Embers of Light and Darkness

Days passed without her realizing, and soon it had already been a month since she had started her lessons. Much had improved, like how she could now summon her magic without fear of things going wrong. Of all her gifts, Astral projection had been easier to handle, with Destruction being the hardest.

They were yet to find her a mentor on Illusion, so she used the books the Keeper gave her to try and use the magic, and even without a teacher, she was able to freely summon it and create hazy illusions of little things, such as flowers.

Aeneas had marvelled the first time she showed him, and she couldn't help the hint of pride she felt. Things were proceeding well, but the thought of when that would change always managed to slither itself into her mind. She did not let it fester. 

Ismene had become a closer friend than she had initially imagined, and sometimes when she looked at the girl, her chest ached with the reminder of a friend close to her heart who was now in another world. A world that had been hers, a world that was still hers at heart

There were many times she thought of them, the people she had left behind. She wondered how they were, if they were safe and happy. If they sometimes thought of her, if they missed her like she did them, and if the false memories they had planted were serving their purpose. She wished and hoped for a lot of things because that was all she could do, wish and pray that all was well.

During that month, she had also gotten to experience Luminara by going out more often and witnessing what it had to offer. She was no longer shocked at the different beings she saw or when she witnessed people casually using their magic. It was now normal to smile at a dwarf or nymph passing her without gawking at them. 

The sound of Ismene's voice brought her back to the busy market as the girl leaned on the stall, talking to the vendor, they were out buying herbs for lessons again, something that had become part of her routine. 

They were initially going to the bakery to help out her father when the girl mentioned she needed a particular herb for a tonic she was working on, her invention, the girl had said. The pride that squeezed in Lyla's heart at that moment could never be compared. She would make a great healer one day, Lyla knew. Perhaps become the greatest healer. 

Ismene took her hand when she was done, and they headed to their destination. As soon as they arrived, they were immediately engulfed in work that continued until evening, and Lyla had to leave to avoid issues with the Keeper. She refused Ismene's offer to accompany her back since she knew the way anyway, and they still had more to do

Although it was late, Lyla still had some minutes to spare before her curfew, so instead of taking the normal route they normally used, she opted for the road that passed a bit deeper into town. 

The streets were thrumming with activity since it was around the time some people were closing shop or heading home from an adventurous weekend. A few drunks passed her with one almost knocking her to the ground. The man did not bother with apologies; rather, he took another big swing from his hip flask and continued walking, stumbling as he went. The beings here had a higher tolerance to alcohol, so seeing the man stumble like that only meant he had had way too much. 

Lyla opted to take the next alley that would cut through some neighborhoods, since it was too busy for her here.

The sounds of mothers calling for their children to come home filled the alleys with the occasional sound of a baby crying. Different scents wafted from the open windows as people prepared their evening meals. Sometimes she was amazed at the simplicity of their lives, so similar to the humans that she would briefly forget that these very people wielded magic in their veins. 

Two houses down, a nymph child stood staring at her. Lyla smiled and waved at the little girl, who in turn beamed and waved back before she was called in. Cute. 

Lyla was just passing one of the last alley ways when a large cat came speeding in her direction and further behind it she could hear the voice of a man shouting, 'where are you', 'if I catch you I will kill you, you hear me', 'come here you stupid thing'

The man's voice thundered through the quiet of the night and made her pause in alarm. What would a poor cat do to cause such fury? The cat in question dashed past her into the alley she had just come from, and soon a crash followed, loud enough that she was sure the man heard it. 

She quickly turned without thinking and raced towards the animal. Lying on the ground with shards of broken glass around it, the cat wailed, and that's when she noticed the cut on its leg with a piece of glass still inside. 

She squatted beside it, and it hissed in alarm.

"It's okay I won't harm you but we need to fix that" she moved to access the wound, "It's not that deep so I'll have to take it out okay" as if it understood her the cat attempted to move its leg, "please we need to leave before he comes and I can't carry you with that in your leg"

Lyla took the clean handkerchief she had and used it to take out the glass. The cat allowed her but hissed in pain, "Sorry."

Just as she had finished wrapping the handkerchief around the wound, rushed footsteps halted behind her. 

"Hey!" the man's voice screamed.

She didn't bother to look back, scooping the cat, she dashed out of the alley. His steps soon followed as he rained down curses at her, but she ran and ran. 

Due to her training, Lyla's flexibility and stamina had greatly improved, making it easier for her to dart through alleyways and avoid crushing into anything. 

Perhaps due to the man's large size, it was hard for him to keep up, but Lyla only allowed herself to stop when she was sure she could no longer hear him. Sure, they were no longer being followed, she headed back to the bakery. 

Ismene was surprised to see her, more so with the cat in hand, but she refrained from questioning her when she noticed its bleeding leg. 

Quickly making room on one of the tables, Ismene immediately started tending to it as her father inquired about what had happened. She told them 

Lyla studied the cat lying on the table, unconscious. The cat was large, but not in a chubby way; rather, it was taller, more furry, and had a bit of a mane. What stood out more, however, were its ears, which were more pointed and ended with what looked like hair. If anything, this cat looked very similar to a Lynx. She was fairly certain it was indeed a lynx.

Ismene finished treating it and wrapped a small gauze around the wound before turning to face her.

"He won't be able to walk with the leg for a few hours, but he'll be fine."`

"Thank you."

"No problem, so what do you plan to do with him? If you like, I could try and find him somewhere to stay."

Lyla looked at the creature lying on the table before saying, "No, it's okay, he'll stay with me."

"But what about the Keeper?"

"I'll know what to do."

Just then, the lynx woke up. Tilting its head, it surveyed the surroundings before its eyes fell on them, and in alarm, it hissed. They stepped back

"Hey, it's okay. You're okay. I'm Lyla, I helped you earlier, remember?"

It tilted its head to the side as she moved closer, "Don't worry, you're safe here. No one will hurt you. I promise"

The cat surveyed them before its amber eyes settled on her. She smiled, a small smile she hoped was reassuring. 

Seconds trickled as it surveyed her as though it was contemplating her words. Coming to a decision, it settled itself back on the table, although it remained alert. They all sighed in relief