Another long, quiet day had passed, word of war on the horizon had reached Zaeas and those he kept close. It seemed not that long ago the Horde and Alliance had butted heads, yet here they were again, pointing fingers at one another. How something so senseless could continue on for centuries was a question he often asked himself during the nights he lay awake. Perhaps it wasnât a testament to their hatred for one another but something else entirely.Â
  A row of fires burned bright on the beach, the popping and cracking of the flames a welcome reprieve from the last few months of solitude. Only when a familiar voice broke through the endearing peace did Zaeas groan, rising to his feet to meet the man face-to-face.Â
  âSo youâve found your way back at last, have you?âÂ
  âI see youâre still asking the same idiotic questions, Veri.â
 A man, clad in black leather and decorated with daggers stepped forth from the soft shadows of the fire with a wide grin. âWhat demons have you had to endure in your absence that your light has dimmed so far?âÂ
 âI do not need to hear such nonsense from someone who was so quick to ask for help fighting their own. Remember what it cost you.â
 The manâs taunts quickly faded and his grin fell. His jaw clenched at the memories Zaeas knew were flashing before him. Every one of them still intact as he hadnât allowed the priest to rid his mind of it. Cleanse. That was the word Veri used. But, there was nothing Holy about the practice of removing secrets and memories from someoneâs past. There never had been.
  âIt cost me nothing.â Veri growled, his face now trained into a mask of deadly-calm, eyes void of emotion.Â
 Had he felt the need he could have flooded the manâs mind easily with memories of his past, of her, his friends, but there was no point. The upper-hand he now had on the rogue was priceless in the upcoming war, out-maneuverable if he chose to unleash him on their enemies.Â
 âYou act as though I had a choice. I am not the villain of this story, Zae, you are.â
 Rage flared within the priest, the shadows coalescing around him darkening. âI did what I had to do. No one will remember you or I, weâll be nothing more than a fleeting feeling of familiarity.â
 âYou keep telling yourself that. You might sleep better if you had just killed them instead.â
  âI might.â Zaeas muttered when he shoved past the rogue in annoyance, his boots sinking into the sand as he walked further down the beach, towards an unknown destination.Â
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