Chapter 450: The Oath Only Spirits Hear

Two days ago

Orion did not look away.

Eldric held his gaze with an unsettling steadiness, the firelight catching faintly against the lenses of his glasses. There was no twitch in his jaw. No minute shift of posture. No tightening of the shoulders.

And more importantly—

The familiar sensation he felt when someone told a lie did not come.

Which meant only one thing. Eldric was not lying.

Orion inhaled slowly.

"So," he said at last, his voice even, controlled. "You claim you came back because you vowed—"

"Do not say it like that."

Eldric cut in before the sentence could finish.

Orion’s brows lifted faintly.

"Do not speak as though I am skirting around a lie," Eldric continued quietly. "You know I am telling you the truth."

"You know I am not here to hurt Sophia," Eldric said. 𝗳𝚛𝗲𝕖𝕨𝕖𝗯𝚗𝚘𝕧𝕖𝗹.𝗰𝗼𝕞

Orion did not move.

"You know I am not here to hurt anyone at all," he went on. "Especially not the members of this pack."

Caspian stiffened behind Orion.

Daniel’s fingers curled slightly at his side.

Eldric remained seated.

"I swear it," Eldric said softly. "On even the goddess herself."

The fire cracked in the hearth.

Then he added, calmly,

"But I will only answer questions when both you and Sophia are present."

His gaze flicked briefly toward Daniel and Caspian.

"And preferably without an audience."

Orion watched him carefully.

"How am I supposed to believe you?" Orion asked quietly.

Eldric did not hesitate.

"You already do," he told Orion.

"But if you require reassurance," Eldric added, lifting his chin slightly, "then allow me to offer you something you cannot ignore."

Orion did not speak.

"There was a beast," Eldric said.

The word alone caused something cold to coil in Orion’s stomach.

"One you and Sophia fought just yesterday," Eldric continued. "A creature that resembled a cross between human and monster who was in a cave, chains around both his arms."

The room seemed to narrow.

The firelight dimmed around the edges of Orion’s vision.

Orion stared at him.

Eldric’s voice remained steady.

"I know who that beast is."

A faint, barely perceptible tightening crossed Orion’s jaw.

"And I can explain," Eldric said quietly, "why you were able to hurt it."

For several long seconds, Orion did not breathe. He was stunned by the words Eldric had just uttered, for the beast was real. And the beast had looked shocked when Orion had harmed him.

He said nothing and simply watched Eldric.

*...Orion,* Noctis called out to him. *You should listen to him,* Noctis said.

The words slid into Orion’s thoughts without resistance.

*We should return when Sophia is awake.*

Orion’s jaw tightened slightly.

’I planned to do that,’ he answered immediately. ’But there’s just something about what he said that makes me on alert.’

His gaze never left Eldric.

’How is it possible that the thing wearing Eldric knows about the beast?’

The silence that followed was heavier than before.

Noctis did not answer immediately.

Orion could feel him thinking.

The delay itself unsettled him.

*...Perhaps,* Noctis finally said, slowly, *because the one inside Eldric may have known the beast personally?*

Orion’s breath stalled for half a second.

’Personally?’

Noctis did not elaborate at once.

Orion pressed.

’How do you know that?’

A faint ripple of restrained amusement brushed the edge of Orion’s consciousness.

*Because,* Noctis replied calmly, *I am an ancient spirit too.*

A pause.

*You seem to forget that sometimes.*

Despite himself, Orion almost huffed in laughter.

’Do you perhaps know who he is?’ Orion asked. ’The one inside Eldric, since you both are ancient.’

Noctis went silent again.

Longer this time.

Then—

*I am not certain.*

Orion frowned faintly.

*But if he tells you his name,* Noctis continued, *then perhaps I may recognize him.*

A softer note followed.

*Do not rely on it, however. Just because I am ancient does not mean I know every ancient being.*

Orion acknowledged that with a slight nod.

His eyes never left Eldric.

’Do you know the beast we killed in the cave?’ Orion asked quietly.

The shift in Noctis’s presence was immediate.

A stillness spread. A certain carefulness regarding the said beast.

*...Orion.*

The way his name was spoken told him everything.

Orion waited.

The room around him faded to background noise—the crackle of the fire, Caspian’s breathing, the soft crackle of wood.

Noctis spoke at last.

*I cannot tell you who it is.*

Orion’s brow drew together slightly.

’Why?’

*You will have to find that answer yourself.*

Orion did not speak at first. A thin line formed at the corner of his mouth.

’Why won’t you tell me?’ he asked quietly.

The answer came softer.

But heavier.

*I am bound by a strict law that forbids me from revealing who that person... or beast is.*

Orion’s chest tightened.

His thoughts sharpened.

’Is it the Moon Goddess?’ he asked. ’She’s the one who bound you, right?’

*You don’t believe in her. You’ve made it known,* Noctis told Orion. *But yes, it is obvious that it is the Moon Goddess who bound me not to say anything regarding the beast.*

That explained Noctis’s reaction to the beast, why he was violent from the get-go, and then the beast even threatened to kill Sophia.

Before Orion could speak up again, Noctis interrupted him gently.

*Do not take the easy path, Orion. You must uncover these truths yourself. You should not lean on me for things like this.*

Orion’s fingers flexed once.

Orion finally broke the silence in the room.

"Let’s do it your way," he told Eldric. "I’ll return with Sophia."

Caspian glanced at him sharply.

Daniel’s head snapped up.

Eldric inclined his head.

"I will be here when you return."

"I know," Orion said. "You have no place to go, after all."

And when he was done, he turned and walked out of the house without waiting for Caspian and Daniel.

Caspian made a startled sound.

"Orion—"

But Orion was already moving. He wondered why he always ended up with more questions, especially when he sought answers.

’Can’t you just bend the law and tell me who the beast is?’ Orion asked Noctis.

*And what help would that be?* Noctis asked him. *Besides, this law isn’t something I can bend for you.*

"Goddess fucking tits!" Orion cursed.