Name.

[What did you say?], asked Eleonora, confused.

[Tell me more about yourself], the human repeated.

Why?

Why did he want to know more about her? That wasn't going to fix anything!

[What for?], Eleonora asked, feeling a pain starting in her chest.

[Why not?], replied the human.

This question ignited a flame inside Eleonora; she wanted to strangle him with her hands to see if he would stop talking nonsense.

Only after taking several deep breaths did Eleonora manage to calm down.

She had to keep control.

She had waited too long to ruin everything now because of her anger.

[What do you want to know…?], Eleonora asked, trying not to sound upset, but she was still annoyed.

[What can I ask?], the human asked curiously.

How did he not know what to ask?

Was it possible that, in addition to being weird, he was also stupid?

[Ask anything], Eleonora replied quickly, albeit reluctantly.

She was irritated.

Eleonora didn't understand why she felt increasingly irritable, but it didn't matter.

The important thing at that moment was to convince him.

Whatever the cost, she had to persuade this human to come closer to make the contract, otherwise...

Eleonora didn't even want to think about what would happen if she failed. She just knew she couldn't let this opportunity slip away.

Seconds passed and Eleonora could feel her nerves growing.

When was he going to ask his question...?

Couldn't he ask it any faster?

[How did you end up like this?], the human asked.

Eleonora, who had thought she could immediately answer any question the human asked, was unable to respond, as her mind went blank.

How did she end up like this? How is it that she was now so... alone and with all these unnecessary emotions?

She wasn't like this before, so... how?

How...?

Eleonora began to ask herself this question over and over to find the answer.

She had spent so much time training in that space that she had completely forgotten, but after several seconds, she began to remember.

She slowly recalled the face of the last candidate she had had, and her anger increased gradually.

If only she could go back to the past...!

Eleonora remembered how that wolf had snatched her candidate's life away simply because she wasn't controlling her body.

She was sure she could have easily finished him or directly burned him to ashes without even giving him a chance to get close.

But no!

She couldn't do anything.

If only she hadn't agreed to the candidate's absurd request...

[I made a mistake], Eleonora admitted with aggression and firmness.

She was very upset.

So much time, far too much, and all for... that mistake.

She couldn't make another mistake like that.

[Did you make a mistake?], asked the human, confused, further angering Eleonora.

Eleonora tried to calm down to continue responding, but the next question made her explode:

[Are you okay?]

[Do I look like I am? I'm trapped and can't do absolutely anything without a...!], Eleonora yelled, annoyed, but she stopped herself when she realized what she was doing.

What have I done?

She had done it again!

Eleonora cursed herself, and at this point, she didn't know what to do.

She had never felt as nervous as she did at that moment.

This time she really had ruined everything.

She had yelled at the only human who had maintained contact with her, if he cut off communication...

While Eleonora tried to find a solution, the human spoke:

[Sorry, it seems I asked a question I shouldn't have]

His tone...

What was his tone when he said it?

Was he upset?

Indignant?

Tired?

Compared to the tone he used before, what was it like now?

Eleonora realized that, in her eagerness to persuade the human to search for her, she had hardly paid attention to the way he spoke to her, and now she felt like she was walking on a tightrope.

Calm down...

Breathe...

Eleonora took her time to respond this time, as she started doing one of the breathing techniques Eirlys had taught her.

For a moment, everything disappeared, but the sensations were still there for Eleonora.

She could feel the cold surrounding her and the humans that were kilometers away from her. Sometimes some would disappear and others would appear.

She could still feel her connection with that human...

She could hear the noise that filtered in from the outside...

Could these humans be a new tribe...?

Eleonora continued breathing and tried not to dwell on that thought.

What if the human... leaves?

It was a concern that crossed Eleonora's mind, but like her breathing, she accepted it and let it go.

Meditating... How long had it been since she had done a meditation like this?

Despite this new question, Eleonora continued to focus on her breathing until she finally felt calm.

[Are you still there?], Eleonora asked slowly.

She was afraid, but she wouldn't let that emotion get in her way anymore.

[Yes, what happened? Did something happen to you?], the human asked in an excited tone, seemingly surprised.

[Can you tell me your name?], Eleonora asked in a relaxed tone.