Chapter 55: Your Name - 2
"But before we begin, Master," I said, letting my tone carry a quiet reverence, "may I ask something minor? You called yourself the Herald of Eudenia—but surely that’s a title, not the man. What name did the world first give you?"
My eyes held his, steady but respectful. Not pressing. Not threatening. Just... curious. After all, names have purpose. And I needed his to erase him.
The question hung in the air, sharp and clear, cutting through the tense silence of my room. Herald’s expression, usually so impassive, now held a flicker of something unreadable—surprise? Annoyance? Intrigue?
I leaned on the instincts I’d picked up from all those Xianxia novels I used to binge in my past life. The main characters in those stories didn’t shout to be heard—they spoke calmly, deliberately, like every word was a sword carefully drawn. They used reason, not volume. Wisdom, not pride. That’s the tone I aimed for now. I wasn’t trying to start a fight, I wanted them to listen. To really hear me.
"My name?" Herald repeated, his voice calm, yet with a subtle shift in tone, as if I had just stepped onto forbidden ground. "I have given you my name. Herald of Eudenia. That is how I am known."
"Known, yes," I countered, my voice steady. This was a gamble. A dangerous one. But I needed that name. "But is it your true name? The one that carries the essence of who you are, before titles and legends?"
He tilted his head ever so slightly, like a hawk trying to determine if the creature before it was prey or something less easily devoured. The silence between us stretched.
"You are braver than most to ask that question," Herald said slowly. "Or perhaps... more foolish."
"I’ll take either," I replied, forcing a faint smile to my lips. "Foolishness has led more men to greatness than caution ever has."
"Or to their deaths," Herald replied smoothly.