Private Tales Bad Stakes

[Eilerias]

She was only alone for a few moments with her head buried in her hands before Isak was running after her. Those few moments felt stretched into hours, however, as the shadows returned once again.

Absolutely pathetic. They whispered. She nodded in agreement.

She flinched as Isak placed his hand on her shoulder. She hadn't heard his approach. "Yes, sorry." She whispered, letting herself relax as the voices died down and his voice became more clear to her. "I am alright, just a little sick..." She smiled awkwardly, trying to downplay how terrible she had been feeling. "I don't think Ogden's 'remedies' are particularly helpful, to be honest. They taste positively horrid and I think they might make me feel even worse than I did before." She let out a little laugh. "He's trying though, so I feel like I have to try too."

She remained in her place, sitting in some plants with Isak by her side for a little while, watching as the sky darkened and stars could be seen through the trees. She leaned on him, resting her head on his arm while they waited for her to feel better.

Isak broke their comfortable silence. "You found more rooms in there?" She asked, "I hope I can get the full tour soon. For now, I do think it's best we go to ours." She stood up, brushing dirt off Isak's top. "Sorry." She muttered vaguely referencing his dirty shirt.

She looked down as Isak thanked her.

You ruined the special moment and he's thanking you?

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to ruin it." She frowned. "Maybe tomorrow we could try it again...without Ogden's strange concoctions. I'm sure I'll feel better without whatever mashed up bugs and dirt he's feeding me."

She nodded, "Yes I think its best we head to bed." She hurried back into the room with the pool to grab her dress off the floor before following Isak back through the maze of rooms. It was well lit this time, much to Eilerias' surprise. In the dark flames Isak used previously, she could make out no details of anything. Now she could see the artwork that adorned the walls and the strange carvings in the wood.

It reminded her of her father.

Finally, they arrived back at the room with the mural of a couple and their children. It was still as stunning as she remembered. She smiled, quietly making her way to the large bed and hopping up with Isak's help. She thanked him and pulled the blankets over her, falling asleep quickly.

She would toss and turn all night, having nightmare after nightmare of a child. A child with light hair and tan skin. A child that clearly wasn't Isak's. Her father's voice poisoned her mind with "I told you so" and "Wait until he finds out what you've done" as though she had done something wrong on purpose.

"You should run while you still can." He stated.

She shot up in bed as his laughter faded from her ears.

He's right. His other dream came true, who's to say this won't be the same? I have to get out of here. I can't ruin Isak's life. It isn't fair to him. My mother will know what to do. Her thoughts were racing as she got out of bed, twisting nervously at her ring until it fell off into the blankets. She meant to grab it before she left, but she would forget to and Isak would likely find it the next morning.

She got dressed quickly and quietly, leaving her shoes behind as she deemed them too loud to sneak out with.

"I'm sorry, my love." She whispered, blowing a kiss to Isak before she slipped into the shadows and left.

She left Alliria that night, terrified of disappointing her friends and family. Terrified of ruining Isak's life with a child that might not be his. She didn't know where she was going but hopefully, if she played her cards right, none of them would find her and they would be free to move on without the burden of her in their lives.

She was just like her mother.

 

[Isak Lavelle]

Isak shot her a confused look as Eilerias trailed off about ruining their moment. He thought she would've been referring to their short moment of intimacy back at the pool, when the priestess ran away, not feeling away, but even if Isak had wanted to stay there for much longer, he would always put her well being above any of his interests.

"You didn't ruin anything, my love." He sought to ease her worries as Isak slowly helped her up, his arm remaining around her for a moment longer as he let out a warm smile, trying to lift her mood a bit.

He felt that there was something else that was also worrying her, but he didn't want her to reopen old wounds for his sake. They would have plenty of time to talk in peace in the coming days, as Isak wanted to stay in Dalanar until the end of the week, at the very least.

He felt relieved as she spoke about trying again tomorrow, if she were feeling better from Ogden's concoctions. The dwarf surely had a strange knowledge of medicinal herbs and what not, but even if they weren't of the best taste, he was trying to help Eilerias, and Isak appreciated that gesture.

"It looks good on you." He spoke softly, referring to his shirt that Eile had borrowed from him, recalling how she was concerned with cleaning the dirt off it just moments ago, after they spent some precious time watching as the sky went darker and the night announced itself. And still, she just looked so... sad. Isak's heart was starting to ache, seeing her in such a state, her smiles merely hiding the sorrow she had been feeling, and he could almost feel it, but Isak lacked the courage to try and bring that up with her, at least for that night.

She hadn't been feeling well, and maybe her head had been filled with worry over what would happen with them in the future, caring for a child in such a adventurous and dangerous world.

Of course, Isak had already been taking steps to ensure that both Eile and their child would be well protected at all times, but it was impossible not to worry.

He understood her, and Isak wanted to try and convey some of his confidence to her, squeezing her hand gently as they walked towards the underground rooms, deep inside the ruins of Dalanar. Most of it was untouched, but Isak and Ogden had at least installed some light in those dark corridors, revealing more of their beauty as the couple approached their old room, also untouched and still as marvelous as before.

They shared only but a few more words before they hopped in their bed, with Isak helping the short priestess up before covering themselves in their blankets and eventually falling to their sleep. As it had been before, probably thanks to whatever magic still coursed through the veins of those ancient elven walls, it didn't take long for Isak to fall into a peaceful slumber, although he believed he heard Eile talking to him in his sleep.

Isak woke up in the middle of the night, his hand instantly searching for her touch only to find no one there - save for her ring. She had disappeared, and left her ring behind, and Isak almost instantly felt his heart sinking, a unbelievable pain and desperation taking over him. He shouted her name many times, his voice echoing across the corridor, but not a soul answered back.

"Eilerias!"

Could she have been taken? Kidnapped? No one but them knew about Dalanar, he was sure of that. But there he was, holding her ring and also looking at the shoes she had left behind, his mind going blank without answers, just before being filled with the annoying taunts coming from deep inside, from Bhéron.

'You are such a fool, Isak... Did you truly believe you had found happiness? That you would live forever, on castles in the sky, with your lovely Eilerias?'

He screamed, trying not to give in to the desperation of that moment, trying not to give the demon exactly what he wanted - fear.

Where was she?!

'She is gone, idiot. She left you, as everyone else did. She left you, just like your mother, and just as Atreon told you, there will only be pain and suffering in your life. The only way to be rid of it, is to inflict such pain and suffering upon others.'

No, he had gotten better. He was different now, he would never believe to be a good man, not like Eile told him, but Isak didn't feel the same as before. He had changed, thanks to her. But why wasn't she there now? Why was her ring there, left behind and forgotten? All those questions lingered on his mind for the rest of the night, but Isak was in no condition to search for answers, the marks on his wrist burning again and wrecking his body with unimaginable pain. Bheron clawed on his mind endlessly, and Isak tried to hang on to the light that Eile had given to him, a while ago, back in Vel'Anir. Ogden and Lidia found him on his knees at the room, trembling and unable to move.

Only when the morning came did they manage to get Isak back on their carriage, after Ogden spent hours searching the nearby woods for Eilerias, finding no trace of her whatsoever. As the dwarf had labelled it, it was as if she had vanished with the shadows of night, and Isak never once thought that they could've been strong enough to take her from him. Lidia tried to heal him, or at least relieve some of his pain, but Isak refused.

They travelled back to Alliria quickly, where a distraught Isak put forth all of his resources into putting together a grand search for Eilerias. The Outer City began to shake in the wake of Isak's desperation, as if the entire world had been going down, and it would've been no exaggeration. Isak didn't leave his office for days, staring at the ring that Eile had left behind, thinking that his entire world had vanished.

She was his entire world, and she had left. But Isak didn't want to give Bhéron the satisfaction of being right. He would leave no stone unturned in that city, bribering or simply beating the information out of people who would never have any idea as to where Eilerias could possibly be. And all the while, Bhéron still tried to undermine his will, slowly clawing away at his determination as the days went by.

A month later, and the Raven Club was unrecognizable. It was as if a glooming cloud of sadness and sorrow had made its nest there, never once leaving. The music didn't sound the same, and even the most loyal patrons of that place had begun to feel uncomfortable, asking for Isak and being met only with refusal by Ogden and his guards. Isak himself was a mess, not sleeping or eating well for days, his powers slowly dimming and his strength being blown away like wind, just as Bhéron only grew mightier with his desperation.

In one night, Ogden had tried to snap Isak out of his pitiful state, and Lavelle almost killed him, lifting by his neck and slamming him across the wall, leaving behind the cracks on his once beautifully painted room, which was now a mess, with bed sheets scattered across the ground, and the air stinking of liquor and pain filled tears. Ogden stayed out of his sight for days, only talking to him to report about the unsuccessful findings of their search for Eilerias.

Until, the day arrived that Isak finally got broken down. A shadow of his former self, as humiliated as he had been during the gruesome days of his tenure as Atreon's slave.

Ogden and Lidia went to his room with information about some dangerous new arrivals at the city, a small band of unruling mercenaries who were assaulting people in the Shallows with no care for any authorities, and having now moved to the Outer City, searching for places to ransack and more civilians to rob or butcher. Without any thinking or planning, Isak had disappeared into the night, eventually meeting the gang in a secluded alleyway, as the rain poured heavily from above, soaking his shaggy and messy hair and his dirty clothes, not an ounce of finery as they once had.

'Your sorry life ends tonight, Lavelle. But fret not, I will take good care of your worthless body, and I shall hunt down that priestess and kill her with my-- your own hands.'

Bhéron's maniac laughter had been one of the last things he had heard, before the sound of steel cutting through the rain approached his ears, and he felt its cold and painful sting as the blade was plunged into his chest.

Lost in his insanity, Isak had gone to face those mercenaries alone, but he had no more will to battle. He simply waited and wished for the pain his heart to stop.

Isak coughed blood a few times, before falling to his knees as the men laughed at him, and shortly after, they were all cut down by a mysterious figure that Isak couldn't recognize, as his eyes closed and he fell towards the darkness, still thinking of Eilerias.

He hadn't stopped thinking of her, from the day she left.

 

[Eilerias]

Hidden in the shadows, she ran as fast as she could through the forest opposite of the road that led to Dalanar. It wasn't until the sun began to rise that the trees began thinning out and she could make out another road that appeared to be used somewhat frequently. She walked along it, her feet covered in dirt and cuts from the plants hidden on the forest floor. The edges of her dress were tattered and filthy as well.

A few hours after the sun rose, a cart occupied by a family slowed beside her and offered her a ride. They were on their way to Vel'Anir to trade their wares in the city. Eilerias accepted the offer, enjoying the peace of kind strangers over the days she spent in their caravan. After they arrived, she thanked them with the remaining pieces of gold she had on her.

The first few days back in Vel'Anir were uneventful. She managed to steal some dye and her hair went from snow white to an amber color. Eilerias spent her time in the marketplace or in the church which was now led by some new people after the previous worshippers untimely deaths. In a dark way, she was grateful for their deaths. She no longer had to fear they would recognize her and imprison her for breaking their rules so many years ago.

Perhaps she could convince them to allow her to practice there under a new identity.

