The world dissolved around Lyra.
The colors of the forest, the guild members, Arden's tense face, Oren's circle of runes—
everything shattered into soft shards of light.
Weight vanished.
Sound vanished.
Warmth vanished.
She felt only the pulse—
soft, faint, familiar—
of Zerrei's core calling from somewhere impossibly far away.
Then the light folded in on itself—
and Lyra fell.
Not downward.
Inward.
Deeper.
Deeper.
Until—
Her feet touched something solid.
Lyra opened her eyes—
and gasped.
THE SILENT WORLD
She stood in a vast, endless space of pale gray light.
It wasn't cold.
Wasn't warm.
It simply was.
Like a world without time.
Soft mist curled around her ankles.
The sky above wasn't sky at all—
just a blank, cloudlike expanse of white and faint gold.
The silence felt heavy.
Too heavy.
Like the silence after a scream.
Lyra clenched her hands, heart pounding.
"Zerrei…?"
Her voice echoed into the emptiness—
faded softly—
and vanished.
No answer.
But she felt something.
A small tug—like a whisper brushing her soul.
A faint thread of warmth leading deeper into the endless pale.
She followed.
THE FRACTURED PATH
The ground beneath her shifted subtly as she walked.
Not stone.
Not earth.
Something softer—
like layered memories pressed into the world.
With every step, images flickered beneath the surface.
She saw—
A small puppet curled in a dark cell.
Runes glowing faintly in fear.
Chains of command wrapped around him like binding roots.
She saw—
Vessel Two dragging him by the arm.
A harsh voice echoing:
"OBEY."
She saw—
Zerrei—still Friezzar then—
reaching toward a tiny gap of light beyond the door.
She knelt, touching the flickers.
And the world trembled—
as if reacting to her presence.
"Zerrei…" she whispered.
"How long were you trapped like this…?"
No response.
But the thread of warmth tugged again, urging her onward.
THE FIRST CRACK
A faint sound broke the stillness.
Crk.
Lyra flinched.
Ahead of her, the pale world fractured—
thin lines splintering outward like cracks in glass.
Through the cracks…
She glimpsed bits of color.
Fleeting emotions.
Shattered echoes.
She pressed her hand to one of the fractures—
and the world around her rippled violently.
Suddenly she stood inside—
A fragmented memory.
MEMORY 1 — "THE LONELY CELL"
The air turned cold.
The walls turned stone.
Chains rattled.
Lyra gasped, stumbling backward as she realized—
she was inside a small stone room.
Dim.
Silent.
Suffocating.
And in the corner—
A puppet child.
Small.
Fragile.
Curled into himself.
Friezzar.
No—
Zerrei.
Just a much younger, terrified version of him.
He hugged his knees, rocking slightly.
"…alone…" he whispered.
Lyra's chest broke.
She rushed to him—
"What happened to you—?!"
Her hands passed straight through him—
like touching smoke.
This wasn't the real Zerrei.
Just a memory.
But the pain was real.
She fell to her knees beside him anyway.
Her voice trembled.
"You're not alone now."
The little puppet rocked harder.
"…alone… alone…"
Lyra sobbed softly.
"You have me. I'm here. I'm coming for you."
The memory trembled—
and shattered into fading gray light.
The world returned to the pale expanse.
Lyra stood slowly, wiping her eyes.
"I'm coming. Hold on."
THE VOID BETWEEN
The path shifted again.
The thread of warmth dimmed.
Flickered.
Almost vanished.
Lyra ran faster.
"Zerrei! Answer me!"
The pale world warped in response, cracks spreading like spiderwebs.
Oren's voice faintly echoed somewhere above her—
muffled, distant.
Lyra—don't stray too deep! His soul is unstable—
The voice cut off.
Lyra clenched her fists.
"I don't care. I'm finding him."
She followed the thread of warmth deeper into the core.
MEMORY 2 — "COMMAND OVER OBEDIENCE"
Another crack spread under her feet.
Lyra stepped forward—
And the world dissolved into another memory.
This time—
A large chamber lit with red runes.
The Creator's voice boomed.
"VESSEL ONE.
PRESENT PURPOSE."
Little Friezzar stood in front of the silhouette, trembling.
"…serve Master…"
"PRIMARY PROTOCOL."
"…obey Master…"
"SECONDARY PROTOCOL."
"…fear… Master…"
Lyra clutched her chest, unable to breathe.
"Stop. Stop—!"
The memory ignored her.
"WHAT DO YOU FEAR MOST, VESSEL ONE?"
Friezzar's carved lips trembled.
"…being… alone…"
Lyra staggered.
She whispered:
"Oh gods… Zerrei…"
The child puppet's voice cracked.
"…please… don't leave me…
…don't… forget me…"
Lyra's hand shook violently.
"I didn't forget you. I never will."
The memory flickered away—
Leaving Lyra standing alone again.
Her tears hit the pale ground.
The world rippled sympathetically.
THE HEART'S SHADOW
The thread of warmth brightened—
then abruptly cut off.
Lyra froze.
"Wait. Zerrei—?"
The ground trembled.
The sky cracked.
Shadows gathered.
A familiar voice whispered through the void:
"…Lyra…"
Lyra spun around.
"Zerrei?! Where—"
A dark silhouette formed behind her.
Tall.
Broad.
Humanoid.
Her heart leapt—
until she saw the color of the runes.
Red.
"…no…" she whispered.
The silhouette tilted its head.
It spoke in Zerrei's voice—
but hollow.
Wrong.
"Lyra… anchor…"
Lyra stepped back, trembling.
"You're not Zerrei."
The silhouette reached for her.
"…stay… with me…"
Lyra shook her head fiercely.
"You're not him!"
The red silhouette fractured—
and dissolved.
In its place—
far beyond the fog—
a faint blue light flickered.
Weak.
Unstable.
Fading.
Lyra's breath caught.
"…Zerrei…"
She ran.
THE CORE OF SILENCE
She burst into a clearing of pure white void—
And there he was.
Zerrei.
Kneeling.
Arms wrapped around himself.
Head bowed.
Ribbons of cracked blue light drifting from his body like fading smoke.
He didn't glow.
He didn't look up.
He didn't move.
He looked—
empty.
Lyra fell to her knees in front of him.
Her hands cupped his silent face.
"Zerrei…
I found you."
No response.
She pressed her forehead to his.
"Please look at me."
Still nothing.
She grabbed his hands, squeezing tightly.
"You promised to stay with me."
His fingers twitched—
barely.
She sobbed harder.
"You're not alone.
Do you hear me?
You're not alone anymore.
I'm here."
Her tears hit his wooden cheeks—
and drew faint glimmers of light along his runes.
Slow.
Faint.
But real.
His voice broke through the silence—
cracked
weak
terrified.
"…Lyra…?"
Lyra sobbed.
"Yes. Yes—it's me."
He trembled violently.
"…cold…
…dark…
…couldn't… find… Lyra…"
She hugged him fiercely.
"You don't have to find me. I'll come to you."
His hands rose shakily—
and clutched her clothes.
"…Lyra…"
She pressed her forehead to his.
"I'm taking you home."
And the white world shattered—
bursting into golden light.