23. Lara

23

LARA

T he fire crackles between us, casting flickering shadows on our faces. The warmth should comfort me, but the tension hangs heavy in the air. I see the disbelief in Aiden’s eyes, the confusion in Maya’s furrowed brow. I hug my knees to my chest, feeling a chill that the flames can't touch.

“Lara, you can’t be serious,” Aiden says, breaking the silence. His voice carries an edge of frustration. “Why do you want to be with that… thing?”

I sigh, my heart aching at his refusal to understand. “Zyrith is my everything.”

Maya shakes her head, her hair catching the firelight. “But how? How can you even feel anything for him?”

“We have a special bond,” I say softly, my gaze fixed on the dancing flames.

“Lara,” Maya interjects gently, trying to bridge the gap between us. “We’re just worried about you. We don’t want to lose you to some underground beast. We miss you. We want you to come home with us.”

The flicker of concern in her eyes makes my chest tighten. “I know you mean well,” I say, struggling to keep my voice steady.

Aiden pokes at the fire with a stick, sending sparks into the night air. “We just want things to go back to how things used to be. Back in the village, hunting game and cracking jokes like we always did..”

“I am safe with him,” I insist, feeling a surge of frustration. “He would never hurt me.”

“But he wanted to hurt us,” Aiden counters, meeting my eyes with a fierce glare.

I remember Zyrith’s rage when he thought they were taking me away from him, the pain in his eyes when he fell unconscious. My heart clenches at the memory.

“He just wanted to protect me,” I say quietly.

They both stare at me as if seeing a stranger.

“You’ll never understand,” I say finally, rising to my feet and brushing off dirt from my clothes.

We’re at an impasse—neither side willing or able to yield—but one thing is clear: nothing will ever be simple again.

Aiden looks like he wants to argue more but Maya places a hand on his arm to settle him.

I give her a grateful look before turning away from the firelight for a moment and staring into the dark forest beyond our camp. Zyrith is out there somewhere, probably hurt and angry—yet all I want is to be with him again. The cold night air stings my skin as tears begin to blur my vision—tears for what I've found and what I'm about to lose all over again.

I stare back into the flickering flames, my mind soon racing with worry at the potential consequences of Zyrith finding us. His wrath is a storm waiting to break, and Aiden and Maya's ignorance of his true nature only adds fuel to the fire.

"Aiden," I begin, my voice trembling despite my best efforts to stay calm, "you don't understand what you've done. Zyrith... he won't stop until he finds me."

Aiden's brow furrows in confusion. "We did what we had to do, Lara."

I take a deep breath, trying to steady my nerves. "He was only trying to keep me safe. If he finds us?—"

"He won't get that chance," Aiden interrupts, his tone resolute.

"You don’t know him like I do," I whisper, my gaze dropping to the ground. The fear gnaws at me, knowing Zyrith's anger could lead to bloodshed.

The forest around us seems too quiet, as if holding its breath in anticipation of what’s to come. The scent of pine needles mixes with the faint smell of smoke from our fire, grounding me in the present yet unable to shake off the dread.

Maya touches my arm gently. "Lara, please. We can help you get through this."

"You don’t get it," I say softly but firmly. "He’s going to find me."

Aiden sighs heavily and pokes at the fire again. “And when he does?”

The image of Zyrith’s form emerging from the darkness flashes through my mind—his eyes burning with fury and pain at being separated from me.

“Just... promise me you’ll let me talk to him first,” I plead.

Aiden looks skeptical but nods slowly. “Fine, but if he makes a move?—”

“I know,” I cut him off, unable to bear the thought of them hurting each other further.

Maya looks between us before speaking up again. “Lara... do you really love him?”

“Yes,” I say without hesitation, feeling the weight of truth settle on my shoulders.

Aiden mutters something under his breath and shakes his head. “This is madness.”

The wind rustles through the trees around us as if echoing his sentiment.

Maybe it is madness—but it's a madness I'm willing to embrace if it means saving both Zyrith and my friends from a devastating clash they might not survive.

The night stretches on, heavy with unspoken fears and fragile hopes hanging by a thread as thin as spider silk glistening in the moonlight above us.

As my thoughts continue to whirl in a storm of conflicting emotions, the ground beneath us trembles. It sends a jolt of fear through my veins. The fire flickers wildly, casting erratic shadows on Aiden and Maya's worried faces.

