All the past events that had transpired since that fateful day ran through Lyra's mind.
Reality had faced Lyra yet again. Leaving what remained of her home, only to spend the night at Renna's tavern. Refusing to bow down to the hopelessness she felt after the magical beast destroyed any hope of happiness.
I must honor my father and do what is right.
Resolved to spend her remaining days helping others, she began with Ves, a mother who needed to bring medicinal herbs back to Sobi. Under assault by undead animals, Lyra put her life on the line to protect the residents of Sobi. Wounded in the attempt, Lyra walked toward the danger.
That elf was foolish trying to help me. Did he not realize how outmatched he was?
The one controlling the undead stood before her with a mother bear and its cub. Both are long dead. She would never admit it out loud, but that elf who ran into her the night she killed that magical beast under the blood moon jumped into the fight, saving her life.
It couldn’t be a coincidence that she showed up where I was again. Was she following me?
Blaming Nasir for killing her family tarnished whatever good graces they had earned, which was outrageous. Yes, Ryo and Nasir didn’t get along.
I appreciated when Ryo stood up for me when Nasir teased me about being a housewife, but it didn’t bother me. I didn’t need his approval to live my life, and I made my choice the day I left my home and village to live alone with Ryo and Airdan.
They had called them a dark mage. Between her father and his mother, they taught her all they knew about the history of magic that survived over the years, including the existence of gods. She had the impression her grandmother knew more than she let on, but Lyra never pressed her.
Whether the gods were alive, dead or something else entirely was up for debate. The dark mage must be using powers that the force who challenged the light god so long ago gave to them.
It doesn’t matter from who or how they gained their power. Any elf who turned against their kind was a threat that needed to be eliminated. If that included my family, could I still do it?
Lyra couldn’t handle facing Renna again, and with that other elf lurking about, she moved on. Choosing a direction randomly, she began walking.
Her inner contemplations that preoccupied her thoughts ended the morning of the fourth day after leaving Sobi. Someone cried out, “It's a bear, stand behind the cart, Aurora!”
“But darling, we don’t have any weapons and neither of us can wield offensive magic.”
She heard the bear roar, then a cry of pain. Rushing to the scene, Lyra saw a bear standing over an elf it had knocked to the ground with a cart behind him with what she could only assume was his wife hiding behind it.
“Taegen, no!”
Feet already moving, two ice daggers flew from her hands, impaling the bear from the side and grabbing its attention. The wounded elf scrambled back, avoiding another claw that swiped toward him.
Forming her new ice weapon with its long haft and curved blade at the end, she held on with both hands and deflected the bear’s first attack. Off-balance, Lyra swung up under its jaw and into the beast’s skull, where it got stuck.
She let her magic fade when the bear collapsed. Lyra turned to the couple next to the cart and said, “It’s dead.”
Aurora, who was tending to Taegen's wounds, said, “Thank you. We can usually scare off most animals that get too close. If I knew there were bears nearby, I would have insisted on finding a guard.
“I thought I could handle it. I’m sorry.”
Ruffling Taegen's hair, Aurora said, “Instead of apologizing to me, you should be thanking our savior.”
Head bowing in her direction, Taegen said, “Thank you for rescuing us. If you don’t mind, I would like to invite you to our home to rest and recover. It is the least we could do for your timely aid.”
Lyra moved closer to the couple and nodded.
“I would appreciate that. Do you think I could find more work to do in your village?”
The couple looked at each other and grinned. “Those who excel in offensive magic are rare where we live. I doubt many would turn your help away,” said Aurora, her work tending to Taegen done.
Curious, Lyra asked, “Why is that?”
Back on his feet, Taegen said, “Our village leader doesn’t trust magic. They prefer the old ways when our people relied on our natural abilities and the weapons we crafted. Most talented individuals leave because they just tolerate nonaggressive magic.
“Why would I be welcome if that were the case?” Lyra's doubts over the prospect of going near this settlement growing.
The couple looked at each other in silence, then nodded. Aurora said, “After the last capable fighter left, the unrest brewing came to a head. There are enough of us now that want things to change.”
