SOUL | Elijah Mikaelson [3]

The Stained Past

Maximus staggered back, his shovel struck something. The sound echoed in the eerie silence of the centuries-old cemetery, reverberating amid the gnarled trees and leaning tombstones. He peered down at the ground.
"The plot thickens," he muttered, eyeing the unearthed ancient bone with a blend of amusement and curiosity. "What do we have here?"
The pristine relic emerged, pulsating with an otherworldly aura. Maximus, with a hint of sarcasm, thought, well, isn't this a charming little souvenir from the afterlife?
As he gingerly pocketed the bone, an almost eye-rolling reluctance lingered within him. "Just what I needed to spruce up the décor," he quipped under his breath.

Maximus hastily made his way back to his trunk nestled under the sprawling branches of an ancient oak tree. "Oh, what a day for family surprises," he mumbled, glancing at the makeshift bedroll beside the trunk where Zoya lay, her pallid form stark against the earthy backdrop.
Zoya stirred slightly, muttering words through her delirium. "Why didn't you ever love me?" Her voice was frail, barely audible as if torn from the veil between consciousness and dreams.
Maximus halted, his brow furrowing slightly "You're delirious," he retorted, his voice tinged with impatience. "Go back to sleep and spare me your ramblings."

With a callous disregard, Maximus averted his gaze, retreating into his self-imposed fortress of detachment. His disregard for her emotional turmoil was evident, as he refused to acknowledge the rift between them, choosing instead to perpetuate the rift with a hardened, dismissive demeanor. The mysterious bone, a mere distraction from his pursuits, lay disregarded as he turned away, consumed by his singular obsession with ancient enigmas, leaving the shattered pieces of their relationship scattered in the air, unattended. Zoya's eyes fluttered open, her gaze fixed on Maximus, her father, as he rummaged through ancient scrolls, the dim candlelight casting eerie shadows on the weathered pages.
"Here?" she began weakly, her voice betraying both fatigue and determination. Maximus glanced over, his eyes briefly meeting hers before returning to his meticulous work. "Yes?" His response was curt, preoccupied with the pursuit of his scholarly endeavors.
Zoya started, her voice gaining a hint of strength, "I'm not here to ask for your love. That ship sailed long ago." Her words were laced with a sense of resignation, acknowledging the emotional void between them.
Maximus paused, a flicker of surprise briefly registering on his face before swiftly concealing it. "Then what is it that you seek?" His tone was clipped, devoid of the warmth she longed for.
"I want to understand," she continued, her voice growing firmer, "how two individuals so alike could share a disconnect so profound. How could you, a man who delves into ancient mysteries, never unearth the ability to love, to care?"
Maximus's brow furrowed, his sarcasm seeping through his words, "Ah, the mysteries of the heart. One enigma even the greatest scholars can't fathom. But I'm more inclined towards puzzles that aren't drenched in human drama."

Zoya's gaze held a mixture of frustration and sorrow, her words tinged with a semblance of resignation. "But, we're both seekers, aren't we? You seek forgotten truths, while I seek an understanding that seems equally lost. How could we be so alike in our pursuits and yet so different in understanding the simplest of emotions?"
Maximus turned to face her fully, a glint of impatience flashing in his eyes. "You're right. There's a correlation there - except, my dear, I'm seeking the past, while you are aiming for emotional alchemy. Perhaps they're equally elusive."
Zoya's gaze lingered on him, the gap between them seemingly unbridgeable. "Yet, aren't mysteries of the heart as intriguing as those of the ancient world ??"
Maximus's jaw tensed, his patience wearing thin. "Ah, the age-old philosophical question! But your delirium is quite the barrier to such discussions. How about we rest that brilliant mind of yours?"
The conversation, like many before it, drifted into an unresolved silence, leaving their shared quest for understanding, both the enigmatic past and the mysteries of their bond, hanging in the air, unanswered. The chasm between their intellectual pursuits and emotional connections remained as vast and impenetrable as the ancient mysteries Maximus devoted his life to unraveling.