Tycon awoke with a gasp, his eyes wide open to see Sylaina lying on the bedroll in the faint candlelight before him, sleeping softly. He was drenched in sweat and his head pounded. The bruises on his arms and neck ached as he sat by the wall utterly broken. Dain rushed over to him and placed a hand on his shoulder.


    "Are you alright?"


    Tycon reluctantly waved him off, "Yeah... I''m fine. How''s Sylaina?"


    Dain let out a relieved sigh and sat by Tycon''s side, "She''s fine, we extracted your blood and injected it in her while you were out, she''s seemed to improve since."


    Tycon smiled - Relieved and let his whole weight lean against the splintered wall, "That''s good to hear," He paused for a moment and spoke again, " I''m sorry about how I acted before and... Thank you."


    "It''s fine," Dain replied, "I understand. This is the least I could do for saving my life."


    There was a small pause, the wood creaked in the wind; filling the silence. Then Dain spoke again, "You''re afraid of losing her aren''t you?"


    "Wouldn''t anyone be afraid of losing someone they care about?"


    Dain nodded, "Of course, but sometimes it''s out of your control. Would you be able to accept that reality?"


    Tycon squinted at the cowman, confused, "Why are you asking me this?"


    "Because you seem like someone who would give up anything for a person they care about, Even your morals; Your identity."


    Tycon didn''t agree, though it was true that he''d give anything to protect his friends, he still wouldn''t follow a dark path to do it. Then he remembered the man in the town, how he cut him down without a second thought and he began to doubt himself; his motives. Perhaps Dain was right, maybe he was losing control. He took a moment to think, to process his actions. The killing felt good yet at the same time, there was a gnawing sense of remorse, something he wanted to block out. He glanced again at Sylaina and his stomach turned, Dain was right.


    "I fear I''ve already begun to tread down that path," Tycon said quietly.


    Dain stared at him, his face intense, "Then it is up to you to turn back."


    There was a long silence and Tycon stared into the wall opposite him blankly. He felt weary as if all his energy had suddenly been sapped from him. His limbs ached and he felt sick, no longer wanting to talk but to instead fall asleep again. He closed his eyes and let out a long and painful sigh, feeling his heartbeat begin to slow.


    "Rest some more," Dain said, "You''ll need it."


    Tycon shook his head. He knew what he had to do but didn''t know if he had the strength to do it. He had to let go, he was falling out of control in a desperate desire to protect. He knew that he was wrong but every time he looked at Sylaina, a longing kept him attached to her. The longing for companionship, to not be alone but he knew that he had to let her go. He tried to leave her back in the forest but she had insisted on following him but after this, the ties; painfully had to be cut.


    "I have to leave," Tycon said as he clumsily climbed to his feet.


    "You''re not going anywhere," Dain replied, "You''re still too weak."


    "I have to leave her behind!" He snapped and then lowered his voice, "I can''t put her in danger anymore."


    "So you''re just going to leave her behind?"


    Tycon nodded with a lump in his throat, "It''s for the best. Make sure she doesn''t follow me."


    "I can''t promise that," Dain shook his head, "I''ll try but I don''t think I can stop her and she won''t be too happy about you leaving her here."


    Tycon agreed, "I don''t expect her to be. I''ll cross that bridge when I come to it."


    Dain lowered his brow and spoke with a grim tone, "Be careful that you don''t burn too many bridges along the way."


    Tycon could feel the disappointment in his words and didn''t reply. Instead, he pulled his arms through the sleeves of his coat and leant down by Sylaina''s side as she slept softly, kissing her on the forehead before grabbing his sword and sliding it into the sheath on his belt. This was it, the end to their short journey together. He would continue to make his way south, through the forest and to the tropical coast. There he would continue his search for the isles and the lake that the lady in white had spoken of.


    "Thank you, Dain." Tycon said with a slight nod in his direction, "And you Reilah," Reilah, who was by the window and sitting in a chair gave him a smile.


