Unseen

"Who is this guy?" Lyra asked, her expression a mix of anticipation and slight embarrassment.

"Wait, hold on, Lyra," Lyrien stated, pulling Reiji away.

She whispered, "Hey, your incantation. Please don't let anybody else hear them, okay?"

"What? Why?" Reiji inquired, confused.

"Tone your voice down a bit," Lyrien lectured, whispering. "And don't ask too many questions. It'll save your life. Got it?"

"Okay?" Reiji answered.

"Alright, good," Lyrien replied.

Lyrien and Reiji walked back toward Lyra, who was giving them a questioning look.

"Sister!" Lyrien started. "So, this guy is the one who mended your injuries."

"Wait, I haven't asked your name yet," Lyrien turned to Reiji, asking.

"Wait, what?" Lyra exclaimed aloud.

Both Reiji and Lyrien's attention snapped to Lyra's reaction. Then Lyra continued, "Lyrien! Are you saying you asked this guy to heal me without even asking his name? And why did I need healing in the first place?" she queried.

"Lyra, we were beaten down by a beast monster, remember?" Lyrien explained.

Lyra's mind reeled as she tried to recall what had happened. "I… There was a big stone monster, I remember," she murmured. "I shielded with my sword and I saw you… and I thought we were going to die…"

Lyrien nodded at Lyra's words and replied, "So did I, sister. Until I was awakened by a loud impact, and I saw a glimpse of this guy fighting the monster."

"This guy," Reiji thought while awkwardly smiling. "These two sure talk a lot."

"So you're telling me that this guy"—she pointed at Reiji—"didn't just heal my injuries, but also saved us from certain death?" Lyra asked.

"Yeah!" Lyrien answered excitedly.

"And you haven't even asked his name?!" Lyra scolded. "Lyrien, where are your manners?!"

"Well…" Lyrien began.

Reiji cut in, awkwardly smiling. "Well, to be fair, she never directly asked me for anything, so it's all good."

"It's not. I'm so sorry, mister. May we know your name?" Lyra asked.

"No, really, it's fine. My name is Reiji, and I live in a village called Caitstown. The elder adopted me," Reiji introduced himself.

"Reiji, thank you!" Lyrien exclaimed.

"Thank you," Lyra said, her voice barely above a whisper. "We owe you our lives."

Reiji lifted his hand waving, saying, "You don't owe me anything. I just did what I thought was right."

"We do, and we'll do anything to compensate you for this," Lyra stated.

"This girl's conviction is unbreakable," Reiji told himself, giving a forced smile.

"Where are our manners? Let me introduce myself. My name is Lyra Bellatoris, and this is my sister," Lyra gestured to Lyrien.

"My name is Lyrien Bellatoris, and I'm really grateful to you," Lyrien added.

"It's nice to meet you too," Reiji replied with a strained, polite smile.

"Bellatoris? That name… it rings a bell," Reiji thought, trying to recall.

"With regard to your healing, I hope you don't mind me asking—how did you do it? My whole body feels... different," Lyra asked, her curiosity piqued by Reiji's ability.

"Well…" Reiji began hesitantly, "I've got this ability—"

"He's got advanced magic talent! I've seen it firsthand. If I were to measure it, I'd say he's at Paragon level, at least!" Lyrien suddenly interjected, cutting into Reiji and Lyra's conversation.

"Right—" Reiji attempted to add to Lyrien's claim.

"What does Paragon level even mean?" He asked himself.

"I knew it!" Lyra exclaimed. "It felt different. Lyrien's at the adept level if I were to compare, but your mastery is clearly far beyond hers!"

"Thanks, sis," Lyrien remarked, her tone a mix of pride and sarcasm.

Reiji fought to hold back a laugh, not wanting to appear rude. "These two," he thought, "They've got quite a relationship." shaking his head internally.

"But I just want to ask," Lyra continued, her voice dropping slightly, her cheeks flushing a soft pink, "how much did you actually see with that ability?"

Reiji's gaze shifted away, avoiding eye contact as he quickly replied, "Well, just enough to heal those injuries." His words tumbled out in a gentle rush as he scratched the back of his head, offering an awkward smile.

"Why are you two acting so weird? Lyra, did I miss something?" Lyrien asked, her curiosity piqued.

"No! Nothing!" Lyra blurted out, her voice slightly higher than usual.

"That didn't really help, Lyra," Reiji thought to himself, offering an awkward smile.

"Uh… I didn't actually realize until you mentioned it, Lyra. I'm really sorry—I swear I didn't notice until we were finished," Reiji apologized, his tone genuine as he tried to ease the awkward tension hanging in the air.

"Honestly! I was so focused on exploring what this ability of mine could do that I didn't even realize I could—" Reiji stopped mid-thought, his face flushing as the memory resurfaced.

Lyrien glanced back and forth between Lyra and Reiji, trying to piece together what was going on between them.

Reiji, meanwhile, looked away, slapping his face lightly in an attempt to regain composure. Once he steadied himself, he asked, "So, why were you being chased by those monsters?"

Lyra exchanged a meaningful look with Lyrien, silently questioning whether they should reveal the truth.

Reiji noticed their hesitation and quickly added, "If it's something you can't share freely, that's fine. I understand."

Lyrien took a deep breath and replied, "It wasn't just us. We were part of a group, but we got separated. And that monster we fought? It wasn't even the leader of the horde."

Reiji's mind raced as a realization hit him. "Wait, what? There were more of them?" he thought, his heart pounding in sudden panic.

"Are you saying there are other monsters like that scattered around here? Reiji quickly inquired

"Yes," Lyra confirmed. "We're actually worried about our comrades–"

Before she could finish, Reiji's expression darkened as he noticed smoke rising in the direction of Caitstown. 

His chest tightened with dread. "That's where Caitstown is!" he exclaimed internally. "Tatiana… Please be safe!"

Without another word, Reiji interrupted Lyra, urgency etched into his voice. "I've gotta go!" he shouted, turning on his heels and dashing toward the smoke without hesitation.