Chapter 5

• The blizzard doesn’t let up. They are riding for hours, and Kaelith can sense how tired both them and their horses are. He watches as Leona is slowly shivering from the cold. She stays silent, wishing to not burden him further.
• “I—I’ll find us a s—shelter,” he stutters. “S—stay here.” He gallops up the small hill as she waits patiently there. Minutes go by, and she can’t help but worry for him. “What if there are more enemies?”
• She jolts and almost falls from her horse from the noise she hears. “Kaelith?!” she yells, her voice echoing. She hovers frantically, searching for a sign. “Screw this.” Leona rushes through the hill, until she reaches the top. “Where—” she whispers, seeing that he is nowhere to be found. “Did he abandon me?”
• “That would go against my honor.” His voice startles her, forcing her to turn around.
• “Where were you?” she scolds him.
• “I found a place for us to settle,” he says with a smirk. “Follow me.”
• They climb down, and Leona can’t see anything for miles. Yet, she notices how his eyes are pinned somewhere. “You can see?” she asks him.
• “Yes. You can’t?” he responds. Leona avoids meeting his eyes, ashamed that somehow, her eyesight has failed her.
• “People from the Arkan Brotherhood have enhanced senses,” he continues, but that doesn’t help Leona; she should be able to see clearly.
• Finally, the place Kaelith had chosen is visible, even for her; a small abandoned house. As she looks around, she observes even more buildings, most of them broken and destroyed. “What happened here?”
• “Valekh became prosperous by the blessing of King Aryan and a nameless God… After you left, magic was unleashed and flourished. But, magic is not always a blessing. The north suffered. Storms, blizzards, creatures born from the abyss, all made this place… uninhabitable,” Kaelith explains with bitterness. “It’s dangerous, even now. But, we have no choice.”
• A wave of guilt hits her—a guilt that keeps on building until it swallows her whole. “I—I thought… I thought my sacrifice—my return to Paradise would have made this a better world,” she says, barely above a whisper.
• “It did, mostly. But destruction and creation… you can’t have one without the other,” he responds, his words bringing pain and relief to her heart.
• They enter the abandoned house—small, barely fitting two people.
• “How long are we going to be stuck in this frozen tundra?” Leona scoffs.
• Kaelith places some wood in the hearth. “Just… go create some fire,” he responds.
• As she tries to do as she is told, her hand shakes. She tries to calm herself, hold it steady if she has to, until finally, she can feel the fire on her fingertips. “T—there.”
• Kaelith decides to say nothing, having witnessed how her powers faltered.
• “We need to get some sleep,” Kaelith says as he grabs his sword. Back in the field, she noticed the long, single-edged blade, bearing a gentle curve. It doesn’t seem heavy enough, but built for speed and precision. It’s wrapped in a dark cloth and she can faintly see something carved on it; a fox.
• “Yuneira’s worshipper?” she comments.
• He sheaths his sword with one move, his eyes lingering on her. “In the Brotherhood, we get a guide. Mine is… a fox.”
• Leona taps a finger on her chin—the fox symbolism appearing once more, wondering if there’s a meaning behind this.
• “How long until we reach Ever…” she pauses, having already forgotten the name of the place they are going to.
• “Everlune.”
• “Yes—that. I don’t remember a city having that name back in my days,” she comments.
• “We aren’t far. Everlune is… it’s beautiful. It’s where all the magic is born,” he says as he takes a seat across from her.
• “You’ve been there.” She takes a bite from her sandwich.
• “I was trained there…” he says, feeling a sour taste in his mouth.
• “Why did you leave then?” she wonders.
• He takes a deep breath, not sure if he wants to reminisce about the past. “Why did you leave this world?” He stares at her. “Why did you leave… Aryan?”
• His question catches her by surprise. “My duty… I was born for this…”
• He stands, deciding to get close to the fireplace. “Exactly… I had a duty, no matter what I wanted, or needed.”
• For the first time they see eye to eye.
• “Do you think it’s the right thing? Doing what we must and not what we truly want?” she asks.
• He takes a moment or two. “I don't know that. I guess both options have something good and something awful to offer. It depends if you are willing to deal with the consequences of your actions,” he says. “Are you?” He tilts his head. “Are you willing to deal with the consequences?”
• She exhales heavily. “If I’m given a reason to stay… I will.” She then jumps on the bed.
• “Are you going to share?” he teases.
• “I thought you couldn’t stand being around me,” she says playfully.
• “You’ll be asleep, I can deal with that.”
• She chuckles, inviting him to join the other side of the bed. As he curls up next to her, she can feel his body warmth pulsating. And then she wonders, when was the last time she laid in bed with Aryan?
• —***—
• The world spins around her, as the night turns and the ground shakes. She is here, but also there. Her body is floating just above, light vibrates from within. Dark is there alongside Atlas, whispering something. She tries to hear, to understand what they are saying, as their gaze flickers toward her.
• She desperately tries to get their attention, but it’s like she isn’t there, or worse; she is being ignored. Her lips part, but nothing comes out, no word. She is trapped, she can’t move, and the air in her lungs grows thin.
• And out of nowhere, a woman appears. Her skin is clear and soft, her short dark hair shifting as she moves. She walks with a light bounce, even whistling as she passes through the tall grass.
• When she turns and notices her, Leona freezes. Those eyes—amber and bright—are her own staring back at her.
• “Leona!” Kaelith’s voice drags her out of the nightmare. She jolts, almost pushing him off the bed. She hyperventilates, panicking. Kaelith grabs her from her shoulders, shaking her. “You are alright!” he yells until finally, she calms.
• “W—what happened?” she whimpers.
• “You were crying in your sleep. You were mumbling things—things like… don’t forsake me,” he reveals and she gasps.
• “I don’t…” she murmurs, as she tries to remember what she was dreaming about. She recalls vague images, but one stands out; amber eyes, cold and cruel. “This… it feels like a set up.”
• “I’m sorry?” he says, a frown forming on his forehead.
• “I was too willing, and I’m paying the price…” she continues, making no sense.
• “What are you on about—”
• “I can’t—we can’t,” she asserts, pushing him away. “Atlas… I think he set me up to fail… no—no he wouldn’t.” She starts pacing up and down.
• “You are freaking me out.” He stands across from her.
• “T—this is a test, and I cannot fail.”
• “What is?!” he shouts.
• “You—all of you… this world. It’s a distraction,” she confesses. “I cannot fall for it.”
• His eyebrows knit together. “What are you saying?”
• “I need to stay vigilant, Kaelith! I can’t… I won’t allow myself to feel… because if I do…” she pauses. “I cannot fall in love with this world.”
• “I see,” he says through gritted teeth. “And I thought that you have a heart.”