Beneath the Surface
The sun broke through the last tendrils of silver mist, its warmth and gold shining down in gentle rays that danced across the still forest floor. The trees, silent and respectful, remained as still guardians, their leaves heavy with dewdrops. A cautious breeze rustled through the leaves, awakening life once more to a world that had briefly stopped.
Birdsong came back in tentative trills, as if the forest animals were probing the air—uncertain if it was really safe to sing once more.
Orion stood at the center of it all, still.
His eyes rested on the ring around his finger, still slightly warm, still throbbing with forgotten power. Inside it, a legacy now lay dormant—vast, forgotten, and treacherous.
He dropped his hand slowly, breathing steady but deep. The trial was finished, but what it stirred… was only just starting.
A gentle noise broke his focus back to the here and now.
A spasm.
And another.
He spun around sharply—his gaze falling on Elara and Lysandra lying there, their bodies lightly shuddering as if rousing from a deep, icy slumber.
"Elara!" he leapt towards them, dropping to his knees between them in one smooth movement. "Miss Voss!"
Their eyelids flickered. Their bodies twitched as they gasped for air like swimmers yanked from the bottom.
Elara opened her eyes, dazed. Her hand grasped his robe, eyes slowly becoming accustomed to his face. "Brother…?"
Lysandra's voice came next, rough but controlled. "Lord… Orion…?"
Orion carefully supported both women, one arm around Elara's back, the other supporting Lysandra's shoulder.
"I'm here," he whispered, pushing the loose leaf from her hair. "Are you all right?"
Elara grabbed her head and moaned. "Nnngh… my head… it's like I've been rolled over by a boulder."
"I've been drunk since the last spring equinox and found myself beneath the table this morning," Lysandra complained, grimacing.
Orion supported both women gently, his arm around the back of Elara, his other hand around Lysandra's shoulder.
"You two are awake," he told them, his voice low with relief. "That's relief."
The three of them were seated on the ground, earth and leaves stuck in their clothes. A gust of cool air flowed through, evaporating the rest of the mist. Everything was peaceful…
Lysandra carefully got up, swaying in balance. "Lord Orion… are you alright?"
"I'm fine. Besides, you two—"
Until Elara's eyes went wide.
She frantically scanned around her, her eyes blinking in bewilderment. "Brother… the lake. Where… where is the lake?! It was here!
Lysandra's eyes trailed hers, and for the first time since she woke, a glimmer of sharpness reappeared in her golden eyes. "You're right… it's gone."
She turned to Orion, eyebrows furrowing. "Lord Orion… what did happen here?"
Orion let out a slow breath, then gave a weak smile. "It's nothing. We had a… very Narrow escape, that's all."
Elara's brows furrowed. "Narrow escape? Brother, what do you mean? what aren't you telling us?"
From the side, Lysandra narrowed her eyes in confusion. "Lord Orion," she said in a low, suspicious tone, "What happened here?"
He stood, brushing dust from his pants, but didn't meet their eyes.
"Let it go," he said, voice firm. "It's over now."
But the women weren't convinced.
Lysandra rose beside him, brushing off her dress with slow, deliberate movements. Her eyes were still narrowed. "Something did happen. And you're hiding it."
"Elara and I are entitled to know," she went on, her voice little stiff now. "We were knocked out due to lake water. Then we have a right to know what they did with us and here."
Elara moved a step ahead; her face uncommonly serious. Her bright blue eyes were fixed upon him. "Brother… please. Tell us the truth."
Orion stiffened.
The weight of both their glares pressed down on him. For a very long moment, he remained silent, fingers spilling near the ring. He trusted Elara above all—but her innocence was a double-edged sword. She couldn't keep secrets. And Lysandra… she was loyal, and wise woman but he does not completely trust her because simple he knows her for few days. And The Sage Paradox legacy had to stay hidden—for their safety and his.
But he couldn't lie in so many words either.
He took a deep breath. "Okay. I'll tell you."
The two women shifted forward, curious.
"There was a spirit," he said. "A guardian tied to the lake."
Lysandra's eyebrows drew together in puzzlement. "A spirit?"
Elara's eyes blinked. "Spirit? What do you mean, brother? I've never heard of anything like this."
Before Orion could respond, Lysandra turned to her and described in a measured, teaching voice, "A spirit is not human. Not demon. Not even a magical beast. They're uncommon—born of natural events. A river that ran for ten thousand years, a mountain that remained unscathed for millennia… sometimes, the world grants them consciousness. A will of their own."
Elara's mouth was open. "That. sounds frightening."
It can," Orion replied. "This lake spirit was old. And it was cursed."
"Cursed?" Elara whispered, shivering. "What do you mean?"
He nodded seriously. "Anyone who drank from the lake… without asking… would be doomed to death."
Both women stood stock still.
Elara's voice was a mere whisper. "Then… you mean we were supposed to die?"
Lysandra stepped back, her face closed off. "But… we're alive. How?
Orion gazed upwards, as though remembering a story and not a fact. "There was a way. A test. An opportunity to gain the spirit's favor and remove the curse. I took it… and succeeded."
"A test?" Lysandra echoed. Her gaze raked him once more, this time for scars or evidence of strain. "You succeeded?"
He nodded.
Lysandra's face faltered. "A test? What sort?"
