The rain felt warm on her cheeks, but perhaps that was the tears that streamed with them. Lyra remembered the warmth that was Aeris wrapped around her, and she held her hand. She didn't know what to say, she was just as lost.

Lyra looked up at the dark clouds. Her eyes wincing to prevent the droplets from getting into her eyes. There was an odd irony in them, she found. Darkness loomed over them, yet there was a fire in her chest. A strange feeling that surged through her whole body.

"What is your name?" She asked the werewolf.

"I am Kaelen, son of Knhaul."

The ground began to rumble once more as more werewolves appeared from the grass. They were surrounded within seconds, demonstrating their military prowess with only a few soldiers.

"Great job at finding the perpetrators," a werewolf said, walking towards them.

"They are not the ones who have attacked, Alder." Kaelen said, stepping in front of them.

"If you cannot smell the demon's blood, then you're more of a failure than I thought!"

Lyra saw on Kaelen's face that as much as he hated to admit it, Alder was right. He couldn't smell the demon's blood at first, but now as he searched for it, there was a faint smell that lingered, smelling foul to him. Kaelen traced the smell, and his nose led him to look at Lyra, but it split to the carriage.

"What you sense. . . there is more than meets the eye."

A wolf emerged from their carriage holding a vial that was now empty. Lyra recognized it as the one Draven handed to her before she went unconscious. She pieced together that somehow she consumed the contents of the vial.

"Are you defending these imbeciles?" Alder's hands started to reach for his blade that rested on his back.

"I am doing what is just!" Kaelen's hand reached for his twin blades that also rested on his back.

"Enough blood shed for this day!" Said Aeris. Lyra didn't notice that she had stood up. Her hands were balled up. A gesture Lyra knew that meant Aeris was gathering her courage. "I am Aeris Veil, daughter of Elveris Veil! I will take my mother's mantle and end this war." Aeris' hand reached out to Lyra, and she took it. "Come, my friend, there is much to do."

Aeris sat up in the driver's seat of the carriage; Lyra followed and sat beside her.

"Whatever demon you seek is not here," said Lyra, grabbing the reins from Aeris, who didn't know how to use them. "We are at war with the Underworld, not allying. Now let us be so we can report to our kingdom."

The werewolves hesitated to move. Lyra saw Kaelen walk towards the path they were traveling. But he didn't block it; he made sure it was open for them to travel. The other werewolves snarled at him, some even snapped, causing him to shove them out of the way. Lyra took the moment and whipped the reins of the horses, making them move. She watched as Kaelen got surrounded by the other werewolves.

"Kaelen," she said to herself.

Lyra looked at Aeris, who was holding her own hand, her knuckles turned white. She knew Aeris was afraid, even though her exterior expressed otherwise.

"I'm sure my mother will know what to do." Said Lyra. She noticed Aeris' demeanor completely changed and her brilliant eyes dimmed. "What is it, Aeris? You've been quiet about what happened at the fortress." Lyra let go of the reins with one of her hands to grab Aeris'. "You can talk to me."

Aeris couldn't look Lyra in the eye, not out of shame but out of regret for not being able to do anything. She knew it wouldn't be right to keep what happened a secret from Lyra.

"Your mom, Lyra. . ." Tears struck the corner of her eyes, caressing the side of her cheeks until they fell at the point of her chin. "She. . ." Aeris had to take stuttered deep breaths.

"Out with it," said Lyra with a forced chuckle, but she knew what she was going to say. The thoughts began to crash in her throat.

"She was the one who administered the vial to you." Aeris shot a quick glance at Lyra, only being able to see the glossing of her eyes before she looked away again.

"My mother was there? At the fortress?"

"I know it's hard to believe, but I saw her, I swear!"

"Where is she?"

Once again, Aeris paused. The words crashed in her throat before they escaped her mouth. But the silence spoke so loud for Aeris—almost deafening.

Aeris wanted to refuse the thoughts that plagued her mind, but they were too strong. The reins in her hand squeaked at the grip she gave them. Her heart grew heavy, but the flame in her chest burned hotter.

"I'm so sorry, Lyra." Aeris' lips trembled, and Lyra pulled her head to her chest.

"We have to stay strong," said Lyra, but even her words quivered.

Lyra whipped the horses again, making them pick up their speed. She could feel the mud forming as the rain fell harder. Lyra knew where to go first. A safe place for them to find solace.

· · ─ · ◯☽✵☾◯ · ─ · ·

The sun reached its setting point, painting a lilac sky with the passing rain clouds. Every rooftop on Kogeer glimmered orange; their tiles dripped onto the streets. The kingdom had a crushing weight roaming the streets, causing silence amongst the people. All of Kogeer's rings could see the fortress' was up in smoke, though the smoke turned white now that the flames were extinguished.

