The faint lights of the elf city glinted in the distance, like a pleasant memory of the past. The river's waters beside them sang, a music to the ears, a symphony of greens to soothe heart and soul, although right then it offered little solace to their heavy hearts.

Matthew held Peter in his embrace. Every spasm of her body and every sob that came out of her lips pained him more than any scar he wore. Her tears wetted his coat, but he didn't care. The woman he loved was in pieces and it was up to him to provide her with the comfort she needed.

In their loss they traveled through the waves of grief, in that most unpredictable of emotional storms. He would be the lighthouse to navigate toward, a place to go for shelter and warmth. Matthew tightened his arms around her and ran a soothing hand over her short hair.

He knew he needed to be strong for her, but the truth was he feared he wasn't so strong himself. He had lost a friend, a brave companion whose absence would leave an empty hole inside him, a bottomless pit. Whatever he threw in there it would never be enough to cover it.

'It's okay, Peter,' he let out a deep sigh. 'It's okay.'

'It's all my fault,' her broken voice was muffled by his clothes. 'They died because of me.'

'No, it isn't.'

'If I hadn't persisted in hunting him down, nothing of this would hav—'

Matthew suddenly grabbed her shoulders and pushed her off him, gently shaking her. He stared at her blotchy cheeks and moist eyes. His serious expression made her pause her crying. 'Peter, listen to me. Listen to me! They died because they believed in you. They wanted you to have a chance to live out your destiny. Do not blame yourself for someone else's decisions.'

'I can't. It's heartbreaking to see all of them die because of a prophecy.'

'Maybe right now you don't want to feel anything, but...don't close your heart to pain. Feel it. Be glad of your human heart. Pity those who don't feel anything at all.'

The moment he said those words tears started flowing down her cheeks once more. Matthew tried to maintain his calm before her and give her hope, but deep down he knew that when he would close his eyes, the nightmares would hunt his mind.

The memories would prick his skin, creating scars so deep and incurable he would carry them for the rest of his life. The guilt would follow him around like a shadow, always an unwelcome guest in the back of his head. As those dark thoughts swirled in his mind, the minutes passed, and Peter slowly stopped crying.

'As much as I'd like to sit down and accept the loss, I need to know the whole truth. The old elf has kept us in the dark for too long,' she said through tight lips.

'It's time he came clean,' he agreed and stood up, holding out a hand for her, which she took.

It didn't take them much to find him. The city was basically deserted at that time of day and almost all its inhabitants were inside their homes, sheltered from the freezing wind. A few elves lit the city lanterns and others carried firewood for their fireplace.

'Let's look at the temple,' he said. 'He is usually there.'

And he was right. The elf was sitting by the great waterfall, close to the small temple. With his hands resting upon his knees and his face calm and withdrawn, he was spending the night meditating. The old man heard them approaching and opened his eyes. Once he saw them his brows furrowed in confusion. 'Wha-what are you doing here? You are back so soon?' he stammered.

'Yeah,' Matthew replied with his arms crossed in front of his chest.

'Did you see—'

'Inemra and Landos?'

'Yes.'

'Did you send them to follow us? And step in if need be?'

'Yes. Yes, I did. Has something happened?'

Matthew and Peter remained silent, staring at him with an unreadable expression on their faces.

The old elf seemed to understand something was really wrong, because he abruptly jumped up. 'What happened?' he asked them again.

'They died to protect us,' Peter answered in a grave tone.

Upon hearing the devastating news, the elf ungraciously slumped on the hard snow. Deep creases appeared on his forehead as he ran his fingers over his temples. Matthew had never seen him so troubled and sad.

'They could have lived!' Peter argued.

'They were prepared for that moment. All of us are. No, they did what had to be done. If they could turn back time, I think they would do it all over again.'

'So, people keep dying for a prophecy that might come true? When will it be enough?'

The old elf didn't say anything. His silence made Matthew wonder if they truly stood a chance against their opponent, if they were enough to stop the evil from spreading, and he had a feeling that the elf was thinking the same thing as him.

'Were my parents like them too? A necessary loss for your cause?' Peter spoke again.

His eyes immediately snapped towards her. 'Your parents have nothing to d—'

'Really now? You mean to deny the fact that you had them killed?'

'What?' the elf screwed up his face like he was clueless about the basis for her accusations, but Matthew could see the nervousness in his body.

'We have been patient with you, old man,' he said. 'Tell us the truth!'

'Who told you such lies?'

Matthew knew there was no point in forcing it out of him, for he was much stronger than him. If he made a move to threaten him, he would end up screaming like a helpless child, so he chose to keep his dignity intact. He stood over him and patiently waited for him to talk.

Peter, on the other hand, glowered down at him, ordering him to confess with her gaze. Even Matthew was a little intimidated by her terrifyingly cold expression. Her tactic fortunately worked, because the elf sighed in defeat.

'It is true. I did it.'

Right then, Peter lost her temper. She moved to lash out at him, but Matthew was quick enough to hold her back. She thrusted herself against him, trying to fight her way out of his grip around her shoulders, but he didn't give away to her loud menaces.

'All this time you have tricked me into trusting you!' she spat at him. 'How dare you!'

The elf slanted forward and buried his face in his hands. 'I have not been that person for years. I was...different back then.'

Peter stopped fighting him off her, focusing her attention to what he would say next. He didn't let her go, though.

'How so?' Matthew asked him.

'I was driven by my rage against the humans. I wanted to ensure that the prophecy would not become a reality and that your kind would be doomed to perish.'

'You are a monster,' Peter whispered.

'I know. As the years passed, I saw the killings and the destruction humans caused and I thought all of this would stop if the elves used a powerful weapon.'

'Black magic.'

'Yes. I learned to use it, in secret of course, but I could not hide for long. One of my students, Scetall was his name, he discovered me and wanted me to teach him. He was too ambitious and thirsty for knowledge. I thought he was capable of mastering black magic, but he was not ready. After that they discovered my unlawful practices and I had to renounce my powers. I do not use magic anymore, except from training you, as a means of making amends for my mistakes.'

'He was your student. All this time you knew who he is, who makes those weapons. How could you keep this from us?' Matthew burst in anger.

'You started this domino,' Peter pointed a finger at him. 'If you hadn't been so rash, we wouldn't have reached this point where we have to pick up the pieces you left.'

'My student? No. He is a twelve-year-old kid. He has no idea about what is happening.'

The old man stared at them in all seriousness. Matthew pondered the information. It seemed he was telling the truth, that the rogue elf wasn't him; he was still a stranger with an unknown identity.

'Then he is someone else...' he concluded.

'Look,' the elf said. 'I am so sorry for my actions. I regret acting selfishly. I cannot change the past, but I do believe I can—'

'You have done more than enough,' Matthew shook his head.

'To be honest with you, we no longer trust you. And I don't think we ever will,' Peter said and walked away.

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A/N: Do you trust me with not disappointing you with this story? Leave a star for 'yes' and a star for 'no' (did you see what I did there? hehe) Thanks for reading <3

Phrase of chapter: Conscientia mille testes / Your conscience is a thousand witnesses - Quintilianus