The Kingdom Of Nervana (AMBW) (BWBM)

Chapter 43

Elliott's POV

I stood over Xion, who wore a stunned expression, whereas the man opposite the glowing water had not even flinched. I flicked between the two of them, wondering what was happening. I had thought Xion left abruptly and though, wandering around was her thing, it was late in the middle of the forest. I couldn't help but slightly worry. I was sure I was going to get lost as I couldn't find her, in the surrounding area, until I saw the warm glow from the water. But now I was confused; I had definitely interrupted something.

The man looked mature, likely above my age, and wore a stone cold look. Nothing I wasn't new to. He had the cheekbones of a model, and not only that but his eyes had an orange luminescence, that had me in awe. He wore a cloak that blocked learning what was underneath. Could he have a weapon?

"Elliott?" Xion spoke with caution in her tone.

"Why did you leave without a word?" I asked, trying to understand the situation.

"I was called to meet a friend." She looked over to the man who sat very quietly, "We needed a catch up; it has been a long time."

"I've never seen him before..." I responded in almost a whisper, not sure if I was even supposed to say anything.

"I'm Malakai, you are..?" His voice even sounded grounded and rich.

"I'm Elliott, nice to meet you." I was surprised that he did not know who I was already, and wondered why Xion kept me absent from the conversation.

"I was about to leave anyway." Malakai says, shifting his clothes to sit on his shoulders properly.

"No." Xion wore a hurt expression and spoke like it was a command. I wondered what I had walked into and if I should walk back out.

"It's fine, I'll see you again soon, Omazi." His face softened and he smiled, reassuring her. He stood to his feet, and deep down I had wished he hadn't; he was taller than I. Malakai carefully placed his hood on, covering most of his face and turned away into the dark.

We were left in silence. Xion, refusing to speak and I, not sure what to say. Her eyes stayed fixed on the rippling water, lapping against each other. I had so many questions, and not sure where to start, I stared with her... being enveloped in my own confusion.

Was I supposed to stay in the dark? If I asked would she even tell me the truth? I wanted to know what his relationship was to her and if he had anything to do with who we had been searching for. I knew it was jealousy bubbling at the seams but I couldn't help it. I would've preferred if she put my heart at ease and at least acknowledged that I was still standing there.

Instead, her face was unmoved by the amount of time that passed and I could only really see the back of her hair and the side of her face. She was blocking me out on purpose and whether or not it was out of malice, I couldn't tell. The sound of my boots shuffling into the dirt became amplified by the ongoing quietness, as I repositioned myself a little more into Xion's peripheral.

"You okay?" I asked, just hoping to get a response.

She took a quick breath in before answering, "Yeah, sorry... my mind was in a lot of places at once. I'm trying to make sense of some things. It was so brief and it all happened so fast..."

She seemed to be divided and the broken sentences she gave me showed she was still trying to understand whatever was going on. Maybe I should've read the room better when I interrupted; it seemed important. I decided not to ask anymore questions for now and let the peaceful water sounds take over. We sat for a while until I felt Leilani and Syi would be worried about how long we'd been gone for, and advised Xion we should go.