They were at war once again.

Lyra parked the carriage in front of her house. Before she could step in, it felt like there was a barrier stopping her from moving forward. Aeris reached out to Lyra's hand, breaking her out of her own spell. The two walked in, and Lyra took a deep breath in.

"It doesn't feel like home anymore," the words escaped Lyra's mouth.

Her hands brushed against the kitchen counter as she walked alongside it, stopping at the dishes that hadn't been washed yet. Lyra could feel her eyes swell, but she took a deep breath to hold them down, quivering on the way out. Her house felt colder, lonelier, and emptier.

"I didn't know your mother was a demon hunter," said Aeris as she placed her hand on the seat she sat at in the morning.

"I didn't know either. I thought we were just getting by with what we had, an honest living." Lyra gazed at her mother's door that was across the living room. Flashbacks of her childhood flooded her mind. She opened the door, and the scent of her mother remained.

The afternoon sun beamed through the window, revealing dust particles in its path to the floor. There was a wave of melancholy that washed over her, but the wave was gentle and warm. Her mother's room was ordinary, from the looks of it. Lyra began to look around the room for a clue as to what her mother's objective was.

"Why are we here?" Aeris asked, poking her head into the room. "We could've gone straight to my mother's manor."

"There has to be something here, a—a—a letter, anything as to why she had to go."

"My mother handed her something, a note."

Lyra peeked into her mother's unusually large closet. At first all she saw were clothes folded and hung. But something on the floor stuck out: scratch marks on the wood coming from one of the dressers. Lyra moved the dresser to find a trap door.

"Aeris," Lyra called. "I found something!"

Once Aeris approached, they heard voices coming from the front of the house. They stood frozen over the door. One of the voices pointed out the carriage, and footfalls began to approach the house.

"Hurry!" said Lyra as she opened the door.

A cool draft met them when they peered in. All there was was a ladder that led straight into the darkness. Lyra signaled Aeris to go first. Once her head was at ground level, Lyra thought about her blueprints. She hurried to get them, but Aeris stopped her.

"What are you doing? Are you crazy?"

"That's my life's work. I can't let that fall into the wrong hands."

The door to the house rattled, and the people mumbled in confusion, blaming one for their idiocy. Lyra hurried to put a chair under the doorknob and ran down to her room. Loud banging came from the door; the people began to use their shoulders to get through. Opening the door, everything was as she left it. She shoved her blueprints into a pillowcase and hurried back up the stairs. Another loud thud came from the door, cracking the leg of the chair. Before Lyra could make it back to her mother's room, the front door burst open as if a storm appeared just outside her doorstep, rattling the house. Lyra quickly dove under the dining table and watched as five people entered the house. All of them had slim frames except the last. Their body looked heavy; every step seemed to take a lot of effort, but a loud thud came from the heel of the boot every step. Their muddy boots trampled the floor, and all she could do was watch as they desecrated her home.

"Take and break," a booming voice commanded. "We need to make this look like an accident. Then next is the senator's house."

Lyra could smell the burning of tobacco, which disgusted her. One of the men walked to the kitchen and began to knock pots and silverware onto the floor. She couldn't help but feel vexed, wanting to stop them but at the cost of possibly being killed. The emotions stormed within her, pushing and pulling at her decisions.

"Hey!" A squeaky voice shouted. "There's a downstairs!"

"If we're on the first floor," another snotty voice spoke. "Then that would be the basement, you bum!"

She watched the two head down the stairs. Lyra couldn't help but pray to the heavens for them not to touch anything in her room, but she knew that it was a tall order for her to ask.

Her eyes focused on the rest of the people in the kitchen and the living room. The large man plumped himself on the chair by the fireplace. She could see his face. A stubbled for facial hair, his eyebrows pierced, and from what lighting allowed her to see, his hair seemed brown.

The man began to fidget with his knife. Lyra had to move, but one of the men stayed in the kitchen, rummaging through their pantry and making a mess of all their wares.

"It's boring up here," the man in the kitchen stated. "I'm going to see what those two doofs are up to downstairs."

The big man waved his hand in dismissal. Lyra waited for the man to disappear down the stairs, and she slowly began to leave the table. She made a sudden stop as another man walked out of her mother's room.

"Are we sure this is the right house?" The man asked.

"The sources have traced this demon hunter to be here, and we're here to do a job and not ask questions."

