"You're a dangerously unstable individual you know that?" huffed Lyra as they trekked through the forest. "Yesterday, before you disappeared into oblivion, which I still like to know where you went, you looked like a kid who'd just been given candy. Now, you look like you want to jump off the first cliff you see"
Kai didn't respond right away. He kept his eyes on the narrow dirt path ahead, the leaves crunching under his boots as he and Lyra made their way through the dense forest. The sun filtered through the canopy in patches, casting flickering shadows on the ground, but all he could focus on was the weight of the Obsidian Edge strapped to his back. The sword felt heavier than it should, as if it carried more than just its physical weight. The only good surprise that came that morning was to find the obsidian edge and fang daggers still stored in his inventory. Guess that all the progress lost was bullshit. Or the system was glitching again.
Lyra, walking beside him, murmured in frustration. "Seriously, what the hell happened? You left, came back looking like you got run over by a stampede, and now you're all brooding and moody. Spill it."
Kai's jaw clenched. He could feel her gaze on him, waiting for a response, but he couldn't bring himself to talk about it. He was also, kind of mad, that this child wouldn't shut up. It had been what? Four hours now, and there hadn't been a moment of silence. She started by explaining where she was from, then how she activated her Soul reading a manual, later, somehow, she started talking about gnomes. Now she was complaining, and pressing for information at the same time.
"Drop it," Kai muttered, his voice low and tight, trying to suppress the growing tension.
Lyra scoffed beside him, arms crossed as they trudged through the forest. "Drop it? Are you kidding me? You can't just go off, nearly get yourself killed, come back all... whatever this is, and expect me to just drop it."
Kai counted to ten in his head. He'd already done this mental exercise at least fifty times today. It was wearing thin. "Yesterday was... a lot," he muttered, trying to rein in his frustration. "And today feels even worse."
"Yeah, no kidding." Lyra didn't miss a beat. "But seriously, what's going on in that messed-up head of yours? One minute you're determined, talking about dropping me off at the capital and finding this PLAYER. Now you look like you're ready to jump off the first cliff you see."
Kai rolled his eyes as she flipped him off, resisting the urge to snap. "We're still going to the capital," he replied, his voice tinged with exhaustion.
"Right, the capital," Lyra said with a sharpness that made him stop. She stepped in front of him, blocking his path, her arms crossed defiantly. "You know what I think, Kai? I think you're scared."
"Scared?" He scoffed, turning his head away from her. "Of what?"
"Of facing yourself," she said quietly.
Those words struck deeper than he wanted to admit. His feet remained planted on the forest floor, rooted to the spot. He stared into the dense thicket of trees as if somehow the leaves and shadows might offer him some sort of answer. But, like every time before, all that greeted him was silence—just more questions he couldn't solve.
"You think everything's a distraction," Lyra snapped, her patience clearly wearing thin. "That's your problem. You act like the world is just happening to you, but it's not. You're the one making these decisions, whether you want to admit it or not."
She stepped closer, pointing a finger firmly at his chest. "There are kids dying, people suffering, wars raging. I get it, we're not heroes, and neither of us asked to be here, but does that mean we just sit on our hands and do nothing? If you're weak, you work to get stronger. Nothing in this life is free, Kai. You can't sit back and wait for someone or something to tell you what to do. You have to decide."
Kai winced but didn't move, her words crashing down on him like blows. He'd been waiting—hoping, even—for some grand solution, for some cosmic sign that would show him what he was supposed to do next. But no matter how many monsters he fought, the answer wasn't there.
Lyra's voice softened but held its sharp edge. "I had to work for every ounce of strength I have. That strength let me save you back there. And it'll let me save myself again if I have to."
Kai's fists tightened at his sides. He could feel the anger and frustration boiling in his chest, but beneath it was the bitter truth. She was right. Every decision he'd made had led him to this point, but he had been waiting, drifting, just like before. In his old life, he'd coasted through every obstacle, but this world didn't allow for passivity.
For a long, heavy moment, neither of them spoke. The forest around them felt impossibly vast, the shadows deep and the path ahead uncertain. Kai knew she was right. He had to stop running from himself, from the fear that gripped him. He had to make a choice.
Finally, Kai sighed, breaking the silence. "I don't know if I'm strong enough."
Lyra smirked, nudging him in the ribs. "Then fake it until you are."