Who was she kidding? What church would allow her, a single mother, to practice as a priestess after quite obviously disobeying the vows she took? Then again, maybe there was a way out. The girls who worked in the brothel would know what to do, surely.

She was right.

"Oh honey," One of the girls held onto Eilerias' hand. "Are you sure this is what you want?" Her voice was full of concern as the priestess explained what she was seeking in the brothel.

"Now now, don't try to guilt trip the poor girl." A motherly voice spoke, scolding the girl who let go of Eilerias and returned to her post in the brothel. "I'm sorry for Petra's little outburst. That was most inappropriate Miss..."

"Guinevere." Eilerias gave the madam a fake name, hopefully the last one she'd have to make.

"Yes, Miss Guinevere. I understand where you are coming from, believe me. We see this all the time here as you might expect...just never before someone comes to work for me. Obviously this is no place for a child to be raised, so if you are truly serious about joining our family, I can give you a solution to take care of your...problem. That is after proving you would be an asset to us."

Eilerias nodded. "Of course." She agreed with the woman's terms.

"Welcome to our family." The madam smiled warmly, embracing Eilerias.

At the end of the first (and last) week of Eilerias' employment, she handed her a pouch full of strange herbs she had never seen with instructions on how to brew them into a tea and a warning to act fast before she's too far along. Eilerias thanked her and left to the room she was renting in an inn within the town center.

For hours, she sat beside the fire in a daze, tuning out the whistling that the kettle made. She couldn't bring herself to break the last vow she had. She couldn't take an innocent life.

"If you're not going to use it, take it off the damn fire! Some of us are trying to sleep!" A man shouted, banging loudly on her door and bringing her out of her dreamlike state.

"Sorry." She mumbled, pulling the kettle off the fire and setting it aside before spending the rest of that night in the chair.

As she slept, she heard her fathers voice encouraging her to drink the strange concoction. Telling her it would be better for everyone. He mocked her and celebrated that she left her life behind once again.

She woke up gasping for air as she realized it was only a dream. A never ending nightmare that she had to escape from. She didn't know how to get out, but something was telling her to go back to his house in Fal'Addas.

She left the inn in the morning and made it by foot to Fal'Addas by nightfall, finding her father's house in the same condition they left it in. There was still blood and broken furniture everywhere, but one room was left in pristine condition, his library. She spent the next few weeks looking for something to stop the nightmares and voices, twisting the herb pouch in one hand and flipping pages with the other.

She never found what she was looking for, but she was able to further her connection with the shadows, using her father's journals to learn some new powers to protect herself.

She never stopped thinking about everyone back in Alliria. Before she knew it, a month had passed and still she sat there, clutching the pouch. She couldn't do it. It wasn't fair of her to be selfish. If it wasn't Isak's child, she would have to lie. She couldn't ruin his life more than she already had.

With that decision, she used the remainder of what she earned in the brothel to hitch a ride back to Alliria. It took four days, but she had finally arrived back in the city which now felt like a stranger.

"Hello?" She said quietly, opening the door to the Raven Club. She spotted Ogden, who looked exhausted as he served some of the regulars. Maybe he didn't notice her with her fading orange-brown hair as she snuck up the staircase and opened the door to her and Isak's room.

She was shocked at the state it was in. There were cracks in the walls, clothes scattered about, and missing blankets from the bed. The air was filled with that same nauseating scent of liquor. A scent Eilerias couldn't stand. She closed the door behind her and quietly walked back down the stairs, taking a seat at the bar. Just as she had done the night Isak came back after disappearing. "Just a water, please." She said quietly, looking away towards the window as a mixture of slushy snow and rain poured from the night sky.

 

[Isak Lavelle]

Word always travelled fast around Alliria, especially those of opportunity.

But as such, who could've predicted the surprising fall from grace of Isak Lavelle, the mysterious crime lord and owner of the Raven Club?

Many of the lowly gang leaders were starting to chatter about it, licking their chops at the opportunity to take over his once fast growing empire of shady activities. Only a month had passed, but no one had seen Isak outside the walls of his office, completely isolated from the world.

Never once he took off his necklace, and for the better part of his days, he would stay looking at Eilerias' ring, left at the palm of his hand. The voices were only getting worse and worse, provocative words of how she grew afraid of his darkness, of how she abandoned him so that their child could live a better life, far away from that world of danger.

They were right. Bhéron was right. Eilerias was right to run away. It was all his fault, for not looking away from her whenever she appeared at the Club, anxious to share a few words with him about her days as a healer in a city like Alliria. It was his fault for falling in love, and being selfish enough to break her vows of chastity, the vows that had always protected her reputation as a priestess, the one dream she cherised above everything else.

He was a monster, and she was just the opposite. She was light, she was his entire world, but he could never have her. Isak never deserved her. Bheron kept repeating that on his head, over and over again.

The demon would always tell him that Isak had dragged her into all that, but at least she managed to escape. Isak was growing tired of those whispers, filled with venom and deceit. If his empire was already crumbling, he would be the only one to throw the last rock at the falling piece, to forever bury himself under it.

It was then that Isak caught wind of a small but troublesome band of ruffians that had been seizing merchant carts and attacking the common folk all the way from The Shallows to the Outer City, terrorizing the workers and even burning a few houses. They didn't seem to care for coin, only violence. Isak left his room that night in the utmost silence, without a single person at the Club ever noticing his departure. Him and Ogden weren't exactly in speaking terms, after Lavelle had almost broken his neck, if it wasn't for Lidia's timely intervention, as the girl begged many times that Isak would stop.

It was in that moment that Isak realized he had lost everything. His future, the woman he loved... And now his most loyal friend, the person who stood beside him as they first began to build that empire. Even Lidia surely saw him as a monster now, and Isak could never blame her for it.

'Miss Eile wouldn't want you to do that.' Those were the words Lidia whispered, that pulled Isak back from the brink of murdering his friend. Isak had to put a stop to that misery - his own misery.

Eilerias was probably safe, living happily in some place far distant from all the troubles that Isak and Alliria had dragged her into. Their child would grow under her guidance, and there was no better place for a kid to live if not under her warm embrace. Strangely, Isak felt at peace. His heart was destroyed and his mind was long gone, seized at every side by grief, guilt and also Bhéron and his demonic influence, and still, he couldn't let the demon win.

He would have the final say.

After leaving behind his club, once so filled with joy, patrons drinking, singing loudly and placing their bets over games of luck, it was now a eerie place with only a handful of people still feeling comfortable enough to stay there. Ogden still tried to entertain the clients, but even the always noisy and happy dwarf was now quiet, his fire also gone. As he shared with Lidia many times in their conversations, Ogden greatly missed Eilerias and the happiness she brought to everyone around her - to them, to the club, and especially to Isak.

Lidia would often cry whenever speaking of her, feeling guilty over not helping her as best she could do, but Ogden would always try to comfort her. Still only a young girl, but still having endured so much tragedy and sadness, it was only right she would feel lonely without her master and friend.

They tried to help Isak, but he pushed them away. He had ruined enough lives.

He continued his path along the mudded streets of the Outer City, the rain pouring heavily from the dark sky, until he finally reached a empty alleyway, quickly being surrounded by the bandits he was chasing. They seemed on edge, finally laying eyes on Isak as if glancing upon their prize, but to their surprise, he didn't fight back. He opened his arms and closed his eyes, welcoming the coldness of the night until one of them charged at him and plunged his dagger on his chest.

Isak fell to his knees, coughing blood on that man's feet before he took the blade from his chest, smiling devilishly at him. Another one raced towards them, ramming his dagger on Isak's shoulder this time, and then came the others - the remaining three - puncturing him across his belly and chest before Isak finally fell to the ground, feeling too weak to move. He didn't even see when a mysterious figure came out of nowhere, longsword in hand and skillfully cutting down those bandits as if they were nothing.

A head rolled past Isak just as he closed his eyes, hearing nothing but Bheron's laughter, comemorating his 'success'.

---

Ogden didn't even notice the arrival of a woman at the club, simply nodding as she ordered a simple cup of water. His expression gave away the exhaustion and sadness that had overtaken him, as the dwarf moved slowly, before finally delivering her request. His gaze lingered on her for a moment, but even his once sharp curiosity wasn't enough to prompt him to open his mouth and talk to her, and not that he would have the opportunity for that.

The loud sound of glass crashing and scattering all over the ground alarmed everyone, the metal plate ringing noisy around the lobby as Lidia let out a short scream, looking terrified towards the door. She had started to help Ogden around the club, at least to make sure they would bring in enough money not to close the whole place. Some of the loyal guards were still around to keep everything well and safe, and Ogden still managed to keep many of Isak's businesses intact for that month, but he just didn't know for how long.

And one such guard now helped carry the club's owner inside the place, soaked in both rain and blood, with the mysterious figure from before also helping. "We need a goddamn healer for this bloke, right now!" He shouted, as most of the patrons now preferred to run off instead of staying to help. He introduced himself as Perrault, and said that he took care of the people who had wounded Isak, but for the sake of his own revenge, as they had hurt someone very dear to him as well.

"I-Isak!" Ogden was both surprised and horrified upon noticing that was his friend, bleeding out on the floor of the place they fought so hard to build. "Boss... What 'appened to ya?!"

As he laid on the ground, those close to the scene would notice that Isak, even if he was unconcious, was still gripping his bloodied necklace, if only weakly as the breath of life slowly left his body. With whatever strength that still hadn't escaped him, Isak managed to whisper a word, carried with pain and sadness.

"Eile..."

 

[Eilerias]

She felt Ogden's eyes linger on her as she turned away to face the window. She could feel his exhaustion...everyone's exhaustion as if she was the only thing keeping the Raven Club full of life. Their emotions weighed her down, suffocating her. Was she really that important to these people?

She stared at her reflection in the window, wondering if she had changed so drastically over the month she had been gone. Sure her hair was different, but her eyes were now seemed to be permanently stained a shade of deep purple, just like her father's when he revealed his true form to them. Perhaps that's why Ogden didn't recognize her.

The sound of glass and metal didn't alert her as she continued to stare out the window, sipping the water. She contemplated leaving for a few moments before she was alerted to the situation, feeling pain from where someone had been stabbed. She turned to look at the source of the yelling, a man called Perrault. At his feet was a body. Isak's body.

Instinctively, she reached towards her hand in an attempt to nervously twist her engagement ring, but it was gone. Shit. Had I left it in Vel'Anir or Fal'Addas? She wondered as she stood from her chair and slowly walked over to the chaotic scene.

She made eye contact briefly with Lidia, who immediately recognized her but said nothing before kneeling down into the shards of glass. Her rust colored hair obscured her face as she silently looked over Isak. His necklace glowed faintly behind the dried blood.

Why wasn't Lidia helping him? Was she instructed not to? She grew angry as the placed her hand on Isak's cold skin. Had he told her not to heal him? Did he have a death wish?

Her healing was impeccably fast, even for her, sealing all his wounds in only a few seconds. The pain it caused her was worse than it had ever been. The better her healing got, the worse it was for her. A few tears streamed down her face as she tried to maintain her silence.

She shakily stood after she finished, brushing some of the glass from her bloody knees before feeling herself collapsing. Lidia hopping over Isak to grab her before she could fall.

