To: Elliot

Elliot,

So, you’ve stayed, despite all the horror I’ve shown you. What would it take to drive you away, I wonder?

You amaze me. Do you know that? Your capacity for love, your innate understanding of my people’s tech in spite of your origins, the pure goodness in you, even after what the mages did, and you’re still so young. If you weren’t constrained by a carefully constructed future, how far would you go?

You’ll probably hate the comparison, but you’re much like my brother in that regard. He was brilliant and a good man, in his own way, but what’s manipulating you messed with him too.

You’ve seen Pheniks at his best and worst now. His descent into someone who’d kill hundreds of thousands starts at this point in my story.

That’s my brother, though, his tale over and done. Yours is still being written, and every day you fight the destiny that other people wish to impose on you, I love you more for it. Maybe you can change your fate. I don’t know if the world can afford for that to happen, but still, I hope you do.

You deserve to find peace in all things, much like what you’ve guided me toward. You deserve happiness with Victor and anyone else you might love, much like you’ve given me.

But we should turn to the story. This chapter of my life sees the introduction of new people into it, and one of those is someone I’d sacrifice everything for: life, wealth, and happiness. The reason for that should become apparent soon enough.

This chapter also details what I consider to be the worst thing I’ve ever done in my life, but you won’t learn about it until much later. I wish you’d never learn about it, but I know you. If you’ve gotten this far, you’ll stay until the end, too stubborn to give up now.

Stubborn, brilliant, oh so fragile yet strong, a light in our dark world. Mother Time was I lucky to have you in my life, Elliot. I hope you know that.

I hope you know how much I love you.

-Zaeden