LYRIAN
Something soft brushed against Lyrian's cheek and she stirred. Then—a voice, distant but familiar, saying her name.
She stirred again, drawn to it.
"Lyrian…"
Lyrian let out a sleepy sound, her eyelids fluttering. She felt like she was surfacing from a sleep too deep, one she didn't remember falling into. Her eyes opened reluctantly.
When her vision finally cleared, Reone's face hovered over hers—pale, trembling, and wet with tears. He looked unusually terrible.
"Reone?" she whispered.
His nervous expression broke open into a disbelieving smile. A happy sound escaped him as tears slipped free.
"Lyrian… you're back. I can't believe it. You're really back," he breathed, and he pulled her into his arms, his grip strong, as if afraid she'd vanish if he didn't hold tight enough.
Lyrian blinked against his shoulder.
Back?
What did he mean? she wondered groggily.
Back from where?
He pulled away just enough to scan her face, hands trembling as they hovered near her cheeks.
"Are you feeling alright, baby? Does anything hurt? You're okay, right?"
"Uh… yeah, Reone," she said slowly. "I feel… great, actually."
And it was true—and very strange. She felt stronger. Lighter. Like new energy buzzed under her skin. She hadn't felt this good in years.
Relief washed over Reone's features and he crushed her into another hug, exhaling shakily.
Now Lyrian was really confused.
Reone was acting like she had come back from the dead.
"Reone," she said, brows drawing together. "You're acting weird."
Over Reone's shoulder, Lyrian finally noticed the room. High stone ceilings. Soft amber lamps. Then the people—dozens of strangers watching her with unreadable faces.
Her gaze snagged on one of them,barely able to stand.It was a tall, beautiful girl with long black hair, blue-black skin, and bright yellow eyes. Only three fingers on each hand.
Lyrian's eyes flew wide.
"Reone?" she whispered urgently.
"Mmm?" He was still hugging her.
"What's going on?Where are we?"
Reone froze. Slowly, reluctantly, he let her go, though his hands stayed on her arms like an anchor. His violet eyes met hers—haunted, older, like he had lived years since she had last seen him, which was… Lyrian wasn't sure.
"Lyrian." His voice cracked on her name.
She stared at him, bewildered by his behaviour. "Reone, what is happening?Who are thes people? Where are we right now...and how did we get here? "
He swallowed, glancing away. "Um… Lyrian. We're in the Diviners' Nest."
She blinked.
Once.
Twice.
"Come again?"
"Yeah," he muttered awkwardly.
Lyrian looked around again—at the yellow eyes, the three-fingered hands, the silent crowd.
Diviners.
They actually were Diviners.
Without thinking, she stood shakily from the couch. Reone immediately rose with her, staying close enough that their arms brushed.
"This is crazy," Lyrian said. "I mean, How? I just don't understand."
Reone gave her a strange look.
"Lyrian… what's the last thing you remember?"
She frowned, confused by the question but answered anyway.
"We were in the forest. Fighting those Extractors," Lyrian said as she strained, searching her memory. She could remember little else.
"That's all you remember?" he pressed.
Lyrian tried again. Harder. All that surfaced was agony—blinding, overwhelming.
"I remember being in an unbearable amount of pain," she admitted. "But nothing after that."
Reone's face went blank.
"Well… what happened?" she demanded, glancing between him and the strangers.
He hesitated before answering.
"You got… hurt, Lyrian."
"Hurt?"
He nodded. "Yes. Really, really hurt."
Lyrian stared at him, wondering why he kept making no sense. She felt absolutely fine. Better than fine even. And yet his expression told her that he wasnt kidding.
She looked down at herself.
Then up at him.
"Reone, I don't feel 'really, really hurt.' "
"That's because she made you that way," he said quietly, gesturing toward the girl with yellow eyes.
The girl smiled sheepishly and lifted her three-fingered hand. "Hi."
Lyrian blinked.
"You're… are you…?"
"A Diviner? Yes," the girl said brightly. "I'm also the one whose butt you kicked last night. Sorry for attacking you, by the way—I thought you were someone else."
Lyrian stared at her, mouth open.
"What?"
