And he knows, you know Aoren Ni Mac, that if you ever return -- that secret will be revealed.
And since you are no less of a coward than you've ever been, you only have one choice.
"What are you saying?"
Just this, to protect your secret, your shame, what you must do is walk into Loch Irwin.
"No...I'd never do that."
Of course you would Seeker...what other choice do you have? There is nowhere left to run, and if you go back, all will know who you are. You can't even die out here among the Dread things, your Order is quite adept at recovering their stones.
No, the Loch is deep and cold and will freeze by the time Winter rolls through, sink to the bottom, and your secret survives.
"I will not just lay down and die."
Do you still fear Indriel that much? Look at yourself, you won't survive another day, the only question is whether your secret does.
"I'm not the same person!"
Aren't you? Then tell me, would you have come out here if you knew that this is how it would end?
"I...I don't know!"
A coward and a liar...
"The Monks taught me that I don't have to be tied to my past, that the world is bigger than that!"
Ah yes, "Understanding." How is that working out for you? Spend half your life as a Monk, and you still can't "Understand" anything about the only truth that has ever mattered.
"I Understand that I owe Issak..."
Issak is dead, she choose that, you owe her nothing...
"Shut your mouth! I Understand that I owe Issak more than I can ever repay, but I also Understand that she would want me to try to square that debt."
Convenient excuse, funny that all it serves to do is keep you from Indriel's cold fingers. Amuse me, how do you plan to "repay" anyone Monk?
"The Witch and the demon say I'm Fate-touched..."
Ah yes, yet another responsibility to run from!
"I won't run this time."
I think you will Seeker! Whether you want to or not, you will, that is just who you are! That is, who we are...
"But it doesn't have to be...we survived the Trial. I found you. I should be dead, I should have ran, but I didn't. I'm here."
And look at where that has gotten you, brave Knight...
"I'm stronger now...I'm strong."
You're weak and tired. Give it up.
"Why do you want me to die Wraith? How does it serve you? You'll be buried right along with me."
But at least our family won't...at least we won't...
"We're not going to lose them Wraith...they'll Understand."
And how do you know that?
"Because Understanding is what they do."
What about Minna, Seeker? What about her? You sentenced our friend to death. How are you going to fix that?
"I won't ... I can't, and certainly not by dying here. What I can do is figure out what my shallow soul is meant for, and choose not to run away again. If I can do that..."
She's not going to forgive you, if that's what you were planning to say.
"I know she won't, but if I can find my way, maybe one day I'll be able to look my sister in the eyes again."
And what happens if the Court finds out, they'll have your head faster than...
"Enough Wraith...enough..."
You really want to go through with this, don't you?
"I have to try...no, I want to try..."
Well, in that case, I have some bad news. I wasn't exaggerating when I said that we are well and truly dying Seeker. We're too weak to hunt, too weak too forage, and I don't see how we're going to make it back to Valhullen.
"We'll make it through the Hollow Gates if I have to ask Indriel herself to carry us. And then after I sleep for a Moon, and eat the larder from bread to baseboard, I'm going to tell that thrice-cursed sadist Aspirant that she is going to train me to become an Aspect Warrior. That I am leaving Valhullen to find my Fate."
"Thrice-cursed sadist, eh?"
"You heard me... though I think you're right about the dying bit, I could have sworn you sounded just like her then."
"Turn around Seeker..."
"Turn around...Aspirant?"
"The same. Now child, why don't you sit for a spell with your thrice-cursed teacher, we have much to talk about."
OTHER PROJECTS
A Year of Stories: Cobalt Blue – Collection one of A Year of Stories - https://www.amazon.com/Year-Stories-Cobalt-Blue-ebook/dp/B01E6H9S00?ie=UTF8&*Version*=1&*entries*=0
A Year of Stories: Black Coral – Collection two of A Year of Stories - https://www.amazon.com/Year-Stories-Black-Coral-ebook/dp/B01I5O7186/ref=asap_bc?ie=UTF8#nav-subnav
A Year of Stories: Red Rust – Collection three of A Years of Stories - https://www.amazon.com/Year-Stories-Rust-Red-ebook/dp/B01M991236/ref=asap_bc?ie=UTF8
Casual Magics – The world of the Weisz Institute - https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01MXOBEO8
Founders Saga – A serialized choose your own adventure novel – https://www.choiceofgames.com/user-contributed/founders-saga/
Steve Reads Stories – A spoken word, storytelling podcast – https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/steve-reads-stories/id1087197185?mt=2
Inside Fictions – A narrative fiction podcast – https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/inside-fictions/id1159779864?mt=2
The Wraith of the Woods: A Gods Isle Story (The Seeker Book 1) Page 6