Part VI – The Forgotten Name
The wind blew gently through the forest branches, making the crystals hanging from the limbs chime like tiny bells. The path Ayame revealed opened into a hidden clearing, where a small, time-forgotten shrine stood. The air was lighter there, as if even the illusions had chosen to rest.
Yuri observed the carvings etched on the moss-covered stones, while Ayame danced silently just ahead, her fingers brushing the enchanted leaves.
Lucen stood apart. He watched Yuri, but not truly. He was looking beyond. Within himself.
"I shouldn't care… and yet… why does her gaze haunt me?"
"What are you thinking about, Lucen?" Yuri asked, walking up to him.
He hesitated. For a moment, he seemed ready to say everything, but chose only a fragment.
"That this place feels… familiar, in a way I can't explain."
Yuri smiled. "Same for me. Maybe that's Ayame's power? To make us see what we've forgotten."
Behind them, Kayla turned abruptly. She had heard that tone. That tenderness. Her hands tightened in her sleeves, but she said nothing.
"Lucen…" Yuri repeated. "It's a strange name. Doesn't really sound… like yours."
Lucen stayed silent. The wind grew stronger. Ayame stopped dancing and turned, her eyes gleaming.
"Because it isn't," she said lightly, almost amused. "Right, Alexander?"
Silence fell like a blade.
Kayla stiffened. Her eyes darkened for an instant, and only sheer self-control kept her from acting.
Yuri slowly turned to him. "Alexander?"
Lucen sighed. His gaze did not waver.
"That is my name. My true name. Lucen… was just a shadow, a mask. But I didn't lie to you. Not really. I just… waited for the right moment."
"And this is the right moment?" Kayla asked coldly.
"No," Alexander replied. "But it's the necessary one."
Ayame chuckled softly, then turned to Yuri. "You see, little light… we all have secrets. But some weigh more than others. Are you ready to keep traveling with someone who hides the truth from you?"
Yuri looked at Alexander. Her heart was a storm of emotion, but her eyes were steady.
"I don't trust those who never doubt. And I do doubt… but I won't abandon you."
Another silence. This one softer. Heavier with meaning.
Alexander lowered his gaze. "Thank you."
Kayla turned her back. "Let's go. There's still more to uncover."
As they left the clearing, Ayame paused for a moment to gaze at the sky above the forest. The illusions were shifting. The threads of fate were intertwining with force.
"Everything is about to change," she murmured.