Taegen continued where Aurora left off, and said, “The last few we need to convince to side with us need to see the difference magic can have when wielded properly. With your help, it’s possible.”
With nothing better to do, she agreed. It didn’t take them long to reach what she would learn was called Peaceful Lilly. The residents were happy to see Aurora and Taegen. The hesitancy at welcoming her mostly vanished when the couple shared how she had saved them from a bear attack. When they mentioned how she did it, the oldest in the crowd scoffed and walked away. Two hunters were interested in the dead bear and rushed off to retrieve it. A few others stepped in to handle the cart and take care of the cargo stashed inside.
That is how she ended up in Aurora and Taegen’s home eating supper with them and their child, Salarel. The rambunctious elf was being watched over by a neighbor while her parents were gone.
“Miss, tell me the story of how you saved my ma and pa from the bear again, please!”
The cheerful curiosity bubbling from the child reminded her of Airdan and the memory of their time together playing with the petal butterflies she created. Tears threatened to break past her defenses, but she pushed the emotions down and said, “When I heard your father yell to your mom to get back, then cry out in pain, my legs were already moving. I threw two ice daggers I created myself into its side to draw its attention before finishing it in one blow.”
Salarel's rambling ended with a single stern look from her mother. “That is enough, darling. Go clean up and head to bed.”
The child’s shoulders slumped in defeat, smiled at Lyra and said, “Thanks again for saving my parents. Goodnight,” then scampered off.
Now that the three of them were alone, Aurora said, “I would like you to meet Edwyrd tomorrow. He is the one responsible for organizing the defense of Peaceful Lilly. His hopes of having his oldest take over his responsibilities one day ended when Jaonos argued with the elder over their views on magic, which led to him being exiled.”
Aurora finished cleaning off the table and sat back down. “Ever since then, Edwyrd has been on our side regarding the elder. He is the one who suggested we get a majority of the residents to agree before confronting the elder.”
Lyra took a moment to absorb what she heard, then said, “I have no interest in forcing change here. If my abilities can be useful otherwise, I’m willing.”
The next morning, two small hands shook Lyra’s shoulder, waking her up. Tears wet on her cheeks, she cried out, “Airdan, come back!”
Salarel stumbled back up against the wall, lip quivering. In a frightful whisper, Salarel asked, “Why were you crying? Who is Airdan?”
Ashamed of being so vulnerable around a stranger, Lyra wiped her cheeks and sat up in bed.
“He was my son. The two of you would have gotten along. I’m sure of it.”
The little girl stood silent, knowing eyes beginning to well up. Her mother poked her head in and said, “I told you to wake up our guest. What’s taking so long?”
Noticing Salarel's demeanor, she frowned. “What's up, sweetie?”
“Momma, did you know she used to have a child named Airdan?”
Entering the room fully, Aurora ruffled her daughter’s hair, ushered her out of the room, and said, “Breakfast is ready. Go eat.”
Alone with Aurora, Lyra sighed and said, “Magical beast. I lost everything. That’s why I became a nomad helping others.”
Silence wrapped Lyra around, which comforted her until Aurora stepped up and said, “We better go before my daughter eats all the food.”
Appreciating the effort the woman was making; Lyra took the offered hand and joined the rest of the family. Taegen gave his wife a curious look when he came back inside and joined them at the table, but his wife shook her head.
After dropping Salarel off with the neighbor, all three made their way out of town to meet up with Edwyrd. When Lyra questioned it, Taegen explained how he had reached out that morning while Lyra was still asleep.
A rough, haggard, well-armed elf leaning against a tree looked up at the three approaching elves. Lyra could tell he had a dense well of power to tap into. That would explain how his child inherited a strong power. Edwyrd took one look at Lyra and raised an eyebrow with his hand placed over the hilt of the sword strapped to his hip.
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“Are you expecting me to believe this stranger is going to help our village? I need more assurance than just your word.”
His bluntness felt refreshing to Lyra. The way he held himself reminded Lyra of her father. Feeling the need to let loose, she grinned and said, “You want to see me in action, I get it. Relying solely on their words would have put me off. What do you have in mind?”
