Chapter 343: The Weight of What Was Avoided

Chapter 342: The Weight of What Was Avoided

Orion handed Sophia a cup of water without another word.

She took it with both hands, fingers still trembling, and drank like she had been wandering a desert. Water spilled down her chin as she gulped, barely pausing for breath until the cup was empty. Only then did she lower it, chest rising and falling as she steadied herself.

Orion took the cup from her and set it aside on the table.

Silence stretched between them.

Sophia sat on the chair, shoulders slumped forward, elbows resting on her knees. Her gaze was fixed on the floor, unfocused, as if she were staring through it rather than at it. Whatever calm had settled over her when Orion touched her was fragile.

Orion didn’t rush her.

He leaned back against the table, arms crossed loosely over his chest, eyes never leaving her. He could feel it—the tension humming beneath her skin, the way her scent carried sharp edges of fear and confusion beneath the familiar warmth that was uniquely hers.

Minutes passed. Maybe more.

Then Sophia spoke.

"I went to the shrine with Eldric today," she said quietly.

Orion straightened just a fraction, but he didn’t interrupt.

"I told you before... I went because we were trying to translate what’s written on the altar." She swallowed, fingers twisting together. "You know that already."

He nodded once. "Yeah."

She took a breath, deeper this time, like she was bracing herself. "Normally, when I touch the altar, there’s this... faint hum. Like energy. It’s not loud, not overwhelming, but it’s there. It feels like it’s calling to me."

Her voice wavered slightly. "I felt it again today."

Orion’s gaze was on her as she spoke.

"But this time," she continued, "this time was different."

She finally looked up at him, eyes dark and unsettled. "I mean I felt the same calling, that faint hum beneath as my fingers traced the writings on the shrine, but there was something more too. I saw..." She swallowed. "I saw eyes, Orion. And they were familiar."

Something cold slid down Orion’s spine.

"They were staring directly at me," she said. "And no, it wasn’t like I imagined them. I didn’t. They were... focused. Aware. And it felt like whoever—or whatever—they belonged to was smiling at me."

Her hands clenched. "That’s when I stopped—or rather tried to stop—because I was rooted in fear. It wasn’t until Eldric called out to me that I was able to snap out of it."

Orion pushed off the table, stepping closer. "You didn’t tell Eldric?"

"I did, but I didn’t even wait for him to help me," she said. "My whole body was filled with dread. Like every instinct I have was screaming at me to get away." She shook her head. "I got part of the translation. I know I did. But I couldn’t dissect it the way I did the first time. I couldn’t focus."

Her breath hitched. "So I ran."

Orion exhaled slowly through his nose, forcing himself to stay calm. "Sophia," he said gently, "the eyes you saw... you said they looked familiar."

She nodded. "Yes. That’s the worst part. I’ve seen those eyes before, staring at me... the day you fought a Trihydra at the gates, the day it bit into you."

Orion paused. She didn’t tell him that the Trihydra had looked at her. But that wasn’t the point right now.

"Do you think it was a Trihydra staring at you again?" he asked her.

She hesitated, then shook her head.

"At first, when I left the shrine, I thought it was," she admitted. "The shape, the intensity—it reminded me of it. But the more I think about it..." Her brow furrowed. "It doesn’t... I’m not so sure it’s a Trihydra’s eyes. And now I’m thinking that maybe the eyes that stared at me that day didn’t even belong to a Trihydra."

The word hung heavy between them.

"I don’t understand it," she went on quickly, frustration bleeding into her tone. "I don’t understand how it could be the same eyes I saw when that Trihydra stared back at me. It doesn’t make sense, Orion. It shouldn’t be possible."

He reached for her hands, grounding her before her thoughts could spiral again. "We’ll figure it out," he said firmly. "Together."

She didn’t answer right away.

Instead, she drew a shaky breath and continued, as if she needed to get everything out before she lost the courage to say it.

"After I left the shrine," she said, "I kept thinking about the altar. About the words. About how they felt." Her lips pressed together. "And then I remembered the book."

Orion stilled. "The book?"

"The one I took from the library," she said. "After the first ball game we had. The blue one. About the Moon Goddess." Her voice dropped. "I forgot about it completely. I don’t even know how I forgot."

Orion frowned. "Okay? What does that have to do with anything?"

"It’s gone, Orion," she said. "I can’t find it anywhere. I searched my entire house. I turned everything upside down, as you can see, but I can’t find it. Perhaps you took it?"

He frowned, thinking back to if he had taken any book from her home. "What color did you say it was?"

"Blue," she replied without hesitation. "Deep blue. With silver markings on the spine."

Orion shook his head slowly. "I haven’t seen any book like that."

Her shoulders sagged, though she nodded. "Then it has to be somewhere in here, after all."

"You’re sure you left it here?" he pressed gently.

"Yes," she said. "I remember it clearly. I left it on the bed. I fell asleep while reading it."

Orion’s frown deepened.

"And I don’t even know why I am just remembe..."

She shook her head. "That’s a lie. I know why I’m only just remembering it now."

Silence fell again, heavier this time.

Orion turned away from her, pacing once across the room before stopping. His hands flexed at his sides, jaw tight, eyes distant. Sophia watched him, sensing the shift in him even before he spoke.

"Alright," he said finally.

She blinked. "Alright?"

"I’ll check my place," he said. "Just in case."

Sophia looked at him, surprised. "You think you might have taken it?"

"I don’t know," he admitted. "But I won’t rule anything out. Maybe you even took it there. We’ll check everywhere."

She nodded. "Thank you."

He reached for her hand as he spoke. "No need to thank me, shorty. Now come."

She stiffened slightly. "Where are we going?"

He met her gaze, something resolute—and troubled—burning in his eyes. "My home."

Sophia frowned. "Why?"

Orion hesitated, just for a second.

"Because," he said slowly, "there’s something we need to do. Something we’ve been pushing away, for a while now."