Chapter 2

Chapter 2: A Stranger Named Lumi**

A gentle breeze brushed against Lyra's face.

She slowly opened her eyes.

The towering trees above her were still there, but the mysterious footsteps from the night before had vanished.

"...I'm alive."

She pushed herself up with difficulty. Every muscle in her body protested.

Her injured tail...

No.

She instinctively reached behind her.

Nothing.

Her nine tails were gone.

A wave of panic washed over her.

"My... human form."

The transformation hadn't disappeared.

She was still trapped inside a fragile human body.

A cheerful chirp interrupted her thoughts.

The little blue bird fluttered down from a nearby branch and landed on a rock before her.

"You stayed?"

The bird chirped proudly, as if answering yes.

A faint smile appeared on Lyra's lips.

"You're free now. You don't have to follow me."

Instead of flying away, the tiny bird hopped closer.

Before Lyra could speak again...

The bushes rustled.

Both of them turned at once.

A little girl stepped into the clearing, carrying a small woven basket filled with mushrooms and wild herbs.

She froze.

The basket slipped from her hands.

"Oh!"

"You... you're awake!"

Lyra immediately stepped back.

Her heart pounded.

A human.

Had this child been the one who found her last night?

The girl blinked several times before cautiously walking closer.

"My name is Lumi."

"I... I came back to see if you were feeling better."

Lyra studied the child carefully.

There was no fear in her eyes.

Only concern.

"You came back... for me?"

Lumi nodded.

"I couldn't stop thinking about you."

"You were lying here all alone."

"And the little bird wouldn't leave your side."

The blue bird chirped happily, making Lumi giggle.

Lyra lowered her guard ever so slightly.

"...My name is Lyra."

"It's nice to meet you."

Lumi's face brightened.

"You can walk!"

"I was so worried."

Lyra tried to take another step.

A sharp pain shot through her leg.

She nearly lost her balance.

Lumi rushed forward and caught her arm.

"Easy!"

"You're still hurt."

Lyra looked away, embarrassed.

"...Thank you."

Lumi smiled warmly.

"Our village is close."

"My mother will know what to do."

Lyra hesitated.

She had entered the Human World only yesterday.

Trusting strangers felt dangerous.

Yet...

She had nowhere else to go.

After a long silence...

She gave a small nod.

"...Lead the way."

Together, the little girl, the mysterious white-haired woman, and the tiny blue bird disappeared into the forest path...

Unaware that fate had already begun weaving their lives together.

The forest path gradually widened as the towering trees gave way to rolling fields and patches of wildflowers.

Lyra walked silently beside Lumi.

Everything around her felt unfamiliar.

Wooden fences stretched across green meadows.

Thin trails connected small farms scattered across the hills.

In the distance, smoke curled gently from dozens of chimneys.

"So this is a human village..." Lyra whispered.

Lumi looked up at her.

"Have you never been here before?"

Lyra hesitated.

"...No."

"Then where are you from?"

For a brief moment, Lyra's heart skipped a beat.

She couldn't tell the truth.

"...A very distant place."

Lumi smiled innocently.

"I've never traveled outside the village."

"I hope your home is beautiful."

Lyra lifted her eyes toward the blue sky.

"...It is."

Her voice grew quieter.

"And... I hope I can return there someday."

Lumi noticed the sadness in her eyes but chose not to ask another question.

Instead, she happily pointed toward a modest wooden cottage surrounded by blooming flowers.

"That's my home."

As they approached, the cheerful atmosphere slowly faded.

A deep, painful cough echoed from inside the house.

Lumi's smile disappeared.

"Mom..."

She hurried to open the door.

The small cottage was simple but warm.

Bundles of dried herbs hung from the ceiling.

A clay kettle rested over a dying fire.

On a bed near the window lay a woman whose face had grown pale from illness.

She struggled to catch her breath between violent coughs.

"Lumi..."

The woman forced a weak smile.

"I told you not to wander into the forest alone."

"I'm sorry, Mom..."

Lumi lowered her head.

"But I found someone who needed help."

The woman finally noticed the white-haired stranger standing quietly near the doorway.

"You must be exhausted."

"I'm sorry..."

"We have little to offer our guests."

Lyra gently shook her head.

"You've already done more than enough."

The woman tried to sit up.

Before she could...

Another coughing fit seized her body.

She covered her mouth with a cloth.

When she lowered it...

A faint trace of blood stained the fabric.

Lumi's face turned pale.

"Mom!"

"I'm alright..."

The woman quickly hid the cloth behind her back.

"It's only getting colder outside."

But Lyra had already seen it.

Her sharp senses, though weakened, had not completely disappeared.

She could feel the woman's life force flickering like a candle struggling against the wind.

If nothing changed...

She wouldn't survive much longer.

Lyra quietly lowered her gaze.

Her fingers unconsciously brushed against the place where the turquoise healing gem rested beneath her skin.

She could help.

She knew she could.

But revealing even a fragment of her power in the Human World...

Could change everything.

That evening, silence settled over the small cottage.

Lumi had fallen asleep beside her mother after a long day.

The only sound inside the house was the soft crackling of the fireplace...

Until another violent cough shattered the silence.

"Cough... Cough..."

Lyra slowly opened her eyes.

She sat up on the small bed Lumi had prepared for her.

The coughing didn't stop.

It grew heavier with every passing second.

Lyra closed her eyes.

She had heard that kind of cough before.

Someone whose life was slowly slipping away.

She looked toward the door.

Everyone else was asleep.

For a long moment, she remained still.

"No..."

"I shouldn't interfere."

This was the Human World.

She knew nothing about its people.

If anyone discovered her power...

She would become a target.

Another painful cough echoed through the house.

Followed by Lumi's sleepy voice.

"Mom...?"

"I'm... fine..."

The woman was lying.

Even from the next room, Lyra could hear the weakness in her voice.

She let out a quiet sigh.

"I can't ignore this."

Barefoot, she crossed the wooden floor without making a sound.

The moonlight streamed through the window, bathing the room in silver.

Lumi had fallen asleep again, her tiny hand still holding her mother's blanket.

Lyra knelt beside the bed.

The woman's breathing had become shallow.

She was burning with fever.

Lyra slowly placed her palm above the woman's chest.

A faint turquoise light shimmered beneath her skin.

"So little..."

"I can only spare a little."

The light flowed gently into the woman's body.

It was no brighter than a candle flame.

Within moments...

The woman's breathing became steadier.

The fever slowly faded.

The painful lines on her face softened.

Lyra immediately withdrew her hand.

The glow vanished.

She swayed slightly.

Even that tiny amount of healing magic had drained her weakened body.

"...I'm still too weak."

She quietly returned to her room before anyone opened their eyes.

Outside the cottage...

The village slept peacefully beneath a sky filled with stars.

Far away, on the tiled roof of a quiet house, a young healer sat alone.

This had become his nightly habit.

Whenever sleep refused to come, he watched the stars in silence.

Suddenly...

A thin ray of turquoise light flashed across the darkness.

His eyes narrowed.

"...What was that?"

The light had lasted only a heartbeat.

Yet he knew he hadn't imagined it.

It had come...

From Lumi's house.

He slowly rose to his feet.

A strange feeling settled deep inside his chest.

Not fear.

Not excitement.

Curiosity.

"...Healing energy?"

He remained standing until the light disappeared completely.

Then a faint smile crossed his face.

"I'll pay them a visit tomorrow."

Unaware that someone had witnessed the brief flash of her power...

Lyra finally closed her eyes.