The Nightscape

Alone And Found

Lyra flinched a little, but set her jaw and nodded all the same. She reached out and squeezed Anya's shoulder, even though the other girl wouldn't meet her eyes. 

"That's alright, Anya. I can do the rest of this alone. I think I'd want to be alone when I meet my mother again anyway." She comforted her, and then she winced. "Hang on, give me just one minute, I need to deal with something. Zidros, thank you for helping me, but this is a little invasive. Can you leave now, please?" Lyra asked, shifting from foot to foot. She had hoped that he would leave of his own accord once it was done, but he was still lurking back there. For a moment, there wasn't an answer, as though he hoped to go unnoticed and stay lurking. 

"Alright then. Anya, I assume you'll be coming back now? If so, I can bring you back now to save you the trip." He offered, taking over Lyra's voice. Anya recoiled and looked at her in shock, frowning and taking a moment to respond. 

"Is- is this Zidros?" She asked, stepping back and hugging herself with an unnerved shudder. Lyra nodded. 

"Yes, I'm speaking through Lyra, though she's present too. Now then, answer me. If you intend to return, then I can teleport you there within a moment." He said firmly. Anya blinked, taking a moment to think it over before frowning. 

"I mean, yes, saving me the return trip would be brilliant, but Lyra ought to go on. I don't want her to get teleported back to the start on my account." Anya said. 

"That won't be necessary. I'll be taking my consciousness back to my own body now, and with the excess energy I'll just catch you up in it and take you back as well. Lyra shall be left right here." Zidros assured her, not blinking as Anya thought about it and then nodded. 

"Then- yes. I would like that." She said, voice still shaken. 

"You'll feel better when you're back in civilisation. I shouldn't have let you leave in the first place, this was Lyra's mission, not yours." He chided, before letting Lyra out to say a quick goodbye, though his impatience was clear. Anya's eyes were wide as she shook her head, half denying it. 

"No- I don't regret coming, I just don't want to go on. That's all it is." She said quietly, still looking guilty even as Lyra smiled and shook her head. 

"Really, Anya, it's fine. I'm sorry that that happened to you, go back and rest now. I'll be back soon enough, I'm sure. Thanks for all the help you've given me so far." Lyra said, stepping forward and wrapping her friend into a warm hug. Anya reciprocated, though she was still shaking and weak from her ordeal. 

"Thank you, Lyra. And the best of luck to you." She wished her, and in the same moment Zidros pushed for control of Lyra's body again. He took over, stepping back from Anya and raising his palms towards her. Wisps of colourful magic, not like Lyra's, began to dance around both of them, and Lyra suddenly felt so distant in her own body. It was as though she was floating above her body, watching the scene with a bird's eye view. Strange magic danced around both of them, wrapping around them until their forms could barely be made out through the thick, heavy aura. As she watched, her own body convulsed violently, bending backwards and then snapping forward, jerking like something was trying to crawl out from her insides. Finally, she saw the origin of the magic, a swirling bundle of the same shade, come from her mouth and nose and eyes and ears. It was gruesome, and Lyra was rather thankful that she couldn't feel it. 

And then the spirit of Zidros rushed forward, his magic uncloaking from Lyra and letting her fall, limp, to the ground. It surrounded Anya, covering her entirely until she couldn't even be glimpsed. In a moment, the magic was gone, dissipating into the air like smoke in a hurricane, and Anya and Zidros disappeared along with it. As soon as she could even comprehend that, she felt a jerk in her stomach and she was slammed back into her own body.