Lip curling up in a smile, Edwyrd said, “Good. First, show me what you fight with. Taegen mentioned an ice weapon this morning.”
Concentrating mana in her palm, Lyra created a ball of water, shaped it into her new weapon's design with only one blade, and froze it in one smooth motion. Weaving a wind spell, she lifted a leaf into the air and sliced it in half. Planting her ice weapon on the ground, Lyra smirked at Edwyrd and said, “It’s a new design I created myself.”
He eyed it skeptically, clearly unconvinced.
Growing irritated, Lyra reached out with her senses, noticed a rabbit hiding in a bush nearby, crafted an ice dagger in her free hand, and launched it with explosive precision, amplified by a wind spell leaving behind an after-image blur as it disappeared. She smirked at the elf as she walked over and lifted the dead rabbit.
Clapping broke the stalemate stare between the two, causing them to look at Taegen and Aurora, both impressed by the demonstration. Taegen said, “See what I mean, Edwyrd? Lyra is the real deal."
“Fine. You can join me and my group today. We plan on investigating the forest where the bear appeared. Something must have driven it away from its normal hunting grounds.”
Satisfied with the plan of action, Lyra walked back to the couple and handed off the rabbit. “This is for you. Thanks for letting me sleep in your home last night.”
A chorus of, “Thank you,” followed by, “We owe you our lives, this was the least we could do,” from Taegen who smiled before Aurora said, “If your son was here, he would have been so proud of his mother.”
She gripped the woman by the shoulder and nodded. Not wanting to drag this on any longer, Lyra turned toward Edwyrd and said, Let’s go.”
Huffing in agreement, the elf turned and walked. Quickly stepping in line with him as she dispelled the ice weapon, Lyra let the silence linger in the air.
Three other elves greeted them near the village, swords at their hips, and a bow hung over their arms with a single quiver. They saluted their leader in unison, eyes shifting back and forth between him and her.
Edwyrd pointed at Lyra and said, “This is the elf who killed the bear yesterday. She agreed to help us today.” He looked back at her and said, “This is Jaonos, Paeris, and Lixiss. They will offer ranged support while the two of us face any threat we encounter. Any problem taking orders from me?”
Mimicking the salute, she said, “No, sir.”
Falling in line next to Lixiss, the group made their way to the spot where Lyra had killed the beast. From there, they traced the path of destruction. The sun was at its peak before anything occurred.
Senses stretched to their limit; Lyra picked up an abnormal signature closing in on their location. Forming her ice weapon caused everyone to halt.
Confused, Edwyrd opened his mouth to speak when his head swiveled toward the noise, getting louder, and said, “You three get into position, Lyra, with me. Time to show me what you're worth.”
Her senses were triggered again in the opposite direction, and they were closing fast. “No can do, sir. Our rear is about to be hit. I will intercept. This one is all yours.”
Not liking the turn of events, he huffed and said, “Go.”
As she passed by the three elves, she said, “Keep him alive. Don’t worry about me.”
Unlike the wolves she faced in the other village, this was a black panther. Worse, it could teleport between shadows. The only saving grace was the limited distance it could travel. Regardless, this would be a tricky fight. She could only hope the others could handle their fight long enough for her to finish the magical beast off.
She focused on what she felt when it teleported and could catch the briefest of something a moment before it shifted to a new location. A plan formed in her mind.
This will have to do. Let’s get this over with.
Lyra started hurling ice daggers at the panther, forcing it to use the shadows to avoid her attacks. Its pattern of movement became obvious, so she adjusted and began throwing another dagger in the most likely spot, getting lucky with her third attempt.
The ice dagger sunk into the beast’s shoulder, leading to a mighty roar of defiance as it finally closed the distance. Gripping her weapon with both hands, Lyra blocked and maneuvered around to avoid the panther.
Reminded of her fight against the wolves, she stamped the butt end of her weapon on the ground and covered the area around in a sheet of ice. Her prey reappeared and immediately lost footing, sliding onto its side. Before it could recover, she hurled another ice dagger piercing its eye. Closing the distance, Lyra swung her weapon down, taking its head off in one blow.