"Ogden!" Lidia shouted, clinging onto Eilerias. "It's Miss Eilerias...something's wrong!"

 

[Isak Lavelle]

Isak stood in a empty room, dark and cold, somewhere on his mind. He was alone and confused. "Hello?" He shouted, hoping there could be someone there to answer him, but there wasn't. Suddenly, he felt several stings of pain throughout his body, looking down to see his clothes stained with mud and blood, the knife wounds standing out as the blood kept dripping.

Slowly, he began to remember what had happened. The painful memories started with the day he spent in Dalanar with Eilerias, and Isak could almost taste the happiness he felt in being with her, free of the dangers and chores of their daily life in Alliria, always filled with shady schemes. The visions would lighten up the room before shortly dissipating, being overtaken with darkened scenes of what happened afterwards, as he woke up in their bed that night, seeing only the ring she had left behind.

Isak almost instantly moved his hand towards his necklace, but instead of the usual warmth he felt that reminded him of Eile's embrace, he only felt coldness. A single tear escaped his eye stubbornly as the flashes kept going on inside his head, time moving fast as he saw his life crumbling around him, his once colorful Raven Club now fallen to melancholy and grief, his friends no longer recognizing him, his head always filled with thoughts about Eilerias.

'She left...'

He heard a voice coming out of that memory, recognizing it to be from Bheron, recalling the provocations made towards him by the demon as he sought to break his will and take over his body. 'You don't deserve her, Isak.' Those words cut deeper than any wound he had ever suffered before, and Isak tried to ignore the voice and the visions, but he could no longer close his eyes.

'You lost.'

He was seeing himself now, walking in that rainy night through the streets of the Outer City, searching for the end. The end of his life, as he remembered. He still remembered every tiny detail of Eilerias' face, felt the taste of their kisses and the softness of her skin as they embraced or held hands as they once did, but everything was starting to vanish, and he only felt weaker by the moment. Isak fell to his knees, feeling his throat tightening while being unable to breathe. Despair took over him, and all he could hear now were the laughs coming from the demon.

"Eile..." He managed to let out a weak whisper, fighting through the pain. She wasn't there, she couldn't be in that darkness. She had always been light, even if she was afraid of the shadows that followed her. But at least, he wouldn't have seen him falling to his own darkness, engulfed and lost forever.

A hand fell on his shoulder, gripping it tightly as Isak struggled to breathe in the middle of that dark and empty room. The man circled around Lavelle before standing right in front of him, and Isak now saw... himself. He looked just like himself, but his eyes were completely dark and he grinned wickedly. Bheron, disguised as Isak, held Isak by his neck and lifted him like he weighed nothing, and he was simply too weak to resist as he felt more and more suffocated, his sight becoming blurrier and the pain becoming too unbearable.

It was truly the end. He would never see Eilerias again. Isak only hoped her and their child would be in a safer place now.

But before everything went truly dark, he caught the glimpses of a light slowly ushering forth from his chest, although Bheron seemed to ignore it, perhaps deeming it too little to interfere with his plans. The demon had everything he wanted now, his power having finally overtaken that of his host.

And yet, the light refused to be eclipsed by that darkness. A light coming from his heart, coming from her.

"Eile..."

---

Back at the Raven Club, the people who remained there looked on in shock as Perrault and the guard slowly laid down Isak, bloodied and terribly close to death. Perrault took down his hood as he called for a medic, briefly introducing himself as Ogden demanded to know who he was.

"I'm just a old guy who likes a good drink, and a sword. I've been tracking those bastards for weeks now, and I've arrived just in time to see that boy there trying to take them on." He explained, pointing towards Isak, as a stranger now rushed to aid him, with Lidia stunned once she realized who that was. Her eyes seemed different and her hair had definitely changed as well, but Lidia still recognized her, choosing to stay silent as Eilerias now healed Isak, her powers, much more stronger now, quickly stopping the bleeding and closing his wounds.

Ogden watched the scene unfolding, also starting to realize what was happening. "Ancestors' beards, it can't be..." He spoke in surprise, while Perrault simply looked on, confused.

It didn't take to save Isak's life, although he was still as pale as a corpse. The act seemed to take a lot out of Eilerias, as she stumbled and fell towards Lidia's arms, holding her tightly as the girl did her best not to cry, but this time of joy, seeing that her master and dearest friend had returned. And then, Isak's fingers started moving, one at a time, slowly.

The dwarf took a step forward as Perrault seemed eager to see the young man waking up, but once Ogden approached, Isak opened his eyes, only for them to see the pure darkness flowing out of them. His veins started to blacken all around his face as he slowly sat up. "Too late." He said, but it wasn't Isak's voice, it was something entirely different and foreign to them.

A screeching sound followed quickly, breaking a few of the glasses above the tables, and not long after, 'Isak' darted from the ground, a devilishly smile on his face as he jumped towards Eile and Lidia.

 

[Eilerias]

Lidia held onto Eilerias tightly as the girl struggled to stand upright. "Miss Eile!" Tears streamed down the young woman's face. "You came back?"

Eilerias looked up with a pained expression, not answering immediately. She only nodded slightly, looking towards where Isak was laying. He was slowly moving. He wasn't dead. She sighed in relief, letting herself use her apprentice to support herself.

"Are you alright?" Lidia asked, more concerned over the priestess as her boss appeared to be alive. "Where have you been? We looked for you. We were worried sick." She began to question Eilerias who only looked away. She felt guilty. Everything here crumbled because she was selfish. "You owe us an explanation! You can't just leave people behind without saying any-"

Too late.

Eilerias stopped listening to Lidia and focused on Isak as he began to sit up. "That's not Isak..." She whispered, trying to pull herself away from Lidia though she knew she wouldn't be able to stand on her own.

"Duck." She ordered, watching as the creature that looked like Isak lunged at them. She pulled hard on Lidia and both girls fell to the ground. Eilerias cast a protective barrier around them that the creature would slam into and bounce off of.

"What's happening?! What did you do to him?" Lidia cried, watching the scene unfold in front of her.

"I...I don't know." Eilerias used the brief moment of safety to get a better look at the creature before her barrier dissipated into the air.

"Lidia, run!" She yelled as the creature lunged towards them once again, slamming Eilerias' shoulders and head into the wooden floorboards, breaking a few of them.

The purple which replaced Eilerias' honey colored eyes darkened as made a swift move to grip the dagger she had on her and jab it into the creatures side, making him lurch forward. His face was up to Eilerias'. Her lips moved as though she were speaking, but no audible words came out. Instead, a stream of smoke began to flow from her tongue and travel into the creature's open mouth.

If it worked, the creature would be suppressed or dead. Eilerias didn't care which as she leaned back and shut her eyes, waiting.

 

[Isak Lavelle]

Isak couldn't see anything.

His doppelganger had disappeared, leaving him struggling to breathe in that empty room, unaware of what was happening outside. He could feel his body moving, his fingers twitching and then some abrupt movement, a twisted voice that came afterwards, entirely different from his own voice, and then... screams. One of the voices was familiar, and that realization stunned him, as Isak fought to get up on his feet again.

"Bheron! Reveal yourself, demon!" He screamed at the void, lashing out in frustration, but his body was still too weak. Isak walked around that room, but everything he touched was blackened smoke, dissipating and vanishing around his touch.

He was seeing no way out from there, but suddenly, he felt a strange warmth coming from inside him. It was the light on his chest again, so weak that it could be barely seen, but it still illuminated him. Isak remembered, that night in Vel'Anir, shortly before they departed... It had been Eilerias who imparted some of her power on to him, a piece of her that he would always carry, as she told him.

His necklace started to brighten now, for the first time in what felt like ages. Its powers had dimmed and faded after Eile left him that night in Dalanar, along with her ring. Without her presence nearby, the artifacts had lost their meaning, and Isak merely kept them as a memory of the woman he would always love, but a woman who deserved better than a criminal like him.

Closing his eyes and taking in the comfort of that light, Isak clutched the necklace on his trembling fingers, and waited.

There was nothing else for him to do there but wait, and hope that Bheron would return to his bondage. It couldn't be too late, it couldn't be. Isak refused to believe he had unleashed a dangerous demon close to the people he still held dear to his heart.

---

On the outside though, Bheron felt free. His evil grin never ceased, and he pounced towards Eilerias and Lidia like a rabid dog, anxious to devour them whole and take their power for himself. His unceasing lust for knowledge, merely masquerading for his greed for power, would know no bounds, not now that Isak seemed to be out of his way.

Luckily for Bheron, and unfortunately for the rest of them, Eile had managed to save Isak's life, still keeping the demon alive through their warlock bond. If Isak had died, he would've followed him to the grave, against his will, of course. But he had played his cards right, and now he sought to reap his rewards.

But as 'Isak' got closer to them, a barrier was erected in front of them, blocking him. Enraged, his fists caught flames of darker colors before this twisted version of Isak slammed at the barrier several times, to no success. He could almost taste the fear coming from those girls, and when the barrier vanished, he wasted no time to pounce on them again. The flames had disappeared from his hands, but Eile stood behind to protect Lidia, giving 'Isak' enough time to grab and slam her to the ground while the rest of the people merely looked in horror.

They were all traumatized at those events, and even Perrault looked fearful of raising his sword against that creature who disguised himself as Isak, the person he had saved earlier.

Eile, though, didn't seem affected by that display, swiftly jamming her dagger to the creature's side as it groaned in pain, lurching forward to stay merely inches away from her face. When Bheron saw her eyes, he realized that she was different now, much more different than when he had met her, inside Isak's mind several months ago.

Her mouth moved as if she spoke something, but he heard nothing before a stream of dark smoke started to flow out of it and into his own mouth, slowly feeling his control over Isak's body weakening and the chains that once bound him to obedience appearing once again.

Back inside Isak's mind, he would hear Bheron's laughter as if he stood several miles away from him, but still perfectly audible. "It seems I've underestimated her, after all. You are very lucky, Isak. We will talk again, soon..." He spoke one last time before falling back to silence for a short moment, before Isak heard his screams of agony. The dark smoke that covered that entire room had started to disappear, and now Isak could feel something familiar, something that filled his heart with joy for the first time since Eile left him.

"Ei--" He tried to speak, but everything went black again, and he fell backwards, fading into unconsciousness.

The real Isak, now free of the demon's control, fell towards Eilerias, laying at her side as she waited to see the results of her power. He was still breathing, if only weakly, but he looked like himself again, save for the ragged and bloodied clothes.

Ogden, now relieved that the horror scene seemed to have ended, walked towards Lidia, helping her up before checking on Eile and Isak. "Miss... Ya 'ave been terribly missed 'round 'ere." He had a tender smile towards her, and even if he was curious about her reasons for leaving, the dwarf knew better than to press her at the moment, with everything that had happened that night. "I'll send some guards to clean up ta old room. Ya can take boss there after, I'm sure ya will need some time catchin up." He signaled over to the guards who immediately headed upstairs towards Isak and Eile's room, beginning their task of cleaning it a bit so they could take the uncouncious Isak there to rest, while Ogden took Lidia to get some fresh water, looking to calm her.

