123. Losing Hope

After receiving a response from Niela, Cristianno takes the next step.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

            With only a kiss on her lips, Cristianno ran out of the tent in Netherstorm, leaving Alaia behind. She never questioned, and he swore to tell her everything when he returned, but after receiving the letter he now guarded in his shirt pocket, he had to find her. He had to speak to Niela.

            He shrouded his face and hair, making sure he wouldn’t be seen by Horde forces, but he ran carelessly, bumping into others and rushing as quickly as he could to get to Eversong Woods. His focus was getting to her estate as soon as possible. He had so much to tell her and he even considered begging if it meant she would forgive him. However, when he arrived to the estate, he gasped and shook his head.

            It was abandoned.

            The door was unlocked and he immediately ran into the home, finding it eerily warm. “She just left,” he whispered. For a moment, he thought that perhaps he she was hidden amongst the ruins that were once her house. Her room was dark and a mess; compared to the strict, tidy organization she once maintained. Letters were sprawled across the floor, a map of Eversong with marked locations, and bloodied bandages that made his heart beat faster. He shuffled through the mess, looking for a hint, anything that would tell him where she was.

            He picked up a letter from the floor and scanned it quickly. The word “Raven” caught his eye and he crumbled the letter in his fist. “Fuck,” he whispered, recalling the last time he was there and the stranger who had made his presence known. Something wasn’t right. Cristianno picked up a second letter. It appeared to be a poem. He threw it across the room and he continued to look for a sign.

            He noticed something on the unkempt bed. As he walked closer, he noticed it was a seal. He recognized it from the letters he received from Veldis earlier in the year. A Ravenholdt seal. Cristianno groaned and stormed out of the room.

            “This is fucked up, Niela! Fucked up!” His voice echoed throughout the house. He expected her to scream back at him, but only his voice called back. He kicked a chair out of the way and stopped at the front door.

            With one last glance at the place he once considered his home, he marched out and slammed the door. Catching his breath, he found a large stone outside the home. He picked it up and threw it through a window, shattering the elegant Sin’Dorei glass. Still, he waited for her to run out screaming at him, but no one cared that the window was broken.

            Sighing deeply, Cristianno began what seemed a long walk back to Silvermoon City. He removed the letter from his shirt pocket and read it once more, each time harder than the last.

What reason have you given me to forgive you, Captain?