to tell him everything you want to." Bellamy said gently. "He's still in there. Somewhere inside that mountain of stubbornness and scars, he's still fighting. You know him. He doesn't give up."

Maria sniffled and looked up at him. "But what if he does this time? What if he's tired of fighting?"

Bellamy cupped her cheek. "Then we fight for him. We carry him until he can stand again. That's what he did for us, all our lives. That's what family does."

Maria's lips trembled. "I'm scared, Bell. I've never been this scared."

"I know." He whispered. "So am I. But you're not alone. I've got you. And whatever happens, we face it together."

Her breath hitched, but she controlled herself. She nodded slowly, clutching the fabric of his tunic a little tighter.

Outside, rain fell, uncaring of what was going on with the world. Inside, Bellamy held his sister, praying to the Dryad, the minor goddess living in the Green Tree, that somewhere inside him, their father still remembered the way back to them.

As if in answer to his prayers, there was a sound, a rustle of cloth and the creak of the bed, and then a hoarse, familiar voice.

"Bellamy..."

Both siblings' heads whipped up. Ilyan's fingers twitched, his head rolled slightly on the pillow. His one good eye opened, dazed and wild.

"Father!" Maria gasped, rushing to his side. Bellamy followed quickly, kneeling by the cot.

"I'm here, Father." Bellamy said, grasping Ilyan's hand. "You're okay. You're safe."

Ilyan blinked rapidly, confusion on his face. Then his eye widened as panic seeped in. "No... no, we can't... they're coming... Stone tribe..."

Bellamy stiffened. "Father, the battle is over. You defeated the Stone Chief. We won. You did it."

"Won? No. It was a skirmish. A ploy. Forget the Stone Tribe. Albion! Ross! He's building a wall. A wall, Bellamy! A prison around us all! We must strike him first!"

His voice rose in pitch, trembling with urgency. He tried to sit up, but Maria pushed him gently back down.

"You need to rest." She whispered, holding back a sob. "You're not well."

"No!" Ilyan roared, eyes blazing. "You don't understand! That wall... it will cut us off. Isolate us. They'll crush us like insects in our own land!"

His limbs thrashed beneath the blanket, panic flooding his movements. Bellamy and Maria held him down with effort.

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"Father, listen to me!" Bellamy gritted, fighting to keep the older man on the cot. "The Stone Tribe! You killed their chief! They retreated! You've secured peace for now. There is no immediate threat."

Ilyan's breathing was ragged, sweat beading on his brow. His eye darted around the tent, unseeing. "They'll betray us. Just like before. The nobles of Albion smile as they set fire to our future. I saw it... I saw it in Ross' eyes."

Maria wiped the sweat from her father's face. "You're not well. You need time to recover. Please, Father, just rest."

But Ilyan wasn't hearing anything she was saying. His voice dropped to a whisper, though the madness in his eyes remained. "They'll come in the night. With gold and blades. They'll offer peace, then bleed us dry."

Bellamy exchanged a worried glance with Maria. This wasn't the Ilyan they knew. Their father had always been stern, fierce, but rational. Now, he seemed to be trapped in a hallucination of war and betrayal.

"Let me up!" Ilyan said suddenly, struggling again. "I need to speak to my warriors. We must send riders. We must prepare."

Bellamy pushed gently but firmly. "You're not strong enough. Please, Father, trust me. Let me lead while you recover."

"You don't understand, boy! You're too soft. They'll gut us while you're still trying to talk sense. The wall, Bellamy. It's all a trap. A trap!"

Maria covered her mouth with her hand as tears welled in her eyes. She'd never seen her father like this. The confident, commanding man that had always led them with a straight back was slowly crumbling in front of her.

Ilyan suddenly gripped Bellamy's arm. "Swear to me. Swear that you'll prepare. That you won't let them deceive you."

Bellamy hesitated, then nodded slowly. "I swear."

"Good." The madness dulled slightly, and Ilyan slumped back onto the pillow. His breath came in shallow gasps, his fingers still trembling. "Good, Bellamy. They're coming."

Maria placed a cool cloth on his forehead. "Sleep now, Father. Please."

Ilyan's eyes finally fluttered closed, but his face was still twisted with fear and suspicion. As his breathing evened out, the siblings sat in silence.

The silence that filled the air was heavy, as if their father's paranoia had mixed into it and bogged it down.

Bellamy stepped away from the cot, fists clenched, jaw clenched, and heart pounding.

Maria followed him to the far side of the room. "Bellamy... what are we going to do?"

Bellamy looked at her, eyes dark. "I don't know. But we can't let him lead like this. Not now. Not in this state."

Maria nodded slowly. "He's…" She didn't want to admit it but she had no choice. "He's changed. Just like the healer said."

"We'll protect him." Bellamy said. "And we'll protect the tribe. Even if that means keeping him safe from himself."

She nodded again, stepping forward to hug her brother. They stood like that for a long time, the sound of the rain the only thing around them.

Something had broken in Ilyan that day. And now, it was up to Bellamy to decide what pieces were worth holding on to, and which ones needed to be buried.