Chapter 1024 (1/2)

It was four days before the arrival of the promised Judgment that Lyra finally returned, bearing as innocent smile as she came for her Class. She cut through the bustle of construction that surrounding Randidly and appeared within his workshop more quickly than Randidly’s distracted senses could follow.

Which, of course, was not the way to put Randidly in a good mood.

“You are late,” Randidly said shortly as he set aside the bracer he had been steadily Engraving over the last hour. His tone was sharp, but he knew that it wasn’t truly anything to do with Lyra. She might have rather flippantly used some of her abilities as a Village Spirit to move, but that wasn’t a reason for him to grit his teeth like this.

No, Randidly was constantly grinding his teeth because he felt so close to figuring out how to manage the Levelable Engraving and yet he couldn’t manage it. No matter how much Randidly relied on All Else Succumbs, Yet Time Whirls the Earth, there was a limit he couldn’t seem to overcome.

It had been almost two days of constant Engraving, while Ghost and his mechanical spider drones that Randidly had Erickson Steel producing handled the lion’s share of the final construction work. Even now, the scuttled in the dark tunnels beneath the compound, assembling the bones of the being that would soon come into existence. Their industriousness was exactly what the project needed to come in within his time limit.

Yet, in Randidly’s mind, his Levelable Engraving had become a keystone of the project. Without it, there would be little difference between the Erickson Steel compound and the flying city that drifted above the Royal Sea. There was still plenty of time to go into a Dungeon if it proved ultimately necessary, but Randidly still didn’t wish to rely on more time to brute force the issue.

Randidly’s eyes narrowed. But what I don’t need right now is a lengthy distraction… Hopefully, Lyra will be on her best behavior today.

Lyra inclined her head and agreed. Which was a good start, for her. “So I am. But… you’ve been busy, right? I wanted to wait until you had spare time. However… it seems like you aren’t getting the results you want correct? And I knew you would still wish to know what became of Shal, so I chose to step forward anyway.”

Randidly swallowed the previously prepared acidic reply he had been preparing. It was obvious that Lyra was making an effort to be civil, and he should respond in kind. Some of the tight ball of frustration that had been hissing in his chest finally dissipated. Sighing, Randidly stood. Of course, it was never about Lyra. It was about Shal and learning more about the System. This… should take long. This will be worth it.

After sending a message to Nathan, Randidly cracked his knuckles. “Fine then, let’s begin immediately. I don’t have much time to spare.”

*****

Lyra kept her smile in place, even if Randidly’s words felt like a hammer against her heart.

“Fine then, let’s begin.” How did things go so wrong…?

With her ribs as the steel bars of a cage, the words, ‘I’m sorry,’ couldn’t manage to escape their tight prison. So Lyra did the same thing she had done for almost two years in regards to Randidly. She wrapped her role more tightly around herself than ever.

“Is there anything I need to do to prepare for our connection?” Lyra the Village Spirit asked in a light voice. Through exposure to the inner workings of the System, Lyra’s familiarity with Aether had skyrocketed over the past few years. Although she was completely bewildered by the complex Engravings that Randidly had inscribed onto the many bracers lay half-forgotten around his workshop, Lyra was confident that no human understood the shape of the System better than she did.

Randidly Ghosthound included.

And yet, the things that Randidly Ghosthound could accomplish with the Aether Crossroads inside of himself turned everything that Lyra understood on its head. That was why his existence had been able to turn all of the hitherto cast-in-stone rules of the System on their head. That was why even the Creature grew fascinated with him.

That was why this whole divide started, Lyra thought sadly. Just like with me, you showed Yystrix a magic she had never seen before. Is it truly so hard to understand that she lost herself in her excitement…?

“No, just come over. The connection part is simple.” Randidly beckoned, his irritation clear in the tight line of his mouth.

Lyra walked over with light steps, wondering how a Village Spirit should walk. Being raised from a young age to be the perfect actress, Lyra the human had been taught many ways of walking. A seductive sway. A joyous skip. A depressed slouch. An elegant glide. A business-like march. An athletic lope.

Maybe that was why she had found it so reassuring to become the Village Spirit. Suddenly she had a role to play; her small emotions quickly drowned in the function that she was currently serving. Much easier to bury herself in the expectations of others than to really look at the mess that her ascension to Village Spirit had left in its wake.

Easier still when Yystrix had replaced her to become closer to Randidly. She had a face and a soul but those things had been cut off; she had only been a pretty doll to be posed and played with. Just like Lyra remembered from her childhood.

It had been so easy, too. For both of them were endlessly fascinated by what Randidly could accomplish, even if their ultimate goals didn’t align.

But I can’t be those things any longer. Lyra’s heart was pounding. If I’m just a Village Spirit… he will keep hating me. I have to be me… I have to stop running. Because you, Randidly, are the reason that I… realized I wanted to live. Which is exactly why I couldn’t let you doom the Earth. And you are also the reason… that I have one more mission remaining from the Creature that I will fulfill no matter what.

And yet, such thoughts were ultimately useless. There was only one important thought as Lyra without her role continued forward …how should I walk? What sort of steps does Lyra the human take.

Randidly glanced impatiently up at Lyra. Just beyond an arm’s length away from Randidly, Lyra stopped her rather awkward gait and looked intently at him. “I… I just want you to know, I won’t ever use this connection to hurt you. I swear it on my life. I swear it on the existence of the Earth.”

From the bottom of her heart, Lyra wished to make things right with Randidly. He had shown her magic, had transformed the world from a dollhouse to a place of wonder and splendor that was worth cherishing. But that transformation also meant that Lyra dearly cherished this world. So much so that she had turned her back on Randidly when Yystrix demonstrated how hopeless it was to fight directly against the System.