The Dawn

Chapter Nine.

Her.

Elara's footsteps echoed through the dimly lit corridors as she made her way back to Kaelith's study. Every moment spent with him was like walking a tightrope, and she was growing weary of the constant tension. The man was infuriating, arrogant, sarcastic, and always one step ahead, as if he was playing a game she didn't know the rules to. But despite her growing frustration, she couldn't deny that there was something about him that kept pulling her back, something that whispered to her in the quiet moments, urging her not to give up.

She pushed open the heavy wooden door without bothering to knock, her patience wearing thin. Kaelith was sitting behind his desk, just as he had been the day before, seemingly unbothered by her abrupt entrance. He looked up from the papers spread out before him, his dark eyes meeting hers with that same infuriating calm.

"Back so soon?" he asked, his voice smooth and laced with amusement. "I thought you'd be busy searching for other leads, given how little faith you seem to have in me."

Elara's jaw tightened. "Don't flatter yourself. You're the only one who seems to know anything about what happened, and everyone I've spoken to says the same thing. So here I am, asking for your help again."

"How fortunate for me," he murmured, leaning back in his chair with a smug smile. "I do so enjoy our little visits."

Her hands curled into fists at her sides. "If you actually helped instead of playing these ridiculous games, I wouldn't need to keep coming back."

Kaelith's smile widened. "And where would be the fun in that?"

Elara's patience snapped. "Damn you, Kaelith!" she hissed, stepping forward until she was standing right in front of his desk, her anger flaring. "Do you think this is some sort of joke? Do you enjoy watching people suffer? Because I'm not here for your entertainment, I'm here because I need answers, and if you can't give them to me, then I'll find someone who can."

His expression shifted then, the amusement fading as something darker, more serious, took its place. He rose from his chair, his gaze never leaving hers as he slowly walked around the desk, closing the distance between them.

"And where, exactly, do you plan on going?" he asked, his voice low and dangerous. "Who do you think can give you the answers you seek? Because if there were someone else, I'm quite certain you would have found them by now."

Elara held his gaze, refusing to back down even as her heart raced. "I'll keep looking. I'll go to the ends of the earth if I have to. But I won't be played with, Kaelith. I won't let you dangle the truth in front of me like some prize."

His eyes narrowed, and for a moment, she thought he might lash out, but instead, he took a slow breath, his expression unreadable. "Do you think I'm playing with you, Elara? That I enjoy watching you struggle?"

"Yes," she snapped. "You make everything a game. You never give me a straight answer, and every time I think we're getting somewhere, you pull back. It's like you're testing me, seeing how far you can push before I break."

Kaelith studied her in silence, his eyes searching hers as if looking for something he couldn't quite find. "You're wrong," he said finally, his voice softer than she expected. "I'm not testing you. I'm protecting you."

Elara's anger faltered, replaced by confusion. "Protecting me? From what?"

"From the truth," he replied, his gaze darkening. "Because once you know it, there's no going back. It will change everything, who you are, what you believe. And I'm not sure you're ready for that."

She stared at him, her mind racing as she tried to process his words. "I don't need your protection," she said, her voice trembling slightly. "I need the truth."