"I refuse!"

Rey's answer was the same as the last time, and for good reason.

'I still don't trust this Oracle character. If Esme becomes like that will she really still be Esme? There's a lot we don't even know, so making an informed decision right now is impossible'

There was also the fact that he already knew of another way to get The Oracle to do what he wanted. All he had to do was find Adonis and convince him to ask her to save Alicia.

'The easy part is convincing him. I'll have to find him first.' Rey thought to himself, but still considered that to be a much more solid plan than literally selling Esme off.

The last reasoncertainly not the least oneon his mind was that Esme would no longer be with him if she became The Oracle.

Yes, it was a little too selfish, which was why Rey didn't want to give it so much priority.

But that was just how he felt.

'Will she be stuck in this place for the rest of her life? I I don't want that for her!'

All of these things were happening too fast, and rather than jumping right on ittaking The Oracle at her wordit was best to have a proper conversation with Esme about it.

'At this point, we should just leave this place, and'

"I wasn't asking you, Rey Skylar." The Oracle's voice woke Rey from his thoughts, and that was when he noticed her gaze was on Esme.

He also noticed that Esme was yet to give a coherent response. Based on how she looked, though, he could already guess what she would say.

"Esme, wai!"

"I accept your offer." Her voice flowed very fluidly, and her blue eyes shone with determination as she looked ahead.

In a flash, Rey rushed towards her, holding her by both shoulders as he shoved his face close to hers in an attempt to reason with her.

"What are you doing? You can't make such a decision on the spot like that!"

"Why not?"

"Why not? What are you what are you saying? Esme, we can't trust her! This whole deal sounds shady as hell! We should leave and come back later maybe."

As Rey bombarded Esme with those words, she closed her eyes and inhaled deeply. After a few seconds of this, she shrugged Rey's hold off of her and pulled back from him.

Stunned by this, Rey took a few steps back as well.

"Can't you see that this is for the best, Rey?" She began, turning her gaze towards him so they stared each other in the eyes. "You finally get the cure for Alicia's curse, and I I get to be a true Elf and help my people as The Oracle. It's what we both desperately want."

"No not like this!"

"Why not?! You have a chance to be with the girl you love, and you want to throw it all away?"

"I-it's not that simple, Esme!"

"Seems simple enough to me." She shrugged, taking more steps back as she noticed Rey trying to move towards her. "You should stop trying to sabotage your goal at this point."

"My goal isn't the only thing I'm worried about here! You can't!"

"Can't what? Achieve my own goals? I already told you this is what I really want! Do you really want to stand in the way of that?"

"...."

Rey was rendered speechless by what Esme told him that he had no words to say for a few seconds. The Oracle watched all of this in silence, seeing the palpable tension that existed between the two as they stared hard at each other.

Then, as the silence evolved and reached a crescendo, Rey whispered words that came deep from his gut and through his itchy throat.

"You promised that you weren't going to leave me."

Clenching his fist, he stared hard at Esme. Trembling lips prevented him from saying those words coherently or as intensely as he wanted.

Still, he said them.

Yes, he knew what he was doing was selfish. Esme was her own person, and she had her own dreams to accomplish. But but Rey couldn't afford to leave her.

More importantly, he couldn't afford her leaving him.

"Well you left me first." Esme responded, her tone almost as detached as The Oracle's as she looked away from him.

Rey couldn't as much as croak as he heard those words.

He wanted to stretch out his hand to reach her, but his hands wouldn't budge. He wanted to speak, but his throat was too sore. Even when he opened his lips, only hollow air proceeded out of them.

Perhaps all of this was because Rey knew he was right.

'I have no excuse no reason or justification that could outweigh her current choice.' His thoughts trailed.

He didn't want to be too selfish. How could he tell her to abandon her own dreams, especially if he also got something out of it.

Who did he think he was? How dare he do something like that?

And yet yet why did he feel a strong feeling in his heart that he should just open his mouth and scream at the top of his lungs that he wasn't going to let her go?

Why did he feel this burning desire? This overwhelming feeling that supposedly granted him the right to refuse her?

Was that enough justification, though.

"I I"

Of course, it wasn't.

"The deal has already been established in my eyes. There is no room for any dissent or disagreement on your part, Rey Skylar." The Oracle's voice interrupted his hollow, pathetic excuse for a response.

"Since there is no further use for you, I will now be evicting you from my domain. Once you return to the Shrine, I shall provide you with the means to cure your dear friend."

"No" Rey's whisper was so faint that not even The Oracle picked it up the first time.

"What was that?" She asked.

"I said no." Raising his head high, while staring hard at The Oracle, he controlled his quivering lips and let his words flow straight from his gut.

"I'm not leaving here without Esme!"