The golden eyes didn't blink.
They hovered in the darkness beyond the dying fire, motionless yet unmistakably focused on Aren.
His fingers tightened around the handle of his sword.
The forest had gone completely silent. Even the wind had stopped moving through the branches above.
Aren pushed himself to his feet, careful not to make any sudden movements. The fire beside him had burned down to nothing more than glowing embers, barely strong enough to light the clearing.
"Come out..." Aren called quietly.
The eyes didn't move.
For several seconds nothing happened.
Then the darkness shifted.
Leaves rustled softly as something stepped forward from between the trees.
Aren's muscles tensed.
A figure emerged into the faint red glow of the fire.
Not a beast.
A person.
A young woman stood at the edge of the clearing, her golden eyes reflecting the dying light. A dark cloak hung over her shoulders blending almost perfectly with the shadows of the forest.
She looked no older than Aren.
But the way she stood –silent and watchful– felt unsettling.
Her gaze moved briefly from Aren to the corpse of the fire wolf nearby.
One of her eyebrows shifted slightly.
"You killed that?"she asked.
Her voice was calm but there was a slight tone of suprise beneath her voice.
Aren didn't lower his knife.
"Who are you" he asked.
The girl stepped a little closer into the firelight.
Strands of silver hair slipped free from her hood, catching faintly in the flow of the embers. Her expression remained neutral, though her eyes seemed unusually sharp–like those of a predator carefully studying prey.
"I asked first" she said.
"... Aren"
The girl studies him longer before nodding slightly.
"Lyra.."
Silence fell between them again.
Lyra glanced at the fire wolf once more before walking toward it.
"You don't trust people very easily do you?" she asked.
Aren didn't answer.
Lyra looked mildly amused.
"I'm not here to steal your wolf"
Her gaze dropped briefly to the pouch hanging from aren's belt.
"Though I assume you already took the core"
Aren's eyes narrowed slightly.
"How do you know about that"
Lyra crouched beside the wolf's body, examining the wound Aren had made earlier.
"Because that wasn't an ordinary wolf" she said casually. "It's a mana beast".
She glanced back at him.
"Mana beast develop from cores like the one you found"
Aren's hand unconsciously touched the pouch.
"So that crystal.."
"..is valuable" Lyra finished.
She stood again and brushed dirt from her hands.
"Especially to someone who knows how to use it"
Aren frowned.
"And you do?"
Lyra didn't answer immediately.
Instead she walked over to the fire and crouched beside the fading embers. With a quick motion, she tossed a few small sticks into the coals.
A moment later, the fire began to slowly grow again.
Aren watched carefully.
"You're travelling alone" she asked.
"Yes".
Lyra glanced at him again.
"You're either brave or stupid"
"...Or both"
That earned a faint smile from her.
For a moment, the tension in the air eased slightly.
Aren still hadn't lowered his sword.
Lyra noticed.
"You're exiled...aren't you?" she said suddenly.
Aren froze.
"How–"
"Your clothes" she interrupted. "Village made. But you're carrying almost nothing"
Her gaze softened slightly.
"And you have that look"
Aren looked away from the fire.
"The look?".
"Someone who lost everything recently"
He didn't respond.
The fire crackled between them.
After a few moments, Lyra spoke again.
"There's a town two days East from here".
Aren looked up.
"A town?".
She nodded.
"Small trading settlement. Travelers pass through sometimes".
"That's where you're going".
"Yes".
Another brief silence passed.
Then Lyra tilted her head slightly.
"Well..."
"Well, what?".
"Aren" she said patiently. "You're alone in a forest filled with mana beast"
She gestured towards the dead dire wolf.
"You already met one"
Her golden eyes locked onto his again.
"Travelling together would increase our chances of surviving"
Aren studied her carefully.
"Why help me?"
Lyra shrugged slightly.
"Because someone capable of killing a mana beast alone is useful"
She stood and pulled her hood back over her head.
"So ?"
The fire popped loudly as another spark shot into the air.
Aren looked into the dark forest beyond the clearing.
He didn't trust her.
Not yet.
But she clearly knew more about this world than he did.
But if what she said about the town was true...
He couldn't afford to wander blindly.
Finally, he slipped his sword back into its sheath.
"... Fine"
Lyra's lips curled slightly.
"Good choice".
She stepped away from the fire and leaned against a nearby tree.
"We'll leave at dawn".
Aren sat down beside the flames, although sleep seemed impossible now.
For the first time since his exile, he wasn't alone in the wilderness.
But as the night stretched on, one thought kept repeating in his mind.
Who exactly was Lyra ?
And how did she know so much about mana beasts.
Across the clearing, Lyra sat quietly with her eyes closed.
But she wasn't asleep.
Hidden beneath her cloak, her hand rested lightly on the hilt of her slender blade.
Just in case.