{SLOW UPDATES} Éternel: Between Two Worlds (#3)

xx. Lasting Hope

wow it has been TWO YEARS since I last updated. It's been such a long time simply because I took a break from Éternel. I haven't been writing as much, but only in the last few months have I gotten back into it. I don't know where the spark came from, but I'm happy it did.

I've been keeping the wiki updated, so I didn't really lose interest in the series. Rather just writing it. But I'm back now!

Updates will be very slow for now. I still haven't even written the outlines for the last 20+ chapters. But everything is mostly planned out, so hopefully, I will get it all completed in a satisfactory manner.

Also, the soundtrack will be on a pause for now. I just want to update the chapters for the time being.

Enjoy dipping back into the world of Éternel <3

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"'Night Furies display a high level of emotional and sentimental awareness of both humans and other dragons alike,'" I read aloud from the Dragon Manual in my hands, the page flipped to the Night Fury species, paragraphs upon paragraphs of information scribbled onto the paper, all Maya's handwriting. Along with her writings were drawings of Toothless in various poses, displaying his wild behavior.

I looked up from the book and at Maya before me, floating in the Jinsei, even after a month had passed. There were no signs of life, no signs that she would be coming back. But I still believed.

Even though she was gone, I felt like she could still hear me from the beyond. It always calmed her to listen to me read, especially about the dragons. It was our thing, whenever she was tired or feeling sad. Of course, her favorite pages were of the Night Fury.

My eyes landed on her hair, still decorated with over a dozen braids in the back. Tilting my head, I smiled slightly.

"I wish you could've told me what those braids meant," I whispered.

With a sigh, I lowered my head and continued reading aloud.

"'Toothless can sense emotions by picking up on oral and behavioral signals and act accordingly in response to them. When I threw my knife into the lake, he dropped his guard as he knew I was no threat. But it wasn't mere obedience. He only trusted me after assessing me over a number of weeks,'" I spoke, reading the side note written by Maya as well, a smile on my face from her written logs. Even though she was faced with a dragon known as the 'offspring of lightning and death itself,' she still wanted to tame it and didn't give up.

Even when she was a teenager, she still had the same attitude. Stubborn, but determined. It was both admirable and annoying, but I knew her intentions were always good in the end. Even her taking our memories - I couldn't hold it against her.

"You were just trying to keep us safe," I said, glancing back up at Maya, her face still at peace. "You thought you were doing the right thing. I know how you feel, jagiya."

I felt a brush of cold wind rush down my neck, and I snapped my head behind me, almost positive I had heard someone calling for me, but I was alone. I turned back around, slightly unsettled, then returned my gaze to Maya, sighing quietly.

"If you can hear me..." I whispered as I closed and set aside the book, then scooted closer to the Jinsei, its energy pumping through to my heart. "Just know I'm not mad at you. I'll never be mad at you. I'm sorry for that night." My head dropped, a heavy exhalation leaving my mouth, filled with guilt. "I should've sat down with you and talked through it. I was being childish." I paused for a moment, then looked up at Maya, moisture collecting in my eyes. "And it killed you."