His heart skipped.
"She's just a friend."
"Since when do you smile to yourself because of a 'friend'?"
Aeris froze.
Mika smiled, but this time. Not teasing.
Observing.
"Seriously, Ris. You've never hidden anything from me."
That hit deeper than he expected.
"I'm just… thinking about things," he said finally.
Mika stared at him.
Then...
"Aeris."
A soft voice.
Lyra.
She stood beside them. Calm as always, but her gaze was sharp.
Mika stood immediately.
"Oh. So this is the girl."
Lyra tilted her head slightly.
"The girl?"
"The one changing my friend."
Aeris wanted to disappear.
Lyra smiled faintly.
"I have no intention of changing anyone."
"But you already did," Mika replied.
Silence.
Not awkward.
Measured.
Two worlds.
A childhood friend.
And a girl from another reality.
Aeris stood between them.
"Just… relax, okay?" he muttered.
Mika crossed her arms.
"I'm just making sure she doesn't hurt you."
Lyra didn't react negatively.
Instead, she looked at Mika with quiet respect.
"That's a good thing," Lyra said softly.
"Not everyone has someone who protects them from childhood."
Mika paused.
And something shifted.
After school, Mika walked on Aeris's left.
Lyra on his right.
Like opposite poles.
"So… are you two official?" Mika asked casually.
"Mika…"
"What? I need clarity."
Lyra smiled.
"Labels don't always define feelings."
Mika snorted.
But her steps slowed.
She glanced at Aeris.
And for the first time....
There was fear in her eyes.
Not jealousy.
Not anger.
Fear of losing him.
"Aeris," she said quietly,
"You're not going to disappear, right?"
A simple question.
But it hit hard.
Because he knew.
If the resonance called him again…
Everything could change.
"I won't go anywhere," he said quickly.
And for the first time..
He lied to her.
Lyra said nothing.
But she felt it.
A small vibration in his voice.
The secret grew heavier.
And at this point....
The conflict is no longer just about two worlds.
It's about choice.
Aeris had to hide the truth from the friend he had grown up with.
He also had to protect Lyra, someone who clearly knew more than she was willing to say.
And Mika…
Mika was beginning to realize that Aeris was standing on the edge of something she couldn't comprehend.
The question was no longer if the truth would be revealed.
But when.
And when that moment came...
Would Mika still stand by his side?
Or would she be the first to be hurt by it?
Their steps slowed at the usual crossroads.
Mika always turned left, toward her housing complex.
Aeris went straight.
Lyra… had quietly followed Aeris's path for the past few days.
But today, Mika didn't move.
She stood still, staring at Aeris. Far too serious for her usual self.
"I just want to say one thing," she said softly.
"If you ever have problems… don't feel like you have to handle them alone."
Aeris gave a faint smile.
"Since when did you become wise?"
"Since you started acting weird."
Lyra watched silently from the side. Her expression was calm, but her eyes held something unreadable.
Mika sighed.
"Alright, I'll go first. Just… don't disappear on me, okay?"
She turned and began walking.
But before she fully left...
She glanced back.
Her gaze lingered.
As if making sure…
Aeris was still the same person she had always known.
Then she was gone.
The atmosphere shifted instantly.
Quieter.
Heavier.
"You don't like lying to her," Lyra said softly.
"She's my childhood friend."
"I know."
Aeris frowned slightly.
"You know?"
Lyra looked up at the evening sky.
"A bond like that feels different."
He stayed silent for a moment.
"Different how?"
"Deeper. Longer. Harder to let go."
The words didn't feel like they were only about Mika.
Aeris glanced at her.
"Are you jealous?"
Lyra stopped walking.
"Do I look like I am?"
"A little."
For the first time since coming to this world…
Lyra hesitated.
"I'm not used to feelings like this," she admitted.
"In my world… relationships don't form this way."
Aeris smiled faintly.
"Here, it's not easy either."
They passed the park.
The same one from last night.
The bench was still there.
Empty.
"Last night, we sat there," Aeris murmured.
Lyra nodded.
"I don't regret it."
Aeris looked at her.
"Getting closer to you," she added quietly.
His heartbeat quickened.
"But today is different," Lyra continued.
"Today, I saw another side of your life."
"Mika?"
"Yes."
She paused.
Then met his gaze directly.
"If one day you had to choose, between protecting her or protecting this secret… what would you do?"
The question landed heavily.
"I don't want to choose," Aeris answered immediately.
"But if you had to?"
He fell silent.
Because deep down…
He knew that moment might come.
The resonance.
The echo.
