บท 80: The Past

LAIS

"Hey," I say, finally finding Elen. 

She's sitting down at the headquarter's field, biting down on an apple. 

She nods upon seeing me. I approach.

"How did it go?" I ask.

"Well, just as planned. Your beloved sword should be back by tomorrow," she replies.

I take a seat beside her.

"Thanks," I say.

She merely shrugs at my gratitude. 

I look at her unreadable face. Years and years have passed, and I still am not able to predict nor fully understand her. I love her with all that I can, and yet her face is still incomprehensible for me. 

"Funny thing happened today," I start.

"Really?" she asks, humoring me.

She's biting off her apple, looking far away. Sitting with her back straight and erect, her chin up, her face perfectly chiseled like the terracotta earth, to me she's the paragon of beauty right now. And yet that beauty, I cannot decode, no matter how I try. 

I sigh, looking away.