Chapter 473: The Cost of Existing

Orion stared at Eldric in disbelief and rolled his eyes at the words, because to him, that was foolish. If the goddess wasn’t weak, then she should have acted from the beginning. Personally, he felt she should have also seen that the fucker she fell in love with was going to bring destruction—but what did he know? It’s not like he was a god himself.

Eldric ignored Orion once again, choosing to speak directly to Sophia now.

"I am certain the goddess was waiting for the right time to answer us. The right time to strike too," he told Sophia. "She is not weak. Dolion’s followers spoke of how they would sacrifice not just the goddess to Dolion, but also the Luna who was foretold."

"But the goddess was buried already. She was dead. How did they think they were going to get her body—by digging up the grave?" Orion asked Eldric.

Eldric nodded. "Yes. But I wasn’t going to let that happen. I didn’t let it happen. And I wasn’t going to let them destroy the Luna to come, either. The hope of our kind."

"You never doubted, even once, that the Luna wouldn’t come?" Sophia asked Eldric.

"A prophecy given to Dolion, by the goddess—no. I did not doubt it. And besides, the goddess does not lie. Every word she speaks is the truth. Just like Orion here," Eldric said.

Orion scoffed. "I can skirt around the truth."

"But you can’t lie outright, can you?" Eldric asked him.

Orion stared at Eldric and shook his head.

"You are tied to the goddess in ways you’ll never understand," Eldric told him.

Orion didn’t reply. He just stared at Eldric.

"I had nothing left to offer the Luna," Eldric continued. "No power. No army. But I couldn’t let her be taken or be killed by Dolion and his people. So I offered the only thing that still belonged to me."

Sophia’s breath stilled.

"My life."

Orion stiffened.

Eldric lifted his hands slightly.

"I used the last of my magic. As much as my body could withstand. And more than it should have. I used my life force by bleeding on the altar."

Sophia’s eyes widened slightly.

"And..."

Eldric hesitated.

"...and I used the last of my wolf spirit."

The room felt suddenly too small.

Sophia’s lips parted in silent shock.

"You can do that?" Orion asked in shock.

"Yes, but it is not recommended. It is ancient magic, and you should never do it," Eldric replied quietly. "No matter the situation."

A faint smile touched his lips.

"But yes, before you ask, I did." His gaze turned distant. "It was a last resort, and I could think of nothing else. I carved the vow into the altar with my blood. I swore that no matter when the Moon Goddess chose to send the Luna..."

His voice steadied.

"No matter how many generations passed..."

"No matter how broken this world became..."

"I would help her."

His eyes lifted slowly.

"I would do my best to protect her. I would stand by her side. And I would come back—if not as myself, then as a remnant of what I once was, even if only for some time."

His gaze locked onto Sophia as he spoke.

"But there were things I didn’t consider," Eldric continued quietly. "While black magic comes with a cost, ancient magic comes with restrictions and rules. Some very simple, but if they fail to be adhered to, they risk everything going down. Some others are more technical. For the magic I did, it was a bit...technical, but the restrictions were also simple, although I didn’t know about them until I came back..."

"What were the restrictions?" Orion asked Eldric.

Eldric adjusted his glasses. He drew a slow breath before he spoke again.

"One of the restrictions was that if my name was ever spoken out loud—and I don’t mean who I am posing as, but my real name—if I ever stepped beyond the boundary of the land surrounding the shrine..."

His voice dropped.

"I would cease to exist."

The words rang sharply in the silence.

Sophia stared at him.

"...Just like that?" she whispered.

Eldric nodded once. "I would go the same way I came. Without pain or warning. I would cease to exist, and my aim would not be achieved."

"So that’s why you can’t tell us your name yet," Sophia said, and he nodded.

"But why such a condition?" she asked quietly.

Eldric’s lips curved faintly. "Like I said, it is ancient magic. And also, I suspect my restrictions had more to do with the fact that I shouldn’t be existing right now. I shouldn’t be speaking to you both. I am supposed to be dead, after all."

Eldric lifted his head slowly and stared directly at Sophia.

"This is my tale," he told her.

There was a beat of silence after those words.

"Quite a tale," Orion said, breaking the silence.

Eldric stared at him. "You do not believe me," he told Orion.

Orion shook his head. "Oh, I do. I don’t just believe you when you say the goddess knows what she’s doing. If she hadn’t fallen in love with some bastard like Dolion, maybe things wouldn’t have gotten to the point they were."

"The goddess must have a—"

"I don’t care," Orion said, cutting him off. "The goddess fucked up. And she should have done better. But that aside, I have a question for you."

Eldric glared at Orion. "What is it?" he asked through gritted teeth.

"From what I know... you can see things too," Orion told him. "The prophecy explicitly states it’s the Luna who would help with the gift of visions, so how are you able to see them if you are not the Luna—but the goddess’s number one fan?"

"And also, where exactly was your pack located? Because members of our pack found ruins deep in the heart of Nirvana recently, and we have no knowledge of anyone being settled in Nirvana before us, so I want to understand."

"I also have a question," Sophia said to Eldric. "Is there any possibility that the beasts we see in Nirvana now were not like this from the beginning? Could it be they are some kind of mutation?"