Wayfinding | Aaravos x Reader |

CHAPTER 40

CHAPTER 40: THUNDERFALL

Change is inevitable.

You've heard that on numerous occasions, haven't you?

Well, it was one of Sarai's countless philosophies of life.

That's why, unlike most, you decided to count the march of time in the number of inches young Ezran grew. And by word, although he was not much taller than any other eight-year-old, the growth sprout he had in his first few years was something to be envious of.

The Prince's height was practically the only difference in Katolis since the expedition. Because people didn't really change. They evolved. For instance, Uzner reinvented his father's business into a Blacksmith-Wheelwright shop. Soren was elected as the youngest Crownsguard the kingdom had ever seen. And Uncle Theo established the first mobile clinic for the Western continent. So, indeed, everyone was essentially themselves. Except now they were headlong into the passions they were fated to pursue.

And then there was you.

Same old, same old - or so you thought.

Truth was - there was no one more unrecognizable, since the fall of the late Queen, than yourself. It was as if you had shed your skin to be better fitted for the callousness of the world. But, in reality, you were just swathing yourself in another - a disguise. And all for what? Well, it was because of what Harrow said. It scarred you. Although you wanted to believe you were this strong, uncaring, confident being - you weren't. Because you changed the very nature of your existence as a result of the nonsense he sputtered.

See, after Sarai, it was a challenge to get back on your feet. Everyday you woke up with this sickening mass on your chest, making you feel - why, that's where the predicament was. You couldn't feel anything at all. You had pretty much reverted back to your younger years, experiencing Arkeus's death over and over again, like you were living in your personal hell. Food tasted stale. Breaths were labored. And goodness, even if you stood at the middle of the most ravishing, heaven-like meadow, you'd still feel barren.

You may hate him, but Viren was the one who eased you out of that state.

One of your greatest concerns was how the public would perceive you after the mission. So, the Lord rewrote the narrative of what happened in Xadia, leaving no one to narrow their eyes at you. Hence, the kingdom saw you as the hero that tried and rose against all odds, instead of the one who failed to bring their Queen home. He also found you a new sense of purpose by helping you research the mystic arts. You created a scholarly persona out of that. And as your knowledge in occultic history expanded, the High Council quickly learned your value.

So there it was.

Your life.

You were no longer the audacious, adventure-seeking young woman you used to be. You were not a mage, a god, and most certainly not the Ivory Paladin. Instead, you were the docile, humble - and almost domesticated - creature that Viren had taken a liking to. Some people raised a brow at the shift in you. Others smiled. But no one questioned the person you had become. After all, the role you embodied gave people a blanket of normalcy.

Something that everyone silently ached for since Sarai.

Perhaps that's why the pit in your belly grew into a chasm when the obscene rumor took to the winds. It threatened your ability to stay in character. At first, you gave no ear to the petty little murmurs in the corridors. But then, the subject started to creep into every conversation. You managed to keep your cool resolve intact until you started seeing grins - complacent, satisfied grins - on nearly everyone's face.