He shook his head. "Something I'd like to forget. But I succeeded. The spirit is gone now. So is the lake."
"So, the curse…?" Elara prompted.
"It's gone," he replied. "The spirit disappeared, and along with it, the lake."
There was silence for a very long time.
Lysandra's said quietly but came from a tone of voice. "I've researched spirits. If you actually battled one, Lord Orion, you put your life at risk. Why didn't you tell us earlier?"
Orion shrugged thinly, attempting to conceal the weariness in his tone. "Don't worry about me, two of you."
There was a moment of silence.
Elara stared at him—properly stared. Her Black eyelashes quivered, and her blue eyes gentled with subdued yearning. You never let me worry Brother.
Her heart hurt. He wasn't merely her brother in name—he was the boy she looked up to, the man she secretly loved. His strength, his composure, his unselfishness. each moment with him drew her further into the emotions she couldn't possibly acknowledge before him.
Love. but how do I express it? Will he ever regard me that way.?
Next to her, Lysandra didn't move, though her hand had involuntarily pushed against her chest.
He saved me. she thought, her green eyes narrowing a fraction. Again.
Her breath froze as she risked a glance at him—his rumpled bluish-white hair shining in the sun, sweat-beaded skin still warm from the mana trial, his face calm yet far away. She'd met nobles, knights, warriors—even legendary swordmasters.
But none of them looked like him.
None of them were like him.
She saw today, not only a warrior, but a man whose presence was as acute as steel and as warm as sunlight. Her own heart pounded softly in her chest.
What are you, Orion.?
Unaware of their stares, Orion glanced up towards the sky. The sun still rode high above the tops of the trees, its golden light seeping through the leaves like a veil of warmth and clarity.
"We should go," he told them, dusting dirt from his coat. "We still have the competition to concentrate on."
Both women nodded, snapped out of their reverie, and trailed after him down the soft slope.
But before they reached the horses, Orion turned and stopped.
"Elara," he said, his voice more serious now. "All that has passed here—the lake, the spirit, the trial—don't tell anyone. Not a single person. Do you understand?"
Elara blinked. "But why? Isn't this… something incredible?"
He smiled faintly and put a hand lightly on her shoulder. "Just trust me. Not everyone views incredible things with good eyes."
Her lips were pressed into a line, but she nodded slowly. "Alright… I won't say anything."
Then he turned to Lysandra.
"Miss Voss…," he asks suavely, "I ask the same of you. Please, don't talk about this."
Lysandra's eyes met his, and after a moment, she nodded.
"I understand why you're asking," she said calmly. "Spirits are rare. If anyone finds out, they'll try to hunt it. And in that madness… you, I, and Elara would be dragged into it."
Orion gave a small bow. "Thank you, Miss Voss."
But she stepped forward herself at once, her voice soft but calm. "Please, don't bow to me. You saved my life, Lord Orion."
He rose; his face impassive. "Still… I thank you, for listen my request."
"If you want Thanked me really…." Lysandra smiled, the smile breathless but with quiet emotion. "Then… don't call me Miss Voss anymore. Just… Lysandra. Please."
Her voice was tranquil, but the thanks in her golden eyes ran deep and sincere.
Elara, hovering behind, observed with a soft pang in her own chest. The manner in which Lysandra gazed at Orion, the manner in which she smiled at him—Elara knew.
She likes him.
And she couldn't blame her. Who wouldn't fall for him?
She nibbled her lip, looking at her brother.
But I was here first. I've been alongside him throughout. Even if the world perceives me as his sister… I can't deny it all my life.
She let out a quiet sigh.
I'll have to confess to him someday. Even if he doesn't accept me, at least I won't be left wondering why I didn't say anything.
"Okay," Orion nodded and spoke, "Lysandra."
Lysandra's eyes slightly widened, as though hearing her name from his lips made her heart miss beat.
Orion responded, "And you… you need to call me Orion, too."
Her mouth curled up in a gentle, teasing smile. "Orion… Sounds lovely when I say it."
Orion blinked, taken aback for an instant—but nodded with a light chuckle.
Elara came between them; arms folded. "Alright, you two," she said, tone crisp but mischievous. "Finished flirting? Monsters to kill."
Both Orion and Lysandra laughed and nodded.
The three walked to where their horses were hitched. Orion unbuckled the reins and mounted his black stallion, and Elara and Lysandra mounted theirs.
But before they could ride—
"Get down!" Orion yelled.
With one swift motion, Orion leapt forward. His arms unfolded like twin blades of reflex, crashing into both Elara and Lysandra's backs and sending them off their horses.
They hit the earth together with double thuds, tumbling in dirt and leaves, dazed.
"Ow—! Brother?!" Elara yelled out in discombobulation; her silver locks mixed with twig.
"What in the seven spheres are you doing?!" Lysandra berated I in confusion, eyes flashing.
But Orion didn't respond.
He came to ground beside them, eyes flicking about the trees.
Then—
SWOOOSH!
A sharp, lethal whistling cut across the air.
A black arrow pierced through the trunk of a tree just inches from where Lysandra had been sitting.
The wood cracked violently from the impact.
Both women turned pale.
Orion's eyes narrowed into a razor's edge. His hand hovered near his blade.
"We're not alone," he growled.