Days passed, each one heavier than the last. Lira resumed her duties as Archivist, but her heart wasn't in it. She could barely focus, her thoughts always drifting back to Aeron. She felt as though she were living in a half - world, torn between the life she was supposed to reclaim and the shadowy remnants of a collection she could never fully sever.
One night, Evelyn came to visit her in her study. The older Archivist looked weary, but her eyes held a quiet strength. She had been to one to guide Lira through the severance, and though she rarely spoke of it, Lira knew Evelyn understood the toll it had taken on her.
" Lira, " Evelyn spoke gently, her gaze soft but probing. " I need to ask you something. "
Lira looked up, trying to mask the pain in her eyes, " Yes?"
Evelyn hesitated, trying to choose her words carefully, " Since the ritual..... Have you felt anything unusual? Heard or seen things that shouldn't be there?"
Lira's heart skipped a beat. She wanted to deny it, to pretend that everything was fine, but she couldn't lie to Evelyn, " I.... I still hear him sometimes, " She admitted, " I see him in my dreams. And sometimes.... I feel as if he's still here, watching me. "
Evelyn's expressions grew troubled, " I feared as much. Some memories.... They leave a mark on us, even after severance. Aeron was powerful, and your bond with him was.... Unusual. It's possible that a part of him remains with you, even if the main fragment is gone. "
Lira's chest tightened, " What does that mean? "
Evelyn sighed. "It means that his memory might continue to haunt you. But it's more than that, Lira. There are rumors about archivists who formed strong bond with certain memories that they began to experience... Physical manifestations, shadows, visions, even sensations. The echoes became real. "
The revelation sent a chill through Lira. The thought of Aeron haunting her physically, of seeing him in the flesh, was both terrifying and exhilarating. She didn't know if could endure such a haunting but a dark, secret part of her wanted it. She wanted to see him again, to feel his presence one last time.
"Is there a way to....bring him back? " She aasked, barely above a whisper.
Evelyn's gaze sharpened, " Lira, don't even consider it. To bring back a memory back after it's severance is.... It's madness. You'd be risking your soul. You could become a shade, forever lost between worlds. "
" But if he's already haunting me.... What difference does it make? " Lira's voice was filled with desperate longing she could no longer hide. "I need to know if he's still out there, if part of him still remembers me. "
Evelyn's face softened, a flicker of sorrow in her eyes, " If he's truly lingering, then he's no longer Aeron. He's a shadow, a fragment without purpose. You must let him go, Lira, for your own sake. "
But Lira could only think about his voice, of his touch, of the intensity of his gaze. She knew Evelyn was right - she should let him go, allow herself to move on. Yet the thought of doing so felt like betrayal, as if she were abandoning a part of herself.
That night, she returned to her quarters, her mind racing with Evelyn's words. She tried to sleep, but her thoughts were consumed by the memories of Aeron's. She would still feel the chill of his touch, hear the whisper of his voice, sense the shadow of his presence.
Then, in the still of the night, she felt a cold hand on her shoulder.
Her breathe hitched, and she sat up, her heart pounding. The room was empty, but she knew he was there, lingering just beyond the veil of reality.
"Aeron, " She whispered, her voice trembling.
For a moment, there was only silence. Then, a faint whisper echoed through the room, so soft it was barely audible.
" I am still with you. "
The words sent a shiver down her spine, and she felt tears prick at her eyes. She was haunted - not by the memory of a man, but by remnants of a love that had defied death, a bond that could never be severed.
As she lay back down, she knew she had crossed the line. Aeron was gone, but he never truly leave her. He was a part of her now, a shadow that would haunt her for as long as she lived.