Merely an hour later, and the room seemed to have regained some of its former shine, save for the cracks on the wall where Ogden had been slammed into a few weeks before. The heavy scent of alcohol had been mostly washed away, and the many candles that Isak had requested once Eile started living with him now burned again.

The room seemed slightly alive again, after that harsh month where everything had been turned upside down.

Eilerias would find that her ring was still on Isak's desk, where he had always kept. His desk had been untouched by the guards, and it had probably been the cleanest place in that entire room. A bottle of Cortosi wine, Eile's favorite, could be seen atop the table as well. An old memory that still warmed Isak's heart.

Now on their bed, Isak finally opened his eyes again, but this time, they were normal. He wanted to get up and walk, but he still felt his body crippled with pain. He couldn't do much aside from glancing at the figures painted on the ceiling, the map of stars that he used to show Eile when they slept together.

"Am I... dead?" He questioned himself, unaware if there was someone else there with him. Isak was almost certain he was dreaming again.

 

[Eilerias]

Please do something. Anything. Eilerias thought, praying Isak would come back and whatever had possessed him would vanish. "Please." She whispered.

Her prayers were answered as she opened her eyes to watch the black veins disappear from his face before he collapsed beside her. She was quiet again, taking a few moments to listen for his breath. He was alive.

Lidia helped Eilerias up, trying to heal her. Eilerias stopped her, "It's alright. I'll be okay." She reassured the girl quietly, using her as support to walk her over to a table so she could sit while the guards cleaned up the room. She nodded, acknowledging Ogden as he spoke to her, but wasn't sure what to say.

She watched the guards carry Isak's body upstairs as well as Ogden and Lidia walking off while she sat at the table. Some of the locals seemed to recognize her as they stared, but they said nothing. Maybe they were afraid of the priestess. Maybe they should be.

After an hour the last guard came down and stepped up to her. He was one of the first guards she had met. He was the one who came to her house the night before they left for their first heist. He was the one who warned Ogden and Isak that she had been attacked in her own home by a regular from the Raven Club.

"The room...we did the best we could." He let Eilerias use him for support, bringing her up the stairs and over to a large chair that was positioned next to the bed, over looking Isak as he slept.

"Thank you." She said as she sat, allowing the guard to leave. She looked around. It wasn't perfect, but it was better. She thought, noticing her ring on the desk. She grabbed it, trying to slip it on her finger. It wasn't as loose as it was before, but it still fit.

Am I dead?

She looked towards the bed to see Isak opening his eyes. She felt his pain, but couldn't bring herself to leave the room. "No...you're most alive. I don't know what happened, but you're definitely alive." She said moved to sit on the edge of the bed, trying to keep it still so she didn't hurt Isak even more. "How are you feeling?" She gently peeled up the side of his shirt so she could heal the stab wound.

 

[Isak Lavelle]

His heart skipped a beat, or several, once Isak heard her voice.

With his eyes trembling, he slowly tilted his head to look at Eilerias as she sat on the edge of the bed, their hands just inches away from touching. Isak had never believed they would ever be close to each other again, not after she left him that night.

"Ei-Eile?" He stumbled over his own words, his voice merely a weak whisper, struggling to make himself heard as she fought to speak her name. Isak couldn't believe that she was really there. She must've been a dream, some playful trick that Bheron was using to take hold over him again, and yet...

Her scent. It was still the same, the warm vanilla and cinnamon scent of her skin, only slightly weaker, probably due to her having been away in different places over this last month. Isak's mouth opened and closed several times, unable to speak more, though he didn't know if it was due to his shock or the pain that stubbornly shot across his body every now and then, coming from his side.

He flinched slightly once she reached in to grab his shirt. It was white, clean and without blood, at least for the most part. Isak followed her movement as Eile gently peeled up the side of his shirt, revealing the stab wound that still hadn't been cured, merely bandaged. She seemed worried over him, and Isak couldn't help but notice her ring, now rightfully returned to her finger as her palms started to glow, in order to heal him.

"Like I've been stabbed. Multiple times." Unaware of anything else to say, Isak awkwardly resorted to his awful sense of joking, answering Eile's question. The right words escaped his mind, and suddenly Isak didn't know how to act around her, or what to say. What could he even say?

Should he tell her of the miserable he had been in? Or of how he pushed away Lidia and Ogden, the only people who cared about him other than her?

Isak thought to ask her about everything that had come up on his mind over the last month, but he settled on a single question, his gaze, notably sad and hurt, fixed upon the ring on her finger. The ring he had gifted to her, on their first night in Dalanar - the night they got engaged.

"Why?" There were so many questions connected to that, but Isak couldn't be specific at that time. He meant to know why she had left him, why she had left her ring behind, and now, why she had come back. He decided to push forth, if only for a bit. "That night in Dalanar..." Isak didn't feel strong enough to speak much at the moment, but he only hoped she would understand his question.

He wanted to know why she had left him.

He felt he couldn't tear his sight away from her, no matter how much he wanted to. His heart was still broken, ever since he realized she had left out of her own will. Isak would never blame her, of course, she had every right to run away, to lead a safe life with their child in peace, far from the risks of their lives in Alliria, from the Cherry Rose and all its dangers. But still...

Isak was hurt, and Eile knew he was stubborn enough to never admit it, especially not to her.

Instead, his hand slowly reached towards her, his skin still pale due to the blood he had lost, and still he fought through the pain in order to try and touch her face one more time. "Your eyes..." He noticed the change in their color, more akin to the shadows she once told him about. What had happened to her in that month?

Isak decided not to prod her about that, at least not in that moment.

"I..." He started, but paused short of saying the rest of his words, breathing deeply as he sought to find strength. "I was lost without you." His rasp voice was a mixture of ill feelings - shame, sadness, guilt... pain. He didn't wish for Eilerias to see him like that, to know that he purposely crippled his empire after she disappeared. To know that he almost got himself killed.

Though Isak had trusted her with his life several times, it felt much more frightening to trust her with his shame now, in seeing him like that.

 

[Eilerias]

The edges of Eilerias' lips curled almost into a smile as Isak spoke. Even so near death he still had his sense of humor. "I reckon you feel that way because you have been stabbed. Multiple times." She paused. "Sorry about this one. " She said, healing the only wound she had cause on his body. "I didn't see any other way to get rid of that...thing". She peeled the rest of the bandage off of him and placed his shirt back down.

She noticed him staring at her finger and looked away, full of guilt. What was she supposed to tell him? "I..." She started, but stopped shortly after, allowing him to continue his thoughts. Of course she understood what he was asking, though she wished she didn't.

She was quiet, looking back towards him as he placed his icy hand on her. Every move he made hurt her just as it hurt himself, but she fought the urge to groan from the pain. She deserved it anyway. After all, he wouldn't be in pain if it weren't for her. "Yes...they've changed." She said as he mentioned her eyes.

"I...I left because I was afraid. I was overwhelmed." She admitted quietly, refusing to make eye contact. "The night of the reunion I had this...dream...no, a nightmare. Ever since then I keep having it." She rested her hand on her stomach. "I didn't want to tell you...I'm not certain the child is yours." She felt tears begin to stream down her face. "I thought it would be better if I just left you so you could move on and find someone else...and I could get rid of it and start new again. A new name and a new life. I tried to do it. I found a brothel in Vel'Anir and they gave me some herbs in exchange for work," she pulled the pouch of herbs out and tossed them at Isak. "But I couldn't do it."

She looked away again as she continued. "Every night I have the same nightmare. My father tells me how foolish I am. How weak and pathetic I am. And there's a child...a child which doesn't look like you." She pulled her arm away from Isak to wipe her tears. "I thought maybe I could find something in his house, a source of these nightmares. I thought I could stop them, but I only found his journals which contained lessons in shadowmancy that he hadn't shared with me. I've actually been practicing a bit." She paused, likely overwhelming Isak with the events of her hiatus.

"I thought of you every moment. And it broke my heart to think the child may not be yours. I didn't want to disappoint you, but I couldn't stop thinking of you and how much I love you Isak. I had to come back home." She left her explanation at that, leaving out the details of who the other father might be. Surely Isak would understand she hadn't been unfaithful to him on purpose, right?

 

[Isak Lavelle]

As much as he fought against it, Isak couldn't hide the shy smile that perked on his lips as Eilerias responded with some witty humor of her own. He almost missed her own tiny smile, his heart warming up to the thought of seeing her happy once again, even for a fleeting moment.

He didn't take his eyes away from her as she started to heal him quietly, shortly after apologizing for his wound. It seemed she 'took care' of him as Bheron had overtaken command of his body, and Isak even felt an ounce of pride towards her, realizing that she had grown stronger in that month away. "I'm fine." He lied. The pain was annoying and his mind was still a haze, but none of that mattered now.

He grew suspicious of her hesitation as she tried to answer his initial questions, before pushing on with his words. Isak could see that she was also fighting against pain, a pain that was coming from him due to all those wounds, which only made him feel even more frustrated with himself.

Even now, even after all this time, he was still hurting her. Isak hated himself for that.

Isak carefully settled on the bed, adjusting his body in a way he thought it would mitigate the pain a bit, enough that he could listen to Eile as she started speaking her tale of what had happened, of what led to her disappearance. And no amount of preparation or planning could ever have protected Isak from the cold sting of those words, especially those regarding their child. A child that he now couldn't know if it belonged to him.

A thousand motives came to his mind as to what could've been the cause of that, and the way he looked at Eilerias now was beset with disappointment and hurt. He fought to understand what could've led to that, only to be shocked to remember one of the possibilities: their trip to Cerak. That damned moment that he decided to support her idea of being taken alone by a bunch of slavers, free to do as they wished with her.

He wasn't there for her, it was all his fault. Everything was his fault, like it had always been.

Isak felt his heart breaking into a million more pieces, looking down on his hands as he searched of words to say, but then... He heard her crying, sobbing desperately as she tried to explain what came afterwards, of her trip to Vel'Anir and how she wanted to protect Isak from everything. Her mention of him finding someone else to move on was the peak of his desperation, as Isak shook his head slightly before looking back at her, still unable to speak.

He didn't as much as blink as he looked towards her, his breathing only now becoming steadier. "Did you..." He searched of the best way he could put his thoughts into words for her. "Did you honestly believe I would ever want to be with someone else? Eile, you..." Isak stopped before going any further, his voice already breaking down before the priestess continued with her explanations, looking at the pouch of herbs thrown at him. "You worked on a brothel? Did they mistreat you? I will burn it--" For a quick moment, Isak forgot the wounds he had suffered earlier, the pain he was enduring, trying to sit up on their bed only for the pain to make another sudden appearance, while he heard Eile's own cries of pain as she felt his. He was such a fool.

"I'm sorry, I..." He tried to apologize, his face covered with worry as Isak put his arm across his stomach, groaning a bit. Perhaps it would be best to simply not move, but every inch of his body wanted to take Eile in his arms, to try and take back all that pain.

She didn't deserve any of it.

Isak continued to quietly listen to her as Eile spoke of the time she passed on her father's old house, studying his old tomes. So it was truly the remains of his magic trying to play tricks on her mind after all. Isak felt the anger slowly bubbling inside him, but that wasn't the moment to lash out.

