Chapter 659: The Name That Carried Weight

The silence that followed her words didn’t feel heavy.

Not like before.

It settled differently now, quieter, steadier, like something had shifted between them without needing to be said out loud.

Sophia’s hands still rested in her lap, her fingers no longer as tense as they had been before, though the faint traces of it hadn’t completely disappeared.

No one rushed to fill the silence.

No one needed to.

Until Ronan spoke.

"You know," he said, his tone lighter than before, though not careless, "it’s actually quite rare to see you like this."

Sophia blinked, her gaze shifting toward him.

"Like what?" she asked softly.

"Quiet," he replied simply. "Down."

He tilted his head slightly, studying her.

"I’m more used to you insulting me or saying something sharp just to prove a point."

A small pause followed.

"Or both," he added.

That earned a faint reaction from her. 𝒇𝙧𝙚𝓮𝙬𝙚𝓫𝒏𝓸𝓿𝓮𝒍.𝓬𝙤𝓶

A small smile.

"I don’t insult you as much as I insult Orion," she said to him.

"That is true, but you are also not exactly soft with us. You are with Brynhild, but me?" he asked her, then he shook his head.

"Nah," he told her. "You’d have told me to shut up for calling Tobias a boy normally, but you said nothing."

"Well, she’s not exactly harsh with me," Tobias said.

"But Sam is," Ronan added.

Sophia chuckled again at the look on Tobias’ face.

Ronan noticed it immediately and chuckled too.

Sophia huffed quietly, though the smile didn’t quite stay.

It lingered for a moment before fading again, not completely gone, but softer now, more restrained.

Brynhild shifted slightly beside her.

"Sophia," she called gently.

Sophia turned toward her.

"What was it you wanted to tell us?" Brynhild asked, her voice quiet but clear.

The room stilled again as everyone paid attention.

Sophia inhaled slowly, her shoulders rising slightly before she let the breath out again.

Then she straightened just a little.

When she spoke, it wasn’t just to one person. It was to all of them.

But her gaze settled on Orion.

"I met someone," she said. "Though someone is a bit belittling for who she is."

"Um... who did you meet?" Lysander asked softly.

"I met Selene," she said.

Ronan blinked.

Then his expression shifted into something between confusion and mild disbelief.

"...okay," he said slowly. "That’s a very nice name, I’ll give you that, but I’m going to need more context."

Sophia didn’t answer him immediately.

Tobias did before she could even answer.

"There’s only one Selene I know," he said quietly.

The room shifted again, the tone of it changing slightly.

Ronan looked at him.

"Then share," he said. "Because right now, I’m lost."

Tobias didn’t look amused.

"If Eldric were here," he added instead, "he’d be losing his mind right now."

Ronan frowned.

"That doesn’t help."

Tobias exhaled once, then looked back at Sophia briefly, then back to Ronan before speaking again.

"She’s not just a person," he said. "At least... not in the way you’re thinking."

Ronan’s brows pulled together.

"...then what is she? Just get to the fucking point."

Tobias looked at him properly this time.

"She’s the goddess."

The words landed quietly.

For a moment, no one spoke.

Ronan stared at him in disbelief.

"...you’re serious?"

"Yes."

Ronan let out a short breath, dragging a hand through his hair.

"Right," he muttered. "Of course you are."

Then he paused.

"...wait."

He looked back at Tobias.

"And none of you thought to explain that name earlier?"

Tobias frowned slightly.

"It’s not exactly obscure," he said. "Most people don’t name their children Selene out of reverence for the goddess."

He tilted his head slightly.

"I can understand Orion not reacting to it," he added. "He’s never exactly been... fond of her after all."

Orion didn’t respond to that.

Tobias continued.

"But the rest of you?" he said. "It’s quite disappointing you didn’t recognise the name."

Ronan gave him a look. "Well, can you really blame us? It’s not a very common name, is it? It’s not even common from what you just told us. People avoid using the name out of reverence for the goddess."

Tobias nodded.

"For the most part, yes," he said. "Except for those who don’t believe in her."

That made Ronan pause.

"...there are people who don’t believe in the goddess?"

"There are," Tobias replied. "It’s a small group, though, and they have a name..."

He tilted his head, trying to recall, then gave up and shook his head. "I can’t remember exactly, but yes, they exist."

Ronan’s expression shifted again, curiosity creeping in.

"And you’re just mentioning this now?"

Tobias shrugged lightly.

"They don’t cause trouble," he said. "They keep to themselves. There was never a reason to bring it up."

He paused briefly.

"They live among everyone else," he added. "Quietly. You wouldn’t even know unless you had the information."

The room fell quiet again.

Orion’s gaze shifted slightly toward Tobias.

"You should have mentioned that," he said.

Tobias frowned.

"I didn’t think it was important," he replied. "I found out about them before Sophia even came to the pack, and they weren’t causing any issues, especially for us."

Orion opened his mouth to respond.

But Sophia spoke first.

"That’s not the issue," she said gently, her gaze on him.

"This isn’t about something Tobias didn’t think was important," she added. "We should focus on what I’m telling you now and not get annoyed at him for not bringing something up he didn’t feel was important."

Orion held her gaze for a moment longer.

Then he exhaled softly.

"...alright."

That was enough.

Sophia shifted slightly where she sat, her fingers tightening faintly against each other before loosening again.

"Tobias is right," she said quietly. "Selene is the goddess."

No one interrupted this time.

"She’s the one who led me out of the trihydra nest," Sophia continued. "And in a way... she’s also the one who told me to head north when I was trying to escape from my mother."

"I didn’t understand it at first," she said. "But I do now."

Her gaze flickered briefly, then returned to Orion.

"And that’s not all," she added.

The room stilled again.

Sophia inhaled slowly.

Then spoke.

"I learned something else from her," she said. "About the Nightshade Pack."

That drew their full attention again.

"The history about the pack you know..." she began, "it’s not complete."

She paused and then added.

"The Nightshade Pack is descended from Dolion. Though not him exactly, but... his brother, Kaelith. He’s the reason the Nightshade Pack was in the West, but it’s originally from the north."