    He turned and stepped through the old cottage quickly, avoiding any more contact. He just wanted to be out of there and leave it all behind him. What mattered was that Sylaina was safe and on the mend and it was time he left. Tycon patted Nilab on the main as he untied the horse from the tree and climbed into the saddle. He took one last look at the cottage before riding off into breaking dawn, continuing his journey.


    <hr>


    "Time here doesn''t seem to exist." Ren said as he stood once again in the river, "It''s been a month. A whole damn month! The world is probably in shambles."


    "Time is slowed here," Taren replied, sitting cross-legged on a stone by the riverbank, "If we were to return. Two weeks would have likely passed."


    "How do you know that?"


    "Because I''ve been here for a long time, taking peeks to the other world - watching. Everything moves slowly, the people, the birds, and the wind. All in slow motion."


    "So we''re technically moving fast?"


    "Yes, I suppose we are. Now close your eyes, you''ve almost got it."Love what you''re reading? Discover and support the author on the platform they originally published on.


    Ren closed his eyes, he knew what to do. He felt the surging rush through his veins, the quick pulsating burning as it moved from his head to his chest and to his fingertips. The flames were ready to sprout from his fingers like a growing plant but he held them in, waiting until the pressure was too much to handle before releasing them.


    "You can release them in short quick bursts," Taren called, "But the spell will be significantly weaker. Holding it in, as you are now, will make it much stronger but will take a long time to cast."


    Ren scrunched his face as the pressure began to build and he felt a droplet of sweat run down his temple and onto his neck. He spread his arms wide and whispered the words to himself.


    Telerin Fi Surn.


    Then clapped his hands together, slowly parting them to reveal a fireball in between. He smiled, he''d done it without losing control. The heat didn''t burn his hands, only adding a slight warmth and a small hum emitted from the glowing sphere before him. The orange glow was gorgeous and he stared into the white center of the ball he''d cast.


    It''s beautiful, He thought.


    Taren suddenly shot to her feet, impressed at Ren''s display of magic. He had really come a long way since he arrived. He had learned one spell in the matter of a month and that amazed her.


    "You''ve done it!" She cried with a huge smile on her face.


    Ren looked to her, eyes wide and a large grin was spread across his face.


    "Now make it disappear," Taren said.


    Ren nodded and closed his eyes again. concentrating on letting the flow in his fingertips, reverse itself. Sucking the warmth back within and feeling the flow move from his arms to his head once again. He felt like a part of his energy had been restored yet he still found himself panting once the ball had disappeared. He let himself collapse into the shallow of the river, leaning back with his arms behind him and catching his breath.


    Ren heard Taren''s footsteps splash over to him and he glanced in her direction. To his surprise, he was suddenly enveloped in a tight hug and he blushed then wrapped his arms around her also.


    "I''m proud of you, Ren," She said, her words muffled by his shoulder.


    He''d done it, he finally cast the spell. It seemed like it had taken forever but according to Taren it was rather quick for a human. He was proud of himself, acquiring a power to help fight back against what was to come. Even if it were something basic, it was still something and his heart was pounding from the excitement. When Taren let go of him, the two stared into one another eyes for a moment. She blushed and quickly got to her feet then made her way back to the stone she had sat on moments before.


    "Do it again," She called, "Let''s make sure you''ve properly mastered it."


    <hr>


    The open road almost felt odd to Tycon. He had spent so long compressed between the overgrowth of the forest that he''d forgotten just how liberating it was to ride through the open plains. Nothing but grassland could be seen on either side of the road, spread across the sunny land as far as the eye could see. He could almost make out a few distant small towns that stood below the frosty mountains on the horizon. The air was plain and fresh with no sign of the scent of flora masking it. It was just him and his horse, cantering in the direction of the mountains before him. The hooves tapping on the stone road was the only sound he could hear other than the whistling wind that blew the grass as it moved through the plains.


    Masked behind the liberation of the open road was a pang of strong guilt that seemed to be carried with him. He had his reasons for leaving her behind and leaving while she was still asleep only made it easier, but he felt selfish, like a hypocrite. He always felt that everyone he ever cared about had left him and yet here he was leaving someone he cared for behind. That''s all he was, a selfish hypocrite. Everything was blurred, every line and thought. He tried to make an exception, trying to tell himself it was a necessity to leave her; to avoid that fact.