"We defeated him, Eile. You are safe from him, I promise you. Those dreams were merely tricks to weaken you, but you withstood them bravely."

Eilerias spoke of what led her back to Alliria, back home as she called it, and now Isak looked at her again, again in shock, but not disappointed or hurt this time. She loved him, she still loved him even after everything, even if everything was his fault. Without any thoughts behind it, Isak let his hand slowly reach towards her face, still admiring the purple details instilled on her once purely golden eyes, the change of color in her hair and also... how beautiful she looked, especially after not seeing her for a month. His fingers, still weak and trembling, tried to wipe away some of her tears, but Isak wouldn't be of much help with that unless Eile led him with her own hands.

Isak spent that tender moment in silence, still processing all that information, and his once stern look now turned into a passionate and emotional one. "You came back..." He started, his voice already low and soft. "It was all my fault, but you still came back. I've caused you so much pain, how could you ever forgive me for that?" Isak looked away from her for a moment, before gathering enough strength to continue. "You and this child... The blame lies with me, not with the both of you. I'll always love you, Eile. I told you that once, I will remind you of that every day. I wasn't there to protect you. You suffered because I wasn't there... I failed you, Eilerias."

He looked towards her hand, still resting beside him in the bed, carefully reaching towards it and gently caressing her fingers afterwards. Slowly, Isak leaned in closer to her, trying his best to push back the pain so she wouldn't feel it as well.

Isak wanted her, now more than ever, and he wanted to show that to her. He needed to show her.

 

[Eilerias]

She knew he was lying. How could someone say they're fine after their fiancé running for a month? How could someone say they are fine after being ambushed and the final blow coming from a blade in your fiancé's own hand? Nevertheless, she kept quiet, doing her job before bombarding him with parts of her trip to Vel'Anir and Fal'Addas.

She winced as he moved his body, "I don't think you'd want to, no..." She started. "But I thought it best if you moved on. It isn't fair of me to force this child on you if I don't know..." She looked back at him as he asked about the brothel. "No need for flames, they were kind to me. Treated me like family for the week I was there. I needed money and I thought I wanted those herbs. I was wrong." She pointed at the pouch before he moved again.

"It's alright. Please...stop moving." She begged him. "Sol'Nityr has blessed my healing powers, but everything...hurts...so much more."

He extended a hand towards her face as she cried, but Eilerias grabbed it and held it in hers as she gently rubbed her thumb over his hand. "None of this is your fault." She tried to reassure him. "It was my plan. You agreed to it, but only because I was so stubborn to try anything else. I'm the only one causing myself pain so please don't blame yourself. You couldn't have known. Neither of us could....and the slavers...they're all dead."

"I wish people would stop trying to protect me." She admitted. "It's no one's job but my own. I failed myself, not you. Please stop blaming yourself for something you couldn't have prevented. I don't blame you." She watched him struggle to push himself up, but leaned in as he did. She hesitated for a moment, looking deep into his eyes before kissing him. "I really did think about you everyday. I missed you so much. I hope you can forgive me."

 

[Isak Lavelle]

They looked deep into each other eyes in a moment that felt more like time itself had stopped around them. Isak felt like he was finally seeing the world again, glancing at the beautiful mixture of colors inside Eilerias' eyes, purple and gold, a constrast of her own powers. Not long after, they had closed the distance between them, and their lips touched once more.

The kiss was slow and sweet, shy and somewhat erratic as they sought to savor each other's taste after that month, feeling like they were kissing for the first time again. They broke contact only when their need for air outgrew their want for one another, but Isak lingered close for a moment longer, gently touching his forehead against hers as they stood in silence.

"I thought of you every day as well. You never left my mind, and I could see you everywhere, though I could never truly reach you." Isak spoke, being the first to break that peaceful silence that stood between them. Slowly, he moved away, though he let his hand rest on the side of Eile's face, gently caressing her beautiful features, a gesture that he had missed greatly. "Your departure hurt me more than anything I've felt before, but..." He looked at her in such a passionate manner that Isak was sure she could feel he truly meant those words. "I understand why you decided to leave, and I have forgiven you. You wanted to protect me from more pain, even if it meant abandoning your old life. You have always been so selfless, always putting others above yourself, Eile. I've never deserved you, but I am glad you chose me. I'm glad you came back."

He finished with a smile, pure and genuine, a smile he hadn't had the strength to show ever since she left. Isak recalled the nights he spent without any sleep, always thinking of her. He let the entire world crumble around him like it was nothing, but Eilerias had never left his mind. "I'm ashamed of what I became after you left." His smile had disappeared now, his hand slowly falling from her face as Isak looked away from her, to the cracks on the wall where he had slammed Ogden into. "I pushed everyone away. Ogden, Lidia... They tried to help me. I've never thought that they missed you as well, I ignored their pain and their grief, losing myself in my sorrows. You wouldn't be proud of that man, and that is why I..."

He couldn't finish that sentence. What would she think of him if Eile heard his desire to throw himself in harm's way, to forfeit his life and thinking that would make her happier? He had truly been a fool.

But even deep in his laments, Isak realized there was a wish that spoke higher than his sorrows from before. Eile had made him look towards her now, and no longer feeling the need to look away, he decided to give voice to his desire. "Will you stay with me tonight?" It was an odd question, considering she had returned home and that room was hers as much as it was his. Isak would never let her sleep somewhere else, and Eilerias probably knew of that already, but still...

Isak felt as nervous as a young boy speaking with his childhood love.

He felt like in the night he first asked her to stay with him at the Raven Club, living together. They were out on the street that night, just a block away from the club, and even now he still remembered it vividly, the unruling happiness that took over him once she agreed. "I missed you greatly, my love."

In the hopes she would accept his request again, Isak held back the pain as he made space for her to lie down next to him, resting his head on the large and comfortable pillows of silk that were still permeated with her pleasing scent. Isak would let her rest her head on his chest as she enjoyed doing every time they went to bed together, feeling her always soothing touch easing some of his pain again, though she worried about the toll it took on her.

Not only that, his silence gave away that he was scheming about something else. Something that would help them both, as Isak remembered about a person who could be of great importance in their current predicament.

"There is someone we should see, someone that may help us." Isak spoke again, referring to the child that Eilerias carried. Even before she had left, he had helped some people of curious abilities on their way to Alliria, and he knew they had settled nicely in the city, practicing their trade to whoever needed it. "There's a physician in Alliria, a woman bearing magical gifts that are quite uncommon. Let me take you to her, and perhaps she could trace the true bloodline of this child."

 

[Eilerias]

She pulled away as he began to talk, more confused than relieved. "How could you forgive me?" She asked. "Since I came into your life, I've only caused more problems than I can fix. You and I both know you have enemies. It would be foolish to think otherwise. It pains me to think I'm your weak spot. I'm a target for people to hurt you." She sighed. "A big target, at that." She managed to laugh at herself, resting her hands on the small bump which was hidden by her rather frumpy dress.

"Of course I'll stay." She agreed to his question, moving closer and laying beside him with her head on his chest. "If I'm hurting you , just tell me." She let her hands rest on him, hopefully alleviating some of his pain. "I missed you too."

She shut her eyes, listening to his quiet breathing as she laid on his chest. He moved his arm to pull her close, rubbing her shoulder as he prepared to speak. "Help us?" She opened her eyes and tilted her head upward. "What do you mean?"

Eilerias raised an eyebrow as he mentioned the physician. He knew she was not a fan of physicians. Sure they could tell you things, but they couldn't heal nearly as well as her. "You're sure she's not a con artist, Isak?" She asked, mused by the thought of the serious businessman getting scammed by such a person. "I'm not too sure such a person exists, but if you truly believe her, we can go" She shut her eyes again. "In the morning though."

She rolled over, facing away from him so he couldn't see the worry on her face. What if this woman is really able to do what Isak says? What if the child isn't his? She couldn't bear to see the disappointment on his face if that happened. He would be crushed. She was silent as tears streamed down her face, praying Isak wouldn't see her in such a state as she cried herself to sleep.

---

She woke up early, feeling nervous. Isak was up before her and out of bed already. By the smell of bacon and eggs, she could assume him and Ogden were up and cooking breakfast. She got out of bed and walked over to the wardrobe that was still full of clothes Isak had gifted her. Of course, none of them were particularly flattering on her, but she had to get out of her robes she had fallen asleep in. She tried on several dresses, critiquing herself in the mirror before giving up and wearing tight dress that she was obviously uncomfortable in. Perhaps it was time to spend money on herself for once.

"Morning," She smiled as she made her way to the table where the others were already gathered. "You should have woke me up." She said, nudging Isak as she sat beside him. "I'm ready to go whenever you are." She took a piece of bacon from his plate and ate it before filling up her own plate.

 

[Isak Lavelle]

Isak tilted his head towards her as Eilerias spoke, clearly not convinced by his words from before. And he couldn't blame her, not when their lives were filled with fears and dangers. And yet, she couldn't be more wrong about the things she said.

He kept his eyes on her as she pulled away, confused. He lingered in silence for a moment after she finished, laughing with herself while her hands caressed the small bump she was hiding underneath her dress. That gesture warmed Isak's heart, imagining how the priestess would do anything to protect that child. "I won't let you believe that." He said, his rasp voice quickly calling for her attention, only for her to see his fierce brown eyes, staring deeply into her.

He wouldn't let her think of herself as weak, a burden.

"We can't run from our problems simply because they exist, Eile. We can stay and fight, you and me, the Cherry Rose... That's what we do." Gently, his fingers traversed along her face again, softly lifting her gaze a bit. Isak had been a hypocrite before, unable to follow those very same words he just uttered, and he hated himself for that. "How could I not forgive you, when you already forgave me? That night, after the heist... Our first kiss. I believed I would bring nothing but misery to your life, that Gwendolyn was right to protect you from people like me. I ran away, I left you. I have no right to hold this against you, and I won't."

He rubbed his thumb along her soft cheek for a moment, before asking her to lie beside him, and Isak refused to hide his happiness once she accepted, feeling her warmth as she closed in and laid her head on his chest. He closed his eyes and just stood in silence as Eile ran her fingers along his chest, hearing his now steady breathing, which prompted Isak to bring her even closer as he rubbed her shoulders softly.

"You're not hurting me. You're making me feel like myself again." He reassured her with a smile.

Isak hadn't felt that peace in a long time. He felt whole again, just laying there with Eilerias, not a word spoken between them, just the two of them relishing that quiet moment. He opened his eyes, glancing at the constellations painted on his ceiling, reminding himself of all the stories he used to tell her before they faded into sleep.

It felt like ages ago, like another life. And yet, the familiarity of that feeling was still present, reminding him that she was finally with him again. In that entire month, Isak wasn't even able to properly sleep, his mind being invaded with nightmares about her departure and also the harsh and provocative words that came from Bheron, who was now awfully quiet again.

Upon thinking about some of the tales he used to share with Eile in those moments, Isak felt the sudden realization of a idea creeping up on him. The machinery on his mind worked fervently again, no longer clouded with doubt and grief, no longer occupied with thoughts about escaping his pain. Even worried that Eile had fallen to her sleep already, Isak gently tugged at her shoulder, before telling her about the physician he had met after saving a caravan of strange doctors and scientists, all versed in uncommon practices of varied arts, from medicine to alchemy.

