Pathless: Outcast

Cirrugur, 25th of Brightforge, year 305 UC

"Bryan, we need to talk about something."

Edward said as he interrupted their lesson.

He waited until Bryan stopped writing before he spoke again.

"Why did you lie about what you were doing last night?"

'He found out? How?'

Byran asked himself his eyes focused on the table in front of him.

He couldn't look up to meet Edward's gaze.

He didn't want to know how angry he was at him.

"I don't know."

He mumbled.

"I thought you'd hate me."

Edward's brow furrowed.

"Hate you? Why would you think that?"

'Because that's what they did.'

It was just how things were for him. People would pick out something he did wrong and tease him about it. Sometimes even yell at him.

That was normal, wasn't it?

"Because... because I shouldn't have been peeking. It was wrong."

At least he felt that way, but wasn't sure if that truly was the case.

It's not like he was harming anyone, or even interrupting whatever Lucas was doing. He was only watching.

A small smile tugs at the corner of Edward's mouth.

"That's not a reason for me to be upset or mad at you, Bryan. It is wrong for you to watch others without their permission, so try not to do it again. But, there was no need to lie about it."

Edward came closer to Bryan.

He flinched, thinking Edward would hit him, but the strike never came.

"Is something bothering you? You can tell me if there is."

Bryan sat there silent as he stared at the paper in front of him.

Should he tell Edward about Ms. Kelly? About how she kept appearing whenever he closed his eyes.

Would it help him? Make her stop appearing?

He wanted it to stop, but if it did… would he ever see her again?

Not having her in his life, not seeing her again… Bryan wasn't sure if he was ready for that.

She has always been there for him, by his side.

Even now, he still wished she was here.

Looking up, he noticed Edward staring at him.

"I just... I have a hard time sleeping."

He wasn't sure how to word it properly. All the things that were going on.

"So, I walked around."

Edward didn't laugh at him. Instead, he saw his facial expression soften a bit. It was hard to explain how, but he knew Edward was sad.

"Why can't you sleep? Do you hear noises or something that keeps you up?"

Edward asked.

Bryan shook his head.

That wasn't it at all. The estate was huge, and it did feel lonely but he wasn't scared of the dark. And there weren't any strange sounds at night.

"No. I just… I just…"

Tears started to form as he couldn't get the words out.

"Hey, it's ok."

Edward told him he put a hand on his shoulder.

"It's ok Bryan."

He felt that. That it was ok, and that he could tell Edward.

"I just… keep seeing her."

"Who?"

"Ms. Kelly… I just keep seeing her. All the time, it doesn't stop."

Edward was confused for a moment, but then he recalled that he heard that name before. Emilia told him about her.

The caretaker at the orphanage who watched over Bryan.

“She came to help me, but he hit her. Ordered them to kill her.”

“I tried to stop them, tried to help. But… but… I couldn’t! It’s all my fault. It’s all my fault.”

Bryan kept repeating those words over and over again.

Edward gazed up at the ceiling as he held the boy close.

He was so much like Emilia, more than she could ever imagine.

He didn’t know the story, so he couldn’t say if it was Bryan’s fault. But, he could never put the blame on a child. Especially one that was so fragile.

The burden he was carrying was too much for him.

Bryan was drowning in guilt and Edward didn’t know how to save him.

What could he possibly say that would help him?

What could he do?

“It’s not your fault Bryan. It’s not your fault.”

Those were the only words he could think of at that moment.

It felt better than telling him it was ok, and that everything would be alright.

He had to take that burden Bryan was feeling and place it elsewhere. Give it to someone else.

But who?

**********

Cirrugur, 25th of Brightforge, year 305 UC

Edward went to the basement, he knew that is where she’d be.

Training.

That’s what she did, what she had always done.

But, it had to stop.

He spotted her smashing her fist against one of the training dummies sending it flying backward.

Her strength was absurd, to think that she packed such strength in such a slender body.

Guess that was the reason why she was good at what she did.

Emilia spotted him and stopped what she was doing to come over to greet him.

“Hey, why are you looking like that? Did something happen?”

She asked him.

They have been around one another for so long that she could even read the minor changes in his facial expression.

She could tell something was bothering him.

“It’s Bryan. It’s time you did something.”

He told her.

Emilia wiped the sweat from her forehead.

“What are you talking about?”

“We talked about this Emilia, do you not remember?”

She nodded once.

“You suggested I talk to him about the things we discussed.”

“And?”

He asked.

