Sakura stared at Lyra.
Lyra stared back.
Then she reopened her book.
Just like that.
As though the conversation had ended.
Sakura blinked.
"No."
Lyra looked up.
"No?"
"No."
Sakura pointed at her.
"You don't get to appear out of nowhere, reveal you're Lyra, and then go back to reading."
The girl considered this.
"That's fair."
She placed a bookmark between the pages and closed the book.
Progress.
Small progress.
But progress.
The evening wind rolled across the valley.
Far below, lights were beginning to appear in the villages.
The mountains stood quietly in the distance.
Watching.
Waiting.
Sakura folded her map.
"Let's start simple."
Lyra nodded.
"Good idea."
"Who are you?"
The younger girl thought for a moment.
Then answered:
"A librarian."
Sakura stared.
"That's a lie."
"A partial truth."
"That's worse."
"Usually."
The conversation was already exhausting.
Sakura understood why the Archivist tolerated so few people.
Lyra sat comfortably on the rock.
Completely unbothered.
"You're looking for Haruto."
Not a question.
Of course not.
Nobody in this world asked questions.
Sakura pinched the bridge of her nose.
"Does everyone know that?"
"Not everyone."
Lyra replied.
"Just the people who pay attention."
That wasn't reassuring.
Not even slightly.
The girl looked toward the mountains.
Then back at Sakura.
"You're close."
Sakura's eyes narrowed.
"Everybody keeps saying that."
"Because it's true."
"How close?"
Lyra smiled.
A tiny smile.
The sort that immediately annoyed people.
"Close enough that you're scared."
The words hit far more accurately than Sakura wanted.
Because yes.
She was scared.
Not of deserts.
Not of monsters.
Not of failure.
She was scared of success.
Scared of actually finding him.
Scared that after all these years she wouldn't know what to say.
Scared that reality could never match the hope she'd carried for so long.
Lyra watched her quietly.
Then spoke more softly.
"You don't need to prepare a speech."
Sakura froze.
The girl shrugged.
"People always think they need one."
The words felt oddly personal.
As though Lyra had seen this happen before.
Which, knowing her, wasn't impossible.
The silence stretched.
Then Sakura asked the question that had been bothering her since Aurelis.
"What are the Pages?"
For the first time, Lyra's expression changed.
Not much.
Just enough.
The playful amusement faded.
The girl looked toward the horizon.
"The Pages are what remain."
The answer immediately created more questions.
"What does that mean?"
A long pause.
Then:
"When a story becomes important enough..."
Lyra tapped the cover of her book.
"...the world remembers it."
Sakura frowned.
"That makes no sense."
"I know."
"Can you explain it better?"
"No."
"Why?"
"Because I don't fully understand it either."
That was somehow the most trustworthy answer she'd heard all month.
At least it was honest.
The wind shifted.
Night slowly settled over the valley.
Stars appeared overhead.
One by one.
Then Lyra unexpectedly stood.
The conversation apparently had a time limit.
"Wait."
Sakura stepped forward.
"I still have questions."
"You always will."
Lyra replied.
That was probably true.
Which was annoying.
The girl picked up her book.
Then glanced toward the map in Sakura's hand.
"Follow the route."
"I was already doing that."
"Good."
Lyra nodded.
Then added:
"And stop looking for clues."
Sakura blinked.
"What?"
The girl smiled.
A strange smile.
Not mysterious.
Not teasing.
Almost... happy.
"Because the clues are finished."
Silence.
The world seemed to stop for a moment.
"The clues are..."
Sakura couldn't finish the sentence.
Lyra did it for her.
"Finished."
A beat.
"You're not chasing Haruto anymore."
The smile widened slightly.
"You're heading toward him."