Boran's expression turned to stone. His eyes narrowed and the muscle in his jaw twitched.
"No," he said firmly. "We won't be a team."
Elara's shoulders slumped. "Why? Together we would be stronger."
"I said no." Boran reached toward the fire, took a piece of wood and pushed it into the flames. Sparks scattered into the air.
"Don't be so stubborn," said Elara, with growing disappointment in her voice. "Why are you so insistent on staying alone? Everyone needs help sometimes."
Boran didn't answer for a long time. His eyes were fixed on the dancing flames of the fire, as if he could see something in the depths of the past. His expression softened, but this softness was mixed with sadness.
"I only go solo now," he finally said, his voice almost a whisper. "I tried being part of a team. I had people I thought were my friends."
Boran ran his hand through his hair, his expression darkening further. "From the first moment I came here, people's only goal has been to deceive me or take advantage of me."
Elara could see the anger on Boran's face.
"What happened?" she asked in a gentle voice.
"It doesn't matter," said Boran, his voice hardening again. "What matters is this: I'm going to stay alone from now on."
Elara leaned forward. "But maybe together we can break this curse. You can't solve this alone."
"You don't understand," said Boran, raising his eyes to look at Elara. There was a deep weariness in his eyes. "I don't want to solve whatever it is you're talking about. I deserve this."
"Nobody deserves something like this," Elara said in a determined voice.
"Whatever. We won't be a team."
Elara took a deep breath. "You know, I can understand why you're so stubborn," she said, her voice soft. "Until now, I never wanted to team up with anyone by choice either. It's just that at the beginning I was new here, I didn't know anyone. I was afraid of being alone, so I joined a team."
Boran pulled his eyes away from the fire and began listening to the woman.
"Everyone shows me too much attention," Elara continued, her voice beginning to tremble. She clenched her hands, feeling her nails digging into her palms. "Because I'm a woman... or maybe because I look too delicate, I don't know. But everywhere, all the time, I experience the same thing. Every man wants me in his team, I can see that look in their eyes. As if they've found a jewel, but not as a valuable weapon... More like something to be displayed in a showcase, protected, possessed."
She frowned. "They never took my abilities seriously. Every time, every damn time I experienced the same thing. 'Elara, don't go alone, it's too dangerous for you', 'Elara, you stay here, we'll handle it', 'Elara, don't approach that Wyvern, you'll burn yourself'. As if I were a child. As if I hadn't killed more creatures than they had!"
She angrily waved her hand toward the fire, and the flames rose for a moment. "Even in my smallest success, I see that surprise in their eyes. They look as if they're watching a dog solve a math problem. 'Wow, the girl did it!' But when I make a mistake... ah, that's when the 'women aren't made for this work' looks begin immediately. I'm tired of men!"
Elara took a deep breath, her voice lowered but her anger was still palpable. "How many times I hoped for a real teammate. How many times I told myself 'this time will be different'. But all of them, without exception, ended up seeing me only as 'the girl who needs protection'. My ideas, my strategies, my spells... none of them were good enough for them. They never accepted that I am an individual who can make my own decisions."
Elara smiled slightly, but there was pain in this smile, there was anger, there was weeks of accumulated disappointment. "It was always 'let me handle it', 'stay back', 'don't tire yourself out'. Every time, every damn time the same story. Some think they're protecting me, some are trying to impress me, but all of them... all of them see me as an object. Not a person, an object. An object to be possessed, displayed, protected. I'm an adventurer too, damn it! I'm stronger than them! But none of them... none of them even really saw me." She no longer hid the tears in her eyes.
Boran raised his eyebrows in surprise. When he saw the tears in Elara's eyes, he didn't know what to do for a moment. 'Is she really crying?' he thought to himself. It had been so long since he had avoided close relationships with people that this girl's sincere emotional outpouring caught him unprepared. For a moment his hard shell cracked, something stirred inside him. Perhaps empathy, perhaps understanding... Or maybe just surprise.
"I'm really fine! I'm very fine! Just... just no one, not a single person has ever seen me as an individual. An individual who can make their own decisions, chart their own path, possess their own power. And I... I can't take it anymore."
She raised her eyes to look at Boran. "Now here, I saw someone like you. You're talented, quiet. You tried to save me out there. I thought again 'Another man trying to show off', but then I saw the aura around you. You would have helped whoever was there, not just me. Despite all the things I said to argue with you, you just apologized and tried to walk away, you didn't try to get close to me. I'm almost begging you to team up, yet you constantly refuse. I think... they should be the ones staying alone, not you."