Of course, he was amused to see her so worried about his reputation as a businessman if Isak were to fall victim to the traps of a con artist. "Anyone who owes you their lives can be deemed trustworthy, Eile. She and her partners owes me, Ogden and Lidia for saving them. It happened in that week I travelled in search of protection for you and the club, after the reunion. They were good people, and particularly talented."

Before she rolled over to sleep, Isak could tell Eile was worried. She still had fears and reservations, and given what she had told him, he couldn't blame them, as he also shared in such fears. But he would never abandon her, especially not over something that hadn't been her fault. Carefully, Isak also rolled over, wrapping his arms around her as gently as he could, to avoid aggravating his injuries, afraid that she would end up feeling his pain again. He couldn't hear nor see her tears, but Isak could almost feel how tense she felt, and in order to try and calm her, he left a few heartfelt kisses on her back, following a trail towards her neck and shoulders.

He rested his head right next to hers before whispering, sincere. "I won't abandon you."

---

At the dawn of the first morning since Eilerias had returned, Isak was no longer a broken and lost man. He gracefully got out of bed before the birds could announce the arrival of another day, sitting on the opposite edge as he watched his beautiful priestess sleep easy. Isak shot her a short smile before he got back on his feet, much of the pain from the previous night now alliviated.

He put on the rest of his clothes and went downstairs to where Ogden had been waiting for him, as they spent nearly an hour speaking of what had happened last night. Now back to his senses, Isak apologized for everything he had done that past month, and also thanked the dwarf for keeping everything as stable as he could while he was drowning on his sadness. Isak told him of his plans to take Eile to the physician, though he would never divulge the true reasons for that - that was something only Eilerias would decide. They rushed to cook something for breakfast, serving a few plates around the large table and enjoying their food in a pleasurable ambient before they were surprised by Eile's arrival.

She was beautiful, wearing yet another one of the dresses he had bought for her a long time ago. The priestess sat beside him, surprising him with a quick movement to grab one of his pieces of bacon before she started to fill up her plate. "I see your appetite has changed, along with your eyes and hair." He joked, a short smile perking up on his lips as Isak watched her eat her meal. "Apologies, my love. I didn't wish to disturb your sleep."

Wishing to take advantage of those early morning hours, they said their goodbyes to Ogden before taking to the streets, crossing through most of the Outer City until they reached a small bazaar, where a woman of dark skin and remarkably long and curled red hair awaited for them, with severals unknown jewels hanging around her neck. "The signs showed me you would be dropping by soon, Mister Lavelle. And I believe this is Eilerias, the woman you spoke of? She is truly a beauty!" She spoke excitedly, already jumping forth and shaking Eile's hands as if she was meeting an old friend.

"Please, pardon my manners! How rude of me... This old lady can barely remember her own name!" She laughed out loud, before finally coming to her senses again. "I am called Tal'vani, from Amol'Kalit. I am a researcher of ancient medicine and other long forgotten magics, though you may simply call me a physician. Or even an old hag who talks too much! Your Isak here told me you were a great priestess, blessed with the power to heal and soothe. May I ask what brings you to my people's humble abode?"

 

[Eilerias]

Eilerias blushed, noticing Isak staring at her as she approached the table. She could sense that Isak seemed in better spirits than he had been the previous night, but she still felt a bit of hostility from Ogden and Lidia, who preferred to converse with Isak or each other rather than with her. She couldn't blame them for not wanting to speak to her. She had abandoned them without a word.

"Yeah, I guess it has changed, I feel a lot less sick all the time so its easier to eat." She smiled softly. "It's alright I was just messing with you. If you had woken me up, I'd probably be much more grumpy." She grabbed his hand under the table. "Don't worry, the hair is only temporary, I think it will be gone in a few more washes. It'll be back to normal before you know it. As for the eyes...I don't really know what's happened, to be honest." She shrugged, continuing to eat.

A few minutes later, they were out the door and bracing the chilly morning breeze as they walked to a place Eilerias had never been. She eyed the woman curiously as they approached, wondering how long she'd been standing there. She was beautiful, a beauty that seemed out of place for such a terrible city.

She was quiet as they greeted one another respectfully before the woman fawned over Eilerias. She chuckled quietly as the woman formally introduced herself. "It's nice to meet you Tal'vani. Isak said you were exceptionally talented." She felt her face blush as the woman told her all the things Isak said about her. "I...I guess you could say that." She said thoughtfully. She hadn't even thought about what had happened at her church after she left. Would Lidia have taken over in her place? Probably not. The poor girl had taken on so much work to keep the Raven Club open. She would have to make a note to visit with a disguise in case Gilgamesh hadn't spoken with the higher-ups yet.

She looked towards Isak nervously as the woman asked why they were there. She felt ashamed to ask, especially given how the woman seemed to think she was some perfect saint. "We...I..." She tried to start her sentence. Looking for some way to make it seem like it wasn't as terrible of a situation.

"Isak told me you might be able to trace bloodlines." She looked away from the woman. "We were hoping that maybe you could help trace my child's bloodline...on the father's side." The guilt was quite apparent on her face as she couldn't make eye contact with the overly friendly stranger. She hoped Isak would say something to break the awkward silence that followed her statement.

 

[Isak Lavelle]

Tal'vani kept watching in expectation as Eilerias searched for the best way to put forward her request. She seemed hesitant and nervous, stumbling upon her words and even looking away from the physician, but Isak reached out and grabbed her hand, squeezing it gently as he looked at her. Though his demeanor was mostly stoic, as it always was, his gaze was soft and refreshing, seeking to pass on to her even the smallest measure of comfort in that moment.

Of course, he was afraid that the news wouldn't be as pleasing as he expected them to be. He wished to be a father, but Eile wasn't to blame for what had happened to her. He knew she was fearful for him, but Isak couldn't let such dark clouds keep looming over her. He would be with her, no matter what comes next.

After some time to recollect her thoughts and gather some confidence, Eilerias finally managed to put into words her wish that the child's bloodline could be traced back to its father, in order to figure out who that child belonged to.

"We need to know, Tal'vani. We are aware that the answers may not please us, but we need to know." Isak broke the awkward silence, resting his other hand on Eile's shoulder.

Tal'vani merely nodded slowly, her face speaking of how she had already understood what that moment was all about. The desert woman took a step forward, taking Eile's other hand in hers and gently rubbing it, a short but warm smile sprouting on her lips. "I will not ask you any questions about this, Eilerias. Come, let's get the two of you inside."

She waved at them, motioning for them to follow her inside her small but rather comfortable tent, filled with many unknown tools and some more familiar artifacts, with Isak recognizing some of them to be related to alchemy and other sciences.

Tal'vani could see that Eilerias had already gone through a lot, and the fact that Isak was with her to support her in such a hard task spoke volumes of how much they loved each other. As she approached one of her tables of ingredients, she made a small prayer to her gods, asking them to deliver good news to those two, though her words were of a foreign tongue to Isak and Eile. After finishing, she slowly turned towards them, pointing at her many strange belongings, scattered throughout the tent.

"Magic and science are brothers from the very first ages, back when were only dust on the ground, waiting to be made whole. And from that knowledge, I can aid you in discovering the true bloodline of your child." She spoke to Eilerias, shortly before she tilted her head towards Isak, her look much more stern but somewhat proud. She seemed to admire the man, especially after he had saved her life and also the lives of her family, from bandits that sought to rob and kill them on their way to Alliria.

"He must really love you, dear Eilerias. I can sense that he is also hesitant, though he hides it very well. Perhaps this comes from the uncertainty in which we find ourselves into, and yet..." Tal'vani started to walk towards them, the markings on her hand slowly beginning to take lighten up, covering her skin with a blue glow. "Yes... I can see it. Your heart is still, Isak. You promised not to abandon her, didn't you? Oh, my dears... It is so refreshing to come upon such a pure love again, after centuries roaming these very same lands, so filled with tragedies and dispute."

Isak looked on at her in shock, widening his eyes as she spoke. How could she know about the quiet vow he had made only last night, while Eilerias slept? And more than that... How could a human live for more than hundreds of years? He now had even more questions about that woman and her mysterious powers and knowledge, but it wasn't the appropriate moment.

"I will need blood, from the both of you." The woman spoke, taking out a short knife from her robes while waiting for them to hold out their hands to her. With swiftness, Tal'vani made a small cut on their palms while their blood fell towards a large glass vial, as she mixed them together. "You will have your answers shortly." She said, before walking back towards her table, the marks on her hands glowing again as Tal'vani put a few strange powders on the blood.

The strange ritual would go on for many more minutes, taking longer than Isak had anticipated, as he stood next to Eilerias, admiring a few artifacts that he recognized from his old travels to the desert lands of Amol'Kalit. They looked like souvenirs, but perhaps they held meaning much more deeper to Tal'vani and her family. The woman had started talking in a strange language as more marks began to glow around her body, her eyes also being eclipsed with that same blue energy.

Suddenly, she started walking towards Eilerias while speaking that unknown tongue, dipping her fingers on the vial of blood before using it to draw a strange mark on the priestess' belly, over her dress, and then pressing her bloodied thumb on both Eile's and Isak's foreheads.

Tal'vani took a few steps back, holding the vial with great care as she seemed to return to her normal self, a peaceful look now shown on her face. She glanced at the two of them before taking her time to collect her breath, the effects of her magic taking a toll on her. At least now, she had the answers that they wanted.

"The ritual is done. Eilerias, the child is..."

 

[Eilerias]

Eilerias looked up towards Isak as he broke the silence, allowing herself to breathe. The woman, as far as she could tell, was understanding rather than judgmental which gave her a little bit of peace. Perhaps she knew the circumstances were not intentional and that she loved Isak deeply.

She followed the woman into the tent with Isak behind her, surprised to see so many strange items scattered about. Isak seemed to know what a few of them were, but Eilerias was clueless. She traced her finger along one of the strange tools as Tal'vani began to speak in a language she had never heard.

Soon after, she had moved on to explain that she had to perform a ritual involving their blood. Eilerias agreed and held her hand out next to Isak's. The cut was swift and Eilerias' body reacted quickly to seal the wound after enough was in the vial. Instinctively, her hand went to Isak's after to heal him.

She sat in a chair, nervously awaiting the results as Isak seemed to be curiously looking through the woman's artifacts. Her eyes moved towards the woman as she began speaking in her native tongue again, a strange blue glow surrounding her. She stood as the woman turned, looking to back up in fear as she approached, but Isak's arm around her shoulders kept her in place.

He must really believe in her. She thought, watching as the woman painted blood over her dress. Great, the last thing I could possibly fit in and it's ruined. I guess I really do have to purchase new robes now.

The woman's hand moved to her forehead where she painted more blood before moving onto Isak's forehead. She stepped back, the mysterious lights fading as she did so. "The ritual is done. Eilerias, the child is of Ghela'dren's blood. Congratulations." She stepped back, satisfied with the results of her ritual.

