Ryn didn't respond right away.
His eyes drifted toward the edge of the Isle.
"The Hero Ceremony's coming up," he said instead.
Jay frowned. "That's not an answer."
"It is," Ryn replied calmly. "Heroes are chosen by the people—one that the world acknowledges."
Jay pushed himself upright. "And what if they choose wrong?"
Ryn paused.
"Then," he said quietly, "they chose the best person they could."
Jay frowned. "And if that person fails?"
Ryn looked back toward the house.
"Then I don't get to."
A beat.
"That still doesn't make me the Hero."
Jay frowned, clearly unsatisfied.
But after a moment, he looked away and didn't press the issue.
The warmth around him shifted.
What had been a steady flow of Essence suddenly tightened as he tugged on the final remnants of Life Energy from the flower.
Ryn noticed immediately.