The girl stepped forward with a warm, apologetic smile. "Let me catch you up. I'm Princess Anika. This is my father, King Arnab. And that's Captain Primi of the Guard. Those"—she gestured to the older figures behind her—"are the Elders. Reone brought you to my father's home, in the Nest,where we just healed you."
Anika shot Reone a pointed look.
"Sorry, Reone, but you were taking way too long with the explanations."
Lyrian's mouth remained open like she'd forgotten how to close it.
Princess.
Diviner.
Healing her.
It was too much, and none of it made a lot of sense to her.
" Reone?" she said finally, turning back to him.
Looking at her with a calm expression, he gently rested his hands on her shoulders.
"It's all true, Lyrian."
She held his gaze.
"Let me explain in more detail."
"So… after you got hurt, I forced an Extractor to tell me where the Diviners were. He led me here. I didn't… really believe it, to be honest, but I was... desperate, to say the least. Anyway, turns out that they're real. And, long story short, they agreed to help you."
Lyrian nodded slowly, letting it all sink it. The puzzle was coming together.It all tracked,she thought that is until she caught sight of Reone's strange expression—it was blank and strange...
But she forgot all about it, finally remembering her manners.
She turned to the Diviners, looking at them with gratitude.She bowed to them respectfully.
"From what I've just been told, it's clear I owe you all a huge thank you. What you did for me… I don't know what to say, I'm so very grateful."
She bowed again to the princess and king.
"Anytime," Anika chirped. "Right, Daddy?"
King Arnab chuckled. "Of course. As long as their hearts remain pure."
Lyrian blinked, confused by that comment, but before she could ask—
"And if you really want to thank someone," Anika cut in, "you should thank Reone. He brought you here and convinced us to help you. We were all moved by his love for you, his girlfriend."
Lyrian turned, startled. "Girlfriend?"
Reone's mouth opened, awkward and cornered, but before anything else could be said—
A noise ripped through the room. Sharp. Violent. Echoing from the hallway.
Everyone stiffened.
"Keep calm, everyone. I'll check it out," Primi said immediately, drawing his blade. "Everyone stay here."
He strode toward the door—
—but three figures stumbled through before he reached it.
Panting.
Barely able to stand.
"Lhanak? Feya? Romi—what—" Primi started.
One of them grabbed his shoulders, eyes wild.
"We need to get ready," he rasped. "They're coming."
"Who's coming, Romi?" Primi demanded.
"Nullborn Extractors," the Diviner choked out—
—and then he collapsed.
*****
FLASHBACK
Earlier…
The sun was sinking behind the trees, staining the sky orange as Lhanak, Feya, and Romi wove through the thick forest.
Their goal was to find and neutralise the Extractor threat as instructed by their captain. They were quiet, but the air was tense.
Lhanak broke that quiet with a groan.
"Has it occurred to anyone else," he said loudly, "that this mission from the outsider might be a trap?"
Romi, leading them with confident strides, didn't slow down. He exhaled sharply.
"The mission wasn't from the outsider," Romi said. "It was from Primi. And I trust him one hundred percent."
Lhanak scoffed. "How can you say that? He's bringing an outsider inside the Nest—outsiders who have been hunting us for a century."
Romi shot him a sharp look. "Don't pretend to be ignorant. Only Nullborn Extractors hunted us. They're our enemy. Leave the rest of the world out of it."
Lhanak frowned at him.
"And who knows," Feya added gently, "these outsiders could turn out to be allies."
"You're all so naïve," Lhanak muttered. "When I end up being right, don't say I didn't warn you."
"Noted," Romi said flatly. "Now stop talking and focus on the mission."
Lhanak shook his head dramatically. "So I'm seriously the only one worried about the outsider being in the Nest?"
"Yes," Romi groaned. "A thousand times yes."
"I'm also good with it," Feya said casually, brushing a leaf out of her braids.
"I'm the only one that thinks around here," Lhanak declared.
Romi clenched his jaw, stopped walking, and turned to him slowly.
"Just shut up, Lhanak. Unless you have something useful to say."
The two men locked eyes, hostile energy crackling between them.
"You know you're becoming as arrogant as Primi," Lhanak said lowly.
"Careful about what you say about our captain," Romi shot back.
