The Last Paragon in the Apocalypse

Miriam closed her eyes for a moment as if gathering the strength to speak. She clutched his shirt a little tighter, and then, with a shaky breath, she began.

"It\'s about my sister… and how I failed her," she said, her voice barely above a whisper. The pain was still there, raw and deep. Klaus stayed quiet, knowing this was the story she\'d been holding inside for far too long.

"I wasn\'t always like this," she continued. "Cold, distant. I used to feel things—happiness, anger, sadness. I used to care. But something happened… something I could never undo."

Klaus felt her body tremble slightly against his. He didn\'t interrupt, just held her close, offering the comfort she desperately needed.

"She was everything to me, Klaus. My sister... she was my light. But I wasn\'t there when she needed me the most. I couldn\'t protect her," Miriam\'s voice broke, and she paused, struggling to keep her emotions in check.

Klaus\'s chest tightened. He didn\'t need to say anything; he knew this pain ran deep, deeper than any wound his gentle touch could heal.

"What happened?" Klaus finally asked, his voice low and tender, urging her to continue when she was ready.

Miriam took another deep breath, her grip tightening. "She died. And it was my fault." Klaus listened closely as she began telling her story.

It turns out, she wasn\'t always the cold and ruthless goddess everyone thought she was. In fact, she was far from it. What she revealed shocked Klaus—she was the daughter of one of the five great clans on Earth.

Yes, the five great clans. Besides the Legacy families, who rule the eight unions, and the great families that govern the cities, there are five other clans. From the little she shared, these clans are even more powerful and mysterious than the Legacies.

Even before the apocalypse, they were incredibly powerful. The oil conglomerates, the energy companies, the mining moguls, and all the influential organizations on Earth—these are the great clans.

Governments respected them greatly, and their influence was supreme. Miriam is the second daughter of the first wife of one of these great clans. She and her older sister were the only daughters of that first wife.

Yes, before the apocalypse, the rich and powerful often had many wives. It was only after the apocalypse that ordinary warriors began following the same practice.

Miriam loved her sister dearly, and she was the only one she truly cared about. However, because of their status as business moguls, they weren\'t allowed to go out and play with their peers. But Miriam was a wild card.

Despite the scolding and disappointment from her parents and even her step-siblings, she didn\'t care. She would always sneak out to have fun. Sometimes, she\'d come home late, only to be protected by her sister, who always waited up to help her sneak back in.

Though her sister hated doing it, they were sisters, so she always helped Miriam whenever she got into trouble. This continued for a while, until one day, Miriam guilt-tripped her sister into taking her to a sword competition at a dojo far from home.

Since her older sister had more privileges to go out, Miriam knew she was the best person to help her. So, after using some underhanded means, which she greatly regretted later, her sister agreed to take her to the competition. Even before the apocalypse, Miriam had been fascinated with swords.

Long story short, after the competition—which she lost, by the way—she convinced her sister to take her out for ice cream. They could\'ve gone home much earlier, but she didn\'t want to. She did everything she could to spend more time with her sister, knowing she wouldn\'t be able to go out on her own later.

However, while she was having the best moment of her life, the sky darkened, and the apocalypse descended. It happened so suddenly that before they could even understand what was going on, chaos erupted around them.

She panicked, but before despair could take over, her sister started leading her away. They knew their father wouldn\'t have let them go out without some kind of protection, but the chaos was overwhelming. By the time they reached their car, her sister was bleeding everywhere.

Miriam could have stepped up and taken her to a hospital or done something, but she froze at the sight of all the blood and her sister struggling to breathe. Before she snapped back to reality, the parking lot was packed with people rushing to get into their cars.

She could have acted, but instead, she just stood there, watching. That was when a car came out of nowhere and ran over her sister.

Miriam stayed frozen in that spot for two whole hours, just staring at the space where her sister had been. Eventually, she passed out. When she woke up, she was back home. That was the day her family disowned her.

"She looked right at me, Klaus," Miriam said, her voice trembling. "She smiled at me, so warmly. She could have survived if I hadn\'t been so useless." Tears streamed down her face like a flood.

"They didn\'t even let me say goodbye to her," she said, clenching her fist in anger and sorrow.

"I killed her. I know I killed her. All she wanted was to go on a date, but I guilt-tripped her—no, I blackmailed her—into taking me to some stupid sword competition. And because of that, she died. I was useless, cruel, and emotionless to her feelings. I\'m a bad person."

Klaus continued to listen as she began cursing herself, saying all kinds of hurtful things she could think of.

"No, you\'re not," Klaus said finally. "You were just a kid who wanted to have some fun. Nobody knew this would turn out this way."

Miriam shook her head, her expression filled with pain. "You don\'t understand, Klaus. If I hadn\'t forced her to take me, she would still be alive. I keep replaying that moment in my mind, wishing I could change it. I can\'t escape it."

Klaus took a deep breath, trying to find the right words. "Miriam, we all make mistakes. You were just a child, and you didn\'t know the world would turn upside down. Blaming yourself won\'t bring her back."

"But it feels like I should have known," she replied, her voice breaking. "I should have seen the signs. If only I hadn\'t been so selfish…"

"It wasn\'t selfishness; it was just a desire to bond with your sister. Everyone has regrets, but you can\'t let them consume you. You need to forgive yourself." Klaus\'s eyes softened as he looked at her. "She wouldn\'t want you to live like this."

Miriam paused, staring down at the bed as tears continued to fall. "How can I move on? How can I forgive myself for something like this?"

Klaus sighed. "You can start by honoring her memory. Live your life in a way that would make her proud. Turn this pain into something meaningful. Fight for others, help them, and be the person she believed you could be."

Miriam\'s expression softened, a hint of a smile breaking through the sorrow. "You really think so?"

"Absolutely," Klaus said, his voice steady and encouraging. "You\'re not just some average person. You\'re the goddess of war in this entire region. That\'s a huge responsibility. You\'re already honoring her by fighting for others. You\'re strong, and you have the power to make a difference."

"But what if I\'m not enough?" she asked, her voice trembling slightly. .net

"Then you keep trying until you are," Klaus replied. "No one is perfect. Everyone has doubts and fears. It\'s what you do with those feelings that matter. You can\'t change the past, but you can shape the future. Embrace the love she had for you.

Let it guide you."

Miriam nodded slowly, the flicker of hope in her eyes growing brighter. "I want to believe that. I really do."

"Then believe it," Klaus encouraged. "You\'ve already taken the first step by acknowledging your pain. Now, let\'s turn that pain into strength. Fight for the people who need you. Fight for her memory."

"Thank you, Klaus, I really needed to hear that," Miriam said softly after absorbing his words for a while.