Lira couldn't escape him
Days blurred into one another, as she drifted through her tasks, but every spare moment, every quiet hour of her night, her thoughts returned to him. Aeron Gray. The name lingered like a dark promise on lips. Her mind, normally sharp and orderly, was consumed questions, she couldn't quiet, an ache she couldn't name. She fought the desire to revisit the fragment, but each night it called her like a siren's song.
One evening, unable to resist any longer, she finally surrendered. She settled into her study, the room dimly lit by the dying embers of the fire, and reached for the crystal. The moment her fingers brushed it's surface, she felt the familiar pull from the past. The study dissolved around her, and she swept back into his world.
Lira found herself standing in a grand, dimly lit library, walls lined floor - to - ceiling with ancient books and relics. Candlelight flickered along the shelves, casting shadows that danced in the corners of her vision. She felt her presence before she saw him - a weight, an intensity that sent a thrill of fear down her spine.
And then he was there.
Aeron's figure emerged from the shadows, his dark eyes fixed on her with a look of quiet intensity. Tis time, there was no ballroom, no music to distract her. Just the two of them, surrounded by shadows and silence.
"You returned, " He murmured, a slight smile playing on his lips.
Lira's breathe caught in her throat. She wanted to speak, to ask him questions, but his gaze held her captive, rendering her silence. His eyes gleamed with a strange light, something between amusement and longing.
He reached out a hand, and though she knew it was only a memory, she felt herself reaching back, unable to resist the magnetic pull between them.
As her fingers closed around hers, the room seemed to pulse with energy, and she felt a wave of emotions wash over her- sorrow, desire, regret. She didn't understand how she could feel his emotions so intensely, as if they were her own. It was more than simply observing a memory;she was living it.
"You feel it too, don't you? " He whispered, his voice soft, as if confessing a secret.
Lira tried to answer, but no words would come. She could only nod, caught in the web of his gaze, her heart pounding in her chest. The sensation was intoxicating, a heady mix of fear and yearning.
Aeron took a step closer, his hand still enterwined with hers. "You were always meant to find me, " He said, his was low, almost reverent. "To remember me. I have waited centuries for someone who could see me, who could know me. "
His words sent a shiver through her, the weight of them presseng down on her chest. She knew this wasn't real, that it was merely a fragment of his life, but the intensity of his gaze, the warmth of his hand - it felt so real, so present. She could feel his need, his desperation, as if he'd poured all his emotions into this one memory, hoping to reach across time and space to touch her.
She tried to pull her hand away, but his grip tightened, a hint of possessiveness in his touch. "Do not leave me, " He whispered, his voice barely audible. "You are the only one who can bring me back. "
A chill settled over her, and she felt a flicker of fear. "I don't understand, " She managed to say, her voice trembling. "You.... You are a memory, you can't come back. "
"Not yet, " He said, his eyes darkening, " But you can help me. "
A thousand questions flooded her mind, but before she could speak, the memory began to fade, and Aeron's face blurred, his hand slipping from hers as the library dissolved into darkness. She gasped, clutching at the air, desperate to hold onto him, but it was too late. She was back in her study, her hand outstretched towards empty space, her heart racing.
Lira sat in silence, her breathing shallow, her mind reeling. She could still feel the ghost of his touch, the intensity of his gaze, as though he were right beside her. She pressed a hand to her chest, trying to calm her racing heart, but the ache wouldn't go away.
As the days passed. Aeron's thoughts began to haunt her thoughts, his words echoing in her mind. Do not leave me. You were meant to find me.
The boundaries between memories and reality began to blur. She could feed him everywhere - in the whisper of the wind, in the shadow danced along the walls, in the echo of her own heartbeat. Sometimes when she looked into the mirror, she thought she saw his face, just behind her shoulder, watching her with same intense gaze.
Sleep became elusive, her nights filled with restless dreams of him, dreams that left her breathless and shaken. She found herself speaking his name in the darkness, feeling his presence like a shadow that lingered even in daylight. Her obsession grew with each passing day, consuming her thoughts, her desires. She knew it was dangerous, that she was treading on thin ice, but she couldn't help herself. She was falling into him, into the depths of his memories, losing pieces of herself with each visit.
The Archivists began to notice her distraction, her distance. One evening, a fellow Archivist
named Evelyn confrontef her.
"You have been..... Different, "evelyn said cautiously, her voice laced with concern. " I have rumors that you have been diving too deeply into an echo. Lira you the dangers of lingering in a memory that's too intense. "
Lira forced a smile, brushing off Evelyn's concern. "I am fine, it's nothing. "
But Evelyn didn't look convinced. She placed a hand on Lita shoulder, her eyes filled with worry, "Be careful. I have heard of Archivists who've lost themselves in memories, who've forgotten who they are. Some memories..... They are too strong, too full of longing. They can consume you if you're not careful. "
The warning lingered in Lira's mind after Evelyn had gone. But even as she told herself to heed the caution, she knew it was already too late, too deeply ensnared in Aeron's memory to pull herself back.
And she knew with a certainty that chilled her to the bone, that she would return to him again.