Beleth put the bread down, his hands trembled as he nervously looked away, "Is this necessary?" Every time his eyes bounced back, they only met Erden's harsh gaze. "I can be useful in other ways." His lips formed a desperate grin, as sweat ran down his forehead, "I will do whatever you ask of me!"
Erden crossed his arms, leaned back and looked out the window. "It is necessary." He said calmly and pointed out the window to the kids playing in the snow, "You want to be part of my family like they are, do you not? Do you think I do not know them?" He looked back at Beleth, a soft smile on his face, "What do you think keeps a family together?"
The boy looked down and shook his head.
"It is trust."
Beleth trembled in his seat, "Is there any other way I can earn your trust?"
Erden slouched and let out a sigh, "I cannot trust you I do not know you. And it seems like you do not have much faith in me either." peeA stilted silence ensued, Beleth looked like he had been petrified, not moving a single muscle yet his stomach still growling.
Erden stood up and pulled out a small metal box from within his robe. He quickly opened the box, took something from it, he held whatever he took out in his hand and headed for the door leading outside, "I will give you some time to think." As he opened the door he looked back at the boy who stood like a statue. Erden threw one last piece of advice before closing the door from the outside, "Eat it before it dries."
Once Erden left, Beleth looked up, once again left alone he reached out for the bread before grabbing his arm halfway through. I do not deserve it. He looked out the window to the other kids, I deserve none of this. Suddenly one of the boys looked his way.
For a brief moment their eyes met and soon after the boy outside waved at Beleth. He lifted up his hand and awkwardly did the same gesture. The boy outside smiled and waved again, even harder this time.
Stunned, Beleth looked at his hand, Maybe. Just maybe.
The boy stood up and headed for the door, once he reached it he knocked on it, Erden opened it from the other side.
Beleth was standing before him, chin down sweat coming from his forehead. "I-I will tell you." He stuttered before lifting his head, "I will tell everything."
Time passed as Beleth told his story, the children playing outside moved on with their day and returned to the other side of the gate.
The man patiently listened as the boy uncovered his life to him, but one thing kept bothering him. "I apologize for the interruption. But you still have not spoken a single word about your parents." He leaned back, "I am glad you have told me about the wolf, and I am sorry you had to live such a life. But if it is not too rude of me, might I ask what happened to your parents. You mother, your father, they seem far too absent from your life."
The boy flinched at the mere notion as his breathing quickened. Tears welled up in his eyes, "I am sorry." He said quietly, "I am sorry." his voice got louder. "I am sorry. I am sorry. I am sorry." He grabbed his head and began pulling on his hair, "I am sorry. I am sorry. I am sorry. I am sorry. I am sorry. I am sorry." The tears in his eyes erupted and one after the other fell on the wooden surface beneath. " I cannot tell you." he whimpered, snot coming out his nose, "If I tell you he will abandon me, he will reject me, you will reject me."
Erden fell into silence. His brows furrowed as he stared at the crying child, his fists clenched at his sides, his nails digging into his palms. His eyes burned with a barely restrained fury. Erden opened his mouth to speak but instead took a deep breath and relaxed his tensed body.
The man reached out with both his arms and gently grabbed Beleth's hands. He restrained them until the boy stopped clenching and pulling out his hair, before slowly guiding them to the boy's ears.
Beleth looked up, his eyes met with a calm smile. "Right now it must be very loud in there." He said softly, his words like a momentary breeze cutting through a violent storm. "Have some silence and let it all out."
The tears rolled as Beleth's crying quieted, eventually becoming sniveling, " Thank you. For. Your patience." He said through gasps and sniffs. The boy then rolled up his sleeves and with his bare hands wiped off the snot and tears from his face. "I know what you truly want to know."
"And what might that be?"
"The night we met… It was not me or Noir who killed them." He looked aside and lowered his voice."It was my father who did that."
"And you believe it to be your fault, because you ran away." Erden raised an eyebrow. "You are not liable for what happened that night."
"But It is…
"Your guilt will not bring them back to life!"
"Then what do you suggest I do?"
After a moment of silence, Erden got up and headed for the corridor, "That is entirely up to you." He said as he walked, "But now we have a different place to attend to."
Beleth looked up, his eyes red and slightly swollen, "But I still have not told you everything."
"We can talk as we go. Just wait here for a bit." Erden said and left the room. Five minutes later he came back adorned in a long cloak made out of white fur, underneath it was hidden a shining armour of silver plates with some streaks of gold waved into the chest-piece with a short sword strapped to his waist. He had covered up his flaming leg with a metal shoe made of countless straps of metal whilst on the other he had a regular leather one.
In one hand he held a pair of small leather boots in the other a crimson medallion. The man handed both to Beleth.
The boy easily accepted the pair of boots but with confusion pointed at the medallion. "What is this for?"
"You will not be able to walk freely around town without this." He said as he put around the boy's neck, the moment he did the stone cracked. Erden smirked, "You continue to surpass my expectations." He pointed at the medallion, "This is not exactly a toy, but it was still overwhelmed by your Miasma."
"What is Miasma?"
"I will explain it along the way." The man headed for the front door with the boy following quietly behind.
"Where are we going?"
Erden smirked, "We are going to see Conrad."