The voices of two women drew her attention as they entered the room. Both women were wearing long, dresses. The bodice of one woman was red, while the other's was blue; both were fitted garments with long, pale sleeves. The skirts were full and reached the ground, made of two distinct fabrics. Although the dresses were different, both women were beautiful. Lyra was entranced by their beauty. One woman faced Lyra directly, while the other remained in shadow, so Lyra didn't see her face. Then, they both lay on the bed.
"Are you sure, Layla, that whatever you are doing is good? You know that many won't like your decision." Lyra's eyes widened at hearing this voice because it was her own. She looked at the other lady and was stunned because it was exactly her. Lyra's mind spun because she remembered having a similar dream where she had seen herself in a medieval era. She asked herself, "Is this the same time period? And what am I doing here?"
"I know what you're talking about, Lyra, but you know that I am dying, and you are the only one who can bear—"
"Please don't say that, Layla. You know you are the only one who loves me. Even if you are gone, then what will I do?" Lyra stopped Layla, becoming emotional.
"It's not time to get emotional, Lyra. You know what Wren said. Besides, you know what Regina can do. She has been after my power for a long time now, and even if we let her succeed, then nobody can stop her." Layla fell silent because they both knew the seriousness of the situation they were in.
"Lyra… Lyra, wake up!" Before Lyra could hear further, Wren awakened her. Lyra groggily opened her eyes, and then her eyes widened.
"Is everything okay, sweetheart? Why are you sleeping here?" Wren asked her worriedly.
"Yeah, everything is alright. I just wanted to write, but nothing came to mind, so I drifted off," Lyra told her, hiding the content of her dreams from Wren. Before, she would have told Wren everything, but now she was terrified of what she would find if she told Wren something. Lyra had started to realize that she was somehow related to the people in that dream. Am I the Lyra in the dream? she wondered. But then what happened to me, and why am I here in the modern world? Where is Layla? What happened to her and Wren? Is she related to that dream? Is she the same Wren Layla was talking about? There were so many questions and no answers.
"Umm, Wren, I am so sleepy. I think I'll sleep in my room."
"But you haven't had your dinner," Wren replied.
"Oh, I'll do that later. You know, Wren, when I get hungry, I'll even wake up at night to fill my stomach," Lyra smiled at Wren. Wren smiled back, but it was a very strained smile. Lyra turned and went to her room.
***************
The clock struck one, but Lyra was unable to sleep. So, she got up and came out of her room to eat something. It was dark outside, but as she was descending the stairs, she heard something, and it gave her goosebumps. Good God, what is going on? Is there anyone in her house? But wait, where is Wren? She calmed herself and went toward Wren's room. Her heartbeat increased because the light in Wren's room was on. When Lyra went near Wren's room, she heard her chanting something, as if she was performing some sort of ritual. Wait, a ritual? Seriously, Lyra, where is that thought coming from? Her body suddenly went cold, and that's when Wren opened the door. Wren was wearing her usual clothes, as if she hadn't intended to sleep. She looked here and there, but she found nothing. Lyra's heart was beating fast. Why can't Wren see me? I am standing right in front of her. "Wren," Lyra said softly, but Wren didn't seem to hear.
When Wren didn't find anything out of the ordinary, she went inside, confused and afraid. "What do I do now? It's like I can't control her powers anymore, but this is too early. Why are her powers getting triggered?" Wren was distressed. She began pacing the room anxiously. "Lyra, the seal should have been broken when you turned thirty, but you are only twenty-five. How is it weakening already? How should I prevent this from happening?" Wren muttered to herself.
Outside, Lyra was still standing, flummoxed. She could clearly hear Wren's voice. How is this happening? She looked at her hand, which was emitting a blue light. The light was guiding her toward something. She started following it, her heart thumping hard. She was terrified, yet an unknown excitement and thrill had surrounded her body. It was as if she was about to discover something. Wren's muttering had confused her. How did I hear her? was another mystery to her. When the blue light stopped at her room door, she was confused once again. "Huh? This is my room," she said. She entered her room, and the light guided her toward the library section.
She hadn't come toward this part of the room since Wren told her that her concerns were nothing but just fantasies she read in her books, and Lyra had believed her. But now she was sure that whatever was happening to her wasn't a mere illusion. There was something hidden in history, hidden in her past, that she needed to uncover to know the truth about her identity.
"Is Wren sincere with me or not? Has she done something to me? Is that why she is hiding so many things from me?" She closed her eyes and opened them again, then shook her head. Her heart was telling her to follow the light. She was moving in the direction of that blue light when suddenly it stopped on a book. Lyra looked at the book and sighed in relief. "Huh? This is the journal I found in Mama's house. I had completely forgotten about it." But then she wondered, "Why did the light stop on this journal?" She picked up the journal and got the shock of her life because the cover had changed.