The Fourth Lock remained silent.
Only three cracks were left upon the mirror.
Its surface slowly rippled until Lyra's reflection became clearer. She sat alone inside the Grand Library of the Imperial Academy. Towering bookshelves surrounded her while dozens of ancient tomes floated in the air, turning their pages one after another through the guidance of her mana.
The library was empty.
The candles had nearly burned out.
Outside, dawn had begun to paint the eastern sky with pale orange light.
She had spent the entire night searching.
Not once had she complained.
Not once had she stopped.
Kael quietly watched her.
The Traveler spoke softly.
"This is not your memory."
"It is hers."
"Watch carefully."
...
Several months earlier.
The Kingdom War had just ended.
The Academy was quieter than usual.
Many students had never returned from the battlefield.
The laughter that once filled the campus had become rare.
Lyra slowly walked through the Academy gardens, carrying several books against her chest.
Her robes were stained with dried blood that had never completely washed away.
Not her blood.
The blood of people she had tried—and failed—to save.
She stopped beneath a blooming tree.
"...I'm still too weak."
There was no one nearby.
She wasn't speaking to anyone.
Only to herself.
"You protected everyone..."
Her voice trembled slightly.
"And I..."
She lowered her head.
"...could only watch."
Tears quietly rolled down her cheeks.
She wiped them away before anyone could see.
Then she continued walking toward the library.
...
For the next several weeks...
She barely left.
While other students rested after the war...
Lyra buried herself beneath mountains of books.
Ancient magic.
Mana theory.
Runic language.
Forbidden archives.
She studied everything.
One afternoon...
The elderly librarian sighed as he approached her desk.
"You should go outside."
Lyra didn't lift her head.
"I'm busy."
"You've been here for twelve days."
"I know."
"You've slept less than ten hours."
"I know."
"You'll collapse."
Lyra finally looked up.
Her purple eyes carried absolute determination.
"If I stop..."
"...someone else might die next time."
The librarian fell silent.
He had seen countless geniuses throughout his life.
Students who chased fame.
Power.
Recognition.
Lyra chased none of those things.
She studied because she blamed herself.
Not for failing.
But for surviving.
...
The memory shifted.
Several days later.
Lyra stood inside one of the Academy's underground training chambers.
A massive magic circle covered the floor.
Around her floated six crystal spheres.
Each represented a different elemental affinity.
An instructor observed quietly.
"Begin."
Lyra raised her staff.
A torrent of fire erupted from the first sphere.
She immediately countered with water.
Wind.
Earth.
Lightning.
Ice.
One after another.
Her spells flowed smoothly.
Precisely.
Almost perfectly.
The instructor nodded.
"Excellent."
"Your control has improved."
Lyra lowered her staff.
"...It's still not enough."
The old instructor frowned.
"You've surpassed most fifth-year students."
"It isn't enough."
"You mastered triple casting."
"It isn't enough."
"You created a new mana formula."
"It still isn't enough."
The instructor looked at her for a long time.
Then asked quietly,
"Who are you trying to catch?"
The question stunned her.
Silence filled the chamber.
Finally...
She whispered.
"...Kael."
The instructor slowly smiled.
"I thought so."
Lyra lowered her eyes.
"Every time I become stronger..."
"...he's already far ahead."
"He keeps carrying everything."
"And every time I think I can finally help him..."
"...another impossible enemy appears."
Her grip tightened around her staff.
"I don't want to be protected anymore."
"I want..."
She stopped speaking.
The instructor waited patiently.
"...I want him to trust me."
Those words echoed through the Fourth Lock.
Kael closed his eyes.
He had never known.
Not once...
Had Lyra wanted to surpass him.
She simply wanted to stand beside him.
...
The memory changed again.
Late at night.
Rain fell gently against the library windows.
Lyra sat surrounded by ancient manuscripts.
Every page spoke of civilizations long gone.
Most scholars searched for lost magic.
Lost treasures.
Lost knowledge.
Lyra searched for only one thing.
A way to help Kael.
Dozens of failed notes covered her desk.
Ancient runes filled countless pages.
She sighed softly.
"...Not this one either."
A familiar voice interrupted her.
Selene quietly placed another stack of books beside her.
"You'll ruin your eyesight."
Lyra smiled faintly.
"So I've been told."
Selene sat across from her.
"You've been looking for the same thing for months."
"I know."
"You could simply wait until Kael comes back."
Lyra gently shook her head.
"No."
"If I wait..."
"...then I'll always be waiting."
She looked toward the enormous window overlooking the Academy.
"When he returns..."
"I want him to discover that the world kept moving."
"That his friends kept growing."
"So..."
A small smile appeared on her face.
"...he won't have to worry about us anymore."
Silence followed.
Selene quietly smiled.
"He chose the right friends."
Lyra laughed softly.
"No."
"We chose each other."
...
The memory slowly faded.
Back inside the Fourth Lock...
Kael remained motionless.
The mirror reflected him once again.
This time...
Lyra stood behind his reflection.
Not as someone hiding in his shadow.
Not as someone waiting to be protected.
She stood shoulder to shoulder with him.
The World Tree finally spoke.
**"What is she to you?"**
Kael smiled.
Not immediately.
He thought carefully.
Then answered.
"She isn't someone I have to protect."
The mirror shimmered.
"She isn't someone following behind me."
Another ripple spread.
"She's someone walking beside me."
The chamber trembled.
A brilliant silver light filled the room.
One of the remaining cracks quietly disappeared.
Only two remained.
The Traveler smiled.
"Good."
"You're finally seeing them..."
"...as they have always seen themselves."
Far away, inside the Grand Library, Lyra suddenly looked up from her books.
She didn't know why.
But for just a brief moment...
She felt as though someone had finally understood her.
A gentle breeze entered through the open window.
A single silver butterfly landed upon the page she was reading.
It rested there for only a heartbeat before taking flight once more.
Lyra watched it disappear into the morning sky.
Then smiled.
"...You're getting closer."
She didn't know who she was speaking to.
But somehow...
She knew he would hear.