As they left the plaza, Alissa finally broke the silence, her voice sharp and tinged with frustration. "Xue, why didn't you tell them the truth about Elysia? About what really happened? If someone ever finds out—if the truth gets out—the name of the Elites will be tarnished beyond repair."
Xue didn't stop walking, his steps measured and calm. His crimson eyes, though, darkened further, a reflection of the weight he bore. "Because the truth doesn't serve anyone, Alissa," he said coldly. "It would only sow more chaos. Fear. Distrust. You saw their faces—they're already struggling with what I told them. Do you really think they could handle knowing I had to kill her?"
Alissa halted, her wings trembling. "But lies, Xue? Lies to cover up what happened? Elysia deserves better than this. Her name, her legacy—it'll be built on something false."
Xue stopped, finally turning to face her. His expression was unreadable, a mask of control over the storm that raged within. "And what do you think would happen if I told them the truth? That the Elite of Light—our strongest mage, the beacon of hope—was corrupted by her father's manipulations and begged me to end her life? Do you think the people would honor her? No. They would see her as weak, as a failure. And worse, they would see us as failures too."
His words cut through the air like a blade, leaving Alissa momentarily speechless.
"She wasn't weak," Xue continued, his voice softer but no less intense. "She made a choice to protect this world, even when it meant sacrificing herself. I honored that choice. But the people don't need to know the details. They need heroes to look up to, not the messy truth of what happens when gods bleed."
Seraphina, who had been quietly walking behind them, finally spoke. "But what if someone finds out? What if the truth does come to light?"
Xue's gaze shifted to her, his tone unwavering. "Then we'll deal with it when it happens. But for now, the lie holds. The world needs stability, and the Elites are symbols of that stability. If their faith in us is shattered, everything we've fought for will be undone."
Alissa's fists clenched. "And if it's us who are undone, Xue? If we have to carry this burden alone, knowing that the truth is buried under lies—what then?"
Xue's expression softened, just for a moment, a flicker of the pain he kept buried deep. "Then we bear it. Because that's what it means to be an Elite. We carry the weight so they don't have to."
The wind rustled around them, carrying the echoes of the crowd's murmurs in the distance.
"You're always like this," Alissa said quietly, her voice almost a whisper. "Cold. Detached. Like nothing affects you."
Xue's gaze lingered on her for a moment before he turned and started walking again. "You think this doesn't affect me?" he murmured, his voice barely audible. "You think I don't feel the weight of every lie, every life lost? I do, Alissa. But feelings don't fix anything. They don't rebuild worlds. Action does."
Seraphina placed a gentle hand on Alissa's shoulder, her voice soothing. "He's not wrong, Alissa. It's cruel, but it's the truth. The world needs something to believe in right now, even if it's not the whole truth."
Alissa looked away, her wings drooping slightly. "I just hope it doesn't destroy us in the end."
Xue's voice came from ahead, steady and resolute. "If it does, then so be it. As long as the world survives, it's a price I'm willing to pay."
The three of them continued walking, the weight of their choices pressing down on them like an invisible shroud. The truth was buried, but the burden of it would remain with them, an eternal reminder of what they had sacrificed—not just their comrades, but a piece of themselves—for the sake of the world.