Chapter 7: The City Beyond Time
497 Words
Lyra stood frozen.
Before her stretched a city unlike anything she had ever imagined.
Silver towers reached toward the stars.
Strange floating lights drifted through the air like fireflies.
Ancient symbols glowed softly across the streets.
Everything felt beautiful.
And impossible.
"Welcome," Orion said quietly.
"To the Sanctuary of the Wraith Guardians."
Lyra slowly turned toward him.
"This place is real?"
Orion raised an eyebrow.
"You are standing in it."
"That's not what I mean!"
Lyra looked around in amazement.
"I thought the Wraith Guardians were just stories."
"Most people do," Orion replied.
As they walked through the city, several Guardians stopped and stared.
Some looked surprised.
Others looked worried.
And one elderly Guardian nearly dropped the scroll he was carrying.
"Commander Orion..." the old man whispered.
His eyes moved toward Lyra.
"Who is this child?"
Orion answered without hesitation.
"She is under my protection."
The entire street became silent.
Lyra blinked.
Even she could tell those words carried great meaning.
The old Guardian looked shocked.
But he lowered his head respectfully.
"As you command."
After he left, Lyra hurried beside Orion.
"What was that about?"
"Nothing important."
"It looked important."
"It was not."
Lyra crossed her arms.
"You always answer like that."
Orion looked genuinely confused.
"Answer like what?"
"Like someone trying not to answer."
For a moment, he said nothing.
Then—
"I have been told that my communication skills are lacking."
Lyra stared at him.
"Who told you that?"
"Everyone."
She burst out laughing.
Orion looked slightly offended.
"I fail to understand why this is amusing."
"Because you're admitting it with a straight face!"
Before Orion could respond, a small furry creature suddenly jumped onto his shoulder.
Lyra gasped.
"What is that?!"
The tiny creature curled itself around Orion's neck and happily fell asleep.
Orion gently supported it with one hand.
"A Moon Fox."
Lyra's eyes widened.
"You have a pet?!"
"It is not my pet."
The Moon Fox immediately rubbed its head against his cheek.
Lyra laughed again.
"It clearly disagrees."
Orion sighed.
"It followed me home."
"Three years ago."
Lyra smiled.
For someone so serious, Orion had surprisingly strange habits.
But before she could tease him again, bells suddenly rang throughout the city.
Every Guardian immediately stopped moving.
The atmosphere changed.
Orion's expression hardened.
"What happened?" Lyra asked.
A young Guardian ran toward them.
"Commander!"
"The Mirror Chamber has reacted!"
Orion's silver eyes widened.
"Impossible."
"The seals are still intact!"
The young Guardian swallowed nervously.
"Not anymore."
"And..."
His gaze slowly moved toward Lyra.
"The chamber reacted to her."
Silence.
For the first time since arriving in the Sanctuary...
Everyone was looking at Lyra.
---
Far away in Moonvale, Cassian finally reached the ruins of the Moon Temple.
But Lyra was nowhere to be found.
He tightened his grip on his sword.
"Lyra..."
Then—
A voice spoke behind him.
"Looking for someone?"
Cassian turned around.
And two glowing red eyes stared back at him from the darkness.
---
To Be Continued...
- Writer
