Kael's consciousness stirred like a tide slowly retreating from the depths. The dull ache of his battered body was the first thing he noticed, followed by the warm glow of a nearby fire. His eyelids felt heavy, but he forced them open, revealing a dimly lit cave. Shadows danced across the rough stone walls, cast by the flickering flames.
For a moment, Kael thought he was alone, but then a soft voice broke through the haze.
"You're awake," Lia said gently, her golden hair glinting in the firelight as she leaned closer. "Don't try to move too much. You're still healing."
Kael blinked, trying to process his surroundings and the unfamiliar face. "Who... who are you?" he croaked, his voice hoarse.
The woman smiled gently. "I'm Lia a healer and... let's just say a wanderer. You were on the brink of death when we found you. Rest now. You're safe."
"And that's Lyris," Lia added, glancing at the sliver-haired woman. "She's not as scary as she looks."
Kael's gaze drifted to her, and then to the figure standing further back. His breath caught in his throat as his eyes locked onto Lyris. The sliver hair, the sharp, commanding presence it was unmistakable.
"Aeliana?" he whispered, his voice hoarse and barely audible.
Lyris, who had been leaning against the cave wall with her arms crossed, stiffened. Her crimson eyes narrowed as she stepped forward, her expression shifting from detached to something bordering on irritation. "What did you just say?"
Kael blinked, his mind spinning. The name had slipped out before he could stop himself, an instinctive reaction to the overwhelming familiarity he felt when looking at Lyris. But as the fog in his mind began to clear, he realized his mistake.
"I... I'm sorry," he stammered, his voice trembling. "You reminded me of someone."
Lyris's eyes flickered with something unreadable anger, confusion, or perhaps something deeper but she said nothing, turning her attention back to the fire.
Lia glanced between them, her expression thoughtful but unreadable. She knelt beside Kael, her hands glowing faintly as she continued to heal his wounds. "Who's Aeliana?" she asked softly, her tone probing but kind.
Kael's chest tightened, the memory of Aeliana rushing back like a wave crashing against the shore. He could see her smile, hear her laughter, feel the warmth of her presence. The pain of losing her was as raw as ever, a wound that refused to heal.
Kael said quietly, his voice thick with emotion. "Someone I lost."
Lyris's expression darkened, but she said nothing, her gaze fixed on the fire. Lia, however, seemed to soften, her green eyes meeting Kael's with a hint of understanding.
"I see," she said simply, her hands never ceasing their work.
Kael closed his eyes, his thoughts spiraling. For a brief, fleeting moment, he had believed that Aeliana was here, that she had somehow found him in this strange new world. But now, that hope was gone, replaced by the cold reality of his situation.
Still, he couldn't shake the feeling that there was something about Lyris that called to him, something familiar and unexplainable. It wasn't just her appearance it was the way she carried herself, the fire in her eyes, the unyielding strength that seemed to radiate from her.
And yet, Lyris seemed as far from Aeliana as anyone could be. Where Aeliana had been kind and gentle, Lyris was fierce and unyielding. Where Aeliana had brought warmth and light, Lyris carried an air of danger, her very presence a challenge to anyone who dared to approach her.
Kael's thoughts were interrupted by Lyris's sharp voice.
"Enough with the sentimental nonsense," she said, her tone cutting through the silence like a blade. "You're alive because we chose to step in. Don't make me regret it."
Kael opened his eyes, meeting her fiery gaze. "I didn't ask for your help," he said, his voice quiet but firm.
Lyris raised an eyebrow, a smirk tugging at the corner of her lips. "No, you didn't. But you wouldn't be breathing without it."
Lia shot her a warning look. "Lyris, that's enough. He's been through enough without your barbs."
Lyris shrugged, her expression unreadable as she leaned back against the cave wall. "Just stating the facts."
Kael sighed, his body sinking further into the makeshift bedding beneath him. He was too tired to argue, too broken to fight. But as he lay there, his mind kept returning to Aeliana and to the strange connection he felt to Lyris.
Why had he called her Aeliana? Was it simply his grief playing tricks on him, or was there something deeper at play? He didn't know, and the uncertainty gnawed at him.
Lia's voice pulled him from his thoughts. "Try to rest. Your wounds are healing, but it will take time."
Kael nodded weakly, his eyes drifting shut. But even as sleep began to claim him, his mind was restless, filled with questions he couldn't answer.
Who were these women? Why had they saved him? And why did Lyris, a stranger in this new world, remind him so much of the woman he had loved and lost?
As the fire crackled softly and the cave grew quiet, Kael's dreams were filled with fragments of his past life on Earth and the haunting image of Aeliana's smile. But amidst the chaos of his memories, one thought lingered:
Perhaps, in this new world, the threads of fate were not as distant as they seemed.