Kai couldn't help but chuckle, despite the weight pressing on him. "Easy for you to say."
Lyra fell back into step with him, her tone softening just a bit. "Please, I had to go through the same shit you're going through now. You're not special."
Kai smirked, raising an eyebrow. "Lady, watch your mouth. The Gods would tremble at hearing your foul vocabulary."
Lyra rolled her eyes, her lips curling into a smirk of her own. "Go eat shit, Kai."
He barked out a laugh, shaking his head. Somehow, despite everything—the exhaustion, the uncertainty, the overwhelming pressure of what lay ahead—Lyra's irreverent attitude made the world feel a little lighter.
"Such a delicate way with words," Kai teased, but this time, there was warmth in his voice.
--- --- --- --- --- ---
The next few days were a constant reminder that Lyra wasn't just some healer who patched up wounds. She consistently managed to beat Kai's ass in their sparring sessions, never pulling her punches. Guess healing wasn't the only thing she was good at.
Kai grunted, his arms trembling as he barely blocked her latest strike. "Guard up," Lyra barked, circling around him with ease, her eyes sharp. "I want you to hit me like you're hitting a strong, 6'3, bulky man, not like you're slapping a fly."
Kai wiped the sweat dripping down his face with his forearm, his chest heaving. "Yeah, well," he muttered, shifting his stance, "most 6'3 bulky men don't move like you."
Lyra smirked. "Most men aren't as dangerous either. Now come on. Focus."
Kai narrowed his eyes, pushing past the ache in his muscles. Every sparring session left him sore and bruised, but there was a certain clarity in the pain. It was the one thing that made sense. It was something he could control—unlike everything else in his life.
He lunged forward, throwing a punch aimed at her torso. But she sidestepped easily, her movements fluid like water, and in an instant, she had him by the arm, flipping him onto his back with a heavy thud.
The impact knocked the air out of him. Kai groaned, staring up at the sky. "Okay... maybe not that strong."
Lyra hovered over him, hands on her hips. "You're not using your weight properly. You're thinking too much, overanalyzing every move. The moment you hesitate, you've already lost."
Kai huffed, rolling onto his side to stand up. "Maybe I'm just tired of getting my ass kicked by a girl."
She flashed him a grin, tossing her braid over her shoulder. "Oh, come on, Kai. You love it."
He shot her a glare but couldn't help the smile tugging at his lips. "Debatable."
Lyra softened, stepping back to give him some space. "Listen, you're getting better. Slowly, but you are. You've got good instincts, but you need to trust them. Stop trying to think your way through every fight. Sometimes it's about letting go."
Kai's smile faltered at her words. Letting go. If only it were that easy.
Before they could start sparring again, Kai paused, these weeks a constant thought had been eating his mind. He watched Lyra, her posture confident, her movements sharp and controlled. But something wasn't adding up. He'd seen her fight now—seen how skilled she was. Why had she struggled so much in that alleyway when they first met?
"Hey, Lyra," Kai called out, standing up. "I've been meaning to ask you something."
She glanced at him, raising an eyebrow. "What's up?"
Kai hesitated for a moment, trying to make sense of his confusion. "That time we met... in the alley. You were being attacked, right? You seemed pretty helpless against those guys."
Lyra frowned, crossing her arms.
"You're a hell of a fighter," Kai continued, wiping his face with his sleeve. "Why didn't you just take him down yourself? You've got the skills. They weren't that strong, and you could've kicked his ass easily."
Lyra's expression shifted, confusion clouding her features. "Wait, what? What are you talking about?"
Kai blinked. "In the alley. You were being dragged away by some thugs, and I stepped in. You don't remember?"
Lyra's frown deepened. She shook her head slowly. "No… I don't. I wasn't—" She paused, her hand going to her head, like she was trying to sift through a foggy memory. "I wasn't in that situation, Kai. That didn't happen."
Kai stared at her, his confusion growing. "What do you mean it didn't happen? I was there. You were—"
"No," Lyra cut him off, her voice quiet but firm. "I wasn't. That's not how it happened. I don't remember any thugs or alley. You must be mixing things up."
His pulse quickened. What the hell was she talking about? He remembered it clearly—Lyra, struggling, and him stepping in to save her, and both of them running into the woods. It was how they met. How could she not remember?
