Chapter 3: The Boy Who Was Never There
372 Words
The next morning, Lyra and Cassian arrived at the training grounds earlier than usual.
The fresh morning air felt peaceful, and for a moment, Lyra almost forgot everything that had happened.
Almost.
"You're acting strange today," Cassian said while stretching his arms.
Lyra forced a smile.
"Am I?"
Cassian laughed.
"Since yesterday, you've been staring at me like I'm going to disappear."
The joke made Lyra's heart ache.
She quickly looked away.
"Don't say things like that."
Cassian blinked in surprise.
"Okay… sorry."
Before he could ask more questions, their instructor arrived.
"Everyone, line up!"
The trainees quickly gathered together.
Lyra looked around out of habit.
Then she froze.
Someone was standing at the end of the line.
A boy she had never seen before.
He looked about their age. His black hair covered part of his eyes, and unlike everyone else, he stood silently with his arms crossed.
Lyra frowned.
No.
That wasn't possible.
She remembered every person who trained with them five years ago.
But she had never seen him before.
Cassian noticed her expression.
"What is it?" he asked.
Lyra pointed toward the boy.
"Who is he?"
Cassian looked confused.
"Him?"
"The new trainee. He arrived last week."
Lyra's eyes widened.
Last week?
But in her memories, no new trainee had ever joined them.
As if sensing her gaze, the boy slowly turned his head.
Their eyes met.
For a brief second, everything around Lyra became silent.
The sounds of swords clashing disappeared.
The wind stopped.
Even the birds stopped singing.
Then it was over.
The world returned to normal.
Lyra took a shaky breath.
Did anyone else notice?
Apparently not.
Everyone continued as if nothing had happened.
But the strange boy was still looking at her.
And for the first time since returning to the past…
Fear crept into Lyra's heart.
Because she finally understood something.
Changing time wasn't only changing the future.
It was changing the past too.
Far away, inside the ruins of the Moon Temple, the red eyes opened once again.
A dark voice echoed through the chamber.
"She has begun to notice."
"Good."
"Bring her to me."
And somewhere beyond time itself, a pair of silver eyes slowly opened.
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To Be Continued... :::
- Writer
