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Elisha pov
Sometimes, the memory of a single sentence can stick to your ribs like a bad meal.
Back at the inn—before we came to Thyrelith—Nathaniel had told me two things:
If you don't believe in gods, believe in me.
and
When you're ready, you can tell me why you really want to relive your past.
For a moment, I saw him in a different light. I thought maybe he wasn't the arrogant, inconsiderate bastard I'd pegged him as. Maybe he wasn't just the pompous prodigy who always had his future cupped neatly in his palms.
Maybe… he actually cared.
But then last night he opened his mouth and shattered every fragile hope I had left.
He said he didn't care.
Said it wasn't his concern.
Called it idiocy.
That one hit deeper than I expected. My heart cracked in a way I didn't even know was still possible. I felt foolish—stupid, even—for ever thinking someone like him would give a damn about someone like me. Someone broken, clinging to the last scraps of hope like a man drowning grabs a piece of driftwood.
The only dream had been thinking someone like Nathaniel could care.
So when morning came, I didn't wait for him to wake up. I dragged myself out of the bed, showered, dried my body, and pulled on my black pants and a white cotton long-sleeve shirt. I tucked it neatly into my trousers and slipped on the deep-blue crub jacket Xavier had bought me back in Ardenfel. My hair was still damp—half-dried from last night, rebellious as always. I sat on the edge of the bed, pulling on my boots.
Behind me, Nathaniel shifted, groggy.
He blinked at me and mumbled, "Hey… why don't you dry your hair? You look like a mad man."
I didn't even bother reacting.
I tied my second boot, stood, and told him quietly:
"Everyone has their own problems. This one's mine. I'll handle it myself.
It should be none of your concern."
His words—thrown back at him—tasted bitter on my tongue.
I didn't wait for his reply. I left the room without a single glance.
If my hair was none of my business, why would it be his?
---
Downstairs was quieter than last night. The crowd had thinned enough that I spotted my friends instantly. Xavier was waving like he was trying to flag down a ship, grinning like a fool.
I tied half of my shoulder-length hair into a loose half-up using the band I kept around my wrist and walked to the table. Opposite him, I sat down.
The smell of food hit me first—warm, savoury, comforting. Stuffed meat buns, sour rice, noodle soup, and stewed pork. And in a little tray beside it were delicate peach-shaped cakes, blooming like tiny flowers.
Paige caught me staring.
"I wasn't kidding when I said I needed rest," she smirked. "You can thank me and Darcy later. For now, we're eating."
"Gladly," I said as my stomach growled.
Xavier leaned forward. "Hey, Eli, where's Nathan?"
I paused.
Then, with a tight shrug, "He's old enough to come down by himself. Why should I worry about someone whose material skills surpass my own?"
Xavier groaned dramatically and slumped in his chair.
"I just didn't want to start eating before he came. Don't kill the mood with whatever quarrel you two had."
I snorted. "Fine. He'll show up. Now let's dig in before my hunger starts a war."
That earned laughter from all three. I was stuffing my face with pork when Nathaniel finally walked in. I didn't look up. His presence wasn't my concern. Whether I ignored him or acknowledged him wouldn't matter—his heart was carved from stone thicker than any mountain.
He sat and said evenly, "After we eat, we should check the town. Maybe pick up a few things."
Paige immediately brightened. "Good idea. Darcy, they have amazing women's clothes here!"
Darcelle nodded like an excited child.
Xavier nudged me. "We can check out the food vendors and maybe the jacket shops. You love jackets. Let's get you a new one."
I did love jackets… but—
"Xav, I don't have money," I said through a mouth full of noodles.
He dismissed the problem with a wave. "Don't worry. Nathan and I will cover it."
My stomach twisted at the name.
Why would he pay for me?
I glanced at Xavier to see if he meant it; he winked.
I shoved another piece of pork into my mouth and looked anywhere but Nathan's direction.
---
OUTSIDE THE INN
After the girls split off, it was just the three of us—Xavier leading, Nathaniel beside me, bells still tied in his hair from who-knows-where, chiming softly with every step.
We entered a men's clothing shop filled with travel-ready attire. Xavier darted straight to the jacket section, eyes sparkling.
"Eli! Get over here!" he shouted.
He showed me jackets in every color and length. But I only ever wore crub jackets—the medium-length, fitted ones.
"Alright, Eli," Xavier said cheerfully, "pick the ones you want. I'll grab travel clothes for us. Don't go overboard."
"So I can pick as many as I want?"
He flashed a grin and strutted off.
I wasn't greedy. I chose four.
As I walked toward the accessory section, I passed Nathan, who was—again—inspecting hair bells. What was it with him and bells? I ignored him and moved to the hair bands.
There were so many. But one caught my eye—a silver band with thin rectangular ropes hanging down, each marked with faint grey illustrations. Elegant. Simple. Beautiful.
I loved it immediately.
I also knew it was expensive.
I put it back carefully.
Nathan was still at the bells. I silently walked past him and joined Xavier at the cashier's desk, where he'd stacked enough clothes for a month-long expedition. Nathan joined a moment later, and soon we stepped back into the streets of Thyrelith.
I kept repeating in my head:
I won't talk to him. I won't ask him anything. I won't care.
But then—
jingle… jingle…
Those damn bells.
How long can a person walk beside someone who sounds like a walking chime tower before losing their mind?
Exactly zero minutes, apparently.
"Nathaniel," I finally said.
He turned.
The moment our eyes met, everything I'd planned to say vanished.
"Yeah?" he asked. Calm. Unbothered.
Of course he didn't feel sorry. Why would he?
I looked away sharply.
"You know," I said quietly, "maybe next time before you make a promise, make sure you can fulfill it. How am I supposed to believe in you? This is the same reason I hate the gods—they never keep their promises either."
I walked ahead before he could reply, leaving him and his bells behind.
---
Nathaniel POV
For a moment, I could only stand there—watching Elisha's back as he strode ahead, shoulders tense, steps sharp.
His words echoed in my skull long after he said them:
"Maybe next time before you make a promise, make sure you can fulfill it…
This is the same reason I hate the gods—they never keep their promises either."
The comparison stung more than I wanted to admit.
Xavier shot me a look. Not angry. Not pitying. Just… disappointed.
"You really messed up, Nate," he muttered before jogging to catch up with Elisha.
I exhaled slowly.
The bells in my hair chimed softly—mocking me, almost.
I hadn't meant to hurt him.
I hadn't meant half the things I said last night.
But I'd said them. And Elisha, who felt things deeper than he ever let on, had heard every word.
And now…
Now all I could see was the moment I'd watched the light in his eyes dim.
The moment he looked at me not with annoyance or irritation—but with real hurt.
The kind that lodged itself in the chest.
I rubbed the back of my neck, swallowing the heaviness sitting there.
He misunderstood me.
That was the first thought.
But the second came right after:
And I let him.
I took a step forward, the cobblestones crunching under my boots. The people of Thyrelith moved around us—vendors calling out prices, carts clattering, children darting through the alleys—but all I heard were those fading footsteps ahead of me.
Elisha didn't look back even once.
And I couldn't blame him.
"…I shouldn't have said that," I murmured under my breath.
The bells chimed again as I pushed forward.
If he hated the gods for breaking their promises…
I refused—absolutely refused—to become another thing he learned to hate.
Not again.
Not this time.
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