Lyla ran. She ran and ran and ran. Pretty soon she was out of the snow entirely and running through the hollow forest she was having trouble recognizing now. It was so strange. Fog rose up from the thick leafy covered ground, masking the woods with a ghostly feeling. Though she tried to ignore this new side of the forest, Lyla couldn't help but feel somewhat terrified. Even worse, the dark grey clouds above choked out the sunlight, bringing the eerie forest into a dead darkness.
The young woman slowed to a stop, panting, knees shaking in stress. She just needed to continue following the path she was on and she would reach it in no time; if about an hour qualified as no time. Determined to save her friend, Lyla started walking forward, blocking out the buzzing in her brain.
Dzz!... dzzz.
Random noises within her own mind flickered on and off like a light as her bottled up thoughts slowly rose. In order to fight them off, Lyla continued running, but that didn't help.
Dzzz!
In a dizzying moment, the world around the young lady vanished, being replaced by a black void. Gravity stayed the same, and Lyla still felt and heard leaves under her feet. Was she suddenly blind? To check, Lyla quickly looked down at her arms. They were there. She wasn't blind.. so what on earth was going on then?! Surely she wasn't doing this!
Lyla blinked several times in confusion, then shook her head, deciding to just accept the illusion for now, and had a spin around the darkness to see (what she could see see see.. at the bottom of the deep blue sea sea sea. XD Alright, I'll stop!)
Once turned fully around, Lyla noticed there indeed was something among the blank, dark void all around. There it was. Exactly the same as it was from that dream... The mirror. It stood tall and lean, reflecting the face she saw far fonder than her own. Yes, it was that same better version of herself from before, beautiful, almost angelic looking dress and all. Her hair absolutely perfect, and not a single mishap on her face. Most of all, it felt so real. Like all she needed to do was reach out and grab it, and she would become this beautiful version of herself.
Was this what she wanted, though? Were there any consequences, anything she would later regret?.. No... it was simply an upgrade, right?..
"I want you to have this, Lyla..." The voice of a young boy floated back into her ears, making her immediately remember Steve and the danger he was in. She couldn't be sure that Raethe would keep her promise, if it could even be called that, but she knew those Trudgers wouldn't hesitate to go through with his execution. Lyla tensed. She couldn't waste time on something as meaningless as her beauty... But.. if she were only beautiful, then everything would change. She could have the confidence to talk with people more, she could get a better job - live a better life.. She could finally build up a new family... One that wouldn't abandon her.
The young lady took a step forward, her right hand reaching out only a little. Her reflection did the same of course. A tear appeared in her eyes. Did she even deserve to become this beautiful? What would (Y/n) think? How would she really be treated by others? What would her own parents think if they ever came back? Surely, they would know her beauty wasn't natural. She had pretty much been born either too scrawny or too freckle-faced, with a nose that didn't seem to fit just right. Lyla hesitated, then took another step forward. Wait! This was taking too long. Steve was still being held captive by the enemy, his death scheduled in less than 5 hours now! So, Lyla decided to make this quick. She ran forwards, in the direction of her reflection, reaching out for it, it reaching back for her. She had been sprinting for several seconds when she noticed she wasn't appearing to get any closer to it. Then, she tripped over an invisible stump, falling into a roll into mud and dirt that was all completely invisible to her; but she could taste it; she could smell it. Angered by the fall, Lyla looked back up at the mirror. It was so close, yet, impossible to reach. The girl's eyes softened into a sad expression. That mirror was only there to taunt her; it was only there to distract her.
Having one last look at her reflection, Lyla turned fully around, and felt for the path with her feet like a blind person until she had passed the stump. Then, she ran in the opposite direction of the mirror blindly, relying on her other senses to guide her. Eventually, the darkness crept away as if it were a dark fog trying to keep hold of her, and she was once again able to see the woods. The eerie fog and silence not really helping her calm down after that event.
Dzz!
