Chapter 416: Truths That Refuse to Stay Buried

Chapter 415: Truths That Refuse to Stay Buried

The council hall felt colder than the snow outside, even though it was a warm space most times.

Eldric stood at its center, hands folded neatly behind his back, shoulders squared in a posture that mimicked calm even as his pulse hammered violently beneath his ribs. The chamber echoed faintly with every breath, every shift of weight, every subtle movement from the council members seated in their semicircle of carved chairs.

He should have known better.

Coming out into the compound like that. Letting Daniel catch him.

Risk layered upon reckless impulse, but that didn’t matter now.

The image burned relentlessly behind his eyes — the cave walls, the shadowed chains, the beast’s molten stare fixed on her fragile silhouette. The vision refused to loosen its grip no matter how many times he blinked or how tightly he clenched his jaw.

He could still feel the phantom tremor in his fingers, not just from drawing but also as a reminder of the little time he had left as Eldric.

Caspian occupied his seat, posture relaxed but eyes sharp, fingers loosely steepled in front of him. Brynhild sat on her chair alert, her braids spilling down her back. Madam Tyler sat perfectly upright, hands folded neatly in her lap. Mary leaned forward slightly, brows drawn tight with curiosity and concern mingling together.

Lysander’s seat was empty. He was with Raina, who had finally fallen asleep, and he was asleep too, so Brynhild decided not to wake him up.

She hadn’t even planned to be here, but Daniel had sent Victor to call her. Thankfully, she had changed and taken a bath after seeing Holly in the dungeons.

There was silence in the hall as the elders all looked at each other, as if to ask what was going on and who was going to start.

Caspian turned slightly toward Daniel. "Did you get what you went into the forest with Wesley for?"

Daniel nodded once. "Yes."

"And?" Caspian asked him.

"We found the body and something else, but for now, we will discuss that later. We have something else to discuss right now," Daniel told him.

Mary’s lips curved into a lazy grin. "You mean the council elder who forgot he was an elder and decided to lock himself in his home because his husband was sent into the heart of Nirvana?"

Caspian chuckled softly. "That is accurate."

Madam Tyler said nothing. She simply continued watching Eldric as though she were trying to read something written beneath his skin.

Caspian leaned forward slightly. "Eldric," he said mildly, "you’ve missed several council meetings. Care to explain why?"

Eldric swallowed.

But before he could shape a response, Brynhild snorted.

"Oh, please," she said, waving a dismissive hand. "Let’s stop with the pretense, Caspian. We all know the Eldric in front of us isn’t the one we know, and perhaps that’s why he’s been missing the meetings."

"Well," Caspian admitted with a light chuckle, "you are not wrong."

Eldric’s fingers twitched involuntarily.

Madam Tyler’s eyes narrowed almost imperceptibly. Her gaze drifted to his earrings — the delicate green feathers swaying faintly as his hand brushed them unconsciously. Then to his glasses, which he adjusted nervously.

Mary chuckled. "That is true." She leaned forward and focused her eyes on Eldric. "Who are you?"

Eldric opened his mouth to speak.

Daniel’s voice cut in smoothly, dangerously calm. "Think very carefully before you answer."

Eldric froze.

Daniel turned slightly toward him, eyes dark and focused. "I may not be able to detect lies the way Orion does," he continued evenly, "but I know how to make someone tell the truth."

Eldric swallowed again, throat dry.

The weight of the moment pressed against his ribs until it felt difficult to breathe.

He could feel the fracture lines inside himself widening — the delicate balance between what he was allowed to say and what he desperately wanted to scream.

Finally, he spoke.

"I can’t tell you who I am."

Caspian scoffed. "That’s convenient."

Madam Tyler tilted her head slightly. "Why?" she asked softly.

Her voice lacked accusation. It carried genuine curiosity.

Eldric hesitated but then spoke again. "I will only tell Sophia who I really am."

Caspian leaned back, studying him with open skepticism. "And why exactly is that?"

Eldric met his gaze directly now. "Because if I tell you... I won’t be able to give you the answers you’re seeking."

Silence thickened.

Caspian’s brows drew together. "That makes no sense."

Eldric’s voice lowered. "Once you know who I am, I would be gone."

Even Brynhild’s usual smirk faded.

Mary frowned. "Gone how?"

Eldric exhaled slowly. "Ceased. Removed. Disconnected. However you want to phrase it. But I wouldn’t be here anymore."

Mary stared at him. "So you’re some kind of ancient beast wearing Eldric’s body?"

Eldric shook his head quickly. "No. Nothing like that." 𝓯𝙧𝙚𝒆𝙬𝙚𝒃𝙣𝙤𝒗𝓮𝓵.𝙘𝙤𝙢

"Then what are you?" she pressed.

Eldric’s fingers curled slightly. "Someone with very limited time."

He shifted his stance, urgency bleeding into his posture now. "Instead of interrogating me, you need to get to Sophia."

"Sophia isn’t helpless, you know?" Brynhild asked him. "She can handle herself. And besides, Orion is with her."

Eldric turned toward her sharply. His composure cracked just enough for raw fear to slip through.

"You don’t understand."

Brynhild raised a brow. "Then explain."

His voice trembled despite his efforts to steady it. "Sophia is in danger."

Caspian’s expression darkened. "And how would you know that?"

"I just do," Eldric told him.

"And I also just know that my sister is okay. Don’t make it seem like she’s so weak and just be straight and tell us who you are," Brynhild told him.

"I understand that you trust Sophia to take care of herself, and I know she is not as weak as most people think..."

"I don’t think she’s weak," Brynhild told him. "I know she isn’t."

Eldric nodded. "Well, yes, that is true, but you do not understand."

"Then make us understand," Daniel told him.

Eldric swallowed and adjusted his glasses, then faced Daniel.

"Once a vision is foretold," he said, his voice lowering with quiet intensity, "it always comes to pass. And I had a vision."