"I'm just calling it like it is," Lhanak said.
"I am warning you, Lhanak."
"Oh, yeah? What are you gonna do?" Lhanak countered.
It was seconds from a fistfight when—
"Guys! Stop!" Feya hissed suddenly, eyes wide. "I hear people coming."
Both men froze. The hostility evaporated instantly as they straightened, alert and silent.
"It's coming from over there," Lhanak whispered, already slipping between the trees toward the sound.
"Lhanak—wait—" Romi started, but the man was already gone.
Romi cursed under his breath, then he and Feya followed, moving quickly and quietly.
The voices grew louder. The three Diviners reached a clearing and stealthily climbed and hid in a tree. From there, they found out what was happening.
A group of Nullborn Extractors were in the clearing.
They were helping one of them who was tied to a tree in some kind of coiled device.
"Guys, I think we're too late," Feya said, quite unnecessarily.
Romi motioned for her to keep her voice down. Then they went back to watching the Extractors.
The boss then grabbed the guy they had just freed by the collar, dangling him like a rag doll.
"You're sure that you saw the Diviners?" the big one snarled.
The smaller one nodded frantically. "Yes, boss. Definitely. At the cave."
Feya and Romi looked at each other in alarm.
The boss—enormous, scarred, eyes burning with greed—dropped him. The man hit the ground with a wheeze.
"So they were toying with me," the boss growled. Then, "Tell me again what happened after."
The smaller Extractor coughed and gasped, trying to speak. The boss's patience snapped.
"DAREL!"
Darel scrambled upright. "Yes—yes! A Legion came, killed Randall, and tied me up. They made me tell them where I saw the Diviners, boss."
The boss's jaw clenched. "He must be after their powers too."
"I'm pretty sure he just wanted to save his Sylph friend—" Darel began.
The boss's roar shook the leaves. "Quiet, you idiot!"
Darel bowed his head, trembling. "Yes, sir."
The boss took a threatening step toward him. "I should kill you for giving away the location of my treasure—and for being a nuisance in general."
Darel gulped audibly.
"But," the boss continued, "you're in luck. I need more bodies for the attack."
Darel sagged with relief as his boss turned away from him.
"Gear up, men," the boss commanded, voice booming. "Tonight we attack the Diviners' Nest. Their power will finally be ours."
Behind the tree, Feya clapped a hand over her mouth.
"They're going to attack the Nest," she whispered. "What do we do?"
"We go back," Romi said immediately. "Warn everyone."
"No," Lhanak said, stepping forward, eyes blazing. "I'm not running like a coward. We stay and fight."
"There are too many and they're heavily armed," Romi hissed.
"We can take them," Lhanak insisted—and before Romi could grab him, he quietly dropped from the tree.
"Lhanak!" Feya whispered—but it was too late.
Lhanak launched himself at the nearest Extractor, slashing through him with a burst of lightning-fast movement. The body dropped.
Instant chaos erupted.
It was in that moment that Feya and Romi revealed themselves.
"It's them!" an Extractor yelled in panic. "The Diviners!"
"You dont sound pleased to see us.You know, for people who are agressively looking for us.," Lhanak said.
"Well, well," the boss said with a slow, bloodthirsty smile. "So you finally reveal yourselves to me. Aren't you three brave."
Then he raised his hand, signaling.
"Capture them."
The fight exploded.
The three Diviners threw themselves into the fray, blades flashing.
But the Extractors quickly swarmed them—too many, too strong, heavily armed.
Romi got hit with a lazor eyes.
Feya got blastered into the ground with a controlled blizzard.
Lhanak got taken down by the boss himself who just used his physical strength.
The guy grabbed Lhanak by the throat and threw him against a tree. "You made a big mistake trying to take me on by yourselves, my little Diviner."
Recovering, Romi grabbed Feya and they both sprinted to Lhanak.
"Let's retreat, Lhanak!" Romi shouted. "We're outnumbered! Retreat now!"
For once—finally—Lhanak didn't argue. His pride non-existent under the weight of defeat.
He quickly pushed off the tree as Romi pulled him to his feet.
The trio fled into the trees, battered and bruised, the Extractors roaring behind them.