That static buzzing caught the young lady off guard, making her jump and halt, standing in a defensive position with her hands up.
"Wh- who is out there?! Show yourself already! I don't want th- these.. THINGS! These illusions!" She shouted into the nothingness of the fog. Not even a breeze answered. Lyla grumbled, and continued walking stiffly.
"I, was the one who gave you that amulet.. amulet... amulet..." Steve's voice replayed in Lyla's mind as she walked. What did he mean by that? Did he really mean it, like, literally? As she pondered, more buzzing noises pecked at her ears.
Dzz.. dzz.. dzz.. dzz..
Finally, Lyla had enough. "Alright, would you cut it out?! Just show me already!!" She shouted at the treetops, stomping her foot. With the stomp, an entirely new world formed around her, sprouting from the floor under her foot itself until it completely encapsulated her. It... it was her house. Just to her right was the simple wooden structure, looking newer than she last remembered. Suddenly, the front door of the house opened, and out stepped a young eleven-year-old girl. Her eyes widened. That girl, was her! As soon as she realized this, the scenery and character combined, the memory just.. slipped right in.
......
Young Lyla had had a difficult day. She was feeling jealous of her younger sister (Y/n) who got all the attention nowadays. It was so absurd, it almost seemed like they were treating her like a PRINCESS! Lyla had almost had enough of it! She pouted her way out the front door and far to her right into the forest. There, she sat by a small pond, on her "thinking log." The log was old and cracking. There was even a small tree growing out of it. There, the little girl sat to feel sorry for herself. She sat there for quite some time until she heard some rustling in the bushes. Thinking it was only a rabbit, Lyla didn't even look up from her reflection in the pond, which stared up disappointedly at her. The girl's heart jumped the moment she saw another face appear in the reflection on the other side of the pond. Her jump made HIM jump, and together their heart rates doubled.
"O- oh! I'm sorry!" The young boy, who was wearing a light blue shirt and dark grey pants apologized.
"Who are you?!" Little Lyla squeaked down at the boy who had startled her. She could tell he was older. It is often pretty easy for kids to tell when one is older/younger, compared to adults, so immediately she assumed he must be a mean big kid from the village.
"I- I'm Steve! I just came for some water." The young boy pleaded, rewriting Lyla's assumptions of his character.
"Oh.. how old are you?" Lyla asked. (The typical question all kids ask one another it seems. Heh, not like I would know anything about that. XD)
"I'm only twelve. Why?" Steve asked in return.
"Oh, I thought you were one of David's friends or something." Lyla sighed, remembering David and his friends the last time they chased her away from school, trying to poke her with sticks, just a couple days ago.
"I don't know anyone named David. I am not even from here. I'm just visiting." The young boy said, pulling out a couple of bottles of water and one by one dipping them into the water to fill them back up as he sat on his knees. Lyla watched curiously.
"You mean you are from far away?! That's so cool! What is it like out there?! How did you get your parents to bring you so far from home?! Do they have a special job? Oh, that reminds me of a friend of mine; he came all the way from Danditora! I don't even know where that is!" Lyla began speaking, the young boy simply listening. He let her finish her story about her friends before finally answering.
"Actually, I don't even need my parents' permission. I travel ALL around, by myself!" He boasted, standing up and looking proud. Lyla marveled at the young boy.
"*gasping in astonishment* No way! You are so lucky: getting to go exploring wherever, whenever! I can't wait until I am twelve! Then, I will be able to go on adventures too!" Lyla then stood up on her log, pulled a rotten stick off of it, and sword fought with the air on top of it. The young boy chuckled.
"Heh, you'll probably have to wait a lot longer than me though. I can only go far away because I am tough. My mommy said so. And only tough kids get to go on adventures. Small Steve said with a braggy attitude, pulling his own iron sword off his back and slicing at the air with much more skill than Little Lyla.
"Hey! I'm tough too!" Lyla scowled.
