For my part, I am a jealous god. And there is no other god apart from me. I form the light, and create darkness: I make peace, and create evil: I, the Lord, do all these things.
A constant battle—one for wits, and another for sanity.
Elyon's brain was splitting, far more so than a normal human brain. His longitudinal fissure wasn't just a fissure anymore; a literal cut had formed across the right and left sides, completely separating his brain into two. This wasn't a consequence of the manipulation of day and night. This was the price he paid because he kept the "10" active all day long.
Eve, Elyon, and Vigil were busy preparing their backpacks. Eve was carrying Nightfall, Svarnam, and some more dried meat. Elyon was carrying everyday necessities and the long fur coats needed for the frosty north. Vigil was carrying the three sleeping bags and some water.
Vigil didn't want Eve to hold his daggers, however, explaining, "We need it because if something jumps in front of us, I can draw my weapons the fastest."
Eve looked at him funny. "Yeah, sure, whatever... It's not like if something actually jumps in our way, Elyon wouldn't pulverise it."
Eve and Vigil turned their sights toward Elyon. He nodded in silence, his irises changing to "11". The crooked glasses bit sharply into his nose, drawing forth a tiny bead of blood right onto the lens.
Eve turned back toward Vigil. "Alright then, you can keep them. But first, where do we go? I haven't gone north yet."
Vigil responded, "First, we will head to Ravencross."
Eve scratched her chin. "Remind me again, what was that town for?"
Vigil adjusted his backpack. "Religious pilgrimage start for the Church of Heaven. And no... I can't control the ravens there."
Eve formed a question in her mind. "Can you control the raven... Oh... alright. Wait..."
"They are not the same thing."
"Are they the sa... Am I that readable?"
Now it was Vigil's turn to look at her. "Yeah."
Eve sighed, preparing to leave. "You alright, Elyon? Your mind seems to drift a bit."
Elyon smiled a bit, his face turning into a smug grin.
"Me? Who do you think I am? I am your MAST—"
Before Elyon could even finish his sentence, both Eve and Vigil walked right out of the house. Elyon just stared at their backs as they walked away. He adjusted his glasses, which promptly rewarded him with another sharp cut on his nose.
He rubbed his face and told himself quietly, "Don't leave me behind... fools."
He started walking with a quick pace to catch up with them. Once he did, Elyon expected to find the two of them talking, but they were walking in complete silence.
Elyon coughed. "As your teacher, I need the two of you to show me proper respect."
Eve turned her head back as they kept walking, staring straight at Elyon. "Shouldn't that be mutual? You called me a greedy bastard AND a hungry bastard THIS morning. That's not a nice way to talk to a lady."
Elyon looked at her, entirely confused. "Since when are you a lad—"
His words were cut off instantly as the air was forcibly pushed out of his lungs. Eve had driven a fist straight into his stomach.
"That was your first and last warning," she said.
Elyon clutched his stomach, almost falling to his knees. This "lady" can seriously punch. Oh my god, my stomach. I think I am going to puke.
Managing to catch his breath, Elyon whispered, "Yes, ma'am."
Eve scoffed and continued walking. Vigil looked down at the kneeling Elyon, extending a hand to help him up. "Need a hand?"
Elyon took it, but even as he got to his feet, he was barely standing. He manually changed his left iris to "5" just so the physical pain would ease, but even with the multiplier, it still hurt terribly.
"Don't be an idiot. Tell her you are sorry," Vigil murmured to him.
"Sorry? For what? I didn't even do anything wrong," Elyon wheezed.
Vigil looked at him with an expression that explicitly told Elyon he shouldn't be bullshitting.
"Alright, alright," Elyon sighed, still clutching his midsection. He yelled out after Eve, prompting her to stop and turn around. "I am sorry, Eve!"
Eve's expression turned entirely blank. She didn't think she would ever hear those words leave his mouth. She knew the apology was just for saying she wasn't a lady, and truthfully, Eve didn't even think of herself as one—she had just been wanting to punch him for a while now. But hearing his apology actually made her resentment lighten.
She chuckled to herself, then yelled back, "You are still a bastard!"
Elyon yelled right back, "You too!"
Eve began laughing to herself. She turned around and kept walking, casually flashing him the middle finger from behind. However, her walking pace slowed down significantly, giving Elyon and Vigil enough time to catch back up to her.
Once they reached her side, Elyon asked Vigil a question. "Will your crows start fighting the ravens at Ravencross?"
Vigil looked back at him, utterly confused. "What are you talking about? There are no ravens at Ravencross. It's just in the name, and that's it."
Now it was Eve's and Elyon's turn to stare back at him in complete disbelief. "Seriously?" both of them asked simultaneously.
Vigil simply whistled, and two large crows immediately flew down, landing neatly on top of his shoulders.
"Kraa-ugh, Kraa-ugh."
And Vigil spoke, "Even if there were ravens there, they wouldn't match my childrens."