Noah
My legs ache, my bare feet scraped raw by stones and twisted roots. The world around me is foreign, a thick, suffocating forest where the sun barely breaks through the canopies above. My breath comes in ragged gasps, every step weighed down by the heaviness in my chest. The last thing I remember is the blinding light of the teleportation spell and my mother's desperate voice.
Then nothing.
Now, I wander.
The wind howls, unkind and cold, carrying the scent of burning wood and something else, something wrong. My fingers tremble as I push through the undergrowth, heart hammering in my ears. Where am I? Where are they? I want to scream, but the silence around me feels sacred, like a tombstone marking the end of everything I knew.
I miss her.
I miss both of them.
How could they send me away?
I know they did it to protect me. I know they love me. But knowing doesn't stop the ache. I should've fought harder. I should've stayed. Maybe I could've helped.
Tears sting my eyes as I stumble into a clearing. The trees part here, letting through silver slants of light. It's quiet. Too quiet. And then, as if the forest itself heard my pain, I hear footsteps.
Crunch... Snap... Crunch.
I freeze.
A silhouette emerges from the foliage. It's not a beast. Not a monster. Not death incarnate like I feared.
It's a girl.
She looks about my age..., maybe older by a year or two. Her hair is a cascade of coppery waves, and her eyes are a cold teal green, wide with curiosity and concern. Her clothes are simple: a tunic dyed forest green and brown boots laced up to her knees. A small satchel hangs across her chest.
She stops a few paces away, hands up in a gesture of peace.
"Hey," she says softly, her voice a welcome warmth in the cold air. "Are you okay?"
I don't answer. My voice is caught somewhere between my throat and the crushing weight of everything I've lost.
She steps closer. "You look hurt. And scared."
I turned my head I didn't want to be pitied.
"My name is Lyraea," she continues, kneeling down so we're eye level. "You don't have to talk if you don't want to. But I can help."
Lyraea.
Her name settles in my mind like a stone dropped in still water. It echoes.
Her presence feels strange. Not dangerous. But... soft. Like a blanket pulled over cold shoulders. Like the light of a lantern when you've been walking in darkness for too long.
Im pathetic...
"I'm Noah," I finally manage, my voice hoarse. "I don't know where I am."
Lyraea offers a small smile. "You're near the western edge of Tyuinwood. Not many people come this deep. I was foraging when I saw you."
Tyuinwood. I've never heard of it. Which only makes the pit in my stomach grow deeper.
"Where are your parents?" she asks, gently.
I swallow hard. "I don't know. They sent me away..."
Her eyes dim with understanding, and she reaches into her satchel, pulling out a canteen. "Here. You should drink something. You look like you haven't had water in days."
I hesitate for only a second before taking it. The water is cool and refreshing, a small mercy in a storm of confusion.
"Thank you," I whisper.
Lyraea nods. She looks around the clearing, then back at me. "You shouldn't stay out here. There are monsters in this forest. Dangerous ones. Come with me. My village isn't far. My father can help."
A village. Shelter. Safety.... a home.
But what if my parents come looking for me? What if I leave and they can't find me?
I shake my head. "I... I can't. What if they come back? What if they're looking fo...." I stop myself halfway, i didn't want to sound weak.
Lyraea places a hand on my shoulder. "If they love you as much as I think they do, they'd want you to be safe. To survive. We can leave a mark here. Something to show you were here, just in case."
My chest tightens. She's right.
I nod slowly. "Okay."
We work together to build a small symbol from stones and sticks, a crude, hurried version of the Reizei crest my father once drew in the dirt for me. A dragon curled around a moon.
I stare at it for a long moment.
"Please be safe," I whisper.
Then I follow Lyraea into the trees.
The village is quaint and nestled in a valley surrounded by cliffs. Wooden houses with maroon moss-covered roofs, smoke curling gently from chimneys. People move about quietly, casting curious glances as Lyraea leads me through the streets.
We reach a larger building at the village center. Lyraea pushes the door open and ushers me inside.
A tall man with a scar across his brow and dragon scars by the side of his eyes..., just like father, a gentle expression looks up from the table.
"Father," Lyraea says. "I found him in the woods. Alone. He needs help."
The man rises and kneels beside me, studying me carefully.
"You're safe now, boy," he says.
I want to believe him.
But safety feels like a dream I'm not ready to trust yet.
Still, Lyraea stands beside me, offering a small, quiet smile. And for the first time since the world shattered around me...
I feel a flicker of something.
Hope.