SKATH: The Awakening Of Power

chapter 12

The sky above the forest had turned gray and somber, reflecting the mood between Skath and Lyra. The journey, which had once held moments of silence and intimacy, had now turned into a storm of tension.

"You don’t understand anything about what I'm going through!" Lyra shouted, her voice trembling as she suddenly turned toward Skath.

Skath, with a dark expression and his arms crossed, was struggling to find the right words. "I'm trying to help you, Lyra, but you can't keep shutting me out. We're in this together."

"We're not in anything together!" she yelled, her eyes filled with anger. "All of this... your mission, your destiny... has nothing to do with me. I have my own duty, Skath. I have Tobin to protect."

The mention of her brother tightened Lyra’s heart. The guilt and worry had been consuming her for days, and she felt like she was collapsing under the weight of it all.

"I have to go back to him," she added, calmer but resolute. "I can't keep going with you."

Skath remained silent, watching as she walked away toward the village. Pain and frustration mixed within him, but he knew he couldn't stop her. Not now.

Lyra walked for hours, her heart growing heavier with each step. When she finally reached the village, everything seemed unchanged, but a strange sensation crept down her spine. She ran toward her house, calling out Tobin’s name.

Entering the small home, the truth hit her like a punch. Tobin was lying on his bed, still, with pale skin and his eyes closed forever. An elderly village woman, a neighbor, slowly approached with trembling hands.

"I'm sorry, Lyra... there was nothing we could do. He passed two days ago."

The words shattered in Lyra’s mind like glass. She collapsed to her knees beside Tobin's bed, tears streaming down her face. The pain was overwhelming, a void that broke her soul.

---

Days passed. The light in Lyra's eyes seemed to have faded, and her pain had turned into a constant, paralyzing presence. She barely ate, and spoke even less. Her only companion was silence.

One evening, as the sun was setting, she heard light footsteps behind her. She turned and immediately recognized the figure: Jonah.

But something in him had changed. Half of his face was scarred by burns, the charred skin revealing part of his teeth, creating a disturbing and painful appearance. In his hand, Jonah held masks—ones Lyra had never seen before.

"Jonah..." her voice was broken, weak, but filled with surprise and concern.

"You don’t have to suffer like this," Jonah said, his voice soft but with a dark undertone. "I can help you forget... all of this."

His fingers moved with precision and, without warning, he placed the peacock mask on her face. Lyra tried to protest, but as soon as the mask touched her skin, a sensation of cold and numbness overwhelmed her body.

Control slipped away, and her thoughts grew foggy. It was as if a veil of mist covered her mind, extinguishing all resistance, all will. Now, under the power of Jonah, the dark ally who had once helped her, Lyra was not only a prisoner of her pain but also of the will of a man who, with his disfigured face, no longer seemed the same.

Meanwhile...

Skath walked along the path, his mind still troubled by the argument with Lyra. The tension between them left him no peace. Each step felt heavier than the last, and he couldn't stop replaying the sharp words they had exchanged. Despite the pain of separation, he knew that something bigger was at stake. Yet, the sense of emptiness was undeniable.