Nyx (Complete✅)

Chapter 64

   Beth crossed her arms. This whole thing had gone so far south so quickly that she was just dumbfounded. What was she supposed to do about this? Kelbar was carrying her like a baby, back towards the village. His grip was too tight for her to break free, and she was well aware of how strong he was, even if the Kelbar she knew was a bit older.

It was clear that he'd given up entirely on trying to make her talk, but that didn't mean he had to stay silent, and he apparently thought the same.

"You shouldn't be out in the woods alone, especially with your... softness. There's a... it's dangerous." He frowned, and she was struck by how soft his features were. She wondered how old he was. This was before his village was destroyed, that much was clear. But Kelbar had never mentioned how long ago that had happened, and even if he had, she still wasn't sure exactly when in the timeline she was.

She was tempted to ask him, but she wasn't sure if she should talk or not until she was certain that she wouldn't implode the world as they knew it.

"You know, I've never seen anything like you before. Your hair... it reminds me of sunlight." He smiled. She'd seen Kelbar smile before, but never like this. He'd lost so much, and now that she'd seen him before that, the fact was painfully clear. "And your skin... how can you survive without getting hurt? It must be easy to cut through."

The way he was rambling on made her want to smile, but it was also sad. He was so clearly younger in so many ways. She just couldn't get over it.

"But I'll protect you now. You can stay inside so nothing hurts you, and then maybe we can find your home." With this, he frowned. "Hopefully mother will let you stay."

So he still lived with his mother, or at least he was young enough to still have to listen to what she said. That at least gave her a tiny bit of a clue. She was tempted again to just ask how old he was, but she still wasn't sure if she was going to cause any paradoxes by doing so.

But then again, she didn't recall Kelbar ever mentioning meeting her, and he was definitely old enough to remember this encounter. So maybe she wouldn't cause a paradox no matter how hard she tried.

A sinking realization suddenly struck her. What if she had created a parallel timeline by doing this? What if it was impossible to get back now that she was here?

She wished she had some sort of answer, but she only knew what she'd read in books or seen in movies, and all of that was purely theoretical. Nothing was fact at this point, because she was treading in almost completely uncharted territory.

"Is something wrong?" Kelbar suddenly asked, pausing whatever new rambling that she'd been too preoccupied to listen to. Her face must have shown the emotions of her realization.

She was tempted to shake her head, but that would only confirm that she could understand him, and then she would be in even more of a pickle.

She shook her head anyways. She had no idea what was going to happen, but she was stuck here for all she knew, so she might as well spill the beans sooner than later.

His eyes widened, and he stopped walking for a moment before continuing. "So you do understand me." His face slowly broke into a grin. "I knew it."

"Listen, Kelbar, why is it dangerous to be in the woods by myself?" she asked.

"Well, no one really knows for sure, but everyone has their own theories. I think it's The Great Slayer, because it's all happening just like it does in the legends, but everyone just thinks that's stupid."

"What's been happening?"

"People have been... disappearing."

Her heart skipped a beat when she realized that she might be closer to when the Slayer destroyed his village than she first thought. A lot closer.