Lyanna's Monologue
In such a short time… everything has changed.… even I find it hard to believe.
It feels like something no less than a nightmare.
And yet, even within this unknown and suffocating situation, something continues to push me forward. I haven't stopped.
This world is unknown. This path is unknown.
I don't know what awaits me ahead, and I don't know what I might lose before I reach it. Yet one truth remains absolute
No path exists without an end.
No matter how long… no matter how dark… no matter how cruel the journey becomes, every road must eventually reach its final boundary.. Every path, no matter how endless it seems, must have a final horizon waiting somewhere....
So I Lyanna will keep walking forward, even if the road is unknown..
Even if the path is nameless.
Even if the destination is hidden.
Because knowing there is an end is enough.
That alone is reason enough for me to continue.
I am not afraid of how long the road is, nor how many obstacles stand in my way. As long as I know there is a boundary waiting somewhere ahead, that alone becomes my reason to keep going.
Life itself is nothing but an endless road. The further you walk, the more paths appear… and each of those paths carries its own ending...
...
Almost a month had passed since that terrifying battle.
Lyanna rested her chin lightly against her hand and thought to herself,
At least the good news is… everything was settled in the end. Everyone survived.
But survival did not mean they were unharmed.
Every single one of them had been badly injured after that fight.
Everyone…
Except her..
She let out a quiet breath.
Well, putting that aside because their wounds had been so severe, they all agreed to rest for a month before continuing their journey. They chose a safe place to recover,
somewhere their bodies could heal and their strength could return before setting out again.
And just like that, a month passed.
Things had become peaceful.
Normal, almost.
All of them now stayed together inside Rosielle's manor, sharing meals, conversations, and silence as if nothing had happened..
Everything looked peaceful.
Perhaps too peaceful.
But perhaps…
Something had changed.
Lyanna stepped down the staircase slowly, fingers brushing the railing as if she needed proof the world was still solid. Halfway down, her gaze halted
Ignara.
As always, clinging to Varen's side, her presence bright and warm like a flame that refused to dim. Anyone else would have seen only that: a girl laughing softly, alive and whole.
But Lyanna's thoughts did not allow such simple sights.
That final moment…
the attack I unleashed against Ignara without even realizing it…
If she had been even a second slower, Ignara wouldn't be standing there now. Pieces of her would have been scattered across the battlefield soil, nameless fragments no one could reassemble.
And yet…
Lyanna couldn't understand Ignara's behavior during this past month.
During the battle, everyone had been half dead, minds drowned in pain and dust ,and unable to see or understand what had happened.
But Ignara , Ignara had seen it. She must have understood something.
Lyanna had been certain Ignara would tell the others.
Because that power
that thing she unleashed
It wasn't supposed to exist within her...
She was supposed to be ordinary. Weak. Powerless.
That was what everyone believed, and because of that belief they had always stood ahead of her in battle, shielding her, dismissing her.
And yet, in that final instant… something impossible had awakened.
Something that did not belong to a "normal" human.
Lyanna had thought Ignara would expose her. Tell the others. That everyone would turn against her.
That maybe even Vaelith would…
Her thoughts halted.
"Lyanna, why are you standing up there? Come down." Sylvara's calm voice cut cleanly through her spiraling thoughts.
Lyanna blinked and looked toward her..
Sylvara was watching from below, her expression as quiet as always. She rarely spoke much, yet she noticed everything. In truth, it was probably because of Sylvara that this past month had never felt lonely to Lyanna...
Lyanna gave a faint, gentle smile and nodded.
Silently, she descended the rest of the stairs and sat beside Sylvara on the sofa, folding her hands in her lap.
Outwardly calm.
Ignara glanced toward Lyanna and gave a strange, knowing smile.
"So, Mrs. Lyanna… you finally woke up."
Lyanna tilted her head slightly and let out a small, awkward laugh, nodding in response.
For some reason… Ignara's been gentler with me these past few days, she thought.
Just then, the manor doors slowly creaked open.
Everyone's attention shifted at once.
Standing there was Azerion, holding two enormous fish in both hands, as if proudly presenting trophies. A faint aroma drifted in from behind him sweet, warm, delicious.
When their gazes moved past him, they saw Vaelith and Rosielle entering together, carrying plates of freshly made pancakes.
"That's not fair at all, Mr. Handsome," Azerion declared dramatically, stepping right in front of Vaelith. "Everyone was looking at me, and then you walked in and stole all the attention."
Vaelith didn't even reply. He simply walked past as if he hadn't heard a word.
Rosielle covered her lips and laughed softly.
"Honestly, will you do anything just to get his attention, Mr. Handsome?"
Light chatter and laughter filled the hall. For the past month, mornings had always been like this Rosielle and Vaelith making pancakes together, Azerion appearing only to tease them, and occasionally ending up in childish arguments with Vaelith.
Watching them, Lyanna smiled faintly.
Vaelith placed the plates on the table, and everyone reached out to take one. Lyanna quietly chose the pancake set aside at the corner.
It was still warm.
A soft sweetness rose from it, delicate and inviting. She lifted it carefully and took a small bite.
This… is different.
Yes ..The taste was perfect .. exactly the way she liked it. Soft enough to melt the moment it touched her tongue.
All the pancakes I ate this month were too sweet… so sweet I couldn't taste anything else. I knew those were Rosielle's.
But today… on the last day… I finally got the one I'd been waiting for all this time.
She took another bite, and a gentle smile appeared on her lips. Even she seemed slightly surprised by it.
Her gaze drifted instinctively toward Vaelith.
He was laughing quietly with Azerion, Ignara, and Rosielle. The four of them looked completely at ease together, as if joy came naturally when they stood side by side.
Lyanna watched them in silence.
Everything is going well. Everything is peaceful. So why… does my chest feel like this? Pain? No… it's not pain. It's something I shouldn't even be thinking about..
Nothing is happening that shouldn't be… and yet something is happening that I never expected.
Vaelith who used to be so quiet ....had spent this past month growing closer with everyone.
Everyone…
Except her.
At first I thought it was nothing, she admitted to herself. But now I can tell… he's avoiding me..
After all, how well did she really know him?
People's true selves…
only reveal themselves with time.