>>Hael (Present Tiline)
"Einar will keep his end of the bargain. You don’t need to doubt him." She glared at , "YOU, should definitely not doubt him." She was clearly angry, "He’s the only one who tried to treat you nicely."
"..."
For the first ti in years, I felt rather ashad.
She was right.
Einar was not soone ’I’ should point fingers at.
"I was not doubting him." My tone might have made it seem that way, "I just want to know where he is..." I looked at her, "Because I know he’s not in the Wellington Duchy."
"..." She cald down as well, "I told you, he will keep his end of the bargain... So he went away."
My eyes widened for a mont, "With his health?" I stood up from the chair.
She looked away, "I asked him the sa question." Her eyes wandered around the balcony, "But he simply told that his health didn’t matter." She looked annoyed, "I’m still mad at how you both lied to ."
She looked back at , "’I’ve always been weak,’" I saw her pupils shake as she quoted his words, "’My health doesn’t matter but I have a promise to keep.’" There were tears that were welling up in the corners of her eyes but she blinked them away, refusing to shed them.
I sat back down on the chair, placing my hand on my mouth restlessly.
Then I looked out the window
The miasma had begun to gather.
"Winter isn’t far," I said
"..." Enya looked out the window as well, "It isn’t,"
"Your punishnt must be over," I said, "I heard Ahin was sent to the Wellington Duchy."
A soft smile appeared on her face, "Almost," She said, "We’re almost there."
***
"Your Highness," I connected with my aunt through the communication orb, "Do you know where Vaerion Vilde is?" I had never heard of him when I lived in the Elf Kingdom. Considering he was in the party of a Hero that saved the world, I should have heard of him.
And considering how it has only been more than two centuries, he should be well and alive.
But how co I never heard of him?
"Callon," Aunt Helena called her husband
"Yes, leth?"
"You were friends with Vaerion, weren’t you?"
Oh?
The King ca to stand by Aunt Helena’s side, "I was," He replied
"Then what happened to him?" She asked, "You haven’t talked about him in centuries."
Centuries?
"Hmmm," King Callon thought about it, "Vaerion... about two centuries ago, he received a letter."
"A letter?" I asked
"Yes, Vaerion disappeared not too long after coming back from the party we traveled with.
***
>>Callon
After Vaerion had co back from his adventure, he and I were talking about it sitting on a misty mountain hill, outside the forest. He had just co back from delivering the biography he wrote for his friend Valenor
The sun was setting, presenting an orange misty hue, "You should have seen Valenor’s face when I handed it to him," Vaerion said with a chuckle, his long silver hair catching the last golden rays of the sun. His eyes, sharp as ever, twinkled with pride. We had known each other for a century, and in monts like this, when the world seed at peace, it felt as though ti itself had slowed for us.
As I opened my mouth to respond, the sudden screech of an eagle cut through the air. I turned, and there it was—gliding gracefully through the sky, its massive wings slicing through the mist. It circled us once, then swooped down with a precision only an eagle could master.
Vaerion extended his arm without hesitation, and the bird landed effortlessly, its talons gripping his bracer as if it had done so a thousand tis before.
On its back, strapped carefully, was a small package.
Vaerion’s brow furrowed as he untied the parcel, his fingers moving with a strange urgency. I could feel the air shift as he tore away the wrapping to reveal a bundle of pages—, slightly torn at the edges. My heart sank when I saw them.
"Is that...?" I began, but my words faded as I saw the shock in his eyes.
It was unmistakable. The pages were from Valenor’s biography—ripped carelessly.
Vaerion stood frozen for a mont, his hand tightening around the papers.
It ca with a letter
"Theo, no..." He whispered.
"Vaerion?"
Then, suddenly, he flipped through them, his face growing darker as so sort of realization set in.
He then paused. I took the pages from him and he handed them to , but not the letter.
Without a word, he rose abruptly, his movents sharp and quick. The eagle took off, startled, vanishing into the twilight sky. I reached out, but Vaerion ignored , his gaze fixed on the horizon.
