After that night, nightmares became frequent for Edric.

They were the only thing that reminded him that he was never alone.

They were with him in every walk of his life -- while sleeping, they were the only thing that he saw, while doing daily tasks, while practicing, they reminded him to practice harder, to practice until his whole body was in pain, they were the only one that accompanied him like a loyal partner.

They were always there, reminding him again and again. But sometimes, when these nightmares had completely consumed him to his core, when he didn't even know himself anymore, he'd start grabbing his hair, screaming in agony and destroying things around him and then they seemed to stop only then.

But other than those peaceful moments, they were always there.

Even now, as six springs had passed, Edric continued thinking about his father and his last words.

"Resrei, are you zoning out again?" It'd been six years but Edric still wasn't used to the name he'd given himself to live in hiding.

He looked up, only to see a raven-haired girl looking at him, her dark eyes full of concern, her eyebrows raised. "Rei?" She shook his shoulders lightly, her light touch bringing Edric out of his thoughts.

Edric shook his head fiercely, looking around and taking in the bustling and hustling of the tavern that he was working at. There weren't much people, but the men here liked to talk until their drunk selves were unable to utter any words.

Edric's eyes landed on the table situated at the far corner, a man sitting there alone, his blond hair messy, his lavishing clothes revealing only one fact: he was from the Elisora palace. It wasn't the clothes only, it was the batch secured on his chest that gave away his identity.

Edric looked back at the girl. "Oh, Eris," he shook his head again and faked a yawn. He managed a smile. "Sorry, I didn't get much sleep last night."

Eris raised one of her plucked eyebrows. "You never get sleep,"

"It's not that I don't get sleep, I just sleep less than you," he rolled his eyes as he began to pour the heavy alcohol in a tankard, foam dropping from it and landing on the tray. He took the tray, his eyes fixed on the man.

"Is it that man? The advisor?" Eris looked at the same man, and wrinkled her nose when she saw the man winking at her, his eyes half opened, grinning like a pervert.

Edric nodded.

"I have no idea why a man like him is drinking here out of all places in Elysia,"

"Well, there's only one way to find that out," Edric said and walked towards the man, his steps cautious, making sure to not bump with the other other workers who were yelling at one another about the orders amidst the bustling conversations of the customers.

Edric tried his best to not wrinkle his nose when he reached the man and the smell of alcohol engulfed his sense. Edric smiled at the man, inclined his head to him, showing him respect as he placed the tray on the table.

"Eh?" The man giggled and snorted at the unexpected moment. "I ordered this?" He questioned himself more than Edric.

"This is on the house, sir," Edric said, smiling at him. "Surely, we can do that much for someone who is serving our gracious king?"

The man frowned, getting upset as he pushed away the tray using his fingers but failed to force any strength. "Don't even take his name," he grumbled, rolling his eyes. "He's the reason I'm drinking in this rotten of a tavern."

Edric raised one his eyebrows, liking where this conversation was going. "I'm a good listener. Would you care to share your pain with me? Sharing pain helps quite a lot. Makes you feel a bit better,"

The man looked at him, his half opened eyes squinting as he burped. "You? Who even are you?"

Edric smiled. Your doom. "Resrei. Resrei Yeurezh. A student by day and a tavern keeper by night," he said, his smile still intact, his head tilted sideways.

"And you think you can solve my problems?" The man snickered, blond locks of hair covering his eyes as he pushed them back.

"You can try," Edric shrugged, keeping his cool while his heart hammering against his chest. This had to go right. This was his only chance.

"It's confidential information. Can't just go around and tell it to filthy commoners like you," he rolled his eyes, mocking Edric in a subtle manner.

For a drunk person, he's quite stubborn. Edric took a deep breath, preparing himself to try again when a figure walked past him and before he could even comprehend what was happening, the person had immediately made her way to the man and sat close to him, startling the man.

"Surely you can tell me?" Eris said, her eyes seductively watching the man, their shoulders pressed together, Eris' revealed shoulder brushing against the man's shoulder as he gulped. The man's eyes wandered upon Eris's chest, ogling it before he looked away, not bothering to close the distance between them.

