Chapter 24
The path into the Third Zone was unlike anything they had seen before.
Gone were the endless dead plains and cracked stone cities. Here, the land was… green. Not the dull, wilted green of weeds struggling to survive, but vibrant, almost glowing—like each leaf carried a drop of sunlight inside.
The air was warmer too, thick with the scent of blooming flowers and something sharper, like spice. A narrow cobblestone trail wound through the grass, and on both sides, tall hedges swayed though there was no wind.
Selvaria frowned, brushing her fingers along the nearest hedge. "This doesn't feel like the Dead World."
Astrili's brow furrowed. "It isn't supposed to look like this. Either we've stepped into an anomaly, or someone is making it this way."
Nyx's eyes glinted. "Someone powerful. I like them already."
Keal kept walking, his gaze fixed ahead. "Keep your guard up. If this is magic, it's strong enough to alter the whole area."
They followed the trail until it opened into a vast garden—rows of flowers in impossible colors, fruit trees heavy with glowing orbs, and a small stone fountain at the center, where clear water flowed in lazy spirals.
And there, sitting on the edge of the fountain, was her.
She was dressed in flowing green and black robes, her long hair the pale silver of moonlight. Her eyes were mismatched—one emerald green, one deep crimson—and both followed them with the curiosity of a cat watching a group of mice wander into its den. She was plucking petals from a strange blue flower, letting each fall into the water.
"Visitors," she said, her voice a melodic hum. "And armed ones. Rare in my garden."
Astrili instinctively stepped forward. "Who are you?"
The woman tilted her head. "Names are like wine. You don't drink it all at once—you savor it. But… if it makes you feel better, you can call me Lyra."
Nyx leaned toward Selvaria and whispered, "Sounds like trouble."
Selvaria muttered back, "You are trouble."
Nyx grinned. "Then I know my kind."
The Healer's Interest
Lyra's gaze landed on Keal and stayed there. The way she studied him wasn't like a warrior sizing up an opponent—it was more like an artist studying a half-finished sculpture.
"You," she said simply. "You've been touched by something that shouldn't exist here. I can feel it in your pulse."
Keal didn't flinch. "And what if I have?"
"Then," she said, smiling faintly, "I'd like to see what you become. You're… unfinished. And I adore unfinished things."
Myros snorted. "Let me guess—you're going to offer to 'help' him, and then it'll cost his soul."
Lyra's smile widened. "If I wanted his soul, I'd have it already."
Astrili stepped closer, suspicion in her eyes. "You said this was your garden. How is it here?"
Lyra plucked another petal, let it fall into the fountain. The water shimmered. "Because I make it here. My magic keeps the death out. Healing, yes… but also curses. You can't have one without the other. Balance is nature's law."
Nyx's smirk returned. "I like her."
Selvaria crossed her arms. "Of course you do. She looks like she'd poison you with a kiss."
"Depends on the kiss," Nyx replied, earning an eye roll.
The First Display
Without warning, Lyra stood and walked toward Astrili, who still had a healing wrap over her side from the giant battle. "You're injured," Lyra said softly. "Allow me."
Astrili hesitated, glancing at Keal. He gave the faintest nod.
Lyra's hands hovered over the wound, green light flowing from her palms. But along with the warmth of healing, Astrili felt a strange cold crawl across her skin—like frost forming under the light. When Lyra stepped back, the wound was gone.
"There," she said. "Whole again."
Astrili touched her side, blinking. "That… was fast."
"Of course," Lyra said sweetly. "But remember, the body forgets pain before it forgets debt."
Myros whispered, "And there's the curse part."
The Decision to Follow
They rested in the garden for a short while. The fruit from Lyra's trees restored their stamina faster than normal rations. Keal sat on the fountain's edge, silent, until Lyra came to sit beside him.
"You've walked far into death," she said quietly. "Most would have fallen long before now."
Keal glanced at her. "You've been watching?"
"Not you," she said. "The ripples you make."
There was a pause. The others were busy packing supplies when Lyra said, "I think I'll come with you."
Selvaria spun around. "What?"
Lyra stood, brushing imaginary dust from her robes. "You're all… interesting, but he—" she nodded at Keal "—is something else entirely. I want to see what he becomes when the world stops holding back."
Nyx smirked. "So you're just going to follow us?"
"Yes," Lyra said plainly. "Unless you object."
Selvaria groaned. "Oh, this is going to end so badly."
Nyx grinned. "Oh, this is going to be fun."
They left the garden with a new companion, the vibrant green fading back into the muted tones of the Dead World behind them.
And Keal… he couldn't shake the feeling that Lyra's interest wasn't just curiosity. It was as if she was waiting—patiently, sweetly—for him to become something he might not want to be.