Page 55 of Soul Forge

“There’s a bigger secret than him being a demon?” the valkyrie asked warily. “What could be worse than that?”

“It’s worse forhim, not you,” Julian sighed. “Let me finish, will you?”

“What secret?” Elda pressed. “All I’ve heard from him is how I’m going to do something horrible and prove him right.”

“Hear me out, please,” the vampire begged. She pressed her lips together, pushing down the words that wanted to spill out of her mouth. “Whatever the Spirits showed the wielders before you, all of them made the same choice. Their choice damaged him beyond repair in so many ways I can’t even begin to explain.” The furrow in Julian’s brow made Elda pause, her anger fading. “When the choice is presented to you, please don’t forget this conversation.”

“I don’t understand,” she complained, but the look in his eyes took the bite out of her retort.

“You will.”

“Why is everyone so damn cryptic around here?” Reiner grumbled. “Nobody wants to get to the point these days.”

Julian shot her a withering glare, then turned his attention back on the princess, daring to lay a hand on her shoulder.

“Sypher is more than his demon soul,” he said softly. “More than his battles or his titles. He hurts and bleeds like any other. He speaks of himself like he’s a monster, and the Spirits are happy to treat him that way. The previous wielders made the wrong choices, even when they thought they were being nice. I’m asking you to keep in your mind how much it would hurt you if you were in his position. You’ll understand when your Spirit tells you the truth. I’m asking you to put yourself in his shoes when that time comes.”

The fervency of his request left something heavy in her chest. Julian wasn’t just a friend to Sypher – it suddenly became clear thathewas the family the Soul Forge had referred to back in the palace.

“I’ll remember,” she promised, her eyes straying to the half-demon sleeping on the ground next to the remains of the fire. Julian clapped her gently on the shoulder, flashing a sad smile before ducking outside. She knew then that he didn’t believe her.

The sudden lump in her throat refused to budge even when she swallowed, watching Sypher dream of something unsettling. She wondered if what he saw was just a dream, or if he re-lived whatever had damaged him whenever he closed his eyes.

“We should get ready to head out,” Reiner told her, pulling her away from her thoughts. “And for the record, whatever choice the vamp keeps referring to? It’s yours and yours alone. You’ll make the right one when the time comes.”

She forced a smile, nodding her agreement, but when Reiner stood to guide Atlas outside, that voice in the back of her head piped up again.

What if you choose wrong?The whisper burrowed into her bones. She’d chosen wrong when she decided to leave for the trees one last time, and it had gotten an innocent soldier hurt.

Like a poison, it seeped through her veins, infecting every part of her with doubt. What if she chose wrong and became the oneto break the Soul Forge beyond repair? What if she chose wrong, and the monster everyone feared burst from his skin and laid waste to the continent?

The sun was coming up slowly, evaporating the clouds beyond the entrance before the light rain could become heavier. The sound of Atlas’ hooves against the stone roused her from her panic enough to watch the ex-captain lead him outside. Nox clopped after them when she noticed the Pegasus leaving, tail swishing happily behind her.

It took a minute to force her frozen limbs to uncurl, but eventually, Elda stood to wake Sypher. When calling his name didn’t work, she knelt beside him on the cold stone.

His eyes were closed, his lips slightly parted. She admired his jawline for a second, marvelling at how dark his lashes were despite his white hair. How could such a face hide a creature that starred in the nightmares of children across Valerus? The demon in the rain seemed like a distant memory. She reached out to shake his shoulder gently before he could wake up and catch her staring.

His eyes flew open, a gloved hand grasping her collar. Her body flipped, back slamming into the rock so fast it made her head spin. The cold chill of a blade touched her throat when he settled above her, a look of alarm plastered across his face. The red rings of his irises were paper thin against the black, his demon close enough to the surface to make her pulse stutter.

“Good morning,” she gasped.

He blinked, realised what he was doing, and withdrew the knife. “Sorry.”

“...We’re going to need to work on this,” she croaked.

“Seems like it.” He didn’t move, still startled by the wake-up call. She was glad to see the red returning to his irises, his snarl relaxing. Strands of pale hair fell into eyes still clouded by sleep, and despite the night on the cold ground, the heat of hisbody warmed her bones. A confusing tingle slid up her spine, her heart tapping erratically against her ribs. Those fiery eyes dropped to her pulse, fluttering in her throat as though he were tracking the shift in tempo.

“Oh, for fuck’s sake,” Reiner muttered, and their heads swivelled to find her with her mace balanced across her shoulders and a hand resting on her hip in the entryway. She pointed its gleaming spikes at the Soul Forge. “Get away from her, or you will lose your head.” Over her shoulder, Julian’s jaw hung open.

Sypher moved until he was at the other side of the small shelter, staring at Elda like she was a new kind of demon. She blinked owlishly back at him.

“You,” Reiner growled, pointing the index finger of her free hand at the elf. “Out.”

“I’ll go check for any patrols in our way,” the Soul Forge muttered, striding outside and leaping into the air before his wings had even fully unfurled.

“Is your head full of rocks?” Reiner asked. “What was that?”

“I j-just went to wake him up,” Elda mumbled, heat flooding her cheeks.

---