Chapter 341: The Weight of Missing Books

She sank onto the floor and covered her face with her hands, fingers digging into her hair as she fought to slow her breathing. In. Out. In. Out.

She moved to the bathroom and even checked the tub. She checked everywhere—even the hearth. She checked where she kept her clothes, but there was nothing.

How was that possible? She was sure she had left the book in her home. It was supposed to be on the bed, and if it wasn’t on the bed, then it was supposed to be somewhere in her home.

"Don’t panic. Don’t panic, Sophia. It has to be somewhere, and if not, then maybe Orion took it," she said to herself.

That was the most plausible explanation for what was going on. Orion must have taken it. But even as she said it, she doubted that was the case.

She doubted that Orion would have just taken anything from her home without telling her or even teasing her about it. Besides, he didn’t care about the Moon Goddess, so why would he take the book from her room for himself?

She was almost being swallowed by her thoughts when a knock sounded at the door.

"Sophia?" Dren’s voice carried through the wood, tight with concern. "Are you okay?"

She froze.

"Dren?" she called in shock.

"Yes, it’s me. Is everything alright? Joren and I saw you walking past us, but you didn’t even bat an eye. It got us worried..." Dren told her.

"I walked past you guys?" she asked.

"Yeah."

She had no idea she had even walked past them.

"I’m fine," she called back, forcing steadiness into her voice.

"Are you sure?" Dren asked. "Perhaps you need help?"

"I don’t need help, Dren. I’m fine," she told him.

"We heard sounds of things being—"

"I’m fine!" she said, then took in a deep breath to ground herself. "I’m sorry, guys, but I’m fine. I just... I just need space. I just need time, okay?"

There was a pause. She imagined him hesitating, weighing whether to push.

"Alright," he said finally, reluctant. "But if you need anything—"

"I’ll let you know."

"Okay," she heard Joren’s soft voice.

She heard footsteps retreat and exhaled shakily, letting her hands fall to her lap.

She was alone again, and she focused on trying to get her thoughts in line. She tried to remember where exactly she had left the book—and how it had gone missing.

She had no idea how long she remained in that position. The only thing she knew was that she was alone, or so she thought.

A sudden warmth bloomed between her shoulders.

Her back throbbed—not painfully, but with a familiar, grounding pressure that spread through her chest like a steadying hand. The frantic edge of her thoughts dulled, replaced by something calm, something achingly familiar.

Her breath hitched.

She didn’t need to look up because she already knew.

Voices murmured outside—one sounded like Joren’s—but they faded quickly. Then the door opened.

Sophia lifted her head just as Orion stepped inside.

His gaze swept the house in a single glance, taking in the overturned mattress, the scattered books, the tension in her posture. His jaw tightened.

Without a word, he closed the door behind him and crossed the room in long strides.

In one smooth motion, he scooped her up, startling a soft gasp from her lips, and carried her to the chair by the table. He set her down gently, then crouched in front of her, forearms resting on his knees, eyes level with hers.

"What happened?" he asked softly.

She shook her head. "No..."

Orion schooled his features even as that uncomfortable feeling overcame him.

"Don’t lie to me, shorty. I know something happened," he told her.

She swallowed. "Why are you here?" she asked.

"Joren came to me. He said he and Dren saw you and that they picked up on your restlessness. They talked about hearing sounds in the house," he paused as he took everything in. "I understand the sounds."

Sophia chuckled lightly despite herself. 𝗳𝚛𝗲𝕖𝚠𝚎𝚋𝗻𝗼𝕧𝗲𝐥.𝚌𝚘𝐦

"Were you searching for something?" he asked.

She nodded. "I thought I left it here, but I can’t seem to find it, and I don’t understand why. I—"

"Shorty," Orion said softly, taking her hands in his. "Look at me, shorty. Tell me what happened. What’s going on?"

Sophia swallowed. "I went to the shrine with Eldric," she told him.

Orion frowned. How was it that she was always able to go to the shrine with Eldric, but whenever Orion searched for Eldric, he was also conveniently missing?

Orion shook his head, ridding himself of the thought. He had to focus on Sophia right now.

There was this uncomfortable feeling he had, and he was sure it had to do with whatever Sophia was feeling.

"Okay?" he asked.

"You know Eldric and I are trying to translate what’s written on the altar, right?"

Orion nodded.

"I don’t know if I told you, but I’ve translated a bit of it. Just a little bit. But I went further today. And I don’t know why, but I have this uncomfortable feeling in my chest, Orion. I was just reading and trying to translate, and I saw eyes, Orion. I saw eyes staring at me, and the worst part is I’ve seen those eyes before. I’ve seen them before, and this time it’s worse. It’s fucking worse because it’s like it’s watching me—like whatever it is, it’s watching me—and I didn’t even have time to piece together what I got from the shrine because I had to get out. And the minute I got out, I started thinking about what was on the altar, and then I just came home and I started looking for a book, and I realized it was missing, and I... fuck!"

Orion stood up and pulled her into his arms, holding her close. He needed her to calm down so they could get through this together.

"Take your time, shorty," he told her. "I’m right here."