Ellie:
After that odd encounter with Commander Virion following the council meeting, my mind was a mess. His words had stirred something in me—anger, doubt, something else I couldn't name. Lost in thought, I was stopped in my tracks.
"You dare…"
"Hey… you're Arthur's sister, Eleanor, right?" A young elf guard stepped into my path. His expression was awkward, almost hesitant. "I'm Abold. I wouldn't say I was a friend of your brother, but we met a few times. I just wanted to say… I'm sorry for your loss."
I froze, staring at him. His words hung in the air like a weight pressing down on me. My eyes searched his face—was this pity? Sympathy? I wondered if he had ever lost anyone. Tch, he couldn't have. Anyone who had would know that these empty condolences only made the pain worse.
I forced my lips into a polite smile. "Thank you." My voice sounded sweet, calm—everything I wasn't. And then I had a spark of reflection, the words felt like poison on my tongue. Wait, why did I say that? Why did I lie? For his comfort? For mine?
The pressure in my chest became unbearable. I pushed past him, harder than I meant to, and started walking. No—running. My vision blurred as my legs carried me through the labyrinth of the underground city. Faces turned to watch, but I didn't care. Let them judge. Let them stare.
By the time I reached Boo, I couldn't hold it in anymore. I collapsed into his thick, familiar fur. "I can't do this anymore, Boo," I choked out, my voice trembling with every word. "All of it… I'm done being the powerless little girl!" My scream was muffled in his fur, but the emotion behind it was deafening.
Boo let out a low, rumbling "gruff," nuzzling me gently. His eyes, usually so soft and comforting, seemed different—sharper, determined. He shook his great body, fluff flying everywhere, as though shedding his old self. I might seem delusional but his transformation mirrored me—The calling inside me. He wasn't just my protector anymore. He was a warrior. And I will be too.
But unlike Boo, my resolve wasn't pure. It was messy, tangled with anger and grief. I like it like this, so chaotic that it spirals me down a path regardless of my conviction or resolve. Arthur's death wasn't just a tragedy. It was a spark—a burning reminder of what I needed to do. I wouldn't lose like he did. Not just to the scythes, but to love, to weakness. I still love my brother but he was a loser, he lost to love—that ugly girl. I will win, until Arthur Leywin, the boy hero's, legacy will be buried under my own.
Tessia Eralith. Her name alone brought bile to my throat. She would be my first target, the first to see the new Eleanor Leywin. My parents gave me such an innocent name, but I smiled, It will only make people doubt me more and that's just going to make things easier for me. After her, I'd grow stronger—strong enough to kill my brother's killer, the Scythe Cadell, and even strong enough to stomp on the corpse of Agrona himself.
I reached Elder Rinia's home, my steps slow and deliberate. Her hobbit-like dwelling sat on the edge of the underground town, a small, quiet place untouched by the chaos of our lives.
"Hi, Elder Rinia!" I called out, stepping inside with a smile plastered on my face. My voice was bright, cheerful, yet completely false.
The elder looked up, her wise, weathered face creased with concern. "Hello, child." Her voice was gentle but tired. "Why are you here at this hour? You should be resting."
"I wanted to ask for your guidance," I said, keeping my tone light. "Tessia is leading a mission into Elshire Forest to intercept Alacryan prisoners. "Commander Virion asked me to seek your wisdom, at the off-chance you would share it with me, with us?"
Her gaze sharpened, piercing through my words. "You are not ready."
I blinked, taken aback. "Not ready for what? The mission?" My voice wavered, frustration bubbling to the surface. "With all due respect, how could you possibly—"
"Child," she interrupted softly, her words weighted with something I couldn't name. "You are not ready."
The silence between us stretched, heavy and uncomfortable. I forced a laugh. "You're hilarious, Elder Rinia."
But her expression didn't change. Her sad smile and unblinking stare made my chest tighten and told me to leave. I muttered an apology, some excuse about being tired, and left before she could say anything else.
Her words echoed in my head as I walked away. Does she know? It wasn't possible. Even if she was a seer, she couldn't see everything. Her visions were fragments, possibilities, not certainties. There was no way she could have seen the future I was planning, especially when there is a whole war going on, there's no way she would be looking into the boring, innocent, and depressed Eleanor Leywin.
I should have returned home. Instead, I turned and headed into the abyss—the dark, uncharted tunnels that stretched beyond our safe haven. The air grew colder, the walls damp and narrow. I walked deeper, my heart pounding with every step.
My mind screamed at me to turn back, but my resolve didn't falter, I already knew this would happen, my own mind fighting against my determination to get stronger. I must kill that girl, the girl who would greet her brother when he would come home being half dead, crying in his arms, the girl who gossips with her friends about meager things like boys. I must become someone new, I must venture toward becoming someone who doesn't need others to protect her. Someone who can face the world alone, alone means no weaknesses, nothing to tie me down, nothing to use against me. I clenched my fists, my resolve hardening.
As my feet kept moving step by step, and my mind kept screaming at me, my heart was beating seamlessly and comfortably. "Bum boom, bum boom, bum boom". I will not falter, I will become stronger. I will sacrifice everything, except my life because that is all I need, nothing else.