Chapter 45 : Return to Town
Elias adjusted the straps of his bag for the third time that morning, glancing at the girl trailing a few paces behind him. Rhea wasn't skipping stones or climbing trees today. No sudden outbursts of "Why is the sun so smug-looking?" or declarations of war against squirrels.
She was quiet.
Too quiet.
Elias slowed his pace to let her catch up. "You're not plotting to set fire to a bakery again, are you?"
Rhea blinked at him, then gave a soft snort. "That was once. And technically, I only threatened to set fire. There was no ignition."
"That oven exploded," he reminded her.
"I said technically."
They walked in silence for a while longer. The forest path had always been her playground. She used to skip, stumble, trip, and laugh like a storm trapped in a child's body. But ever since the encounter with the shadowed figure—her former general—something had shifted.
The Rhea walking beside him now was straighter, quieter, and... thoughtful.
It was deeply unsettling.
"So," Elias tried, his voice casual. "Are we going to talk about your first command?"