The between-space? Seriously, it's a terrible place. You're all turned around, and it feels like you're falling apart. But this time, it was worse; I felt like time was running out fast. I couldn't shake the image of Lyra, standing alone with her Violet light, trying to hold back the Greying Lands. Did she make it? Did I mess things up so badly that she died?
We didn't end up back at the nice safe place. Instead, we got dumped out of the rift in some small cave – a secret spot Elias had set up just in case. It was chilly and quiet, and the Chroma there felt old.
I hit the ground hard and threw up. My body just wasn't working right. My head was pounding from the Spire fighting back, and all my nerves felt like they were on fire.
Kael landed next to me, grunted, and jumped right back up, hammer ready. He was breathing hard. Anya came out of the shadows with the kid Scribe, who wouldn't stop shaking. I could hear their teeth chattering.
The rift behind us was glitching out.
"Lyra," I managed to choke out, pushing myself up.
The rift flashed one last time, and Lyra stumbled out, falling to her knees. Her armor was wrecked, and her crystal rod was broken. She had a nasty burn on her face and a cut on her head that was bleeding into her eye. But she was alive.
I almost cried. We were all okay.
The rift closed behind her with a sharp sound that bounced around the cave.
No one said anything for a long time. We were all just catching our breath, and the kid was still whimpering. The rush from the fight was wearing off, and we were all tired and realizing what had just happened.
Lyra moved first. She wiped the blood from her eye and looked at Anya. "The kid?"
Anya helped the kid Scribe sit down on a rock. They were curled up, hugging their knees, with their face hidden. They seemed scared to death.
"Physically okay," Anya said in her usual quiet voice. "But mentally… not good."
Lyra nodded, looking worried. Then she looked at me. Her eyes, usually so bright, were tired and sad, but she looked right at me. "You did it, Kaelen. You held the field long enough. That's why we made it."
I should have felt good about that, but I didn't. "It flickered," I said. "The kid… their power messed with me. It told the Spire we were there. We almost died."
"You got it back together," Kael said, leaning on his hammer. "You fought against the Spire itself. No one else could have done it." He nodded once. "It was good enough."
Coming from Kael, that was high praise. But it didn't make me feel better.
Lyra went over to the kid and knelt down, moving slowly like she didn't want to scare them. "You're safe now," she said gently. "No one will hurt you here. I'm Lyra. What's your name?"
The kid flinched and pulled their hood tighter. A wave of scared Chroma came from them – a mix of dark blue and sharp red. It felt like what I'd felt in the canyon.
"It's okay," Lyra said. "You're with friends. We're like you."
The kid tilted their head up a little. Two big, stormy blue eyes peeked out from the shadows. They looked terrified.
"L-like me?" a tiny voice whispered. "A… a monster?"
That word hit me hard. It was what I'd called myself for years.
"No," I said, louder than I thought I would. I walked over and knelt beside Lyra. I showed the kid my hands. "You're not a monster. They lied to you."
I tried to stay calm and let the kid feel that I wasn't going to hurt them. I wasn't like the Ash-Singers. I was quiet, like the sanctuary, like a deep lake.
The kid looked at me. Their Chroma calmed down a little. They could tell I was telling the truth.
"I'm Kaelen," I said. "What's yours?"
A long pause. Then, a whisper. "M-Mara."
"Well, Mara," Lyra said, "We're going to take you somewhere safe. Where you can learn what you are, without being scared."
Mara didn't say anything, but she didn't seem as panicked.
We rested in the cave for a few hours, eating and drinking what Elias had stored there. Lyra took care of her injuries, and Kael stood guard at the entrance. I tried to sleep, but I kept seeing the Spire and hearing Mara call herself a monster.
When it was safe, Anya led us through some secret tunnels that came out in a forest, far from the Greying Lands. The Chroma there felt clean and good. From there, it was a long walk back to the sanctuary.
People weren't celebrating when we got back. They just seemed relieved. The sight of Mara, scared and clinging to Anya, stopped any cheering. We went to the healing groves, where they helped us with our injuries.
Elara was there. She looked at Mara and started making a soft blanket out of moonlight. She put it around the kid, and Mara finally stopped shaking and fell asleep.
After I got cleaned up and they helped my head feel better, Elias called me. He was in his office, looking at the Scribe's board. He looked older.
"Tell me everything," he said.
So I did. I told him about the field, the fight, Mara's power messing with me, the Spire fighting back, and Lyra barely making it out. When I was done, I was shaking again.
Elias was quiet for a while. "The child's reaction was expected," he said. "Untrained, scared, and surrounded by nullification. Her power was going to fight back. The feedback is something I didn't see. Your power and hers are too similar. They can cause problems.
He looked at me, serious. "This is a new problem, but this could be helpful."
"Helpful? It almost got us killed! I asked .
"It also means your power can connect with another on a basic level," he said. "This is rare. Usually different Scribes just are in harmony. You and Mara could learn to join your powers. To create a stillness that is even better than either.
The idea was crazy, and scary. To connect my mind with a terrified kid?
"She thinks she's a monster," I said.
"Then you must show her she is not, Elias said. That is your job now, Kaelen. You are the only one who knows what she is going through. You must take care of her.
This felt like a lot. Fighting was one thing, but helping someone was different.
Over time, I just tried to be around her. I sat near her in the healing grove, not talking, just being there. Sometimes I made a leaf shake, or made the water ripple. I wanted to show her that power can be gentle.
She watched me. She never talked, but she seemed less scared when I was close.
Lyra, with her arm in a sling, found me there one day. She sat down next to me.
"You are good with her," she said.
"I don't know what I'm doing," I said.
"None of us do," she said. "We are all figuring this out. But you are trying. The mission helped us. He will be coming
"I know."
"Elias believes you two can connect. It looks like I have to say goodbye now She looked at me, hard to read. "This is all new land for both of us
It felt like another thing. Another step on a path all alone.
"I'm worried I'll make it hurt," I said, and now I was showing my fear.
"The worry makes you perfect to do it, Lyra said. He's all action no pain. You are good for seeing people never ever mistake that for less
She left me there, with the kid and all the noise that comes with her words.
I looked at Mara. She was looking at a small, blue flower. A little bit of her Chroma touched it. The flower glowed and then it was done.
It was the first time she had used her power and not been scared.
I felt something in me, small like a little seedling. The war doesn't stop, but inside something else is happening for both of us.