Lyra looked up at the stars faintly glowing. Magnes had never been known for its star view, so this place should have been enthralling for her. But she was not thinking about the stars.
Alan had been asleep for five days, and he was still sleeping on the seventh, his mindspace would close permanently. He wouldn't ever be a Conduit like her.
On the second day after his collapse, she had gone through her Reflection, which took four hours in the real world.
Almost every moment she was awake, Lyra had spent by Alan's bedside. She only left when the teacher forced her to.
Speaking of the teacher, she noticed him sitting beside her on the roof. It was strange how little sound he made. He sat folded his legs, much like Lyra, but didn't say anything. That was a habit of his that she was grateful for.
After a couple of minutes, she turned her gaze away from the stars. "You know, I always used to think I was the strongest in Magnes. Not just the youth, but the adults, too."
She looked down. "And yet… Here I am, grieving over someone who hasn't died yet. Is that pathetic?"
The teacher kept his eyes on the stars. "Only if you tell yourself it is."
Lyra kept quiet for a moment, before looking at him. "Where are you from, teacher? I feel like we… I know nothing about you."
The man pointed at the stars. "Somewhere there. Don't worry about it."
Lyra sighed, leaning back. "Whatever you say. You don't have to hide so much, though."
The teacher shook his head. "That is a matter of opinion…" he trailed off.
His eyes were still on the stars, but Lyra had to admit. He was majestic in every sense of the word. His eyes were as dark as the night he looked up at, and now, his hair flowed gracefully with the wind.
"Teacher?" She said slowly. His head slowly turned to look at Lyra. She took a deep breath. "I'm afraid. For… Alan. For myself. For our people…" she clenched her eyes shut.
The man did not say anything, prompting Lyra to open her eyes. "Aren't you going to scold me?"
"For what?" He said, "Fear is human, Lyra. There is nothing wrong with it."
"But a warrior shouldn't be afraid… right?"
"Even a suicidal person is afraid. What does that make the so-called fearless, then?" He exhaled through his nose. "Warriors are likely more afraid than normal people."
"But… But Alan-"
"Will be fine," he cut her off. "He always finds a way, somehow. I suppose that is tenacity."
Lyra narrowed her eyes. "You speak like you know him. You've talked to him for an hour."
"And that was all I needed," the man said, but paused. "You know, I lost my mother too. I didn't know her well, or at all for that matter, but to everyone, she was a ray of sunshine. I… I wish I could do more," he said as he rose to his feet.
"Who knows?" Lyra hummed. "Maybe she's up there with the gods."
"There are no such things as gods, but sure. She might be." The man's lips twitched ever so slightly.
Lyra's eyes widened. "Who… who are you?"
The man dusted his clothes off. "I am just a man who regrets more than he doesn't," he said as he walked away.
Alan
I felt my world changing. Gone was the burning village I called home as I found myself in a field, which had a path leading up to a garden of sorts.
I slowly walked up the path. The surroundings were immaculate. The grass was greener than anything I had ever seen prior to that point, and the trees were full of life.
But this was my mind, and yet, I had never been here before. So this was either a dreamscape, or this was a part of my reflection.
I couldn't help but admire the amount of wildlife around me. A few deer inspected me from afar, and worms crawled around my feet. Paying them no mind, I walked on.
Not long after, I found myself walking up a hill of sorts. The path here was more worn than the one I had taken. Still, I carried on.
The path led me to a platform, where the only non-natural structure stood. The garden looked like it was carved out of the ideal landscape, making the six pillars on the platform look alien in comparison.
The structure was entirely marble so pristinely white, I barely noticed the woman standing there.
Her waist length white hair flowed along with the wind as she held a sparrow in her palms. While her back was turned to me, I could tell that this woman was in her prime.
In a graceful motion, she let the bird fly away, and turned to me.
She was… beautiful. Her face looked like it was carved out of the marble around her, and was as perfect as my teacher's. She wore a white robe that had black accents, which contrasted well with her fair skin.
Perhaps she had always known I was there because even as she turned, she was smiling. Grinning, really. And it was as radiant as the sun's light. The light around me felt at ease, warmer than before, maybe.
"Hello, Alan," she said in a melodic voice. "You seem lost."
I could not tell why, but I felt the urge to bow before this woman. And I did. "I am," I said plainly.
The woman pouted slightly. "And why is that? Is this not home…home-y?"
'Did she correct herself?' I thought. "This is a wonderful place, but no. My home… I don't have one."
The woman's smile only went wider. "How fortunate it is then, that there is not a place in this world that won't welcome you." Not letting me process what she said, she beckoned me with a finger. "Come," she commanded.
I followed her down the hill to see a clearing. There, a pedestal stood. On top of it a sword.
I followed her as she walked to the pedestal and stood next to her as she admired it with me.
It was dark. So dark, in fact, that the light around us was trying to gather around it, almost as if it was rushing to make sure its absence would not be felt.
The hilt of the sword was a dark leather that looked soft. Where the blade met the hilt, there was a grey wing shaped hand guard. A white streaky led from the middle of the handguard and up to the tip of the sword.
The woman picked the sword up. "You have seen this sword before, Alan."
"I have…?" I muttered. "But why show this to me?"
She held it out for me to see. "It… is for you."
"For me? What would I do with a sword this pristine? And where is the scabbard?"
The woman pouted once more. "If you don't want to see the glory of this sword, then fine."
I held an arm out. "No, I was just… nothing. But why?"
The woman looked up at birds passing overhead. "Consider it as a present. For completing your reflection, of course."
"But I don't know you…?"
The woman's gaze trailed down to her feet. "No, I suppose you don't. I believe humans call me the Hope."
I took a step, no, three steps back. I would have said something, but it was as if every cell in my body refused to respond.
"That was the reaction I was hoping for!" she laughed. "And take the sword. It's yours."
"I… What?"
She took my hand gently and placed it on the hilt of the sword. She took my other, and placed it on the far edge of the blade. "I've been watching you for a long time, Alan," she admitted.
"Like you do all your people? I mean… you are the Goddess of Life."
The woman paused, before nodding slowly. "Yes… In a way."
I didn't comment, but she continued, "That sword… I suggest you keep it away from other eyes. You are not strong enough to use it yet."
The sword was light, almost too light, in fact, which made me wonder what she meant. But this was a literal Goddess.
"Your Grace?" I said slowly. As her white eyes locked onto mine, I lowered my head. "Do I… Have we met before?"
She smiled softly. "Who knows, Alan?"
I looked down to see my hands starting to blur away. "Ah," she sighed. "Your time has come to leave. I… hope we meet again."
My hands had already started to fade away, and yet, I felt my eyes widen. "Wait!" I called. "Who are you to me?!" I exclaimed. I didn't know why I was so riled up. Perhaps it was because this was a Goddess in front of me, but strangely, I felt like that wasn't the only reason.
As my body began to fade, I could barely make out the edges of her eyes turning slightly moist. "If I told you my name, you would only forget it."
"I don't care! I need to know," I yelled. Why… Why was I so agitated?!
The Goddess smiled, and yet, it was not a happy smile. If anything, it was sad. "My name is Nuriére," she said, as my world faded into nothingness.