“I thought about it, and don’t think that’s a good idea.”

Edward was stunned silent.

He couldn’t believe what she said. Not a good idea?

What did she consider a good idea then? Because what she was doing wasn’t working.

Ever since that conversation, she’s been training relentlessly almost like she was preparing for war.

But, there wasn’t a war to be fought. Not here at least.

“Emilia, I beg you, reconsider.”

“I have, and I’ve decided.”

He didn’t like where this was going. This behavior of hers, it’s how she acted when she was afraid.

“On?”

“It’s not possible for me right now. I have a mission-”

“A mission?”

Edward interrupted her.

She really was trying to run away.

“You really think going away right now is a good idea? You want to leave Bryan alone with Lucas?”

Emilia looked at him.

“Of course not. You’ll be here. But, please, let me explain.”

He crossed his arms.

There was bound to be nothing good coming from her at this point. Just excuses.

He figured she changed, was changing. Especially when she shared what was going on in her head at the time.

But no.

She was still the same.

“Go on.”

Normally he wouldn’t act like this. To be so against her, and frankly angry.

But she just couldn’t go pick up someone off the street, bring them back, and dump the responsibility on them to someone else. It was irresponsible, and she knew that.

Even Lucas was more responsible than that.

“Remember when I had that appointment with my family? Well, they asked me to do something for them. And you know when they ask something, it’s not really them asking you.”

Edward sighed.

He knew that her family asking you to do something was just their polite way of telling you, you’d do it.

There was no declining.

Even if they may have fallen in terms of status, they still held sway within the kingdom.

“So, I already agreed before I talked to you, or before you said anything about Bryan.”

Emilia explained.

“But tell me, what’s wrong with him? Is he behaving differently?”

She asked.

“I spotted him outside of Lucas’s workshop. Peeking inside.”

“Inside?”

Emilia asked.

Lucas’s workshop was normally shut, even when he wasn’t here.

“Yes, inside. Lucas kept it cracked for him, and said he was crying late at night. Bryan thinks everything is his fault, what happened at the orphanage, with Ms. Kelly. All his fault.”

Edward told her.

Emilia opened her mouth to say something but then closed it. She didn’t know what to say.

“He told me that he keeps seeing her when he closes his eyes. That he can’t watch her die again.”

“Oh my.”

Emilia looked down.

“Yeah… that’s why you should talk to him. Do something, or else he’ll break.”

“What could I do? What…”

Emilia thought about it, but her mind was drawing blanks.

She didn’t know what to do, or how to help him.

“What would you have done? When Lyra died?”

Edward asked.

She looked up. She hadn’t heard her mother's name in years.

Hadn’t thought about her in years.

But she died so long ago, back when she was nine.

She didn’t have time to process anything.

She couldn’t see her.

Just training, and more training.

She had to get stronger. He wanted her to be stronger.

But, if she had another chance to do things differently.

What would she have done?

‘I’d…’

“I’d like to have seen her one last time.”

She answered.

“Then let Bryan do the same.”

Edward suggested.

“She’s gone, Edward. Burned. There’s no coming back from that, no body to identify.”

When she burned the bodies she made sure they’d be difficult to identify. In time they’d figure it out, especially if the inquisition was involved.

But, Kelly? She was a nobody in Cintra.

They wouldn’t care about her, and the only reason she would be identified if they did manage that. Was because she was in the same location as that noble.

Finding a body now, after all this time passed would be impossible.

“But the place it happened is still there. That has to be good enough for him. He needs closure. At least let him have that.”

She agreed with him, but it was risky.

She knew that, and Edward had to know as well.

Bryan was awakened now, people could sense him.

The good thing was, he was hard to detect unless you were actually paying him any attention. Even she had to concentrate on him, and her ability to detect ether was highly rated.

So, for common people who didn’t train their sensitivity, it would be even more difficult.

The bad thing, all criminals returned to the scene of the crime. By going back, they’d only increase the likelihood of being found.

With Bryan’s appearance, he was easy to spot, especially, for those who knew him.

A child disappearing on the day all these events happened and reemerging at the scene of a crime, was suspicious no matter how crazy it looked.

Was it a risk worth taking?

That was the question.

“Fine. I’ll take him back.”

Edward thought she wouldn’t risk it. He knew she sometimes took some stupid gambles, but this was different.

“Want me to tag along?”

He asked.

Emilia shook her head.

“No, it’s better if I go alone.”

“I’ll inform Bryan. When do you plan on leaving?”

“In a few days.”