LOREN
Not trusting himself to speak after the display of new magic—and Peter’s fearful response to the unknown energy—Loren just nodded. Thankfully the adopted Launceleyn cheered up immensely as the conversation went on. They both did. Or at least they did until the topic of Zariah came up. Sighing, the summoner ran a hand through his hair. It seemed that the lingering trauma from that time was still something he needed to deal with. At the other man’s admission that Loren was helping, he smiled gratefully. ”I’m glad to hear that.” It was progress, and that was all he could really ask for at this point.
Luckily, the summoner’s affected accent was enough to lighten the mood again. However, it faded away quickly again. Normally, he’d be touched that he was the first person Peter opened up to. However, Loren was far more concerned with how distressed the adopted Launceleyn still was when talking about his past. ”Hey, look at me.” The summoner would wait until the other man hopefully actually looked Loren in the eyes. If not, though, he’d say his piece. ”You are not broken. You hear me? You survived. And yes, you’ll have scars, both physical and emotional. They will take a while to heal, and some of them might never heal fully.”
He took a deep shuddering breath. ”It’s...it’s not easy, feeling like you’ve finally escaped. You might not feel like you’re ready to move on for a very, very long time. I didn’t feel that I could until recently. Still don’t. Sometimes I still feel like all this is a dream, one that will get ripped away at any moment. Because I lived with uncertainty, pain, and fear for so long I can’t trust the happiness I’ve found.” He fell silent for a moment, letting it all sink in. ”But you can’t let those fears, those memories, stop you from living your life. From seeing all the good you have.” If the adopted Launceleyn needed to hear it again, the summoner would explain again and again until Peter finally believed it.
Luckily, the summoner’s affected accent was enough to lighten the mood again. However, it faded away quickly again. Normally, he’d be touched that he was the first person Peter opened up to. However, Loren was far more concerned with how distressed the adopted Launceleyn still was when talking about his past. ”Hey, look at me.” The summoner would wait until the other man hopefully actually looked Loren in the eyes. If not, though, he’d say his piece. ”You are not broken. You hear me? You survived. And yes, you’ll have scars, both physical and emotional. They will take a while to heal, and some of them might never heal fully.”
He took a deep shuddering breath. ”It’s...it’s not easy, feeling like you’ve finally escaped. You might not feel like you’re ready to move on for a very, very long time. I didn’t feel that I could until recently. Still don’t. Sometimes I still feel like all this is a dream, one that will get ripped away at any moment. Because I lived with uncertainty, pain, and fear for so long I can’t trust the happiness I’ve found.” He fell silent for a moment, letting it all sink in. ”But you can’t let those fears, those memories, stop you from living your life. From seeing all the good you have.” If the adopted Launceleyn needed to hear it again, the summoner would explain again and again until Peter finally believed it.
look at how a single candle can both
defy and define the darkness
defy and define the darkness
