Chapter 2934 First Step (Part 2)

Chapter 2934 First Step (Part 2)

"I said that you are right. Back then your power was the only source of self-confidence I had. I would have never accepted to break our bond because I was too scared that, without you, I'd be back to be worth nothing.

"You also did the right thing by dropping me in a hotel room while unconscious. When I woke up, I wanted to bond back with you and beat you up in equal measure. I needed the distance to take a good look at myself with nothing and no one affecting my judgment.

"Otherwise I would still be trying to pin my mistakes on you with the excuse that I don't know where I end and you start." Acala lowered his eyes in shame, thinking back to his victims.

Admitting to have been a petty, egotistical man who had killed the Rezars who had taken him as one of their own just to coddle his own overinflated, wounded pride was hard. Yet the realization that he might never find a way to make amends was much worse.

He had thought countless times about turning himself in. As a convicted traitor of the Kingdom, he would have been subjected to a painful death worthy of his crimes but that would have solved nothing.

His victims would remain dead and no one but Nalrond, would be better for it. Maybe.

Acala had also considered surrendering to the Rezar, but again, his death would have gifted Nalrond a short satisfaction if none at all. He considered Dawn just as responsible as Acala and the Rezar wouldn't find peace with an incomplete revenge.

"Also, even though the wait has been painful for me, it has allowed me to make sure that I was making my decision for me, not for you. Seeing you or even hearing from you before I completed my recovery would have shattered me."

He took a deep breath, pinching his nose while the memories of the lives he had saved during Battle for the White Griffon steeled his resolve. None of them knew his name nor did Acala give them the time to even say thank you. Visit no(v)eLb(i)n.com for the best novel reading experience

There was no redemption in it, but there was change. The old Acala would have bragged about it with Dawn, deducting the people he had helped from those he had murdered, like it was just math.

It was his first step in what he believed to be the right direction.

Dawn was a recluse, used to bond with brilliant but power-hungry individuals that would help her further her agenda. The bond was just a means to an end and magical knowledge was the only thing she would carry from a host to the next.

With Nyka, instead, Dawn had remembered how to appreciate Mogar's beauty and take her time to stop and appreciate the small things, like a good meal. She had no need to eat, she did it because she liked it.

Just like she smiled more because she was happy to be reunited with Acala. There were so many things she wanted to tell him, yet she was bottling them inside, afraid to drown him in chatter.

Acala was taken aback, looking at the Horseman as if he saw her for the first time. His eyes moved from her to the plate of onion rings and then to the beer, pondering what to do.

His hesitation turned her expectant look into the sad expression of a puppy denied attention so he took a bite to indulge her. The onion ring did taste amazing and so did the beer.

"Do you like it?" She asked with trepidation.

"Very. It's delicious, thank you." His words sounded sincere but his expression was clearly embarrassed.

"I'm sorry, I've been interrupting you non-stop with my nonsense. What were you saying?"

Acala's face steeled again, turning her stomach into a knot.

"That I've decided my path and that I'm going to follow it, with or without you." He replied while pushing away the plate and the mug, making Dawn feel like he was doing the same to her.

"I know that you are too old for something like guilt and regret, but I'm human. I can't just pretend that nothing happened and wait for the passing of centuries to blur my memory.

"I've been a horrible person long before meeting you. Our bond simply enabled me to do what I've always wanted to do. What had stopped me until that moment wasn't morals or conscience, only the fear of the consequences.

"I don't blame you for what you've done to me or the people we've killed, only myself. I'm the one who accepted bonding with you even though I knew the price it entailed. As a Ranger, I was well aware of how a cursed object operates, I simply didn't care."