"Oh yeahh, prove it!" Steve smiled. "Beat me in a race to that hill over there, and I'll know if you are tough or not!"
"Bring it on!" Lyla jumped off the log and beside the young boy, who took off the backpack he was wearing and leaned the axe at his side against a tree.
"Ready.." Small Steve began. They both crouched down, getting ready to run. "Set.." Both sets of eyes looked ahead to the small hill that peaked over the trees. "GO!" And with that, the two were off.
The race came to an end at the foot of the hill, Little Lyla only three blocks ahead of Small Steve. They both panted when Lyla touched a large boulder sticking out of the ground, cheering for herself when she had won.
"I WON!" Steve only panted, a frown on his face after losing.
"Hey, no fair! I couldn't even see anything for a bit!" The young boy protested.
"Well then you shouldn't have closed your eyes, silly!" Lyla placed her hands on her hips, this time being the braggy one.
"..They were open.." Steve grumbled under his breath. "Alright, fine, you are tough.. but, are you 'cool?" He asked, a new smile on his face. Lyla smirked.
"Of course I am!" She said, flipping her light brown hair back over her shoulder.
"Then prove it! The first one to reach the top of the hill is cool!" Small Steve shouted, immediately bolting up the hill. Lyla shouted 'not fair,' over him, but had no choice but try to catch up. Steve ended up winning by a long shot, and they spent the rest of the day playing around on that small hill until finally, the sun began to set.
"Oh no. I have to go now. My parents might think I am in trouble." Lyla said, abruptly ending their stick fight to look at the setting sun.
"Already?." Steve moaned, obviously sad that the day had passed by so quickly.
"Sorry. I'll see you tomorrow." Lyla began heading down the hill.
"W- wait!" Lyla turned to the abrupt desperation in the little boy's voice. Once her eyes were on him, Steve sighed, looking down at his fiddling hands. "I won't be here tomorrow.. I, I need to go. I am headed back home right now, because I heard my mom is feeling a little sick, and my cousin wants me to be there for some reason."
"..Oh, I hope she gets better... but..." Lyla trailed off.
"I know. I don't want to go either. You are my best friend now.."
"...Best friend?"
"Yeah." Steve. Lyla was so excited. She had always had friends, but never a BEST friend before! However, that only made saying goodbye even harder. Like the big baby, she really was, the young girl's eyes began to water. Steve looked really sad too, and the two hugged. "Hey," Pulling out of the hug, Steve said, "I want you to have this, Lyla." Delicately, Small Steve pulled out a beautiful amulet. A glimmering blue gem, perfectly encapsulated in a webbing of silver vines as decoration.
"Woah, it's beautiful! What is it?" Lyla said in astonishment.
"It's an amulet. My mother made it for me. The blue gem is a Soul of The Sky. They are very rare. And, I want you to have this one." Steve explained. Lyla only stared at it, speachless, as it was carefully handed to her.
"But.. why?"
"So, I can find you again. So we can play together again. I.. I am really going to miss you." Small Steve's eyes began to water. "Can you promise me one thing? Just one thing?.. That, you will remember me, and you will take good care of the amulet. See it as a symbol of our friendship. I'll remember you, as long as you remember me. Got it?"
"Heh, how could I ever forget you?" Little Lyla smirked behind tears, hugging Steve again -- this time tighter. He hugged back just as tightly. "You don't have to worry about me forgetting you.. you.. you..."
......
The small crystals forming on his cheeks were brushed off slowly. He knew it wasn't something to feel sad, or even angry about.. because he too had forgotten for a while, but, still. The promise had been broken by both of them, without them even realizing it. What made it even worse, however, was that Lyla literally threw the amulet away. As if she thought it were garbage! Why would someone even do that? It was priceless. He had told her that time and time again. Did she not even care? Or was she putting blame onto it, and excusing it's worth just because she thought it was worthless. Had she forgotten more than that little promise? Had she forgotten why she was valuable?.. Had she forgotten, herself?...