The morning following the ambush was fresh and still. Light poured through the trees, illuminating the wet ground with yellow splotches. The group moved slower than usual, trying to let Elias heal. At least that was their story.
Auron found himself looking back occasionally. Elias—who had literally been hit by lightning—looked… okay. Too okay. He was still talking, smiling like it was nothing. He should have been too frazzled by the trauma to walk upright, but he moved like it was no problem.
Rina was aware of it too, watching him out of the corner of her eye while tapping mindlessly on her bow shaft. Her hesitance was not that she didn’t believe in him. She did. It was just that something in her—something instinctual—was whispering that something just wasn’t right.
“Hey Elias,” Rina said casually. “How is the wound?”
Elias turned to her with that smile that lit up his face. “It’s healing well thanks to your gentle treatment. Shouldn’t take too long to be back in good shape.”
Rina nodded slowly.
Too soon. She had done the dressing herself, and from what she observed, he should have—
Leona, unaware of the growing tension, laughed. “Maybe Elias is just built different.”
Elias laughed, waving her off. “Or maybe I’m just real lucky.”
Auron wasn’t convinced. He had spent too much time watching people brawl, too much time watching how injuries affected even the strongest. The way Elias moved, the way he carried himself—he was not moving like someone who had just taken a potentially fatal hit.
But he, too, brushed those thoughts aside. Maybe he was overthinking. Maybe he just wasn’t used to seeing Elias like this … open.
Their camp set for the night, and the tone of the day remained. Elias continued the sort of light conversation that people do to keep each other engaged in camp. It was pleasant enough, but also a little strange.
At some point, when the others were busy setting up their tents, Rina finally chimed in to voice the thought she had been chewing on.
“Auron.”
He looked up from his sword, which he was absently sharpening by the fire. “Yeah?”
She hesitated, then walked toward him and leaned in slightly. “Doesn’t Elias seem … different?
Auron let out a sigh. “Yeah.”
Rina crossed her arms. “And that doesn’t bother you?”
He let out a sharp breath. "Of course, it does. But what am I supposed to say? ''Hey Elias, why are you suddenly so nice?'' It’s not like we can just call him suspicious for being happy."
Rina frowned. "It’s not just that. His injury. His fight." She lowered her voice even more. "It’s like he is—”
“—playing a role," Auron finished grimly.
They fell into an uncomfortable silence.
Neither of them had an answer, but they both knew one thing for certain—Elias was hiding something.
And for the first time since they had started this journey, neither was sure they wanted to find out.
The nights after the combat were quiet. Too quiet.
Elias sat at the edge of the fire, bandaged arm resting on his knee, gazing into the flames with a look far too comfortable for someone who nearly died. The smirk he usually wore stayed intact, even as the others began to unwind for the evening.
Auron stole a glance from across the flames; his brows knitted together slightly. Something was off.
Before today, Elias had been cold, calculating, always the one thinking ten steps ahead. But ever since that morning, the way he was behaving was… different. Happy. Normal.
It wasn’t like him.
“You okay?” Auron finally said.
Elias looked over, a blank glare passing over his face for the briefest of seconds before the same polite, practiced smile took over. “Why wouldn’t I be?”
Auron hesitated. “You were struck by lightning. Most people would be in searing pain, or at the very least, resting.”
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Elias shrugged and leaned back slightly. “Pain is simply a sensation. You got to step up to help as other people might.”
There it was again, that odd way Elias spoke. As if everything was part of the design of some plan.
Rina, who had been quiet until now, was also aware. “Elias… I know you like to pretend that nothing affects you, but…"
Elias inhaled, shaking his head just a little. “You’re overthinking this. I thought it was time to… change my strategy. Isn’t this what you wanted? For me to be more transparent?”
That was the issue.
It felt too calculated. Too exact.
Auron met Rina’s eyes, and neither said anything more.
The next morning, as the group climbed back into motion, they faced another obstacle—an old, rickety bridge stretched over a deep canyon.
“Looks solid enough,” Erik said as he stepped ahead.
Elias chuckled. “Famous last words.”
Leona rolled her eyes. “We don’t have many choices. I’ll go first.”
She got halfway across when a plank cracked beneath her feet. She cursed, grabbing onto the rope railing.
“Great,” Rina said. “Now what?”
Auron turned to Elias. “You’re the lightest; you can test the bridge ahead of us.”
Elias blinked, then gave Auron a slow smile. “Ah. So you don’t trust me.”
Auron tensed. “That’s not what I—”
But Elias confidently walked across the bridge. Without even breaking stride, he pressed forward.
