A Wolf's Howl, A Fairy's Wing

Surprisingly, Erik's words seemed to have only reassured Eira, who quickly lost her worried expression, to be replaced with a bright smile. "Oh, but I don't mind!" she exclaimed happily. "My home is your home!"

Despite her chipper attitude, her words had the clear undertone of someone who had been alone for far too long.

Erik chuckled, albeit a little sadly, as he couldn't figure out if Eira really was this immature and naive, or if it was all an act so he would lower his guard.

Seeing his reaction made doubt return to Eira's expression, while she anxiously poked her fingers together. "W— What's wrong? I— I thought you liked me," she stammered.

She'd been alone for so long as she waited for the harbinger's arrival, and now that he was here, he was… rejecting her? Rejecting the home she had been keeping safe all this time?

Small tears began to appear in the corners of her eyes as she was on the verge of crying.

Erik smiled wryly, as he didn't really enjoy causing this girl distress, assuming her reactions were real. Emma's emotions of pity and sadness that streamed towards him through their link didn't really help either.

Yet, he had no choice but to shake his head. "I like you, Eira. But let me ask you this. If you ever had to choose between me and Audumla, who would you pick? Or better yet, how much freedom do you even have? If your mistress ordered you to bring harm to me, would you?"

Because there was the crux of the matter. Neither Erik nor Elora relished the idea of something so powerful existing inside Erik, especially if it remained under the complete control of an entity whose loyalty to them was questionable.

Who knew what those sigils were meant to do exactly? Where they just there to keep the structure anchored inside this separate dimension, or was there something more?

Even if Eira and those sigils were unable to actually affect Erik's dimension and cause him harm in some way, would he feel safe leaving the people he cared about in there? What if Audumla ordered Eira to threaten a loved one living in this place?

"W— What do you mean?" Eira mumbled sadly. "Aren't we on the same side? Why would Mistress ask me to harm you?"

"Are we on the same side?" Erik shrugged doubtfully. "I don't even know what Audumla has planned for me exactly. This whole thing about saving the two supernatural races sounds good and all, but how do I know if it's actually true? And, for that matter, is my survival a part of her plans?

What if we find Audumla, and I don't like her plans for me? Will I still have a choice in the matter with you and this place inside of me?"

"I… I— I don't…" Eira stammered, now truly on the verge of crying. "I don't know anything about all that!" she finally exclaimed desperately.

Tears had now started streaming down her face as she continued. "I just.. I just want to be helpful to you! I— I want to find Mistress, and then I really want to travel the world with you! I want to have adventures together, and see more than just this one place, day after day, year after year!"

"I don't want to be alone anymore!" she finally sobbed. "Please don't reject me now! I swear I just want to help!"

Among Erik's companions, only Emily, and of course Elora, had indifferent reactions to Eira's outburst, while Alice, Astrid, and especially Emma all looked uncomfortable and sad.

Yet, they didn't interfere, as choosing between Erik's safety and the comfort of this still unknown, if pitiable, construct was an easy choice.

Unfortunately for Eira, there was simply no way Erik would take a potential time bomb like this into his own body.

So he shook his head again, "You haven't actually answered my question, Eira. If Audumla ordered you to harm me, would you?"

"I…" she began, but fell silent again as she seemed to be at a loss for words. Despite her slightly transparent, sigil construct body, tears continued to stream from her eyes, while her mouth opened and closed a few times as if trying to say something, but being unsure of what.

'I'm just surprised she's even struggling with it this much,' Erik thought to himself. 'I guess the harbinger she's been waiting for has an even more important presence in her mind than I thought, even if she never met me before today. Or it could all be an act, of course…'

He was quick to put Eira out of her misery, however. He wasn't really interested in her answer anyway.

Either she picked Audumla and confirm what he and Elora already assumed, or she picked him and he'd be unable to believe her. And even if he did believe her, Audumla might have some kind of override in place to make her choice not matter in the end.

So he held up his hand, and sighed. "Stop, Eira. You don't have to answer that. But I hope you can see a part of the problem now. I don't trust Audumla yet, and by extension, I can't trust you, not completely, regardless of whether or not I like you."

"I— B— But… Y— You need the spatial affinity for Mistress's plans, a— and I don't want to be left alone again…!" Despite some relief for not having to answer his question anymore, her tears kept flowing, disappearing into sparkles of light as soon as they rolled of her body.

If Eira was a little less innocent she might have tried to force the matter, despite knowing it was not only pointless, but also counter-intuitive.

Erik took a step closer to Eira and took her transparent chin in his hand. He softly lifted her head and looked into her eyes. "There is a way for us both to get what we want… but it depends on how much you're willing and able to disobey your mistress."

Eira's eyes went wide, and clear struggle appeared in them as Erik's words registered inside her. "I—" she began, but Erik interrupted her. "Don't answer yet," he said, smiling softly. "Just think about it for now."

Than he turned to his companions and silently beckoned them to follow him to the living space they had visited earlier.

In doing so, they left behind a softly sobbing minotaur girl.

THIS CHAPTER UPLOAD FIRST AT NOVELBIN.COM