Blood and Redemption_Demo 1

Chapter Four: Ghosts of the Mountain

The fire in the cave flickered weakly, casting faint shadows across the damp stone walls. Delore sat alone, away from the others, his back pressed against the cold rock as he stared into the flames. His body ached, bruised and battered from the fight, but it was nothing compared to the wounds that still festered in his heart.

Eryndor stood at the entrance, silver hair catching the moonlight as he watched the horizon with sharp, vigilant eyes. There was a strange quiet in the night, an uneasy peace after the chaos they had left behind.

The others in the cave-refugees and warriors alike-whispered among themselves, grateful for the brief respite. But Delore's thoughts were far away, pulled back into a past that weighed heavier with each step they took toward Fenric.

"Eluned, was it?"

The name rang in his ears, twisting like a knife in his gut. Eluned... Her face, her voice, the scent of her hair-all of it - came rushing back. He hadn't spoken her name aloud in years. He had locked it away, buried it beneath layers of anger, grief, and regret.

"You still haven't answered my question," Eryndor said quietly, stepping closer to the fire.

Delore glanced up, his eyes dark, haunted. Eryndor had a piercing gaze, one that seemed to see through every wall Delore had built around himself. There was something unsettlingly familiar in those eyes-something that gnawed at the edges of Delore's mind, though he couldn't place it.

"Why do you care?" Delore muttered, though his voice lacked its usual gruffness.

"Because," Eryndor replied, kneeling beside him, "we're not just fighting for survival anymore. You know that. We're all tied to this-especially you. Whatever this is between you and Fenric... it's dragging all of us in."

Delore gritted his teeth. He didn't want to talk about it. He didn't want to relive the pain. But he knew, deep down, that Eryndor was right. The elf deserved to know. They all did. If they were going to face Fenric again, they needed to understand what kind of monster they were up against.

Taking a deep breath, Delore finally spoke. His voice was low, almost a whisper, as though he was afraid the past might shatter him if he spoke too loud.

"Eluned... she was my wife."

Eryndor's face softened, though his expression remained composed. He said nothing, letting Delore's words hang in the air, heavy with regret and sorrow.

"Years ago," Delore continued, staring into the flames, "before I ever became a mercenary, I was just a boy in a small village. Eluned wasn't from there. She was... bought by my father as a slave. An elf, like you, but of royal blood, it was shocking to believe since most of the elves are usually secluded in their domains." His voice wavered slightly. "But we didn't treat her like a slave. My father treated her like a daughter, and I... well, I was ten years old and madly in love with her, even though she was far older."

He chuckled bitterly. "I was a fool back then. I thought becoming an adventurer would make me worthy of her. So, I left home. But when I came back, I found her still there, still beautiful, still kind. We talked about my adventures, and she teased me about being a mercenary. I was so smitten that I told her that if I became one, I wanted her to be my wife."

Delore paused, his hands trembling slightly. "She laughed, told me I was being foolish, that there were plenty of other women I could love. But I didn't care. I loved her. Before she could respond, though, the village alarm rang out. Soldiers were coming. We tried to flee, but Eluned was sick... very sick."

His face darkened as he recalled the memory. "We didn't make it far before she collapsed, coughing up blood. That's when I met Fenric, he advanced fistt and the others including the king was all still behind him."

Eryndor's eyes narrowed, but he remained silent, listening intently.

"Fenric saw me, saw the way I was willing to die to protect her. He offered me a choice: fight for the king and become a mercenary, or watch the village burn. I took his offer. I thought I was saving her and also thought that me being a mercenary would make her fall head over heels... but I didn't know what I was getting into."

Delore's voice grew harder, his fists clenching in his lap. "I left with Fenric. I fought with him and was trained by him as the king and his high-ranking men believed that I was most suitable to be trained by Fenric. I became one of his damned mercenaries, and I later claimed up the ladder and faught alongside the King and other Five, I later visited home a year after a big party was thrown for me and I got drunk. Eluned led me to my room and lured me into bed with her. Though I was drunk, I resisted since I felt it was all wrong. After the deed was done Eluned confessed to me about how she felt when I wasn't around and about her love for me, she asked me to stop fighting with tears in hers eyes that she wouldn't want to lose me. I agreed, but the next morning she suddenly had a change of heart little had I know what transpired, Fenric promised her my safety if I left the village.

"I left the village thinking I could protect Eluned and the village from the horrors of the world. I was a fool. When I returned three years after, the village had been ravaged. Half the people were dead, my parents among them. But Eluned... she survived. And she had two children with her twins."

At this, Eryndor's posture stiffened ever so slightly, but Delore didn't notice. He was too lost in his own memories.

"Eryndor and Celestia," Delore murmured, his voice almost breaking. "My children."

Eryndor didn't move. He simply stared into the flames, his expression unreadable.

"We were happy for a few years," Delore continued, his voice heavy with grief. "But Fenric came back. He revealed that he had orchestrated the attack on our village. He threatened to destroy everything I had built unless I rejoined him. I tried to protect my family. I fled to the king, hoping for refuge. But even the king had a price. He demanded my service and my daughter's hand in marriage. I couldn't accept the latter, but the king still agreed to pass a decree to protect my family since, for some reason, he took a liking to me."

Delore's hands trembled, his voice dropping to a whisper. "When I returned from a mission one day, I found Fenric had already been there. He killed Eryndor, my son, and my wife was huddled in a corner with Celestia, terrified. I was surprised that Fenric would also defile the king's order, I couldn't save them. I failed."

Eryndor's expression hardened, but he remained silent as Delore continued.

"I sent Celestia away to the elven lands to keep her safe. But her wagon disappeared, and I lost her too. My son Joran was all I had left, but even he was killed by a plan orchestrated by Fenric, which i only found out some years ago."

Delore's voice was barely audible now. "Fenric took everything from me. My family. My life. My soul. And now... I have nothing left but revenge."

The cave fell silent, the crackling of the fire the only sound as Delore's words echoed in the small space.

Finally, Eryndor spoke, his voice low but firm. "You're wrong."

Delore blinked, confused. "What?"

"You didn't lose everything," Eryndor said, his green eyes gleaming in the firelight. "That's all I'll say."

Delore's brow furrowed in confusion, but before he could speak, Eryndor stepped closer, lowering his voice.

"Don't overthink it, Delore."

Delore froze, his breath catching in his throat. He was reminded of his wife

"You..." Delore's voice faltered, tears brimming in his eyes. "Eluned ..."

Almost like the presence of Eluned, his past wife was there saying, "I've been with you all this time, fighting by your side. You didn't lose me."

Eryndor then says, "Fenric is going down this time for sure after all you have me"