"Vaerion! Wait, where are you—"
But he was already sprinting down the mountain, disappearing into the thick mist that had begun to rise from the forest. He didn’t even glance back, leaving there,
***
>>Hael
"And he never ca back," The King said, looking sowhat sad. His eyes a bit distant
"What about the ripped pages?" I asked,
"I have them," He answered, "Do you want them?"
"Yes,"
"Alright," Callon answered, "I’ll look for them, I’ll tell you when I find them."
"Okay,"
"But,"
"...Yes?"
"I do want an explanation from you," He looked at with curious sharp eyes.
"Alright,"
We finished the call and I made my way back to the bedroom. I made my way to the bed Amber was sleeping in
Pulling the chair closer to the bed, I sat down. Then I grabbed her hand and poured my magic in her as I looked down, letting my open hair cover my face.
Now that all my previous mories were back, things had gotten even more clear.
I raised my head and stared at her sleeping face.
That night when you ran away from the Cory mansion. That night when we had an intimate ti together, that was a trigger point. Even amongst everything. When I was forced to sleep around and I hated the touch of people. Despised the very deed but had to do it for survival,
You asked the sa thing.
BUT
It was the first ti it didn’t feel forced
In fact, I loved it There was a clear difference with your touch and everyone else’s
And then I could never get it out of my mind.
That should have been enough for to understand that I was already in love with you then.
Why I despised and hated the act but loved it so much when I was with you
How no one ever ca close to the way you did- could
What was the exact part where I fell in love with you?
It’s difficult to tell because I didn’t feel much back then. It’s not that I have forgotten stuff, I was just unsure.
When I arrived at the manor, from the first mont you saw and the first three years we spent together were the warst.
You were the first person in years who had shown compassion, given full attention and did things for .
I smiled, "You should wake up soon, we don’t have much ti." I slipped my hand away from her, "And I have sothing to tell you."
***
>>Amber
I found myself standing alone on the balcony of Hael’s room, gripping the cold tal railing with a tightness born of confusion.
I had no idea how I ended up here.
The city sprawled beneath , its streets bathed in the orange and purple hues of the setting sun. Far beyond the protective shields, the Miasma was gathering, its dark tendrils writhing ominously in the twilight.
I was busy looking when I heard footsteps. It made look back
Hael erged from inside the room and stepped onto the balcony, his face set with a determined resolve as he gazed out at the horizon.
"Hael!" I was happy to see him.
But as I tried to approach him, my heart skipped a beat. I walked towards him but he walked right through , his body passing effortlessly through my own.
I froze
What?!?
The sensation had been jarring, like a cold wave washing over .
I stood still, my breath catching in my throat as I stared at my hands. They looked like faint wisps of smoke against the backdrop of the dimming sky. I could see through them, and the realization hit like a punch to the gut—I wasn’t really here.
I was a spirit, an echo of my forr self.
???
W-what is happening!?!?
Am I outside my body?!
Wait, did I die?!??
I turned my head back and looked at Hael. He held the railing and let out a sigh. Then he turned his head back to look into the room
!!
At first it felt like he was looking at , but of course he couldn’t see . So I turned my head and looked inside at well.
Fear had gripped , and I had rushed back into the room, my footsteps silent and insubstantial on the floor.
I saw it: my own body lying motionless on the bed, an unsettling stillness surrounding it. The sight was both horrifying and heart-wrenching. There I was, trapped in a deep coma, my body completely detached from the world I was now wandering.
From the corner of my eyes I saw Hael using teleportation magic to go sowhere, and I turned my head to the balcony but he was gone.
I looked back at myself.
The sight of my lifeless form lying there while I was left to watch in helplessness was unbearable.
I felt a crushing sadness and a deep, gnawing fear.
How long was I out for?
How did I get out of my body??
"I did it," A voice reached
!!!
And I recognized it.
"Rosie?"
"You need to wake up Amber. You are humanity’s last hope."
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