The Dawn

X Chapter Eleven X

Her.

Elara stormed down the dimly lit hallway, her mind a whirlwind of frustration and confusion. The documents they had spent hours poring over had led them to nothing but dead ends. Every symbol, every coded word only added to the puzzle that seemed impossible to solve. Kaelith, with his infuriatingly calm demeanor, had suggested they take a break, but Elara couldn't stomach the idea of wasting another moment in this cursed castle with him.

She slammed the door to the study behind her, not caring if the sound echoed through the cold, empty corridors. Her heart was pounding in her chest, her breath coming in short, angry bursts. She was tired of the secrets, tired of the lies, and most of all, tired of Kaelith's cryptic remarks that only seemed to mock her desperation for answers.

Moments later, Kaelith entered the room, his expression as composed as ever, though his eyes held a flicker of irritation. "You're letting your emotions cloud your judgment," he said, his tone cutting.

Elara whirled around to face him, her eyes blazing with anger. "My emotions? You think this is about emotions? This is about the truth, Kaelith. This is about finding out who l am, who I was supposed to be, and every second we waste brings me no closer to that."

Kaelith raised an eyebrow, his arms crossing over his chest. "And what, exactly, do you plan to do with that information? Once you know, what then? Will it change anything?"
"It might!" Elara snapped. "It might give me the closure I've been searching for my entire life. Or maybe it won't change anything at all, but at least I'll know. At least I'll have something real, something that isn't shrouded in mystery and darkness."

Kaelith's eyes narrowed, his voice dropping to a dangerous whisper. "And what if the truth destroys you, Elara? What if it's something you can't handle? Have you considered that?"

Elara felt her throat tighten, her anger giving way to something rawer, something more painful. "I don't care. I have to know, Kaelith.
I have to."

He took a step closer to her, his presence suddenly overwhelming in the small, cluttered study. "And what about love?" he asked, his voice low and intense. "What place does love have in your quest for the truth? Or have you given up on that entirely?"
Elara stared at him, stunned by the question.

Love. The word felt foreign on her tongue, something distant and unattainable. "Love is a luxury I can't afford," she said bitterly. "Not when I don't even know who I am."

Kaelith's expression darkened, his eyes boring into hers with a heat that made her pulse race. "So you're just going to shut yourself off? Pretend it doesn't matter?
Pretend you don't feel anything?"

"I don't have time for feelings," Elara shot back, her voice trembling with a mix of anger and something else, something she couldn't quite name. "I don't have time for love, or passion, or any of the things people waste their lives chasing."

"That's a lie," Kaelith said, his voice dangerously soft as he took another step closer. "You feel it, Elara. I've seen it in your eyes, in the way you look at me, even when you're trying to hide it."

Elara's heart skipped a beat, her breath catching in her throat. "You're wrong," she whispered, though the words felt hollow, even to her own ears.

Kaelith's lips twisted into a smirk, his gaze searing into hers. "Am I? Then why is your heart racing? Why do you tremble when I'm near?"
Elara clenched her fists, trying to hold on to the anger that had been her shield for so long. But it was slipping away, crumbling under the weight of his words, his proximity.

"You're arrogant," she hissed, though her voice lacked conviction. "You think you know everything, but you don't."
Kaelith's smirk widened, a dark, knowing glint in his eyes. "I know enough."