Chapter 23 - Nightmare
Lyra ran.
Not because anyone was chasing her.
Not because anyone was calling after her.
She simply needed distance.
The hallway blurred around her.
Voices followed.
Whispers.
Questions.
Concern.
Curiosity.
She couldn't understand any of them.
Every time she blinked—
Fire.
Every time she closed her eyes—
Screams.
A dragon's cry echoed somewhere deep within her mind.
Her chest tightened.
The academy hallway returned.
Then vanished again.
Reality.
Memory.
Reality.
Memory.
She couldn't tell where one ended and the other began.
By the time she reached the dormitory, her hands were shaking.
The door opened.
Then closed behind her.
Silence.
Lyra dropped her bag.
The sound felt strangely distant.
She walked to her bed.
Sat down.
Then pulled her knees to her chest and sat there in that position for few minutes.
The room felt too quiet.
Too small.
Too real.
And yet not real enough.
The flames still lingered behind her eyes.
The grief still sat heavily in her chest.
The helplessness refused to leave.
A soft click sounded behind her.
The dormitory door opened again.
Amy stepped inside while gasping for air.
The usual energy was gone from her sweat covered face.
No dramatic entrance.
No complaints.
No teasing.
She simply looked at Lyra.
And froze.
Because this wasn't the Lyra she knew.
The sarcastic Lyra.
The calm Lyra.
The Lyra who always had a response ready.
This Lyra looked lost.
Amy slowly approached.
"Lyra?"
No response.
Lyra continued staring at the floor.
Amy sat beside her.
Still nothing.
Several moments passed.
Then Amy carefully wrapped her arms around her.
The movement was hesitant.
As though she wasn't sure if it was the right thing to do.
Lyra didn't pull away.
Amy rested her chin lightly against her shoulder.
"I am here."
Silence.
"Whatever happened..."
A pause.
"I am here.....beside you...."
Lyra closed her eyes.
The flames remained.
The screams remained.
But after leaving the training hall—
Something else existed too.
Warmth.
Real.
Present.
Not a memory.
Not a nightmare.
Just Amy.
Neither spoke for a long time.
Amy hugged her till Lyra returned to her normal way.
Meanwhile—
Several floors away.
The hallway remained unusually silent.
Erix stood where he was.
Motionless.
The faint red mark on his cheek had already begun fading.
Nobody mentioned it.
Mostly because nobody knew how.
Lucian stared.
Everyone stared.
Then finally failing to contain himself Lucian spoke.
"What happened?"
No response.
Seren folded her arms.
"Did you make her cry?"
Still nothing.
Rivan frowned.
"Why was she crying?"
Lucian and Seren glanced at each other.
Erix continued staring toward the hallway where Lyra had disappeared.
His expression remained unreadable.
Which somehow made everyone even more curious.
"What happened in there?" Seren asked.
Nothing.
Not a single answer.
Then Kaelan stepped forward.
A quiet sigh escaped him.
He placed a hand on Erix's shoulder.
Not questioning.
Not demanding.
Simply there.
Lucian looked hopeful.
Finally.
Someone sensible.
"Kaelan, ask him."
"No."
"What?"
"I said No."
Lucian looked personally betrayed.
Seren frowned.
"We're all wondering."
"I know."
"Then ask."
Kaelan glanced toward the hallway.
Then back toward Erix.
"No."
Silence.
Then quietly—
"Whatever happened."
His gaze lingered briefly where Lyra had disappeared.
"I don't think it was something she wanted any of us to see."
The hallway grew still.
Lucian opened his mouth.
Then closed it.
Because for the first time—
He realized Lyra had been crying.
Not angry.
Not annoyed.
Not embarrassed.
Crying.
And Erix didn't look angry either.
Just concerned.
The realization settled over the group.
Kaelan removed his hand from Erix's shoulder.
"Let's go."
Nobody argued.
Even Lucian.
Though he looked deeply unhappy about it.
Night arrived.
Eventually.
Somehow.
Lyra didn't remember falling asleep.
One moment she was staring at the ceiling.
The next—
Fire.
Red flames stretched endlessly across the horizon.
Smoke covered the sky.
The world burned.
Screams echoed in the distance.
Some familiar.
Some forgotten.
A dragon roared.
The sound shook the heavens.
Pain followed.
