OMG guys we hit 1K reads yesterday! Thank you all so much! You're all so wonderful and amazing; the best readers I could ever ask for.

I want to do something nice for you guys. Do you have any requests for any scenes you want me to write including Ezra and the gang? If you ask for it, I might just write it out for you! Let me know!

Again, you're the best. Thank you so much for sticking with me and Ezra!

Without further ado, here is the conversation between Ezra and Ik-soo :)

***

"You wanted to speak with me?" Ezra asked, leaning up against a tree at the edge of a cliff suspended over a small valley. The cliff overlooked a gorgeous waterfall that pounded mercilessly into a river below her feet.

Ik-soo turned to her with a smile, his eyes hidden beneath his unruly blonde hair. "Yes."

She pushed off the tree and went to stand beside where he sat on the ground. "What is it, sir priest?"

Ik-soo let out a laugh. "No need to be so formal with me, Ezra," he told her in a voice laced with amusement.

She frowned before asking the question that had been on her mind for some time now. "How did you know my name?"

Ik-soo pointed up towards the sky. "I heard it from God."

"Of course," she sighed.

Ik-soo tilted his head. "Do you not believe in God?"

She shrugged. "I do but I don't. Honestly, I don't really care whether there's a God or not, because ultimately I am in the one in charge of my life and my destiny." Her eyes hardened. "But if there is a God, he's either completely forgotten about us or he just doesn't care." The bitterness in her voice surprised her; she hadn't realized that she was so jaded. Suddenly afraid that she had insulted Ik-soo, her eyes whirled to his face.

She needn't have worried. "That is a common view," he commented. "You can be completely honest with me, Ezra. I won't judge you."

She let out a breath. "Thank you. So, what did you want to talk to me about?"

"I understand that you have a lot of demons in your past," Ik-soo said softly. Ezra's eyes widened. How could he possibly know anything about her?

This God guy must have told him, she thought to herself with a grimace.

"I'm pretty sure everyone has demons," Ezra said tightly.

"This is true. But not everyone hides from them as you do."

Ezra grit her teeth, lavender eyes flashing. "I don't hide from anything."

Ik-soo glanced up, surprise in his purple eyes. "I didn't mean to imply anything, dear girl! I know very well that you are no coward."

She sighed, letting go of the anger that had heated her blood. "Then what am I?"

"Strong. Courageous. Brave-hearted and sure-footed. You know who you are, but nobody else truly does."

Ezra fell silent, frowning to herself as she thought over his words. She wasn't sure if she was particularly brave or strong, but he was right about one thing: nobody else truly knew who she was. If they did, they'd probably look at her very differently, and that was something that she wouldn't be able to stand.

"Give your friends some credit," Ik-soo said softly as if he could read her thoughts. "They might be more understanding than you'd dream."

Ezra sighed. "Just how much do you know about me?"

"Enough, dear girl. Enough." Ik-soo stood and began to walk to her, but tripped gracelessly over a rock. He would've face-planted on the ground had Ezra not immediately reached out to steady him. "Thank you. Ah, where were we?"

No need to thank me. If you get hurt while I'm with you, Yun will give me the lecture of the century. Ezra kept these thoughts hidden behind a wry smile as she answered the priest.

"Nobody really knows me? Except for you, of course."

"Oh, yes. As I understand it, you wear a mask over your heart even more obsessively than the Seiryu wears a mask over his face." Ik-soo studied her with an eery amount of intelligence in his violet eyes. "You protect your secrets more fiercely than he protects his eyes."

Ezra frowned. She was sure it was no coincidence that Ik-soo kept comparing her to Shinah. "Do you have a point, sir?" she asked stiffly.

Ik-soo smiled kindly. "Of course." He looked out over the waterfall, his blonde hair falling into his eyes. "Have some faith in your companions, Ezra. Something tells me that your secrets are going to come out soon, and I have some words of advice for you for when that day comes. Would you like to hear them?"

Ezra's amethyst eyes darkened with sadness. She knew she couldn't keep her past from the group for forever, but she had half hoped that she would never have to face up to what had happened or how she'd reacted to it. "Yes."

"Don't run. The only way to get over your past is to get through it first. Don't be afraid to take off your mask and trust your friends, as the Seriyu trusts you." He dipped his head. "You think of yourself as a monster, do you not?"

Ezra let out a sigh. "Sometimes. I try not to think about it too much, and that helps." After all, constantly thinking about it wouldn't change what had happened. She had plenty of things to do with her energy, and sulking with guilt was not one of them.

"It'll get easier with every passing day," Ik-soo assured her. "And the burden will get even lighter if you share it with those closest to you."

"I can't just pawn off my burden to them," Ezra protested. "That's selfish. I refuse."

"Have you ever considered that maybe they want to share your burden with you?"

Ezra frowned. "No. Why would they want to do that?"

"Maybe because they care about you? Maybe because they don't want you to suffer on your own?"

Ezra fell silent, considering.

Ik-soo let out a laugh. "No need to make any decisions now," he told her. "Just something to think about. The day will come, Ezra."

"The voice of God tells you so?"

"The voice of God tells me many things," Ik-soo confided in her. "And He has never been wrong."

"I suppose," Ezra sighed. "Thank you for the advice, Ik-soo. I truly appreciate it."

"That's what I exist for," Ik-soo told her with a smile. "Chin up, Ezra. You've got a warrior's heart. You will be indispensable to Yona in her coming battles."

Ezra gave a slight bow to the priest before turning and heading back through the trees to rejoin the group.