The feeling of being watched.
If something crossed into this world...
Mika could be dragged into it.
"I'll protect both of them," he said at last.
Lyra smiled faintly.
"That's a very human answer."
"And that's a bad thing?"
"No," she shook her head softly.
"Just… a dangerous one."
Elsewhere in the city...
Mika walked home alone.
Normally, she would be humming or scrolling through her phone..
Not today.
Something felt off.
Aeris had changed.
Not just because of Lyra.
His eyes were different.
More careful.
More distant.
And earlier...
When she joked about him disappearing…
He answered too quickly.
Like someone hiding something.
"Is he part of some weird organization or something?" she muttered, half-joking.
But the unease didn't fade.
She knew Aeris better than anyone.
And a small part of her felt afraid.
Not of losing his attention....
But of losing him entirely.
Night came quietly.
Aeris sat in his room, staring at his hands.
Tiny dust particles shimmered faintly above his palms.
He remembered Mika.
He remembered Lyra's question.
For the first time…
This power didn't feel exciting.
It felt heavy.
Like a burden.
Tap.
A soft knock on the window startled him.
He pulled the curtain aside.
Lyra stood outside, beneath the streetlight.
Alone.
Aeris hurried downstairs and stepped outside.
"Why are you here this late?" he asked.
"I needed to make sure of something."
"Make sure of what?"
Lyra stepped closer.
"That what you said earlier… wasn't just responsibility."
Aeris frowned slightly.
"You said you'd protect both of them," she continued.
"I want to know… am I just part of that responsibility?"
He paused.
Then stepped closer.
"You're not a responsibility," he said softly.
"You're a choice."
The wind moved gently between them.
"Choices can change," Lyra whispered.
"Not all of them."
For a moment...
The distance between them disappeared.
No parallel world.
No secrets.
No doubts.
Just two people trying to understand feelings that came too fast… in the middle of chaos.
Lyra reached out and touched the tips of his fingers.
A soft resonance spread between them.
Not like training.
Not violent.
Warm.
Gentle.
"I don't want to be the reason you lose something," she said.
"You're not a loss," Aeris replied.
"You're an addition."
Lyra smiled.
But deep inside...
She knew the truth.
Secrets don't stay hidden forever.
A childhood friend was beginning to feel the distance.
A girl from another world was beginning to fear she might be the cause.
And Aeris stood in the middle...
Trying to hold together two worlds that were never meant to meet.
Cracks had already begun to form.
In Mika's heart...
Feeling left behind.
In Lyra's heart...
Afraid of becoming the reason.
And in Aeris...
Forced to smile as if everything was fine.
The living room felt unusually quiet.
The old chair in the corner looked ordinary.
Worn wood.
Faded carvings.
Nothing special...
To anyone else.
But Aeris knew better.
He stood in front of it, breathing slowly.
Orin was already there. Learning casually, as if waiting for a bus.
Not a gateway to another world.
Lyra stood a few steps behind him.
Calm.
Watching.
Orin placed his hand on the back of the chair.
And then....
Dust began to fall.
Not normal dust.
Tiny glowing squares floated into the air.
At first a few.
Then dozens.
Hundreds.
They spun, forming a circle.
The air vibrated.
Light gathered at the center.
The portal formed.
Same as before.
Same chair.
Same shimmering particles.
But this time...
Aeris didn't tremble.
Orin glanced at him.
"It's time."
Aeris swallowed.
"To Eyllwe?"
Orin nodded.
"To the city first… then the kingdom."
Lyra stepped forward.
"The kingdom isn't as safe as it used to be."
Aeris looked at her.
There was concern in her eyes.
For him.
"I'm coming," Lyra said.
Orin scoffed lightly.
"Of course you are. Otherwise, this kid won't make it past the first gate."
Aeris exhaled.
His heart pounded.
This wasn't training anymore.
This was real.
Footsteps echoed from the kitchen.
His mother appeared.
She froze when she saw the swirling portal.
"Aeris…"
The room fell silent.
The light from the portal flickered across her face.
Aeris stepped closer.
"Mom…"
She cupped his cheeks.
Warm.
Always warm.
"You're leaving again?"
He nodded.
She looked at the portal.
Then back at him.
"This time… it's different, isn't it?"
Aeris said nothing.
Because she was right.
She pulled him into a gentle embrace.
Not tight.
But enough to make his chest ache.
"You'll always be my child," she whispered.
"In any world."
Aeris closed his eyes.
For a moment...
He almost hesitated.
Lyra lowered her gaze slightly.
Giving them space.