Not hers.
Yet she felt it.
Every second.
Every cry.
Every desperate struggle.
The bond screamed.
The sound tore through her soul.
A figure appeared.
Blurred.
Running.
Blood stained their clothes.
Their hand reached toward her.
Desperately.
Their mouth moved.
Calling her name.
She still couldn't hear it.
Couldn't understand it.
The world shook.
A deafening roar split the sky.
Then—
The hand fell.
The figure disappeared into the flames.
"No!"
Lyra's eyes snapped open.
Darkness greeted her.
The dormitory room.
Moonlight spilled through the window.
Her breathing was uneven.
Her heart pounded.
For several moments she simply sat there.
Trying to remember where she was.
Trying to remember what was real.
The nightmare lingered.
The grief lingered.
The loss lingered.
Slowly—
Her gaze shifted.
Amy was asleep.
Completely asleep.
One arm hanging off the bed.
Blanket twisted around her like she had fought a war against it and lost.
Lyra stared.
Then unexpectedly—
A tiny laugh escaped her.
Barely audible.
The sight was ridiculous.
And strangely reassuring.
Amy was here.
The dormitory was here.
The academy was here.
Reality was here.
The nightmare wasn't.
Not anymore.
Lyra rose quietly.
Careful not to wake her.
Then moved toward the window.
The moon hung high above Valmere.
Silent.
Distant.
For a long time she simply watched it.
Thinking.
About the memories.
About the fire.
About the figure she couldn't remember.
And unfortunately—
About Erix.
The moment that thought appeared—
Another one immediately followed.
She had slapped him.
Lyra buried her face in her hands.
She had actually slapped him.
An instructor, a senior, an idol of the academy.
In front of everyone.
A groan escaped her.
This was a disaster.
A complete disaster.
Eventually exhaustion won.
The thoughts faded.
The moonlight softened.
And sometime before dawn—
Lyra fell asleep once more.
The academy had many mysteries.
Ancient records.
Hidden ruins.
Powerful instructors.
Forgotten legends.
By breakfast—
None of those were the most discussed topic.
"Did you hear?"
"I heard."
"There's no way."
"I'm serious."
"She actually did it?"
"Apparently."
The rumors spread with alarming efficiency.
Every hallway seemed infected.
Every conversation somehow returned to the same topic.
Lyra.
Erix.
The slap.
The details became increasingly questionable.
One version claimed Lyra had challenged Erix to a duel.
Another claimed she had won.
A third somehow involved an explosion.
A fourth claimed Erix had apologized afterward.
Nobody knew where that one came from.
Lyra lowered her head onto the table.
The academy students are hopeless.
Absolutely hopeless.
Across from her, Amy looked delighted.
"This is amazing."
"It is not."
"It really is."
"It isn't."
Amy grinned.
"Somebody said you defeated Erix."
"..."
"You should be proud."
Lyra considered throwing her breakfast at her.
The rest of the day wasn't much better.
Whispers followed her everywhere.
Students stared.
Conversations stopped whenever she approached.
Even first-years seemed to know.
Which was deeply concerning.
By midday—
Lyra reached a conclusion.
A perfectly reasonable conclusion.
A completely logical conclusion.
She would avoid Erix.
Forever.
No private training.
No conversations.
No explanations.
No eye contact.
If she never encountered him again—
The problem would solve itself.
Simple.
Elegant.
Perfect.
Satisfied with her brilliant strategy, Lyra turned a corner.
And immediately froze.
Erix stood at the opposite end of the hallway.
Silence.
Several nearby students instantly stopped walking.
Watching.
Waiting.
Lyra stared at him.
Erix stared at her.
A long pause followed.
Then—
Lyra turned around.
And walked the other direction.
Very quickly.
Not running.
Definitely not running.
Absolutely not.
Behind her, Erix remained standing there.
Watching her disappear around the corner.
A faint crease appeared between his brows.
And Lyra made a silent vow.
She was never attending another private training session again.
Poor Lyra.
First the trauma.
Then the nightmare.
Then the rumors.
And finally... running into Erix immediately after deciding to avoid him forever.
Truly a flawless plan of god.
Also, can we take a moment to appreciate how fast academy rumors evolve? One more day and someone will probably claim Lyra defeated a dragon too.
See you in the next chapter. ??