The cottage sat in the stillness of the mountains, where the wind whistled through the pines, and mist clung to the earth in thin ribbons. Naomi eased the door open, her breath tight in her chest. Dan followed, his boots scraping against the wooden porch as he cast a glance back at the road they'd left behind. Ava slipped in quietly behind them, her eyes scanning the shadows. Lucius entered last, closing the door gently.
The scent of pine needles and stale air hit them as they stepped inside. It was silent—too silent for a place that should've offered comfort. The walls, once lined with memories and warmth, felt hollow, like an abandoned dream that had cracked under the weight of time.
And there, slouched against the wall with a threadbare blanket draped over his shoulders, was Elias.
He didn't move when they entered, didn't even lift his head. His eyes were distant, sunken, as if whatever spark had once driven him had been extinguished. A few unopened cans of food sat on the counter, and a half-empty bottle of water rested by his side.
Naomi's heart twisted at the sight of him. He looked… smaller.
Dan stopped just inside the doorway, tilting his head. "Well, shit. Found him."
Naomi shot him a look, but there was no real heat behind it. Dan's humor was always his way of dealing with things—an attempt to fill the silence when reality became too sharp.
She crouched down in front of Elias, setting the bundle with the sword aside. "Elias?" Her voice was soft but firm.
He blinked, slowly, as if coming out of a dream. His gaze flickered toward her, but there was no recognition in it.
"Hey, it's me," Naomi continued, her tone patient but edged with quiet urgency. "We've been looking for you."
Elias shifted, pulling the blanket tighter around himself. "You shouldn't have." His voice was raw, barely more than a whisper.
Dan leaned against the doorframe, arms crossed. "Come on, man, don't say that."
Naomi placed a hand on Elias's shoulder, but he only shrugged it away, gaze turned downward. Beneath the blanket, his hands trembled slightly. He looked exhausted—not just physically, but in a way that went deeper, like someone who had stopped trying to fight.
"I know things feel impossible right now," Naomi said carefully. "But you're not alone in this."
Elias let out a hollow laugh, but there was no joy in it—only bitterness. "Not alone? Please tell me where you're getting that from." He shook his head, jaw tight. "Markus is gone. Victor's gone. Everyone around me gets hurt. I am alone."
Dan stepped forward, lowering himself onto the arm of a nearby chair. "Hey, buddy, do you remember the river? You said you'd come back to us, right? It's time to keep that promise."
Elias didn't answer. The silence that followed was heavy, pressing into the small cabin like a storm cloud.
Naomi felt a hand on her shoulder and looked up, glancing at Ava, who offered her a small, wry smile. Naomi nodded, backing away to give them space.
Ava knelt beside Elias, her voice soft but steady. "Elias? Hey. It's me. I'm here."
Elias flinched at the sound of her voice. For a moment, something flickered across his face—recognition, maybe. Or regret.
"Please talk to me," Ava said, her tone achingly gentle. "I know you're hurting. But locking yourself away isn't the answer."
Elias swallowed hard, his hands curling into fists beneath the blanket. "What do you want me to say, Ava? That I screwed everything up? That everyone would've been better off without me?"
Ava's breath caught, but she pressed on, pulling the blanket from his shoulders. "You think I don't get it? I know what it's like to mess up." She looked directly into his eyes. "When I saw you with Naomi at that hotel, it killed me, you know. The way you looked at her reminded me of the days when we were actually friends. And when I stuck around, I finally realized… maybe I was the one holding you back. I wanted you to live with us, here, in the real world. But I see now… every time I tried to make you stay, it was like pushing you further away."
He squeezed his eyes shut, as if trying to block out her words.
Ava took a shaky breath, her voice thick with emotion. "So I'm sorry! I messed up! I tried to fix everything myself, even got Markus to try and keep us connected somehow. But nothing gets fixed that way. I know that now. So please, Elias—please realize… you don't have to fix anything." She closed her eyes, willing her tears back. "Just… be with us again. The way I should've been with you all this time."
Dan leaned forward, elbows on his knees. "Well said, Ava." He turned to Elias, his expression softening. "So what are you gonna do now, man?"
Elias sat in silence for a long moment, his breath shallow and uneven. The weight of their words pressed against him, and for the first time in days, he let himself feel it—the grief, the fear, the guilt. It crashed over him like a wave, pulling him under.
And somewhere in the flood, Ava's warm embrace cut through, steady and unwavering.
Then, out of the silence, another voice emerged, almost in their minds—a woman's voice, warm and haunting.
"There you are, my love."
The ring in Ava's finger pulsed, and a bright emerald glow engulfed the entire cottage.