Elias carefully carried Elara to her bed, her body trembling from the shock of the ring's unexpected activation. The plate's sudden appearance and the subsequent magical display had clearly unsettled her, and he knew she needed comfort more than anything right now.
He gently placed her down on the bed, smoothing the blankets over her small frame. Her eyes were wide and filled with fear, her breathing shallow. Elias sat down beside her, trying to offer reassurance through his calm demeanor despite the turmoil raging within him.
Elara's voice wavered as she spoke, her hands clutching the edge of the blankets. "Papa, what was that? What happened?"
Elias took a deep breath, trying to steady his own nerves. "I'm not sure myself... a strange accident maybe?," he said, choosing his words carefully. "Sometimes things like this happen when you don't expect it, I'm sorry if it scared you."
Elara's eyes were filled with tears as she looked up at him. "I don't like it when things are so strange. I just want everything to be normal."
Elias nodded, his heart aching for her. "I know, Sweetheart. So do I. I promise I'll make sure nothing else happens like that. Now rest while I work."
"Papa," Elara said quietly, her voice tinged with worry.
"Yes?" Elias responds.
"take care of yourself too ok" said Elara.
The gesture touched Elias deeply. He kissed her forehead, feeling the weight of Garrick's emotions mix with his own. "I will, sweetie. I will."
Elias's hands trembled as he stood over Elara's bed, his mind a tempest of confusion and pain. The room spun, and for a moment, he couldn't tell where Garrick's memories ended and his own began. The weight of Garrick's love for his daughter pressed down on him, mingling with his own desperate need to return to his world.
He knelt by Elara's side, feeling the ache in his heart deepen. "Elara," he whispered, his voice a fragile mix of Garrick's rugged tone and his own. "I'm here."
Elara's eyes fluttered open, her frail body struggling against the grip of her illness. "Papa, you look... different," she murmured, her voice weak yet laced with concern.
Elias forced a smile, but it felt hollow. "I'm just tired, sweetheart. You need to rest."
As Elara drifted back to sleep, Elias stumbled to the other side of the cabin, his mind a cacophony of conflicting thoughts. He leaned against the wall, sliding down to the floor as a sob escaped his lips. "This isn't real," he muttered to himself, clutching his head. "I need to get back. I need to be Elias again."
The room seemed to close in on him, and Elias's vision blurred. He could feel Garrick's presence, his memories, his emotions, all crashing into him like relentless waves. He couldn't separate them from his own thoughts anymore. It was as if he and Garrick were becoming one, their identities intertwining in a maddening dance.
"No, no, no," Elias whispered, his breath coming in ragged gasps. "I am Elias Cross. I am not Garrick. I have to get out of here."
Desperation clawed at him, and he fumbled with the ring on his finger. "There has to be a way," he said, his voice growing louder, almost frantic. "I need to find a way back."
He closed his eyes, trying to remember the feeling of traveling between worlds, the sensation of being pulled through space and time. He focused on the ring, willing it to take him back, to free him from this fractured reality.
"Please, work," he begged, his voice cracking. "I can't stay here. I need to go home. My.. my friends, they're waiting for me."
Nothing happened. The ring remained cold and inert, its power beyond his reach. Elias slammed his fist against the floor, tears streaming down his face. "Damn it!" he cried. "Why won't you work?"
Elara stirred in her bed, her weak voice cutting through his anguish. "Papa? Are you okay?"
Elias forced himself to his feet, wiping his tears away hastily. He couldn't let Elara see him like this. "I'm fine, sweetheart," he said, trying to sound reassuring. "Just... having a moment."
Elara's eyes were filled with worry as she looked at him. "Papa, you keep saying strange things. Are you really okay?"
Elias's heart ached at the sight of her concern. He approached her bed, sitting down beside her and taking her hand in his. "I'm just tired, Elara," he said softly. "I promise, I'll be okay."
Elara's grip tightened slightly, and she looked at him with a determination that belied her frail appearance. "You always tell me to be strong, Papa. You need to be strong too."
Elias nodded, feeling a fresh wave of guilt and sorrow wash over him. "I will, Elara. I promise."
As the day wore on, Elias found himself pacing the cabin, his mind a whirlwind of thoughts. He kept repeating his name, his identity, like a mantra. "I am Elias Cross. I am Elias Cross."
But the more he said it, the more hollow it felt. The line between Elias and Garrick was blurring, and he didn't know how to stop it. He had to find a way to return, to separate himself from this life that wasn't his own.
Elias stood by the hearth, staring into the dying embers of the fire. He had to keep trying. He had to find a way to use the ring, to escape this world and return to his own. For Elara's sake and his own sanity, he couldn't afford to give up.
"I will find a way," he whispered to himself, his resolve hardening. "I will go back."
As the sun set, Elias looked over at Elara, her small form barely moving under the blankets. He felt a surge of determination. He would find a way to fulfill Garrick's promise and save her, even if it meant losing a part of himself in the process.
And so, with the first light of moon filtering through the cabin windows, Elias began his search for a way back, his heart torn between two worlds, two identities, and the fragile hope of finding a way to keep his promises to both.