She paused, searching for the right words. "Maybe together we can be a real team. If you give me a chance, I can be an equal teammate to you. If... if you don't want to be a team, I'd at least like to be friends. We could meet occasionally, I'd try to lift this curse from you."
Boran remained silent for a long time, looking at the flames of the fire. The expression on his face was hard to read.
"No. We won't be a team."
The hope on Elara's face began to fade. She bit her lip and lowered her eyes to the ground, sighing. All that opening up, sharing her feelings was for nothing. Hadn't it always been like this? Hoping every time, being disappointed every time... She prepared to stand up.
"However," Boran suddenly said, his voice softer than before.
Elara froze, her eyes turning to him curiously.
"If you want, we can just level up together," Boran continued, carefully choosing his words. "Right now it seems like there's a level difference between us. If you want, we can hunt in the same area. We'll stay within each other's range."
Boran continued looking at the flames, avoiding eye contact. "I don't think we'll get close enough to be friends. But maybe... if we're going in the same direction, we can share the road for a while."
He paused, as if weighing his words. "About that aura thing you mentioned... Maybe you can examine it occasionally."
A slight smile appeared on Elara's face. This wasn't exactly what she wanted, but it was a start. At least she hadn't been completely rejected.
"Deal," she said, with a hint of excitement in her voice. "We can level up together."
Boran nodded, but still wasn't looking directly at Elara.
"The moment I think you're trying to protect me, this agreement ends," said Elara, the determination in her voice clear. "I can take care of myself."
Boran looked directly into Elara's eyes for the first time, there was an almost momentary glint of respect in his eyes. "I've seen that, I have no doubt. But there's something I want to say."
As Boran looked at the fire, the expression on his face had softened. "There's something you should know," he said, with an unusual openness in his voice. "My class is tank. The whole purpose of my class is to protect someone."
Elara's eyes widened in surprise. "Tank? But..." For a moment she tried to gather her words. "If you're a tank, what are you doing here alone? Don't tanks always need to be in a group? What does a tank do without someone to protect?"
A flash of pain passed through Boran's eyes for a moment, then quickly disappeared. "They do what I'm doing right now."
Elara had seen that momentary vulnerability on Boran's face.
"Was there someone you couldn't protect?" she asked, her voice almost a whisper.
Boran's jaw tightened, his eyes suddenly filled with a cold and distant look. "Myself."
Elara nodded, deciding not to push further. "Well, as a tank... I mean... I hate being protected. I mean..." She suddenly paused, her thoughts rapidly taking shape.
Boran raised his eyebrows, a thoughtful expression appearing in his eyes for a moment. "I won't protect you. Creatures usually target me," he said.
"Yes!" said Elara, with new excitement in her voice. "You can just do what you need to do as a tank without trying to protect me. And I'll fight with my own power from behind. I won't be a burden to you or expect your protection, I promise."
Boran studied Elara for a long moment, as if measuring her sincerity. He nodded slightly, with an almost invisible smile on his face. "But I said, we won't be a team. Just... hunting in the same area."
"Of course," said Elara, with a hint of mischief in her voice. "We'll just happen to kill the same monsters. And if you distract the enemies while I strike them from behind... that will just be a coincidence."
Boran rolled his eyes, but his expression wasn't entirely negative. "We'll see," he said simply. "It might be important to learn what each of us can do."
Both of them spent some time telling each other about their abilities. While Boran explained his skills as a tank, Elara shared her magic abilities and class characteristics.
***
Hours later, it was still dark outside, with thick clouds over Bloodveil Crossing completely covering the sky. Despite the early hours of the day, the darkness that had settled over the region showed no signs of lifting.
Boran sat silently by the camp's fire. The last embers crackled, casting flickering shadows on his face. He had rested a bit after the night's conversation.
Suddenly, a blue light flashed a few meters away. The light expanded into a portal, and Elara stepped out from it. For a brief moment, remnants of energy danced around her, then disappeared.
"Good morning," said Elara, tossing her hair back. "Did you wait long?"
Boran stood up, extinguishing the fire with a single motion. "No," he said curtly. "Are you ready?" he asked, his gaze surveying Elara's equipment.
Elara nodded in confirmation, a determined expression in her eyes. "I'm ready."
Boran said nothing else, just started walking. Elara rolled her eyes for a moment, then followed him. They might not be a team, but at least they were moving in the same direction. That was enough for a start.
As they advanced toward the vast territory of Bloodveil Crossing, moonlight reflected above them with a pale glow. Both were silent, but this time the silence was less tense. Perhaps this was the beginning of a real collaboration.