The road stretched on.
Another adventure.
Another horizon waiting for him.
Kael walked with steady steps,map rolled under his arm,eyes on the trail ahead,
but his thoughts elsewhere.
On Mira.
On the girl who carried burdens
far too heavy for ten small years.
On the way her eyes always searched for her father.
Would she find him?
Would he be strong enough to hold her,
after all the broken pieces?
The thought lingered.
It gnawed at him.
Even after defeating the memory-monster,even after all the triumph…Kael couldn't shake the worry.
He opened his mouth.
To ask.
To remind her she wasn't alone.
But before the words could leave,
the air shimmered.
Light bent around her small frame.
And with a flash,
Mira was gone. Teleported.
Just like that.
Kael froze.
Blinking at the empty space where she'd been.
A long silence stretched.
Then he let out a laugh,
half tired, half relieved.
"Sh. So I was worried for nothing
this whole adventure…"
He shook his head.
Adjusting the strap of his pack.
The trail ahead still endless,
but somehow lighter now.
Because if Mira could vanish like that, with strength, with certainty
then maybe, just maybe,
she'd be just fine.
And Kael kept walking.
Maps waiting to be drawn.
Worlds waiting to be explored.
The never-ending road,
his only true companion.
The forest hummed softly,
branches whispering above Kael's head
as he walked deeper into the unknown.
He thought she was gone.
He thought Mira had truly left.
But then—
a sudden flicker of light at his side.
The familiar pull of magic.
And there she was.
Mira.
Smiling as if nothing had happened.
Kael let out a breath he didn't realize he was holding.
"You—" he started,
but only managed a shake of his head.
No words could catch up to her.
They continued together,
two unlikely travelers on the endless path.
It was then they met her.
A girl by the riverbank,
kneeling with her hands in the water,
watching the ripples with eyes so gentle
they seemed to calm the stream itself.
Her skin was light brown, glowing softly in the sun that broke through the canopy. Her hair,the same color as her skin,falling loose around her face,as if the forest had painted her from its earth and warmth.
When she looked up at them, her smile was quiet,
kind.
The kind of smile that made you forget how heavy your pack was.
"Are you travelers?" she asked,
voice carrying both shyness and hope.
Mira, bright-eyed as always, ran closer first.
"Yes! We're on an adventure!"
The girl's eyes softened.
"I've always wanted to see the world too.
But I didn't know where to begin."
Kael studied her for a moment. Her gentle aura.
Her kindness that seemed effortless.
Not the type who'd usually survive the dangers of the road. And yet,
something in her gaze was steady.
Like she wasn't afraid of what lay ahead.
Mira grabbed her hand at once.
"Then come with us!"
The girl blinked.
Surprised.
And slowly, she nodded.
"Yes… I would like that."
The three of them stood there,
by the river that glittered like a promise.
The road was no longer just endless—
it was opening.
Changing.
Alive with new bonds.
She told them her name was Masha on the way as they meeted a cave.
The cave was dark,
its mouth yawning like the silence of a secret.
Mira tugged at Kael's sleeve.
"There's someone inside."
At first, Kael didn't believe her.
But then he saw it too, a faint glow,
like fireflies trembling deep in the stone.
They stepped closer.
And there she was.
A girl about Mira's age, sitting with her knees pulled to her chest. Her hair hung in loose strands, her eyes, soft, uncertain,
lifted when they entered.
The glow came from her.
Every breath she took shimmered in pale light.
Not warm.Not gentle.
But sharp.
Painful to touch.
Mira flinched when the air burned her skin,
and the girl gasped, covering her face with her hands.
"No! don't come closer!" she cried.
Her voice cracked. Her glow pulsed brighter,
filling the cave until the walls seemed to melt.
Kael quickly pulled Mira back, shielding her from the flare.Then he spoke, calm, steady.
"We won't hurt you."
But the girl shook her head. Tears fell,
turning to glitter in the air.
"Whenever I feel something,
happiness, anger, sadness,
I burn everything.
Everyone.
That's why no one comes near me."
The words trembled with years of loneliness.
Her light flickered,
a fragile flame begging not to go out.
Mira stepped forward again, small hands clenching into fists, ignoring Kael's warning grip.
"Then I'll stay with you anyway.
Even if it hurts."
The girl stared, eyes wide, as though she had never heard such words before.
For the first time, her light didn't flare wildly.
It softened, just enough that Kael could see her clearly.
Masha had been quiet most of the walk,
her eyes always watching, always listening.
But when she saw the girl trembling in her glow, she smiled softly. Not afraid. Not hesitant.
As if she had already decided something in her heart.
"You don't even have a name?" she asked gently.
The girl shook her head. Her light flickered again, nervous, as though even words could make her dangerous.
Masha knelt down, ignoring the sting against her skin. "You should have one. Something kind. Something that belongs to you."
She thought for a moment, then whispered,
"Lori.
That feels right."
The girl blinked.
"Lori…?"
Her lips shaped the sound like it was a treasure. A gift too precious to hold.
"Yes."
Masha nodded, smiling brighter.
"Your name is Lori now."
For a moment the cave glowed,
but not with the painful sharpness from before.
It was softer, warmer.
Almost like starlight.
Mira clapped her hands, beaming.
"See? It's working! You don't hurt when you're happy, Lori!"
Lori's tears slipped free again, but this time they didn't burn. They shimmered like pearls,
falling quietly to the ground.
Masha reached out, carefully,
her voice steady as a teacher's.
"Emotions don't need to control you.
You can breathe through them. Slow down.
Feel them in your chest, but don't let them explode."
She guided Lori's hands, pressing them gently over her heart.
"Here. Always here. Not out there.
Not against others."
Kael, watching from the shadows, saw the impossible, the glow dimming,
settling, wrapping Lori not like a weapon,
but like a cloak.
For the first time, the lonely girl in the cave
looked less like a danger and more like a child who had been waiting all her life to be named.