Elivyne guided me to a seat near the center of the quiet, dimly lit room. A faint scent of lavender and ancient scrolls lingered in the air. She disappeared into a back chamber and returned moments later, carrying a large crystal basin filled with shimmering, translucent water that seemed to glow with swirling colors of aura.
"Place your hands in the water," she said softly. "Close your eyes. Let your spirit remember."
I obeyed, lowering my hands into the glowing water. It felt cool—unnaturally cool, like liquid starlight. Elivyne pressed a single finger gently to my forehead, and in that moment, everything shifted.
Boom.
It felt like my soul had been ripped from my body.
Utter darkness swallowed me.
The same void I had experienced the first time I met Lyra.
Only this time, there was no system notification. No voice. No Lyra. Just the emptiness—and that cold realization pulsing through me: Did something happen to Lyra when she awakened my powers?
Before I could think further, my spirit suddenly dropped—fast, plummeting through the darkness. My eyes flashed gold as I tumbled through time, then—
Screams.
A baby's cry echoed around me.
I was looking through the eyes of an infant—my eyes. I saw her: my mother. Her face was tired, beautiful, glowing with love. I could feel the warmth of her arms. Tears welled in my spirit's eyes. Relief filled me.
So… they were my parents.
At least, that's what I thought—until he appeared.
A tall man with gray skin, long white hair, and rainbow-colored eyes walked into the room. He wasn't the man I remembered as my father. And yet, he gazed down at me and smiled, saying:
"Our son… he's beautiful."
I froze in horror. Son? What did he mean our son?
Where was the father I had known my whole life?
Before I could make sense of it, the scene melted away, darkness pulling me deeper. Another vision surfaced—an argument. My mother, standing with her back turned, furious. The strange man, no longer smiling, slapped her across the face.
Her hair suddenly turned violet. Fangs burst from her mouth. Horns curled from her skull.
She was a demon.
A boy—maybe five years older than me—ran into the room, shouting, "MOM!"
My mother, voice trembling with fury, screamed at the man:
"Why did you put a prophecy on my little Mydeimos!?"
I gasped.
That name again. Mydeimos.
The man's face darkened. Hair veiling his eyes, he slapped her again and moved past her. He walked straight to the cradle—straight to me.
"I'll raise a son who will surpass those emperor bastards," he muttered coldly.
Suddenly, a sharp crack. A purple crystal spear shot through his stomach. He choked on blood, staggering back. My mother grabbed me, leapt through the shattered window, and ran. Her breathing was ragged. Desperate.
And then, another figure. A man—the one I thought was my father—stood in front of her as she pleaded:
"Please… help me…"
Before I could see more, the vision shattered like glass.
Darkness fell.
And then—I woke up.
Screaming.
"WHAT HAPPENED!? SEND ME BACK! I NEED TO SEE THE REST!"
Elivyne stood calmly nearby, her eyes full of quiet sorrow.
"That's all you're able to remember," she said. "The rest… is what you already know. Memories beyond that are sealed—or lost."
My heart ached. My mind spiraled.
They lied to me... or they weren't even my parents...
I clutched my chest, thinking about every memory I had of the man I called "Dad." The one who raised me, loved me. The one who died for me.
But now… I didn't even know who I truly was.
And that name...
Mydeimos.
It kept echoing like a curse in the back of my mind.
I looked up slowly, eyes heavy with confusion, pain, and a growing fury. I turned to Elarion, who had watched the entire thing from the doorway.
"…Tell me," I said, my voice cold and serious."Who are the Crimsons?"