The man clicked his tongue and walked out of the house, but the big man did nothing.

Lyra continued to move from under the table. Every inch was calculated as she made her way to her mother's room, crouched. When she entered, the room was a mess; what her mother's cleanliness turned into gave Lyra a sense of shock. Pushing her emotions aside, she hurried to the closet and pushed the dresser aside. Unfortunately for her, it screeched along its path. Knowing that the thugs would be here soon, she hurried to open the door, but it was locked shut. She pulled again to make sure, harder this time, but it resulted in the same outcome.

"Aeris!" She whispered loudly. "It's me!" She heard voices begin to approach the room.

Within a second she heard a bolt undo, and the door swung open, almost hitting Lyra in the face. Promptly, she began her descent. But before she committed to the climb, she made sure the bolt was locked. She noticed there was a tiny slot small enough for her hands. Her hand reached out, and it felt the bottom of the dresser. Thinking her mother was a genius, she pulled the dresser back over the door, concealing it once more. Now it was pitch black, with the exception of light that peered through the cracks. Aeris and Lyra began their descent when Lyra noticed there was a beam of light coming through a peep-sized hole. She couldn't help but look through, and it was her room. For the most part it was untouched even though the thugs went in to try and scavenge for anything useful, but to them it was all junk. Lyra hurried down to catch up with Aeris at the bottom, who was holding the door for her. Once Lyra walked in, Aeris shut the door, consuming them in total darkness.

"What do we do now?" Aeris asked, her words reverberating slightly.

Lyra tried to feel around, but she guessed that if her mother was a demon hunter, then there would have to be traps in here. "Try not to move around; there has to be something."

The two let their eyes adjust in the darkness, but it was only enough to make questionable silhouettes in the darkness. Soon after, a blue glow began to emit from the ceiling. With every passing second it grew brighter, allowing them to finally see.

"Glowstone," said Aeris. "My mother always spoke of this stone to be in the Forest of Nolguul."

"Our mothers traveled together; they were practically sisters."

"That explains why we're so close."

The two giggled. They found solace in the presence of each other; when together, they became invincible. Lyra would stop at nothing to help Aeris achieve peace and preserve all her happiness.

"Over here!" Aeris called.

Lyra followed her voice, going deeper into her mother's secret. Once she found Aeris, her words lost their way as she stood in amazement at the room they'd entered.

There was a large, concentrated amount of Glowstone on the ceiling, giving a bright blue tone throughout the room. Each wall was covered with all sorts of blades, potions, poisons, and tomes. The room was a whole arsenal at her mother's disposal. She couldn't help but feel betrayed. Nevertheless, she knew that it was for her safety.

Aeris began to read the book that was already opened on a table as Lyra brushed her hand against an empty spot on the shelf.

"I think that spot was for a crossbow," Aeris forced out of herself.

Lyra didn't break her engagement with the space and saw that there was, she assumed, a twin crossbow. "There's another one just like it. I wonder why she didn't bring both."

Lyra carefully grabbed the other crossbow and began to inspect the ballistic weapon. It had intricately woven silver linings, and the wood was ebony. To her surprise it felt light even if she held it with one hand. The design was slim for easy concealment, and the limbs folded in.

"You look just like her when you hold that." Aeris said, admiring her from afar.

"Being down here makes my mom feel like a stranger," said Lyra, dropping the folded crossbow to her side. She began to stroll around the weaponry and stopped at a short blade. "But I know who she is, one half at least. I wish I knew this half too."

"She still lives, Lyra." Aeris walked to her and pressed her hand against her chest, right above her heart. "In here."

"Same thing for you, Aeris." Lyra couldn't help but smile, trying to hide her face by looking down.

"C'mon," said Aeris, grabbing her hand. "There's one more room it looks like, and I want you to be the first to see what's in it this time."

The two rushed across the large arsenal and stopped at the other doorway. Lyra's heart raced, her mind flooded with possibilities. Her most intrusive thought was that her mother was behind this door waiting for her. But reality settled in as she opened the door. The room didn't have Glowstone, but a sconce rested right by the door. Lyra found some flint and steel nearby and lit the torch. Its light revealed a small room, but within that room stood an armored figure in the center. At first Lyra drew the crossbow but noticed something. It was just an armor stand.

Lyra approached the set of armor and felt the cold steel. It seemed to have engravings etched into armor in a language she could not understand. The cloth and leather underneath the armor were a dark red.

"You should try the armor," suggested Aeris. "I think it would suit you."

"I am not worthy of it yet." Lyra saw her reflection on a smooth section of the breastplate. "In time, I will bring peace with this armor."