They had been traveling together for weeks now. And during those weeks, when they stopped each night, Elarion had begun teaching her.
Not swordplay—speech.
Her voice had been lost to her since childhood, taken by injury and fear.
But now, sitting beside him in the clearing outside the forest, she traced her fingers along her throat as he quietly repeated a word for her to follow.
"Say it," Elarion said calmly, holding a cup of warm tea in one hand. "Just once. Slowly. No pressure."
Leoriness looked at him, then at the flickering campfire between them. Her lips parted.
Her voice came out faint and broken:
"...El....El...." Her brows knit together tightly, as if forcing each syllable through pain.
"Elarion."
His voice was quiet, correcting her evenly.
Her eyes—pale silver, blurred but focused only on him—widened slightly.
" El-Elarion...." She did it.
His name. The first word Leoriness wanted to say.
The single word echoed like a quiet bell in the cold air.
For a moment, she froze. Her heart raced. Her breath caught.
Elarion didn't smile. But his gaze softened, just slightly.
"Again," he said.
And she did.
They spent that night practicing, word after word, until her voice, though still rough, became steady enough to hold small sentences.
---
Two days later, it wasn't just quiet lessons.
A monster had ambushed them in the middle of a calm afternoon—a Stained Fang Wolf, C-class, teeth blackened by poison.
Elarion stepped forward calmly, sword already drawn, while Leoriness kept her position. But she wasn't helpless anymore.
When a second wolf came from behind, she lifted her dagger, slicing it across its flank in a clean, practiced motion. Her voice, quiet but steady, followed: "Behind."
Elarion didn't need the warning, but he heard it. He turned with precise movement, slashing through the first wolf with a single strike.
Blood sprayed. The air filled with scent of iron.
When the fight was done, both stood in the clearing, breath steady.
Leoriness sheathed her dagger slowly.
Her voice came again, softer now: "You're too quiet, Elarion. Say something."
For the first time, Elarion's lips twitched—a brief, almost smile.
"You speak enough for both of us now," he answered.
Leoriness looked down, hiding the smile threatening her lips.
The campfire crackled again that night.
And this time, when Leoriness accepted the food Elarion offered, she didn't sign.
She spoke: "Thank you. Your food taste best"
Clear and quiet.
Her voice belonged to her again.
---
The following evening, their routine continued. Elarion gathered herbs while Leoriness practiced repeating words under her breath, quiet as if testing her limits.
Suddenly, a sharp rustling from the woods caught both their attention.
Bandits—not monsters this time. Three men, armed with crude blades and worn armor, stepped from the shadows.
Since they were now more at the end of forest not too deep. It wasn't uncommon.
Leoriness felt her throat tighten, but her voice didn't falter.
"Elarion," she said, clear now.
He glanced at her once, eyes calm, before stepping forward.
One bandit charged. Elarion moved like silver cutting through mist—no wasted effort, his sword flashing in a single horizontal strike that sent blood flying.
Leoriness didn't freeze. She stepped back, pulling a hidden dagger from her boot. Her heart pounded, but her hands stayed steady.
When the fight ended, the bandits lay scattered across the ground. Not dead, but unmoving.
It's better to let them suffer and die. Naturally.
Elarion sheathed his sword, looking toward her.
"You kept calm," he said.
Leoriness inhaled slowly, voice quieter: "Because I trust you."
She wasn't looking at the bodies. Her eyes were only on him.
That night, as they rested again by firelight, Elarion spoke first this time.
"You're adapting faster than expected."
Leoriness answered softly: "Because I don't want to be left behind."
> " So, do you remember anything?? Your name??...."
She stayed silent at that and then muttered softly under her breath.
"No"
"Hmmm.... Don't worry about it, you will soon. But maybe that locket of yours may have the answer."
" I don't , I don't want to. I am .....I am not..."
She stammered not finding the right words for it.
"Understood " Elarion said short but firm.
Neither said anything after that, but the silence felt different now.
Not empty. Not distant.
It felt like something waiting to unfold.
....