Ghela'dren...The color drained from Eilerias' face. She felt like she was going to throw up in that moment. I shouldn't have come back. I knew this was going to happen. Now I've ruined both of our lives. "I'm...sorry...Isak." Her words barely left her mouth as she turned away from the two, who were bearing confused expressions, and left the tent. Outside, she fell to her knees, sobbing quietly. "I'm so sorry. I've failed you."

 

[Isak Lavelle]

Isak held his breath in antecipation, feeling as if those seconds were stretching into long minutes, even hours. Still holding Eilerias' hand, he squeezed her gently as if he was bracing himself, trying his best to keep his stoic demeanor while looking confident enough that Eile wouldn't look so distressed as well. But even with a quick glance, he could see that she was even more terrified than him, as they waited for Tal'vani to come back to her senses, holding them in suspense.

"The child is... of Ghela'dren's blood." She finally spoke, stunning Isak as the memories started flowing in, pieces of his childhood being put back together.

He couldn't even remember his mother's face, but he remembered the name she had given him, a name deeply rooted in his elven origins, as if she had been too afraid that he would choose to embrace more of his human side, becoming like his father - a coward who didn't even wait around to meet his offspring.

But before Isak could feel relieved and comemorate that moment frantically, he felt Eilerias quickly pulling away from his touch, looking at her only to see her face twisted into a expression of sheer shock and disgust. Before he could realize the humor behind that whole ordeal, she had bolted outside, whispering a few words of apology to him while leaving Isak behind, confused.

Of course she would've thought that something was wrong. Only when Tal'vani walked up to him, did Isak realize that Eilerias had never known of a curious detail from his childhood, something that he had never disclosed with anyone else, out of fear that those memories would keep haunting him forever. The woman gripped his arm softly, warming him with a gentle smile. She seemed very pleased at the outcome of her revelation. "That is a elven name, isn't it? I knew it... I can feel the ancient power inside the two of you, and also within that child. You both belong to two opposing worlds, but that connection remains strong. Go out there and reassure her. This is a moment of happiness, not heart break."

Without even questioning that woman about how she knew about that, Isak ran outside, finding Eilerias on her knees, sobbing quietly. That image pained him greatly, as if those knives were being plunged next to his heart again, his mouth opening several times without any words to follow.

Carefully, the young man approached her, still silent so as not to startle her, his arms slowly wrapping around her as Isak knelt beside her, hugging her softly. He could hear cries, muffled against the fabric of his short as she tried to apologize over and over, saying that she had failed him. Isak grew desperate - he was afraid of facing those past memories, the memories of his mother, but he couldn't let Eilerias suffer that way.

She hadn't failed him, on the contrary, she had made him the happiest man in all of Arethil on that morning.

"Eile, there is something you must know." He whispered close to her ears, after waiting until she had calmed down a bit. Still on the ground, he removed his glove and put his hand upon her face, tilting it upwards until she could have a clear view of his watered eyes, with Isak unable to contain his excitement. "Do you recall the stories I told you of my mother?"

He still remembered about the night they spent together, the moment they got dangerously close, after she was cowardly attacked in her home. Isak had decided in that night, that he wouldn't leave her unprotected again, and that he cared for her deeply. Enough for him to trust him with a story that no one else knew, a tale of how he was separated from his mother.

"Ghe'ladren is the name she gave me. An elven name. I still remember it, even though I can barely remember how she looked like. I can still hear her voice, speaking with me and calling me by that name." He told Eilerias, gently wiping away some of the tears that still stubbornly streamed down her face. She looked even more surprised now, though he could feel bits of relief in the way she looked at him. After that short pause, Isak continued. "Perhaps she hoped I wouldn't have grown to be a human like my father, someone who would easily abandon others. But it mattered little, given what came afterwards, with Atreon burying my past far beyond my reach. He gave me the name 'Isak', and I embraced it, believing that he cared for me. And once I learned the truth behind his intentions, I started a new life, under the name 'Lavelle'."

In another time, he would tell her about the tale behind that name as well. But not in that place, not in that moment that was supposed to be full of joy, rather than disappointment.

Isak smiled at her after that brief moment of silence. "I am a father now, Eile. I will never be able to repay you for all the good you brought to my life." He said, before gently pressing his lips against hers as the tears now flowed freely down his face as well.

A few minutes later, Tal'vani left her tent and walked towards them, carrying a gold inscribed hourglass. It looked like a extremely expensive artifact, and not only that, but it seemed dear to that woman as well. "Please, accept this as a gift to the little one growing inside you." She said, looking towards Eilerias. "These are the sands of my people, something to keep you blessed and protected for the rest of your days. These sands are endless, and the glass will never break, even if hurdled against the sturdiest of walls or dropped from the tallest of mountains. This is a blessing from Amol'Kalit, to a pair of honorable outsiders that are deserving of such gift." She left the hourglass in Eile's hands before slowly backing away, smiling generously.

"And forgive me for staining your beautiful dress with blood, dear Eilerias. I'm sure Mr Lavelle there can buy you a bazaar full of them, and if I might be so bold... My younger sister, Alanshi, sells the most pretty dresses from our lands! They are marvels, I'm telling you!"

Isak watched the two woman conversing with a smile on his face, still holding Eilerias' hand and casually inspecting that hourglass from afar. The sands looked different from any he had ever seen before, something that led him to believe that Tal'vani was really speaking the truth. She was no charlatan or con artist after all.

"Tell your sister we will be purchasing some dresses soon, then. And thank you, Tal'vani."

 

[Eilerias]

Gwendolyn was right. I'm too naïve for this world. So foolish to think I could survive on my own. I should never have left the safety of her archives. I should have listened to her lessons. Even Charity knew my life was destined to be a massive disaster because I was too stupid.

She hadn't heard Isak approach her and flinched at his touch before apologizing profusely. "I'm so sorry." She said over and over, resisting his attempts to tilt her face as best as she could until he began to speak, asking her if she remembered his stories about his mother. Of course she would never forget those, but she wasn't sure what he was getting at. She refused to believe she could have been in the same predicament as Eilerias was.

"Why did you never tell me this?" She asked between sobs. She knew the story of his last name, but his first was a shock to her. "How did Tal'vani know your name? Do you have some other history beyond what happened after the reunion?" She asked as he attempted to wipe some of her tears away. "I think maybe that would have been a good thing to mention ages ago..." She let him help her up. "I feel this is very poor timing for someone who can't control their emotions." She half-joked, swiping at the dirt on her dress.

She turned around to see Tal'vani carrying an hourglass, offering it to them. "Are you sure?" She asked, still wiping her tears with one hand and grabbing the gift with the other. "Honorable outsiders? Was Isak really that much help?" She looked up at him. He never did tell her what he did in the time after the reunion, but she also never asked. She spent much of that time sleeping or being too sick to converse.

Chuckling at the woman's promotion of her sister, she agreed. "Perhaps we can visit her now, Isak. I've got nothing left to wear at the Raven Club and I feel rather...awkward...in such tight clothing." She looked down at the dress, frowning. By no means was she 'big', but having spent much of her life very thin and borderline malnourished she felt horrible about her appearance. She preferred to conceal herself in frumpy dresses and cloaks.

"Tal'vani," Eilerias looked back as her and Isak turned to leave. "Is there any way you could tell me how far along I am?"

"Well my dear, I'd say between four and five months. About halfway through." She smiled warmly before they said their goodbyes and Eilerias and Isak could make their way to Alanshi's shop to find something that Eilerias hoped to conceal her body for longer.

 

[Isak Lavelle]

Isak gazed at her with relief as Eilerias' disappointment turned into surprise, and then confusion. Though she was not exactly overflowing with joy, he thought it better that she would've been curious in regards to his real name, rather than think she had failed him.

In truth, he felt horrible for not having shared that tale with her earlier. It wasn't something that he took lightly, the memories of his mother, but Eilerias was the only person he would ever trust with all of his secrets, especially since she knew every little detail that went through his machiavellic mind. Though she not always agreed with some of his plans, Eile was always willing to listen to him, as they spent long nights talking about their past lives, the struggles of their youth.

"I'm sorry, my love. It wasn't a fond memory, but I should've told you earlier." He said, clearly saddened by that whole scene. Isak would never want Eilerias to feel as if he didn't trust her. He trusted her with his life, and so much more. But his silent sorrow was now interrupted by her questions about Tal'vani, which prompted Isak to look towards the open tent. "I do not know... That woman and her people are a mystery. They introduced themselves as a travelling caravan from Annuakat, offering their distinctive services in every city along the continent, but I have my doubts..." He answered in a rather thoughtful tone, before looking back at Eilerias and carefully helping her up, sharing some quick laughs as she joked about her emotions easily falling out of control. "It was very inconsiderate of me. I promise, I'll make it up to you, Eile."

They turned to see Tal'vani approaching them, holding a exquisite hourglass, with fine gold details and inscribed with unknown writings. She told them it was a artifact of great meaning to her people, and that she wanted to give it to them as a gift, telling them it would bless and protect them in all of their endeavors. Isak watched silently as Eilerias accepted the gift, before inquiring about the help Isak had given to Tal'vani.

The woman opened a soft smile, nodding in response to her question. "He was! He was accompanied by a girl who looked younger than you, and also a very noisy dwarf. They passed by our caravan just before a horde of bandits came down on us, and hearing our screams, they turned back to save us." Tal'vani briefly told them the tale of how they had met in the outskirts of Alliria, just half a day's travel from reaching the city, which made that bandit attack even more surprising. They didn't seem to fear reprisal from the authorities, not that the City Guard cared for what happened outside the Inner City and the noble districts.

Isak silently made note to tell Eilerias some more details of his travels in that week, realizing they hadn't talked much about what happened after the reunion. It had been a traumatic night that they seemed eager to leave behind, even more now that Eile told him what happened to her that night, with that strange nightmare.

Shortly after, he was taken back from his thoughts as Tal'vani started to promote her sister and her craft of clothing and jewelry, which made Eile turn to him with the request to check her out. Isak had been meaning to buy some more expensive dresses for her before, and with that thought in mind, he agreed to her request with a short smile. "We will visit her at once, then."

Before leaving, Isak stopped as Eilerias turned to ask Tal'vani about her pregnancy, which made Isak instinctively look towards the bump in her belly. The woman's response made Isak a bit more nervous, as she said it wouldn't be long until Eilerias delivered their child, with Isak realizing there was still much to prepare - most importantly, the child's room in the Raven Club, which was already undergoing some new repairs after the reunion, while also expanding into an inn, just as Eile had envisioned before.

The couple walked for a few more minutes until they arrived at another strange looking tent, even more colorful than Tal'vani's, and with a well concentrated and tantalizing aroma coming from the inside. Isak glanced at Eilerias before they both went inside, a small sound alerting Alanshi of their presence as they stepped inside the tent. "Oh, I've seen you two with my sister just moments ago! Welcome to the Wonders of Silk, how may I assist you?"

Isak blinked several times as he looked down to see a... child? When Tal'vani spoke of a younger sister, he never realized it would be someone who seemed to be younger than Urchin, though there was something in the way she carried herself and in how she spoke that made him question if she was indeed as young as she looked to be. Alanshi pushed aside a few wheeled barrels filled with unfinished clothing and accessories, murmuring something underneath her breath, probably complaining of how heavy those barrels were, especially considering her tiny size.