Auron and Rina watched intently as Elias moved without hesitation. He walked as if he were a master of the bridge, like he had the whole thing mapped out in his mind and understood every weak plank before he even stepped on it.
When he reached the other side, he turned back, arms crossed. “See? Is that what you were worried about?”
Auron felt his stomach tighten.
How did he know?
Later that night, with everyone else asleep, Auron and Rina sat away from the fire.
"He went over the unstable bridge yet it was dangerous, he didn''t even consider a different path it feels..."
“out of character, right?” Rina whispered.
Auron exhaled. “Yeah. It’s just… he’s different. It’s subtle, but something feels off.”
“Ever since he started smiling.”
Auron clenched his fists. “I don’t know what he’s not saying, but he’s obviously hiding something.”
And, unseen by either, Elias was watching.
His smile remained but his heart was cold. He then walked away
The discomfort between Auron and Rina only amplified as the hours continued during the night. The fire crackled.
"We''re going to need to test him," Rina said finally, barely above a whisper. "I just think there is something wrong, and it isn''t just simply a change of attitude."
Auron nodded slowly. "I''m in agreement. But how do we do that? If we push too much, he''s going to pick up on it."
Rina''s gaze shifted to Elias, who was leaning against a tree, arms crossed, looking up at the sky with his eerily casual demeanor.
"We ask him something only the real Elias would know. Something that has never been recorded, something deeply personal."
Auron thought for a moment. Elias was the type of person to keep his cards close, but there were definitely moments, rare moments, when he shared glimpses into his past. If this thing posing as Elias didn''t have access to that personal information, it would show its true self.
"I can ask him about the scar on his left hand," Auron said.
Rina''s eyebrows furrowed. "The one from when we were kids? The dagger incident?"
Auron nodded. "He once told me that he still has a phantom pain in there every once in a while—mostly when it rains. If he reacts differently than Elias normally should react, then we''ll know."
Rina exhaled. "Okay. But be careful. If this is not Elias… we have no idea what it is."
The next morning, while they were packing up camp, Auron approached Elias while Elias was strapping the straps on his pack with the same practiced efficiency he had before.
"Hey, Elias," Auron said, trying to keep it casual. "Strange weather, huh? You feeling okay?"
Elias looked up, that goofy smirk still in place. "Never better. Why do you ask?"
Auron pretended like he didn''t care. "Just wondering if the rain from last night bothered you. You know… your hand."
For just a second—not even, Auron spotted him almost hesitate. It was so quick Auron would not have noticed. The smirk didn''t completely break, but there seemed to be a space or an emptiness in the smirk now.
"My hand?" Elias asked, more of a rhetorical question than an actual response. Then he looked down at his left hand and flexed the fingers. "Oh, right. That old thing. I hardly notice it anymore."
Rina staggered beside Auron.
"Wrong answer" they thought
The real Elias didn’t dismiss pain so easily. He had, albeit begrudgingly, admitted that the scar always acted up before a storm. But this Elias treated it like another distant fact, trivia rather than experience.
Auron forced a laugh. "Guess you''re tougher than I gave you credit for."
Elias tilted his head, studying him carefully, and then began smiling broadly. "You have always underestimated me, Auron."
Something cold slithered down Auron’s spine.
This wasn’t Elias.
Later that night, away from the rest of the group, Auron and Rina reconvened.
"That wasn’t him.” Rina whispered. An edge crept into her voice. “That wasn’t Elias."
Auron let out a breath, then snapped. "I know. Whatever it is, it''s watching us."
Together they turned, instinctively glancing to the area where Elias was near the fire, easily chatting with the rest of the group. Laughing. Smiling.
It was wrong. So wrong.
"What do we do?" Rina asked, with cold fingers tightening around her bow.
Auron did not respond instantaneously. His thoughts flashed through various scearios. Not a single moment ended well.
If they pushed him on it head-on. If h weren’t Elias, then what? Was he going to kill them? Was he going to vanish? What could possibly be the endgame in this scenario? Playing with a knife like Elias
"We wait," Auron said eventually. "We collect more evidence. Whatever it happens to be, it’s acting the part for a reason. And we need to figure out what that reason is."
Rina accepted with a nod, though tension was carved into her face, strain lines spanning in both directions.
"Fine, but the moment it shows its card, we strike first."
Auron did not argue. Because somewhere inside, he had the sinking feeling that when it showed its card, it would be too late for them.
Auron thought, Elias. What the hell happened to you?
The Elias at the campfire was smiling, taking on a smug grin—because he already knew their plan.
The smile just grew sadistic