"I'll be back in an hour. So, don't fight." I said.
"Where are you going?" Mira asked, tilting her head.
"Market. Need to pick up some items."
"I'll come with you!" Mira and Feyra spoke almost in unison, then glared at each other.
"No."
"But—"
"You're both staying here. I won't risk you two causing a scene in the middle of the market."
They both fell silent, exchanging icy glares.
"Watch the library," I emphasized, giving them a sharp look. "And remember don't fight."
"Okay," they muttered in unison, though their grudging tones didn't inspire much confidence.
I turned and left the library. Outside, the sky was painted in hues of red and orange as the sun sank toward the horizon. The warm glow bathed the streets in golden light.
'I need to hurry.'
---
Back in the library, tension crackled between Mira and Feyra like lightning before a storm.
"Too hard to leave, huh?" Mira sneered, crossing her arms.
Feyra smirked. " He's my childhood love. I'm not going to give up on him so easily."
"Oh, really? Then where were you during the incident—when he was on the verge of death?" Mira shot back, her voice rising.
"First of all, he wasn't on his deathbed," Feyra retorted.
"And second, I was the one who called for the doctor. What were you doing? Crying your eyes out like a useless child."
"I couldn't help it when I saw him getting hurt."
"And what if your hysteria had cost him his life? What if those precious minutes you wasted crying had been the difference between life and death?"
Mira opened her mouth, then closed it, the weight of Feyra's words crushing her intended response.
"You're lucky nothing happened to him,"
Feyra pressed on, sensing her advantage.
"If I were you, I couldn't live with the guilt. I certainly wouldn't have the audacity to kiss him after such a thing."
Mira's face fell, exactly as Feyra had planned. 'The trap is set,'
"But... Eddie never blamed me," Mira said softly, as if trying to convince herself. "If anything, he's been kinder and more loving toward me since then."
Feyra sighed.
"You really don't understand him at all, do you? That's just like Eddie—always putting others before himself, even if it means hiding his own pain."
Mira's eyes widened. "Are you saying... he's hurting because of me?"
"Think about it," Feyra's voice softened with false sympathy.
"What would you feel if someone you trusted watched you suffer and did nothing to help?"
Tears welled in Mira's eyes. "I'd be furious. I'd never want to see them again."
Silence filled the library, heavy and suffocating. Feyra's smirk deepened.
'Time for the final blow,'
"Do you remember when Eddie kissed you?" Feyra asked, breaking the silence. "What state were you in?"
Mira hesitated. "I… I was crying. I was scared."
"And he kissed you to comfort you, didn't he? To calm you down."
Mira nodded reluctantly.
"Now think about this: when he kissed me, it wasn't out of pity or obligation. It was because he wanted to."
Mira's shoulders slumped as Feyra's words hit their mark.
'Have I been burdening him all this time? Were his smiles fake? Looking back, I've always been so dramatic, overreacting to everything…'
Tears streamed down her cheeks as guilt consumed her.
'He never complained, always endured my behavior. Even gave me his first kiss. I'm terrible…'
---
Meanwhile, at the market, crossing off items on my list for the awakening process. But there was another reason for my visit. I needed to see her again.
After gathering the materials, I made my way to her stall, her smile unchanged,
"We meet again, young man," she said with calm voice.
"What you showed me earlier," I said, cutting straight to the point. "Was it real, or just an illusion?"
She chuckled. "Such a stern look for a helpless old woman,"
"Drop the act."
Her smile didn't falter.
"It depends on your choices. Change your path, and it becomes illusion. Continue as you are, and it becomes reality. Better to change than die twice before your time."
"So you did see my past."
"You don't seem surprised."
"Your advice gave you away."
"Sharp as ever," she said, her knowing smile widening. "I was right."
"About what?"
Suddenly, everything around me froze. Time itself seemed to halt. The coin she'd given me earlier began to glow in my pocket, burning like a tiny star. I pulled it out and stared at it in confusion.
"What's happening?"
"A gift from an old woman," she said
"Don't resist. Let it flow, it seeks a new master. There may be slight... discomfort."
Before I could respond, the coin morphed, stretching and slithering up my arm like liquid metal.
Pain exploded through my body, dropping me to my knees. "AHHHHHH!"
"Oh my! It like its new owner," she observed as I writhed on the ground.
The pain was unbearable, as if every cell in my body was being torn apart and rebuilt. Sweat poured down my face, and the world blurred around me. Minutes felt like hours, but eventually, the pain began to subside.
Breathing heavily, I managed to sit up. "That… was not slight discomfort."
She chuckled. "Pain builds character.."
"Are you from the Council?"