Lyra sat on a chair next to the fireplace in the lodge. The soft orange of the flames was cast all over the room. The flames… How she hated seeing them. Why had she been the one to survive this? Why did she have to bear losing everything she had?
The door opened, revealing a grinning Alan. "I'm back," he announced.
Lyra stared at him. "It's been four hours since you left, you know."
"Four? Seriously? Well, I don't think I would have had much to do, anyway, so that's fine." He set his things down and started to make coffee for the two of them.
How had Alan managed not to be fazed by the literal destruction of his home? While he did have fewer emotional attachments to the people of Magnes than Lyra did, he still lost his guardian and his friends, save for Lyra. And yet here he was, humming casually?
Right now, she wasn't sure whether she should have envied him or scorned him. In the end, she sighed, "Where were you for so long?"
"I was talking with Elder Claire. She sure is chatty for a village head."
"Talking about what, exactly? I doubt you have much in common with an old lady…" Lyra said curiously.
After debating about it mentally for a moment, Alan decided against telling her about the temple. After all, history was never one of Lyra's interests.
Alan handed her one of the cups of coffee. "We are more alike than you would think."
Lyra took a sip of the coffee. As always, Alan managed to make it just to her liking. "Thanks," she said softly.
He sat next to her. "You know…" he started, "I think we'd be legends back home."
Lyra did not respond, yet her lips twisted upwards at the edges.
"I'll head to sleep," Alan said, getting up, but he stopped midway. "But I just had coffee… ah, whatever."
Lyra smiled. "Don't worry about it. The coffee wasn't strong." Lyra had to admire him, even if she didn't like how fast he moved on. He was strong. Strong in places where she wasn't. But there was one place where she could always best him…
"Do you know how to use a sword, Alan?"
Alan blinked. "I've seen you and the mayor spar, so I know a little… why?"
"I was just thinking that knowing how to use a weapon is necessary if we want to be conduits."
"A sword, huh? Not a bad idea, but let me explore my options first."
Alan was about to leave the room when Lyra called out, "Wait."
He turned to her. "What's up?"
"Why did you tell me to meet up at the Tree of Life? When the attack happened… We were in the only spot in the entire village that was protected. Do you think it was fate, or just a coincidence?"
"I'm not sure, actually. But now that I think about it… I think that there was a voice in my head telling me to go there. To stay there."
Lyra blinked. 'Does he not realise how stupid that sounds?' she thought. "What did it sound like?"
"Desperate. Frantic… Warm? I don't remember it well…" Alan's eyes widened. 'Didn't remember it? Was this somehow related to the tem-...' his thoughts trailed off. "Huh…" he muttered. 'What had I been thinking about?'
Shaking his head, he disappeared into his room, leaving Lyra by the fire. Strangely, he had clutched his chest as he walked, but Lyra thought nothing of it.
After her chat with Alan, her thoughts were strangely clear But in the end, she decided to take a walk.
It was late in the night, and no one was on the streets. The town center, which was filled with laughter during the day, was as cold as the forest at night. And honestly, Lyra liked it better.
She went farther and farther away from the lodge she and Alan had to share, and entered a forest on the north side of the village. As she walked, her steps caused a multitude of dry leaves to crack under her weight. She found a strange sense of satisfaction listening to the sound.
As it was a forest, she expected to see a stump of a dead tree, or a mound of dirt, but what she didn't expect to come across was a small wooden house in the middle of it.
Strangely, the moonlight seemed to concentrate around the house's surroundings, while the inside of the house was pure, unfiltered darkness.
She looked around her, and as expected, no one was in sight. The house seemed abandoned, so she decided to explore a little. She took a step forward, even more leaves crunching, the satisfying sound echoing through the forest.
"I would appreciate it if you didn't trespass, please," a voice resounded from behind her. The voice didn't just sound deep, it felt blank, almost bored, as if its source had seen it all. She whipped around to see a tall man standing a couple of steps behind her.
'When the hell did he get there?! And why didn't I hear his steps?!' she thought urgently. She glanced down to make sure that the dry leaves were still there.
They were.
But as soon as Lyra saw him, she felt a shiver run through her spine, no, her entire body. The man radiated something that made her want to run far, far away. Despite that feeling, she could not move her limbs. 'Get it together, Lyra,' she shouted internally.
As soon as she regained her bearings, she bolted away from him. Or at least, she tried to. She had stopped dead in her tracks when she heard him say "am I that fearful?"
She slowly turned and gave him a weak nod.
"Well… I am sorry. But you were trespassing." He raised an eyebrow. "And why are you here? The forest at night, even within walls, is no place for a child."
"R-right," she stammered out.
However, the moonlight around them started to glint more noticeably. Her trembling fingers had started to still, and her muscles began to relax. "But who are you?" she continued. "I mean… why put your house so far away from the others?"
"Silence is quite enjoyable, you know."
"Oh!" Lyra nodded vigorously. "I agree! I don't mind people talking, but silence is the most enjoyable."
"And why do you like the silence?" he asked after a pause.
"I… I like thinking. About what makes me happy and… what I've lost."
"I get that," he said as he ran a hand through his hair. "But for me, silence makes me happy, so I just think in silence about the silence." He paused once more. "Have you lost something?"
"Yes… My village was massacred, and Aurevia… they barely acknowledged it."
"Ah… I'm sorry. But…" he sighed softly. "You shouldn't open up too much to a stranger."
"Right," she rubbed her forehead. "Sorry."
"You know, I lost a lot too. I've… I've done so many things." He let out a small sigh. "I have so many regrets. But I had one person with me. That made it bearable."
"One person?" she chuckled weakly. "You really must be a loner."
He raised an eyebrow. "That I suppose I am. And it's late. You'd better get going, child."
"Yeah… Thanks."
"Anytime," he said plainly.
Lyra turned to leave, and as she did so, she heard the leaves crunching under her feet once more. She glanced back to see the man walking back to the shed, and again, there were no sounds coming from him.
The man stepped into his home. What looked dark on the outside was actually well lit on the inside, though that could be because of who was inside the house. The man walked over to the living room and smiled imperceptibly at a glowing white light on the couch.
He raised his hand and touched the light. As soon as he did, he felt an overwhelming sense of warmth fill his core.
"I'm surprised, you know. I'd have thought you would have talked to him by now," the light said, giggling. The air suddenly felt warmer, despite being frozen in place earlier.
"I may not have spoken to him yet, but I was very close to him. And besides, you've only 'met' him because you have been whispering into his ear for so long, which I have had the restraint not to do."
"Sounds like you're being a sore loser again, Nyther," she teased. "That takes me back to those days."
"Don't make it sound nostalgic… How I wish that he may not have to go through what we did."
She sighed softly. "Do you regret it? What if there was another way back then?"
Nyther shook his head. "There definitely was, but this way, I believe, will hurt the least amount of people."
"Let's hope you're not wrong…" she smiled.
He frowned, noticing the strange wording. "Don't you mean 'Let's hope you're right'?"
The light simply laughed.