Keeper of the Lost Cities: Elysian

Chapter 34

Every passing second made Sophie more and more certain.

Certain that the face she was staring into was her father.

Elwin's expression had turned somewhat bitter and grim.

There was a stretch of silence that seemed to last for eternity.

Until... finally...

Elwin whispered, "Are you mad at me?"

He looked more worried now. Nervous.

And vulnerable.

It took Sophie a moment to gather up her thoughts for a response. And tried to understand what she was feeling.

"I'm not mad at you," she answered carefully. "It's just a... surprise."

Some of Elwin's smile returned as he nodded. "I was aware of the time you were rather... invested in the subject."

Sophie sighed. "Yeah. I figured out my biological mom. But I didn't think my father... would be you."

"Why not?" Elwin asked, and Sophie wasn't sure why.

"I don't know. I didn't have any information about it, because Mr. Forkle refused to tell me. For a while, I thought it was Bronte, but-"

She cut herself off abruptly, not wanting to remember.

It was all in the past.

Elwin closed his eyes. "Does this change what you think of me?"

Sophie searched for the answer in her head and shook her head. "No. I'll still think of you as Elwin, not as my dad. You'll still be important to me, and I'll care about you. You've helped me so many times when I was hurt. So... thanks."

Elwin blinked a few times and smiled. "Now that you know, are you going to tell anyone?"

"I don't know."

The words sounded cold and hard, but she said them anyway.

"I was desperate to find out who my parents were because I didn't want to be unmatchable. And... partly because of Fitz. But the system is so, so unfair and cruel. Hopefully, I can change it to make the world a better place."

Sophie locked the memories of her relationship with Fitz into a tight, painful box and wished she would never remember them again.

"That's good," Elwin said. "It's good knowing I made a difference in your life. And honestly... I wasn't that surprised that you found out who I was. I'm not a great liar anyway. Things like this... tend to get revealed eventually."

Sophie suddenly felt rather cold. There was very little sunlight filtering between the trees now.

She sensed a presence in the forest- the one she'd sensed before.

"What's wrong?" Elwin asked quickly, glancing around. "Are you alright?"

Something felt wrong about the presence. Something about it felt cold and eerie, and Sophie shivered. "I... think... we should go back."

"Okay," Elwin said, looking worried. He didn't inquire further.

It felt better to be back in the light of the open grass.

"How did you know where to find me, anyway?" Sophie asked. "I wouldn't have made it out if it hadn't been for you."

"Lucky hunch, I suppose." He frowned. "I assumed you didn't want to be found, so I thought it would make sense you'd be in the forest."

"I'm grateful," Sophie said. "Once I tripped, I couldn't use my abilities. I couldn't teleport or transmit."

"You mean... someone was blocking them?" Elwin asked, concerned. "Who would be doing that?"