Maia, with a grave expression, turned back and cast her gaze upon the gate that had closed behind Mira.
Under her breath, she murmured:
Her demeanor, at times, weighs upon my soul like a heavy burden.
Maia turned her head just as Oorel, who stood at the right side of the Lady of Time, began to move toward the gate. His footsteps echoed across the floor, and as he passed by Maia, he spoke in a firm tone:
I believe there are matters we must attend to, Maia. Is that not so?
Maia drew in a deep breath, as though compelled to acknowledge his words. She nodded in agreement, then, with a hint of playfulness and mischief in her voice, replied:
Very well… but tell me, Oorel, why such haste?
As the gate opened, Oorel halted his steps and said:
Maia… look around you. This is the very place where Mother created, and upon it we raised a realm. The beings who slumber in its depths, and those who draw breath within it, will not forever remain safe.
And when we rest within our palace, who then shall guard them?
Dearest sister… the answer lies in a fragment of our very being; a power that wells from within us.
And with those words spoken, the two of them passed through the gate.
Countless years turned in the cycle of time, and Hoor shone upon all that stretched across existence.
In the furthest depths of the ocean, Mira raised a magnificent dwelling called Praita, and at its heart stood a towering, glass-like palace, radiant as a jewel of light.
A dazzling abode whose reflection gleamed from afar—it was named Hoorin. From within its halls, the ebb and flow of the ocean could be seen, and around it a city arose, known as Galrod.
Its people, shaped by Mira's will and command, left the first traces of life upon this realm—bearers of the beginnings of all that would unfold across existence. Around the city, massive walls were raised, crowned with steadfast fortresses whose archers guarded not only the body of the city, but its very soul. And in the unfathomable depths, it was the Laras who kept the borders, silent sentinels beneath the waters.
At that very moment, within the halls of Hoorin
The sound of ragged breaths echoed throughout, shattering the silence of the court. It was a rhythm that rose from the upper chambers. In a chamber above the throne, Mira and her beloved lay in each other's arms, lost in moments of passion and closeness.
While resting against her lover, Mira, her gaze cold, asked:
Do you see my beauty, Iron?
Iron met her eyes and replied softly:
Mira, I do not know what image you show to your people, but what I see is something else entirely.
Slowly, Mira withdrew from Iron's embrace. With no emotion crossing her face, she rose from the bed, sat at its edge, turned her back to him, and with playful irony remarked:
Ah… I was just wondering if perhaps I could pretend before you. You see, they are truly such foolish creatures—they will never understand the truth within me…
Iron, unfazed by Mira's words, turned over and lay upon his stomach, pressing his face into the pillow. His voice came muffled, yet clear enough to be heard:
Something is truly amiss with you, Mira… Perhaps it is time you spared a thought for your brother and sister.
Mira, startled by his remark, traced her finger across her lower lip, her gaze filled with bewilderment.
My brother and sister? I have not spared them even a moment's thought…
She paused briefly, then a mysterious smile curved upon her lips, and with a short laugh she added:
No doubt Maia is, even now, marching upon Oorel's nerves.
At her words, Iron rolled from his stomach onto his back, lacing his hands behind his head. With a calm expression, he spoke:
That is not what I meant… Mira, do not forget: for centuries the Lady of Time has kept you from that path. Do you not think your brother and sister, too, shall reflect her will as though they were mirrors of her own?
Mira rose from the bed, bare and unashamed, her figure gleaming in the dim light of the chamber. Her eyes, sharp with a secret resolve, fixed intently upon Iron.
For a moment, Iron averted his gaze from hers, then said:
Do not let that look strike fear into me. You are my creator, and I am your shadow; my existence finds meaning only in your presence. Whether I will it or not, my steps will always follow yours—until the very threshold of your desire.
Mira, astonished by his words, felt a tender smile blossom upon her lips. Reaching out her hand toward him, she said softly:
Then let us see this dream through… together.
At her words, a heavy silence cloaked the chamber, broken only by the eternal song of the ocean's waves, as though the very symphony of existence was being played.