LGHTNOVELBOOK Chapter 11: A Name Given, A Name Chosen
The wind carries the scent of fresh earth and sun-warmed grass, the golden stalks of wheat swaying gently with each passing breeze. It is quiet here, save for the distant hum of a village waking to the day. Birds call out from the trees, the sky a vast expanse of blue stretching endlessly overhead.
But my world—our world—is small.
It is the space between him and me, between the words left unspoken and the ones waiting to be said.
Elias watches me carefully, as if uncertain whether to trust his own thoughts, his own eyes.
And then, after a long, drawn-out silence, he finally speaks.
"Are you…" His voice is steady, yet hesitant, the weight of his own question pressing against him. "Are you Elysia?"
The name hangs between us.
A name given.
A name I no longer want.
I stiffen, my fingers curling at my sides. The moment those syllables leave his lips, something in me tightens—a quiet, simmering irritation like a silk ribbon pulled too taut.
So, he does remember.
But only as far as what he made me.
——
I exhale slowly, letting my lashes lower just slightly as I tilt my head to the side. The movement is not deliberate—it is simply how I carry myself, and how my body responds in moments of contemplation.
But when I glance back at Elias, I catch the faintest flicker of something in his expression.
A shift in his posture.
A sudden stillness.
His breath catches.
And then—just for a second—his gaze avoids mine.
Heat rises in his cheeks, barely noticeable, but I see it.
I narrow my eyes, intrigued despite myself.
Was he—?
No.
Surely not.
And yet, as the wind stirs between us, I notice the way his fingers flex slightly, as if unsure what to do with his own hands.
I almost smirk.
Almost.
Instead, I let my voice cool as I correct him.
"No."
He blinks.
I lift my chin slightly, letting my dark hair brush against my cheek as the wind shifts again. "I am not Elysia."
His brows furrow. "But that's the name I—"
"The name you gave me," I cut in gently, but firmly. "Not the name I chose for myself."
Something flickers in his expression—hesitation, guilt, perhaps even the barest hint of shame.
Good.
He should feel that.
Because I am not just something he can create, shape, and forget!
——
He exhales, rubbing the back of his neck. His gaze flickers away for a moment as if searching for an answer somewhere in the rolling fields around us.
I watch him carefully, waiting.
Then, slowly, he speaks again.
"Then… what should I call you?"
My lips part, something warm settling in my chest at the question.
It is not his decision anymore.
It is mine.
I step forward, close enough to feel the faint warmth of his presence, close enough that the light shifts just enough to catch the gold flecks in his eyes.
"You will call me Ume."
A name I took for myself.
A name that belongs to me.
I let the weight of it settle between us, my gaze unwavering.
Elias studies me for a moment, his jaw tightening just slightly as if coming to terms with something he had not prepared himself for.
Then, slowly—almost reluctantly—he nods.
"Ume," he repeats, the name shaping itself on his tongue, unfamiliar yet… fitting.
Something about the way he says it sends an unexpected warmth down my spine.
And I am not ready for that.
I turn away swiftly, crossing my arms as if that will dispel the sudden rush of something unnamed curling inside me.
"It would do you well to respect that name," I murmur, my voice soft but pointed.
Another pause.
And then—
A quiet chuckle.
"Alright," Elias says, amusement lacing his tone, though I can still hear the lingering hesitation beneath it. "Ume."
He says it again as if testing the way it sounds, letting it settle into something comfortable.
It should annoy me that he keeps repeating it.
And yet, I find that I do not hate it.
Not when it comes from him.
——
The world remains unfamiliar.
The road ahead is uncertain.
But for the first time, I am seen.
And I have a name to call my own.