To their credit, the other four elves were holding their own against the other panther, smaller but no less dangerous. Edwyrd focused its attacks on him while the others used their bows to keep it pinned in limiting its movements.
Relying solely on skill, there was only so much they could do. Edwyrd held so much potential inside him. It was a shame and a waste to ignore it for the sake of an old fool who had a prejudice against magic. Taking a cue from the elf that helped her take out the corrupted mage raising the undead, she dropped her weapon, cast a wind spell on herself, climbed up a tree, and hopped between the branches. Gathering the mana from the forest, Lyra powered up a wind blast spell and aimed it at the panther cub.
When it had created some distance from Edwyrd, Lyra released her spell, slamming the creature into the ground with bone-crushing force.
Whimpering in pain, it tried to move. The elf glanced up at Lyra for a moment, then turned back to the wounded creature and pierced its heart, ending it swiftly.
She made her way back down, joining the group. Saluting, Lyra said, “Sir, I have eliminated the other beast."
Huffing in acknowledgment, Edwyrd walked over to check in on his team. Jaonos and Paeris offered to carry the two beasts back to town. She convinced them to let her burn the adult and bring back the cub instead. In the past, she wouldn’t have cared, but lately, she was feeling differently. The sun had long vanished by the time they returned.
Edwyrd surprised her with a handshake. Lyra grinned as she accepted his hand and made her way toward her temporary residence. Knocking on the door, she waited till the door opened. Taegen greeted her with a warm smile and let her in.
A small body crashed into Lyra’s leg. Salarel hugged her fiercely.
“You’re alive! You made it back.”
Aurora pulled her daughter off and directed her toward her room. “I let you stay up till she came back, but it’s time for you to head to bed. No arguments.”
Lyra said, “We encountered two magical beasts half a day out. I doubt that will be the last that show from that direction.”
Returning from her daughter’s room, Aurora motioned for Lyra to follow her. She left Taegen behind, joining his wife. Back in the spare room she had used the night before, Aurora helped Lyra change into fresh clothes. Lyra wanted to object, but the elf gave her that look any mother perfected ending any objection.
Alone in bed, Lyra let the exhaustion drag her to sleep.
Shortly after sunrise, Lyra went for a walk alone outside of Peaceful Lilly. Salarel clung to her pant leg, begging her to stay. Only letting go when Taegen picked her up. Some residents greeted her warmly, while the elder and his closest allies wore their hostility on their shoulders.
The defenders under Edwyrd’s command kept praising Lyra for her contribution against the magical beast. Word got around quickly.
That would explain the hostility from the elder.
What she needed was fresh air away from everyone.
The memories.
Judgement.
Expectations.
First my father.
Then that night that caused me to lose all hope of feeling safe in my hometown.
Now I have nothing left worth protecting.
Not even myself.
Yet despite all these thoughts, Lyra refused to let go of her promise to protect others until her dying breath. That meant she couldn’t ignore her training, either. Some routines were harder to ignore than others.
Centering herself, Lyra let the mana around her flow in and out of her body. Wind magic lessened the stress on her body, allowing her to dance between each step with ease. Sweat dripping off her brow, she switched from hand-to-hand combat into parries and thrusts with her ice daggers.
Warmed up, she let the daggers melt and reform into her new double-bladed weapon. Lyra let go of all her troubles and embraced the song of death. Her weapon sliced through the morning air as the melody dripped off her tongue.
When the flow of mana became disturbed, Lyra came out of her trance. The same unpleasant sensation she felt around the undead and magical beasts.
And it was coming from the direction of Peaceful Lilly.
“Oh no. Not now. Not them. Please let me be wrong.”
Again, she would run towards danger.
But did any of it matter? What could she possibly do?
“I don’t care if my efforts are for not. I have to try.”
The village was in disarray. Bandits ran rampant, the defenders struggling to gain the upper hand. Lyra could not tell who they were behind the pieces of cloth covering their faces. Villagers lay dead sprawled along the ground. Screams were echoing from inside one of the homes.
What depravity will they reduce themselves to?
The injustice burned deep within her very being. Rushing forward, Lyra summoned ice daggers one after another, throwing them with deadly precision. Shouts of alarm turned their attention over to her.
