To my shock, Liam didn't leave. Instead, he made a fire which, I have no idea how, considering we were surrounded by sand. The flames flickered to life, casting a warm glow over us as we sat around it. The warmth was comforting against the cold night air, and for a brief moment, it felt almost peaceful.
"To be clear, I don't hate you," Liam suddenly said, breaking the silence.
"Obviously," I scoffed, staring into the fire. The heat on my face was welcoming
"When we were kids, we were best buddies but everything changed with the prophecy." His voice was distant, like he was recalling something buried deep in his mind, something he hadn't spoken about in a long time.
I raised a brow. "You actually expect me to believe that?"
He nodded, his expression was unreadable, but there was no trace of dishonesty in his eyes.
"Your mom left with you when you were barely three and erased all your memories," he said. "Before that, we were inseparable."
I scoffed. "Your lies are getting more ridiculous."
"My father was in love with your mom."
"Wait, what?" I blinked, staring at him as if he had grown another head.
Liam smirked at my confusion, clearly enjoying the moment. "My dad and your mom were best friends since childhood. He fell hard for her but never confessed. Then, one day, three humans, two men and one woman, came to our land. Your mom grew close to one of them, and my dad got jealous. Soon, they fell in love. My dad was heartbroken, so he married someone else and had me. Three years later, your mom and the man she fell in love with had you. That's when we became best friends.
But then the prophecy came out. Out of fear, your mom fled with your dad. No one heard from them until four years later when we found out she had another child. Your grandfather was deeply hurt, and my dad… well, he lost himself. It was clear he still had feelings for your mom. My mom left because she knew my dad could never love her the way he loved yours. So you can't blame me if I have some ill feelings toward you."
I swallowed hard, my mind reeling. My dad was one of the three elders? No wonder why my mom always smiled when she talked about them. I had so many questions, but my throat felt too dry to ask any of them.
"Is your father Richard?" I finally managed, my voice barely above a whisper, connecting the dots in my mind.
Liam smiled faintly. "You met him? He told you his name?"
I nodded slowly. If Richard was Liam's father, then he was the same man from ten years ago. The same man who had spoken in riddles ten years ago
I really hope my mom isn't some kind of assassin.
"So, what prophecy made my mom leave?" I asked, eager to change the subject before my brain melted from the weight of everything.
"I'm sure you've heard of the story of Pirar."
I bit my lip. Of course, I knew that story but none of this made sense.
"Yeah, but you actually expect me to believe all this, everything feels like a joke"
He shrugged. "There's a prophecy hidden in it."
"Right, but why would my mom flee because of it?"
Liam leaned back, stretching his legs out as he exhaled. "You should get some sleep."
I narrowed my eyes at him. "You know something I don't, and you're refusing to tell me."
He smirked. "Smart as always, now, sleep."
I huffed and lay down, staring up at the sky. The stars looked different here, somehow sharper, colder. My mind buzzed with questions, but exhaustion pulled at my limbs.
Just as I was about to drift off, Liam added, "And if you're planning to murder me in my sleep, remember, I'm your only hope of getting out of here."
That bastard. I couldn't see him, but I could feel him smirking. I groaned and shut my eyes, willing myself to sleep despite the frustrating company.
Tomorrow, I'd get answers. Whether Liam liked it or not.