The journey was silent for a long ti.
The only sound was the rushing wind and the rhythmic flapping of the carpet’s edges.
Elara stared down at the passing world.
She watched the forests and rivers fly by.
She had never left her village before. Now she was soaring over the kingdom.
It was terrifying. It was beautiful.
It made her feel small.
Her grief was still there. It was a heavy stone in her gut.
But up here, with the cold air on her face, she felt a mont of peace.
Marcus watched the dragon girl.
She had curled up into a ball. She was leaning against the bear.
She watched Elara warily, but her eyes were heavy.
The bear sat with his legs straight out. He looked like a fuzzy sentinel.
Marcus felt the tension in his own shoulders begin to bleed away.
They were safe. They were moving.
He looked at the bear.
He realized sothing.
He had been traveling with this soul for hours. They had fought together. They had run together.
But he didn’t know his na.
"Hey," Marcus said. He raised his voice over the wind.
The bear turned his head. The button eye swiveled.
"Yeah?" the bear asked.
"I realized sothing," Marcus said. "I never asked your na."
The bear blinked.
He sat up straighter. He puffed out his chest.
"My na?" the bear repeated.
"Yes," Marcus said. "You must have one. From before."
The bear opened his mouth. He prepared to speak.
He looked ready to deliver a grand introduction.
Then, he paused.
His mouth stayed open. But no sound ca out.
The bear frowned. The stitching on his forehead wrinkled.
He closed his mouth. He looked down at his paws.
"I..." the bear started.
He looked up at Marcus. Panic flickered in his button eye.
"I don’t rember," the bear whispered.
"You don’t rember?" Marcus asked.
"It is gone," the bear said. His voice rose in pitch. "I rember being human. I rember dying. I rember waking up in this fluffy body."
He tapped his head frantically.
"But the na? It is blank. It is just... static."
Ventessa spoke from the top of Marcus’s head.
"Souls lose mories over ti," she said. Her voice was unconcerned. "Identity fades without a physical anchor."
"You have been a bear for a long ti," she added.
"That is not comforting!" the bear shouted.
He looked at Ventessa.
"Why didn’t you na ?" he demanded. "We have been together for years!"
"I did not see the point," Ventessa replied.
"You call ’Oi’!" the bear yelled. "Or ’You’! Or ’Luggage’!"
"Those are accurate descriptors," Ventessa said.
"They are insults!" the bear argued.
He stood up on the carpet. He waved his arms.
"I deserve a na!" he proclaid. "I am a warrior! I am a guardian! I am..."
He looked at his soft, grey body.
"I am adorable," he finished weakly.
Marcus chuckled.
"Well," Marcus said. "We can’t keep calling you ’Bear’. That is just lazy writing."
"Agreed," the bear said. "I need sothing cool. Sothing powerful."
He struck a pose.
"Like ’Thunder-Claw’," the bear suggested.
"No," Ventessa said imdiately.
"Why not?"
"You have no claws," she pointed out. "You have felt nubs."
The bear looked at his paws. "Right. Details."
"How about ’Death-Bringer’?" the bear tried.
"You bring nothing but dust," Ventessa said.
"You are roasting !" the bear complained. "Help out here!"
Marcus smiled. He tapped his chin thoughtfully.
"You need a na that fits your personality," Marcus said. "But also your... situation."
"My situation is that I am a badass soul in a toy body," the bear clarified.
"Exactly," Marcus said. "Contrast."
He looked at the bear.
The bear was small. He was soft. He was undeniably cute.
But he had a big spirit. He had tried to protect them. He had a huge ego.
An idea struck Marcus.
"I have got it," Marcus said.
The bear leaned forward. "What? Is it epic?"
"It is ironic," Marcus said. "But in a cool way."
"Tell !" the bear urged.
"Goliath," Marcus said.
The bear froze. He rolled the na around in his mind.
"Goliath," the bear repeated.
"Like the giant?" the bear asked.
"Exactly," Marcus said. "You were a giant earlier. When you had the mana."
He gestured to the bear’s small form.
"And inside, you feel like a giant. Right?"
The bear nodded slowly. "I do. I feel massive."
"It fits," Marcus said. "Small body. Giant spirit."
"Goliath," the bear whispered.
He looked at his paws. He looked at the sky.
A slow grin spread across his stitched face.
"Goliath," he said louder. "I am Goliath!"
He punched the air.
"Fear ! For I am Goliath the Destroyer!"
"Goliath the Plushie," Ventessa corrected from Marcus’s head.
"Quiet, cloud-woman!" Goliath shouted. "Don’t ruin my mont!"
He looked at Marcus.
"I like it," Goliath said. "It has gravitas. It has weight."
"Glad you like it," Marcus said.
Goliath turned to the dragon girl.
"Did you hear that?" Goliath asked excitedly. "My na is Goliath! Isn’t that cool?"
He waited for her reaction.
But there was no answer.
Goliath frowned. He leaned closer.
The dragon girl didn’t move.
She was curled up against Marcus’s leg. Her head rested on his thigh.
Her eyes were closed and her mouth was slightly open.
She was fast asleep.
Her chest rose and fell in a slow, steady rhythm.
She looked peaceful. The terror was gone from her face, replaced by the soft innocence of sleep.
Goliath blinked. He lowered his voice.
"Oh," he whispered.
He looked at Marcus.
"She fell asleep," Goliath said softly. "Even with all my shouting."
Marcus looked down at the girl.
He carefully brushed a strand of black hair away from her face.
Her skin was still pale, but the tension was gone.
For the first ti since he t her, she wasn’t shaking. She wasn’t watching for threats.
She was just resting.
"She must have been really tired," Goliath murmured. "Poor kid."
Marcus smiled gently. It was a sad, warm smile.
He rested his hand on her head, careful not to wake her.
"Yeah," Marcus whispered.
He looked at the sleeping child. He thought about the cage. The chains. The torture.
He thought about how long she must have been awake, terrified to close her eyes.
"She has been tired for years," Marcus said softly.
He looked out at the horizon. The first hint of dawn was touching the sky.
"She deserves the rest."
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