8. Shadows of the past

Chapter Eight: Shadows of the Past

The road ahead was barren and quiet, a stark contrast to the haunting whispers and tangled shadows of the forest. Marvis walked beside Elias, his steps steady but his mind a whirlpool of thoughts. The encounter with the beast still clung to him—its guttural growls, the glint of its claws, the way Elias had fought with such ferocity.

"Have you fought things like that before?" Marvis asked, breaking the silence.

Elias glanced at him, his expression unreadable. "More times than I'd like to admit."

Marvis studied him, noting the faint tension in his shoulders. "You don't talk about your past much."

"There's not much to tell," Elias said curtly, his tone a clear signal to drop the subject.

But Marvis wasn't ready to let it go. "That's a lie," he said softly.

Elias stopped walking and turned to face him, his amber eyes hard. "What do you want me to say, Marvis? That I'm a hero? That I've always made the right choices? Because I haven't."

Marvis hesitated, then said, "I'm not asking you to be a hero. I just want to understand you."

For a moment, Elias looked as though he might argue. But then his shoulders sagged, the fight draining out of him.

"I wasn't always a sword-for-hire," he said finally. "I was… something else. A soldier. A pawn in someone else's game."

Marvis waited, sensing that Elias wasn't finished.

"I believed in something once," Elias continued, his voice quieter now. "A cause. A leader. But it all fell apart when I realized I was just a tool. Disposable."

Marvis felt a pang of sympathy. "That's why you don't trust anyone," he said.

Elias's lips curved into a bitter smile. "You catch on quickly."

---

They continued walking, the landscape around them shifting from rolling hills to jagged cliffs. The sun hung low in the sky, casting long shadows over the rocky terrain.

"We'll camp here tonight," Elias said as they reached a sheltered outcrop.

Marvis nodded, setting down his pack and gathering wood for a fire. As the flames crackled to life, he sat down beside Elias, the warmth a welcome relief against the growing chill.

"Do you ever think about going back?" Marvis asked after a while.

Elias frowned. "Back where?"

"To wherever you came from. To the life you left behind."

Elias shook his head. "There's nothing to go back to. That life is gone."

Marvis looked at him, his expression thoughtful. "But what if it wasn't? What if you could start over?"

Elias met his gaze, something unspoken passing between them. "I don't think people like me get second chances."

Marvis wanted to argue, but he knew better than to push. Instead, he said, "Maybe you haven't been looking in the right places."

Elias didn't respond, but his eyes softened, the faintest flicker of something like hope in their depths.

---

The stars emerged one by one, filling the sky with a cold, distant light. Marvis lay on his back, staring up at them as his thoughts drifted. The journey ahead seemed impossibly daunting, the weight of the key in his pocket a constant reminder of the danger they faced.

"You're quiet tonight," Elias said, his voice breaking the stillness.

Marvis glanced at him, offering a faint smile. "Just thinking."

"About?"

"Everything. The Flameheart. The Council. My father…" He trailed off, his throat tightening.

Elias shifted closer, his expression surprisingly gentle. "You never talk about him."

"There's not much to say," Marvis said, though the words felt like a lie.

Elias raised an eyebrow. "That's twice now you've said that. I'm starting to think it's your way of avoiding things."

Marvis huffed a quiet laugh. "Maybe it is."

Elias waited, his silence a subtle encouragement.

Marvis sighed, his gaze returning to the stars. "He was a good man. Strong. Kind. He always believed in doing what was right, no matter the cost."

Elias's eyes softened. "He sounds like someone worth remembering."

"He was," Marvis said, his voice tinged with sadness. "But the Council didn't see it that way. They saw him as a threat. And they…" He swallowed hard, the memory still raw. "They took him from me."

Elias's jaw tightened, his expression darkening. "I'm sorry," he said quietly.

Marvis nodded, though the words did little to ease the ache in his chest. "That's why I have to do this," he said, his voice firm. "For him. For everything he believed in."

Elias studied him for a moment, then said, "You're stronger than you think, Marvis. Don't let anyone convince you otherwise."

Marvis looked at him, the sincerity in his words catching him off guard. "Thank you," he said softly.

Elias offered a small, almost shy smile. "Get some rest. We've got a long way to go."

---

As the fire burned low, Marvis found himself unable to sleep. He watched Elias, who sat with his back against a boulder, his sword resting across his lap. There was a quiet intensity about him, a sense of purpose that Marvis couldn't help but admire.

"Elias?" he said softly.

Elias turned to him, his amber eyes gleaming in the firelight. "What is it?"

Marvis hesitated, then said, "Thank you. For staying. For fighting with me."

Elias's expression softened, and for a moment, the walls he kept so carefully guarded seemed to crumble. "You don't have to thank me," he said. "I'm not doing this for gratitude."

"Then why?" Marvis asked, his voice barely above a whisper.

Elias's gaze held his, steady and unflinching. "Because you remind me of who I used to be. And because… I believe in you."

Marvis's breath caught, his heart pounding in his chest. The words were simple, but they carried a weight that left him speechless.

As the silence stretched between them, Marvis felt something shift—an unspoken understanding, a fragile thread of trust that bound them together.

For the first time since their journey began, he allowed himself to believe that they might succeed.

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