“What the hell?” Aiden mutters, gripping his weapon tighter.

Maya’s eyes dart around, wide with panic. “Is it an earthquake?”

I know better. My heart pounds as I feel the deep, rhythmic vibrations. This isn’t just the earth shifting. It’s Zyrith.

“We need to stay alert,” I say, my voice strained.

“For what?” Aiden snaps, his frustration bubbling over.

“I think I know what’s causing this,” I whisper, though dread churns in my stomach.

Maya grabs my arm, her grip firm. “Lara, what do you mean?”

“It’s him. It’s Zyrith.”

Aiden’s face pales. “You’re saying that thing can make the ground shake?”

“He’s not just a ‘thing,’” I shoot back, anger and fear mixing in my voice. “He’s ancient and powerful.”

“Great,” Aiden groans, “Just great.”

The ground shudders again, more violently this time. The trees around us sway, and snow tumbles from their branches.

“He’s coming to get me,” I say matter-of-factly.

“Then we need to protect you,” Maya says, grabbing my arm tightly.

I pull away from her grasp. “No! We need to talk to him.”

“You’re out of your mind!” Aiden exclaims. “You really think we can reason with that monster?”

I meet his gaze steadily. “Yes. He loves me.”

Maya looks like she’s been slapped. “This is utterly insane.”

A deep rumble rolls through the forest, and I stagger to keep my balance. Zyrith is close—too close.

“We don’t have time for this,” I say urgently. “You need to trust me.”

Aiden grits his teeth but nods reluctantly. “Fine. What do we do?”

“We stay here and wait for him.”

Maya looks horrified. “Wait for him? Are you serious?”

“Yes,” I say firmly. “He won’t hurt us if we don’t threaten him.”

Another tremor shakes the ground beneath our feet. The fire sputters and almost goes out.

“Lara,” Aiden says quietly, “if this goes south…”

“It won’t,” I cut him off. “Just let me handle it.”

The vibrations grow stronger, almost rhythmic now—each one like a heartbeat echoing through the earth.

I take a deep breath, steadying myself for what’s to come. Zyrith is coming for me, and there’s no stopping him now.

The tremors grow more violent, and fear grips my heart. Each shake feels like a countdown to disaster. I glance at Aiden and Maya; their faces mirror my own confusion and concern.

"Is he really this close?" Maya asks, her voice barely above a whisper.

I nod, unable to tear my eyes away from the dark forest beyond. "Yes."

Aiden's jaw tightens. "And you’re sure we should just stay put?"

I force myself to meet his gaze. "Running will only make things worse."

"He's coming for you at any cost," Aiden says flatly, as if stating an undeniable truth.

"He’s not coming to hurt me," I counter, though I can’t hide the tremor in my voice. "He wants me back."

Maya looks torn, her eyes flicking between me and Aiden. "But what if he hurts us?"

"He won’t," I insist, though the fear gnawing at my insides makes it hard to believe my own words.

The ground shakes again, harder this time. Snow falls from the trees like a silent avalanche, blanketing our camp in a layer of white.

"He's almost here," I whisper, more to myself than anyone else.

Aiden stands up abruptly. "Then let’s be ready."

"For what?" Maya snaps, her frustration boiling over. "To fight him? To run? What’s the plan?"

"We stick to Lara’s plan," Aiden says through gritted teeth. "We wait."

Maya crosses her arms, clearly unhappy but resigned. "This is insane."

"Maybe," I admit softly, looking into the fire and feeling its warmth on my face.

Another tremor shakes the ground, more intense than before. It feels like Zyrith’s anger is shaking the very world itself.

"I just hope you know what you’re doing," Aiden mutters as he checks his weapon.

"So do I," I say quietly.

We stand there in tense silence as the forest around us seems to hold its breath. The fire crackles loudly in the quiet night, each pop and sizzle sounding like a drumbeat heralding Zyrith’s arrival.

My heart pounds as the final tremor hits—this one unmistakably close. Branches snap somewhere in the darkness ahead of us.

"He’s here," I breathe out.

Aiden and Maya stiffen beside me as a massive shadow looms into view at the edge of our campfire's light. Zyrith steps forward, his body gleaming ominously in the flickering glow.

"Lara," his deep voice rumbles through the night air like an ancient song carried by the wind.

My breath catches in my throat as our eyes meet. The ground stills beneath us as if even nature is waiting for what comes next.