“She can use magic! Hurry and kill her.”
Lyra held her ground. The long ice shaft formed with a single curved ice blade on each end. She tapped into the wind, deflecting the arrows coming g at her from all sides. While the bandits were focused on her, Lyra observed Edwyrd's attempt to rally the survivors. Their eyes met for a moment.
Lyra grinned as she slammed the ground with her foot covering it in ice. So furious was her rage. The ice swept up the elves’ legs to their knees, trapping them. Free to move amongst the group, she took her time cutting them down, no longer caring how swiftly they died. They would suffer for their transgressions.
Still in her battle haze, she only now realized that the screaming had come from Aurora's home. An elf held Salarel by the hair, a knife to the little girl’s throat. Grinning at Lyra, he cut from ear to ear.
He dropped the knife, hands grasping for the ice dagger protruding from his eye. The next four daggers slammed into his chest, pushing him back into the home where he fell dead.
Down on her knees, Lyra held Salarel to her chest. Rocking back and forth as she said, “No, no, no, no,” repeatedly. She heard someone groaning inside. Laying the still child down, Lyra walked inside and into the bedroom. Taegen lay in a pool of blood. Aurora was curled up on the bed. Her clothes were ripped and scattered all around her.
When she touched the woman’s shoulder, Aurora looked at her, jumped out of bed, and asked, “Where is Salarel? Where is my daughter?” The elf followed Lyra's gaze toward the front and ran.
Crying out in pain and sorrow, Aurora held her daughter's body. Standing back up, Salarel still clutched to her chest, she turned on Lyra, anger replacing the sadness.
“How could you let this happen? You know how to use magic. Why didn’t you stop them from doing this to us?”
Lyra fumbled for the right words and said, “I wasn’t in town. I told you I went out to train. I rushed back when I learned what was happening.” Pointing at all the dead bandits, she continued, “I killed them all.”
Pointing toward the forest, Aurora yelled, “Get out! You let my family die. You couldn’t save your family. Why did I ever believe you could protect mine? Now go before I kill you myself!”
Stunned, she turned to Edwyrd, who shook his head and offered a sympathetic smile. He helped guide Lyra out, and when they were far enough away, he said, “I'm sorry she took her anger out at you. I know you did what you could to help. The elder and most of his followers all died in the attack. I plan on taking over with a new policy, allowing magic so we can protect ourselves.”
Left without a place to sleep, Lyra picked a direction and started walking. Her anger at the injustice against Peaceful Lilly and herself fueled into her mana, a ball of flames growing in her palm. When Lyra could no longer hold it any longer, she hurled it at a tree.
The impact caused the tree to explode, wood and splinters flying everywhere, knocking her back into another tree. Still, anger swelled within her. The flames of retribution were desperate for something to burn.
The necklace she wore burned her skin. Crying out in pain, she ripped it off her neck and held it up. The pendant was red hot. Cracks beginning to form. The pendant, swelling with mana, exploded and peppered her with debris.
When Lyra could see again, a fox-shaped flame began walking around the forest, drawing in all the mana from the fire she had set previously, which smothered the flames. The fox transformed, leaving their tail a flame while the rest appeared normal, fur and all.
The flame animal scampered around her legs, fur brushing up against Lyra. Eyes looking up expectantly. Relenting to the fox's demands, she sat down on the ground and allowed it to hop in her lap and curl up. The flames from the tail were warm to the touch.
Her grandmother, who taught her about the past, including the dark wars and the birth of magic, had given her this necklace when she was a child. Its purpose was unknown, only that she was never to remove it.
“If we are going to be friends, I will need to come up with a name for you.”
It perked up, flames sparkling in its eyes.
“If I ever had another child, I was going to name them Ruvan. Would you be fine with Ruvan as a name?”
The flame fox yipped, curled up, and laid its head on her leg. Content with her new companion, Lyra spent the rest of the day relaxing. When night fell, she climbed up a tree and fell asleep on a sturdy branch. A technique she had mastered long ago under her father’s tutelage.
I suppose I don’t have to walk this path alone anymore.