Kai's stomach churned as an unsettling possibility dawned on him. Could the system be behind this? It had been silent for weeks now, but what if it wasn't just about giving him skills or stats? What if it was influencing events, forcing certain scenes to play out? Like in a game, where characters were railroaded into certain situations to push the narrative forward.
Was Lyra caught in that? Was the system manipulating them both, scripting their encounters, bending reality to fit its own design?
Kai rubbed the back of his neck, trying to shake the unease creeping through him. "Are you sure you don't remember anything?" he asked, his voice quieter, as if hoping she was just joking.
She shook her head again, biting her lip. "No. I… I don't. I don't remember any of that, Kai. I swear."
He ran a hand through his hair, trying to piece it all together. If the system was guiding events, forcing people into roles, it meant that none of them were truly in control.
What else had been altered? What other moments had been scripted, manipulated behind the scenes without their knowledge?
Kai opened his mouth to say ask Lyra something else, but before he could, a low growl echoed through the forest, freezing both of them in place.
"What was that?" Kai asked, his eyes scanning the dense forest around them.
Lyra's expression turned serious, her stance shifting as she quickly readied herself. "Trouble."
The growl grew louder, more menacing, and then from the shadows of the forest, a hulking creature emerged. It was massive, easily twice their size, with matted fur and eyes glowing a sickly yellow. Its claws dug into the ground as it stalked toward them, saliva dripping from its bared fangs.
"A forest warg," Lyra muttered under her breath. "They usually hunt in packs."
"Great," Kai said, reaching for his daggers. "This is going to be fun."
Before Kai could think, the warg lunged at them, its massive jaws snapping inches from his face. He barely managed to roll out of the way, the beast's claws scraping the ground where he'd just stood.
Lyra was already in motion, darting to the side and circling around the warg. She threw a dagger, but the blade barely grazed the creature's hide, bouncing off its thick fur.
"Got any brilliant plans?" Kai called out, dodging another swipe from the beast. His heart pounded in his chest, adrenaline flooding his veins.
"Don't die," Lyra shot back, moving in with a series of rapid strikes aimed at the warg's flank.
Kai groaned. "Fantastic plan."
The warg snarled, its attention split between them. It lunged at Lyra this time, but she was quick, darting out of reach before the beast could land a hit. Kai saw his opening and rushed in, slashing at the warg's side with his daggers. The blades bit into its flesh, but the creature hardly flinched, swiping at him with one of its massive paws.
The force of the blow sent Kai tumbling back, crashing into the underbrush. He groaned, clutching his ribs. "You know, I was getting real tired of you beating me up. Now I've got this thing too."
Lyra ducked under another swipe and called out, "Stop talking and focus, idiot!"
Kai scrambled to his feet just as the warg turned its attention back to him. It charged, jaws wide, and for a split second, Kai thought he was done for. But just as the beast leapt, Lyra appeared at its side, slicing across its exposed neck with precision.
The warg howled, stumbling back as blood sprayed from the wound. Lyra's strike had been deep, but not enough to bring the creature down. It staggered, disoriented, its snarls growing more feral as it lashed out in desperation.
"Now, Kai!" Lyra shouted, her eyes flashing with urgency. "Finish it!"
Kai didn't hesitate this time. He darted forward, his daggers gleaming in the faint sunlight filtering through the trees. The warg reared up on its hind legs, trying to swipe at him, but Kai ducked under its claws and plunged both blades into the beast's exposed belly.
The warg let out a final, blood-curdling scream before collapsing in a heap at his feet.
Kai stumbled back, panting heavily, his heart still racing from the fight. His arms felt like lead, the weight of the daggers almost too much to hold. But the creature was dead. They had won.
Lyra approached, wiping blood from her blade with a practiced motion. "Not bad," she said, a hint of approval in her voice.
Kai shot her a tired grin. "You know, I think I preferred it when it was just you kicking my ass."
Lyra smirked. "Get used to it. That was just one warg. There's bound to be more around here."
Kai groaned, collapsing onto the ground. "Can't we at least get a break?"
Lyra rolled her eyes but didn't argue. "Alright, take five. Then we'll get back to training. You still need a lot of work."
Kai chuckled weakly, lying back against the cool earth. Maybe he wasn't quite there yet, but for the first time in days, he felt like he was making progress. But he wasn't the only one making progress. The system was up to something as well, or the person who controlled it. But one thing was clear: if the system was behind all this, then it was manipulating more than just numbers and stats. It was toying with their lives.