    But he was selfish.


    He abandoned her like an unwanted child. Left her in the forest to find her own way. He remembered Dain''s words.


    Be careful that you don''t burn too many bridges along the way.


    They rang in his head like a melody, circling over and over again. He stopped for a moment and considered going back for her but it was too late. It had been hours since he left and there was a place he needed to be, somewhere that required haste. He closed himself off and let himself fall into the shadows of his thoughts, consumed by guilt and pain. He felt pathetic.


    He watched the road pass him by in a long silence, completely zoned out from the world around him. He was snapped from his thoughts when a loud howl echoed across the plains. It was odd for wolves to be out during the day, but not uncommon. He grasped the hilt of his blade and glanced around trying to find where exactly it had come from. As quick as the howl had come, it vanished and the silence of plains soon returned. Tycon continued to hold the hilt all the way to the town ahead, not letting go for anything.


    The howls never returned for the rest of the journey and when he arrived at a small town by the base of the mountains, he finally let himself calm down. The town was small and quiet, a simple farming town that he assumed would transport food across the mountain pass for the folk on the other side. It was late afternoon by the time he arrived and he decided to settle at the nearby inn for the night. He pulled over the hood on his cloak in an effort to hide his ears to avoid attention. He didn''t particularly want to answer any questions that may come his way but the disgruntled stares he got as he entered the tavern simply couldn''t be avoided. He took a seat in the far corner of the wooden room, passing several tables of stablehands and farmers chatting away in their own little bubble. When he had gotten comfortable, a barmaid crossed the crowded room to take his order. He got the usual, wine and sat alone sipping at it when it arrived.


    A few hours had passed and he began to feel the buzz from the wine when the door of the tavern suddenly slammed open and he jumped. Startled, he looked towards the door to see Sylaina moving her eyes across the room.


    "Where is he!" She shouted and silence suddenly filled the room.


    He had no doubt that she knew he was here, his horse was tied up outside and he''d bet his life she had seen Nilab.


    Nobody answered and Tycon watched as her gaze slowly moved towards him. He could almost see the anger rise in her emerald eyes when they rested on him. She darted through the room towards him, all eyes were on here and for a moment he felt embarrassed. He wanted to avoid attention and yet everyone was now looking his way.


    She took a seat across the table in a huff, stared at him and then turned to the others resting their eyes on them, "Back to your drinks."


    The crowd took the hint and everything continued as normal, seemingly as if an elf hadn''t just stormed in screaming at the top of her lungs.


    "I should really kick your fucking ass you know that?" She hissed at him. It was clear nothing was going to calm her down anytime soon, "Being all dramatic like ''Ooh, I need to leave her behind to keep her safe.'' Get out of here with that crap."


    Tycon didn''t know what to say, the buzz from the wine had him in a daze.


    "You''re not getting rid of me that easy," She said sternly. After a few moments, her voice softened, "Thank you for saving me though."


    As quick as her voice softened it hardened right back up again and he was met with the hot sting of a slap, "But fuck you for leaving me behind."


    "I just wanted to protect you," Tycon mumbled, his words slurring.


    "Yeah, I''m sure you di-," Her brows lowered and she stared directly into Tycon''s eyes, "You''re drunk. Goddammit."


    She swore again and then immediately hailed the barmaid for a whole bottle of wine that Tycon paid for. She was clearly angry at him but at the same time, a part of him was glad she was here with him again. The guilt of leaving her was becoming unbearable and he was glad even more so that she seemed to have healed up without a problem. It was a real close call.


    They drank together in silence and the silence soon turned to revelry and when the tavern closed in the late hours of the night, they took it to the inn. Drinking together loudly until they both fell asleep, passed out on the floor of their hired room. Maybe he could protect his friends without walking a dark path, he just had to trust them as they trusted him. An eye for an eye, his friends weren''t helpless animals. They could protect themselves and he needed to learn that to overcome his own shortcomings of mistrust and fear.


    Maybe someday he would, but he liked to enjoy things in the moment and so he did.