Edric glared at Eris who glared back at him and mouthed, "I'm helping you!"

The man cleared his throat, his cheeks getting redder as he shifted in his position, getting more close to Eris as she chuckled shyly, making Edric think that that was the most fakest thing Edric had heard from Eris' mouth.

"The moment you landed your heavenly eyes on me, I knew you were a blessing from the gods," Eris said, as she tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, making the man blush even more.

"You're not going to tell me what's bothering you?" Eris asked, pouting her lips, batting her long eyelashes.

The man gulped. "The king. . . " he began as Edric raised his eyes brows in surprise.

"Mm-hmm?" Eris hummed, taking the man's hand gently. Edric's hand reached his waist, where laid a dagger, holding it just in case something happened.

"He's a bastard," the man gulped again, taking her hands. "He thinks he knows everything. He thinks I'm some sort of an idiot,"

"He thinks the renèi Possessors are weak and they don't deserve to be in the court with him. He thinks they should be scrubbing the floors or shaving his white ass beard. I worked for months to get in the palace, to make my place there but he still won't acknowledge me. He thinks I got into the court because I was lucky," the advisor let out a noisy burp, making Eris make a face. "I wish I could show him that not all renèi Possessors are the same."

"I'm sure you only wanted the well being of the kingdom," Eris said softly, trying to take away her hands from him when he gripped them tightly.

The man hiccuped, repeating Eris' words. "Do you know what you need in this predicament?" Eris said, smiling.

The man's eyes lit up as he let go of her hands and began reaching for her cheeks while grinning widely. It was only a matter of a few seconds when Edric had drawn his dagger, about to lunge towards the man when Eris gave him a side eye, watching him intensely and by that, Edric knew he would have to let her help — whether he liked it or not.

He placed the dagger back at the scabbard, watching Eris take the man's hands as disappointment flooded his eyes. "What is it that I need?" The advisor asked.

Eris grinned, advising the advisor. "A stronger renèi Possessor,"

The advisor snorted. "Another renèi Possessor?"

"A stronger renèi Possessor that no one has ever seen! One who is equal to an Ezèrian!"

The advisor laughed, his foul smell filling the atmosphere. "One Ezèrian is enough to destroy an entire kingdom, while a renèi Possessor can't even enter a mind without practising it for two years,"

"Yes, I'm aware of that," Eris smiled slyly. "And that is why I said a renèi Possessor who is unlike any other Possessors out there, who's equal to an Ezèrian. I'm aware of the weight of my words, Sire."

"That can only be possible in dreams,"

Eris smiled. "What if I tell you there's a renèi Possessor like that right in front of you?"

The advisor raised an eyebrow. "You know that your punishment will be severe if you lie to a royal advisor?"

"That I am aware of," she shrugged, the smile still intact in her face.

"How many renèi Possessions do they have? Surely, you don't think I will recommend someone with one renèi Possession? I, myself have two—"

"He has six renèi Possessions, and they are all mastered."

The big smile of pride left the advisor's lips the moment he heard the number, making his eyes wide, confused and the astonished. "Six?" His voice grew loud. "And he has mastered them as well?"

Eris smiled mischievously. "Indeed. If you have him with you and showcase his talent to the king, the king is bound to acknowledge him. It will renew your reputation as a renèi Possessor and will save you from getting mocked. And not only that, the king may even reward you for bringing in such an asset to the court. You will be killing two birds with one stone,"

The advisor got immersed in deep thinking, as if he wasn't just drunk a while ago. The man began to search for someone in the tavern. "Is he. . . Is he here?"

"Oh, yes yes, he is here," Eris was still grinning with her eyes being fixed on Edric.

"Where?"

"There," she pointed her slender finger towards Edric as he turned around. "There he is."

"Well," Edric began, a small smile playing in his lips. "Are you interested in this filthy commoner now?"

***

six years time skip hehe

how do we like eris?

thanks so much do reading! edric is gonna go thru a huge character change but i will try my best to not make it too overwhelming <3