"What?! Found something funny?!" Isak was surprised as Alanshi growled at him, though he tried his best to muffle his laughter.

Composing himself again, Isak took a step forward, looking at a few of her impressive wares. Tal'vani did not lie, her sister seemed to be remarkably talented and creative, and he now recognized some of the vestments he'd seen before, in Annuakat. Most of them were adorned with different jewelry or expensive materials, such as gold, silver, emerald and even diamonds, though a few others were of more simplistic make, more akin to what people would commonly find in hubs like Alliria, Vel'Anir and other cities. Isak's eyes even started glowing with excitement, imagining Eilerias outfitted with all of those wonderful dresses.

"Greetings, Alanshi. Your sister spoke highly of your talent, and we are in need of your help. Please, show us your best crafts, my beautiful fiancé deserves only your finest work."

 

[Eilerias]

Eilerias was slightly amused, sensing Isak was nervous as the woman guessed she was around four or five months pregnant. She squeezed his arm gently, trying to calm him. "There's still several months to prepare. Don't get yourself worried now. Plenty of time to panic later." She smiled at him, using her words rather than her soothing touch.

The walk was quick from one tent to another, but this one was much more ornate. The first thing to hit Eilerias as she entered was a rather intense, but fortunately not nauseating scent. It was quite pleasant actually. She ran her hands along some of the garments before a voice was heard. "Hello?" She asked, looking for the source.

She followed Isak's gaze downward to a child. "Alanshi?" She questioned as she snapped at Isak. She looked away, trying to hide her smile while Isak introduced them to the young girl. "Oh no, Isak it's alright. I just need something simple." She protested.

Neither Isak nor Alanshi appeared to have taken her suggestions into consideration as they both went their separate ways to grab dresses while Eilerias sat in a chair near a tall mirror. I should have just gone shopping with Charity. She would pick something comfortable and practical over elegant any day. She sighed watching the two of them approach her with articles of clothing.

"Here, try them on." The child demanded, pulling her up and shoving her off behind a curtain to change.

Reluctantly, she accepted the overwhelmingly large pile of clothing she was given and began to change into the first one. It was a dark wine color in a soft flowy fabric that looked nice on Eilerias as she stepped out in front of the mirror. She spun around to watch how it moved with her, but stopped when she saw Isak staring at her and blushed. "Sorry, its just a lovely dress. I can't accept it though. I just want something plain. Just something I can use to hide in until Gilgamesh can confirm if the church is allowing...this." She gestured to her stomach.

She tried on a few more outfits, before emerging with a few pairs of pants and a few tops which she said were comfortable, leaving behind the beautiful dresses she was afraid to splurge on. She looked a little disappointed, but thought it would be a waste of money. She wouldn't fit in them in a few months anyway and she didn't want to give away things Isak would pay for.

She stood quietly for a moment before getting Isak's attention. "I've been meaning to ask you about something...someone, actually." She handed Alanshi the few articles of clothing she held and turned to Isak. "Does Khet have any knowledge of ways to suppress magical effects? My healing is hurting me. Worse than usual. Everything I feel is amplified. I'm worried it might not be safe for me or the baby." She frowned. "I don't know how much I trust him, personally, but I want to keep working in the church and I fear that this strange effect will prevent me from doing so safely."

 

[Isak Lavelle]

Eilerias could always sense whenever Isak was stressed or worried, and she also had a way with words that always seemed to make him feel more at ease, less troubled by the many thoughts of his complex mind. In that instance, his mind had drifted to all the work that needed to be done before they were to welcome their child into that world - renovating the Raven Club again, building a child's room and also greatly increasing the protection that Eile and their child would receive.

All his resources had been focused on that, and yet Isak felt that it was nowhere near enough. He wanted to be the best father possible, and still he had not an ounce of idea on how to be one, or how he could be present and able to help Eilerias at all times. It scared him to death, but it were her words now that seemed to pull him away from such troubles. With a shy smile shot towards her, Isak reached towards her hands that were wrapped around his arm, squeezing them gently as he nodded in agreement. "You are right, forgive me. I was just... intimidated." He felt no shame in admitting that to the person he trusted the most in the entire world.

Eilerias was and would always be his rock, his beacon of confidence in a world filled with despair, and they both knew that, even more so now after what had happened.

They walked together until they reached Alanshi's tent, stepping inside to be greeted with a strong but pleasant scent, very similar to the fragrances of the deserts of Amol'Kalit. Both Isak and Eile were surprised to find that Alanshi was actually a child, though with a much older soul, and she even scolded Isak for a moment before they started speaking of business.

Eile had been adamant in buying only some simple clothes that would make her feel more comfortable now that her bump was growing even more, but Isak and Alanshi insisted in showing her the finest and most expensive wares, hoping she could be convinced after their many pleas. Unfortunately, the priestess would not relent, setting off to procure her own choice of clothes, settling for a few pants and tops that made her feel more comfortable.

Isak sat quietly while she tried all those different outfits, admiring her beauty and amusing himself on how she blushed each time she noticed he was staring, while the young man continued to show her a charming smile. He noticed she enjoyed that dark wine dress she had tried earlier, but with the interest of buying some less extravagant clothes that she wouldn't have to set aside after her belly grew too large, Eile decided not to take it.

Isak, though, had some different intentions on his mind.

As they paid Alanshi for her services, with Isak requesting that all the clothes purchased by them be delivered to the Raven Club in a few hours, he took advantage of Eile's moment of distraction as she looked through a few other garments, whispering to Alanshi. "Here, there's one more thing. The dark wine dress, it'll be a surprise for her. A gift." He said, laying another pouch filled with coins in Alanshi's hand, who met him with a deviant smile. The girl nodded excitedly, before she hid the pouch and casually took a few other clothes that were returned to her by Eile, who now turned to speak with him.

Isak pondered over her questions about Khet. He did help them with a rune that nullified magic before, but to continually suppress Eile's magic would be something else entirely. "I haven't seen him since we returned to Alliria, but we can seek him at the Shallows tomorrow. His knowledge of magic is remarkable, so I believe he may be able to help us. And don't worry, he won't try anything this time. He knows better than to try me again." Isak said, seeking to ease her worries. He imagined Eile still harbored some hatred for the man after he left Isak for dead in the dangerous gutters of the Shallows, just before they left for their first heist.

After saying their goodbyes to Alanshi, they noticed that the morning sun had given way to the start of the afternoon, beginning their walk back to the Raven Club, though Isak looked lost in his thoughts, still thinking about Eile's words from earlier. It wasn't fair to keep her from her work and her dream, he knew how much she loved to help and heal people, and if Khet were to craft something to aid in the ill effects of her magic, Isak wouldn't want to keep her from practicing her duties that she loved so much, though he would insist that she remained at the Raven Club as much as possible, taking care not to overwork herself.

"Before we head home, there is something I believe you would like to see." He spoke, just as they crossed a small bridge that connected to the Raven Club's district. They were near her church, and Isak imagined she was worried about it, in her absence.

After a small detour, they could finally see the church's courtyard in the distance. Even if most of his businesses crumbled due to loss of his mind after her departure, Isak had taken steps to protect Eile's church, keeping it well guarded and her acolytes, led by Lidia in what spare time she had from working with Ogden, well protected as well.

There was a lonely kid, standing just outside the gates, quickly running towards Isak and Eile as she spotted them. His clothes were ragged and dirty, but he had no injuries or bruises on him. Excitedly, he jumped in front of Isak. "Mister, mister! I've seen you walking around with the priestess before! Did she really leave us? She was so kind to us orphans... We miss her! Even Lidia disappeared this week, and the guards never want to play with us." Surprisingly, it seemed that the kid knew about Isak and of his close relationship with Eilerias, the priestess that people around the district always went to in their hours of pain, though he couldn't recognize her as she stood beside Isak.

Isak looked towards Eile, before kneeling in front of that kid, his gloved hand messing with his hair for a short moment. "I have some good news for you, child." He said, before tilting his head upwards towards Eilerias, prompting the kid to do the same, with a large smile sprouting on his face after he made sense of Isak's words.

That church meant a lot to Eile, and it warmed Isak's heart to see her returning to it, to the dreams that she worked so hard for.

 

[Eilerias]

"I would really appreciate that." She felt a bit of relief as Isak spoke about Khet, suggesting they see him the following day. "If he tries anything, I'll give him the swift and peaceful death he wanted." She rolled her eyes, only partially joking. It seemed as though she was finally getting a little overprotective of the child. "We should have asked Tal'vani if it was a boy or girl. I bet she could have told us with her strange rituals. Maybe she already knows...then again, I'm not sure I want to know."

There was a hint of nervousness in her voice as she concluded. It didn't matter to her whether the child was a girl or a boy, she would love it regardless, however both caused her a lot of worry. If it was a boy, it would be sucked into Isak's empire of sorts as his heir. The kid would be in danger all the time. If it was a girl...Eilerias hoped she'd be more responsible than herself. She'd make sure she listened to the lessons Gwen and Charity tried to teach her, but if Eilerias knew anything, she'd probably pass down her stubbornness.

They both seemed to be trapped in their own thoughts as they quietly walked towards the Raven Club. It seemed as though Isak had other plans as he changed their path, bringing her to the secluded courtyard outside of her church. She was relieved to see it wasn't in the same poor shape that the Raven Club was in.

She squinted as a child came into view, running towards them. She recognized him as one of the children she took care of. She was confused as he commented on her leaving. She was standing right there. Was she really that unrecognizable with a few changes to her appearance? Apparently so.

It made her happy to see how Isak interacted with the child. She had only ever seen him around adults and Urchin, who he didn't seem to like based on his shameless flirting with the priestess. He was going to be a good father, she thought, smiling at the two of them.

"Hello there Stanley," She said as the child wrapped his arms around her. "I'm sorry I was gone so long, I had to go on a great adventure!" She put on a storyteller voice she used when she was with the children. "There were dragons! And big monsters!"

The little boy laughed excitedly before sending a barrage of questions Eilerias' way. Of course he couldn't control his curiosity over her month long disappearance. He wanted to know about her hair, her eyes, why she was so big, why there was blood on her dress. Questions Eilerias wasn't sure how to answer, so she didn't, allowing Isak to give his best explanation while she looked towards the Church.

After the little boy was satisfied with their responses, the pair made their way back into the building where Eilerias was curiously looked at by some of the acolytes while she made her way around, ensuring that everything was still in its place. Surprisingly, it all was perfect. "Lidia did well. Nothing's missing as far as I can tell." She commented as they approached the group who was practicing their healing.

Most of them stopped what they were doing to ask the same questions as the little boy did, fawning over the the priestess as she shared news of her pregnancy. One of the girls gave her trouble, seemingly threatening to bring her condition to the head of the church. Eilerias smiled. "I've been given permission by them." She stated before turning to leave with Isak, who looked like he was ready to leave. By now, the sun was setting and Eilerias was getting tired of walking around Alliria. She just wanted to go home. "Ready?" She chirped, grabbing his hand as she pulled him outside.