Lyla followed silently behind the Keeper as she walked between the people gathered at the entrance of the building. The space sparked with chatter from the beings who had gathered. They would occasionally stop when someone halted the Keeper in greeting before they proceeded to have some small talk, she would move a few steps away, ever the respectful servant. Lyla thought she should win an award for how well she was playing the role.
In the moments they stopped, she allowed herself to look around at the people gathered. Beings of all races were here, and she reigned in her surprise whenever she saw some she had never seen before, like Seers who were quickly distinguished by their plain white eyes. Earlier, one of the Seers had been passing her, when she stopped and looked at her before getting closer. The Keeper had quickly intervened, gaining their attention, and Lyla had the good sense to blend with the crowd until the woman had left.
She had read about Seers and their power, their ability to see what others couldn't about someone, and just then she had felt quite exposed. It was scary.
She also learnt they could see the past, present, or future, although she had read they were just mere images, especially if it involved the future, nothing clear enough, and they would never know when what they saw would take place.
Seers are also considered Projectors and Illusionists' greatest opponents. An upper-skilled Seer could see past illusions and projectors moving through spaces, making their gift coveted by wealthy individuals who employed them to ensure they were never deceived or spied upon.
She also got to see the descendants of Lugh, a race of people blessed by the heavens with the power to craft incredible weapons. It was said that during the war, they made weapons that any force or magic could not break. Lugh, their ancestor, was said to have been a powerful being so blessed by the heavens that he was known to be the one to make the Astralyte stone; none of his descendants ever inherited such power as he had
But still, they were exceptional. Their major role was fashioning weapons for the protectors, and because they needn't make so many after the war, they explored their gifts in art and crafting.
In one of their library lessons, the Keeper had told her she looked a lot like these people, so much that anyone would be inclined to believe she was, and now that she saw them, she understood why, especially with so many gathered here. Their skin was the same as hers, a deep shade of brown, with their hair as curly as hers, so curly it was almost coily. She did see some with really coily hair.
The Lugh people were also blessed to have other gifts, so it wouldn't be strange for someone to believe those were her people.
A man with coily black hair had smiled warmly at her as though she were a kindred, one of them, a part of their heritage. Lyla had smiled back and dipped her head in greeting just like the Lugh descendants did to each other. It had felt nice to have a sense of belonging somewhere in this world, even for those few seconds.
The meeting started, and she was left in a hall where some other leaders who had deigned to bring company had left theirs. Some looked as young as her, while others were older.
Minutes passed, and Lyla wished she had her phone; at least she would have had something to pass the time with. Groups had already been formed around the room, and chatter was booming, but she hadn't heard the nerve to approach anyone.
The chair beside her screeched, and Lyla turned to find a guy with red hair sitting there. He smiled at her.
"I hate attending these meetings," he said, "usually so boring, but my father insists on dragging me every time." he let out an exaggerated sigh, she chuckled, making him smile.
"I'm Atlas."
"Lyla"
"Pretty name"
They chatted for a long while after. Atlas was talkative; she preferred that she had always been better at listening anyway.
Lyla didn't know how much time had passed, but movement around the hall drew her attention, 'The meeting was over' Atlas announced before bidding her a quick goodbye, and thus the first day of the summit ended. They still had two more days to go.
*
The next day was the same, Atlas had found her again, much to the fury of the brown haired nymph, staring daggers at her. She had smirked at the girl in that arrogance she had learned from the Keeper, the female bared her teeth at her, the promise of vengeance shining in her eyes.
Was she a possessive girlfriend? Or did she just have a massive crush?
Atlas did not seem to notice, though he went on with whatever he was saying. She had asked at a point if he had a girlfriend he had blushed before revealing he didn't. She didn't say anything else on the matter.
Other than that, nothing eventful happened, and the second day of the summit passed on.
*
The last day of the summit started earlier and took longer. Lyla knew she shouldn't be walking through the corridors of the building, but her new friend hadn't come today, and boredom threatened to suffocate her, so she had opted for a stroll.
The guards positioned at different points of the building merely threw a glance at her before resuming their duty. She supposed they didn't perceive her as a threat, or perhaps the thorough security check done before stepping into the building was enough for them. It didn't matter to her either way.
She had just been rounding a corner when she bumped into someone. The person dropped what they had been holding, and as they went to pick it up, something fell from their clothes. Lyla quickly apologized and rushed to help the person, but when she grabbed the square object, she felt something.
It was like a sharp zap, like being electrocuted, but different, not because there was no pain, but it felt wrong. Her magic recoiled at the touch and screamed at her to let go. She instinctively did, and the man quickly grabbed it before pocketing it again.
He looked at her and smiled, "No need to apologize, it's my fault."
The smile seemed honest, but his eyes, Lyla didn't like those eyes, they reminded her of a predator's eyes, not for how they looked, but how they felt on her.
The man was saying something, so she jolted herself back, "... wasn't looking sorry," she caught him saying.
She forced a shy, tame smile. "It's okay."
The man nodded and gave her a goodbye before leaving. Lyla watched as the man left, watched as he nodded to the guards ahead, and disappeared through a door.
Lyla stood still watching that door and couldn't shake the feeling, the sensation of that object still vibrated on her palm minutes after the man had left. She looked at her palm, but there was nothing on it; it looked the same as always, nothing to indicate harm, but why, why was it even after the man was long gone, why wouldn't her magic stop screaming, WRONG WRONG WRONG