Whispers of Ancients

Lyra's eyelids fluttered open, and the world gradually came into focus. The clean white of a hospital room welcomed her, a far cry from the mayhem she had previously experienced. Her body ached, like if she had run a marathon and then been hit by a vehicle to the identical degree.

"Welcome back to the land of the living," a familiar voice announced.

Lyra moved her head, wincing at the motion. Dr. Sophia Patel sat next to her mattress, a relieved smile on her aged face. Lyra's mentor since college days was an excellent archaeologist with a special interest in historic civilizations.

"What... what passed off?" Lyra croaked, her throat dried.

Dr. Patel gave her more than a glass of water. "You tell me." One minute you're fighting back an earthquake like a superhero, and the next you're out bloodless. You've been subconscious for three days.

The memories returned quickly: the vision, the tremors, the raw energy pouring through her veins. Lyra shuddered.

"The camp?" "Are all people okay?"

"Thank you, of course," Dr. Patel said, nodding. "Even if I believe you have given negative Dr. Thorne some more grey hairs. "He has been pacing the halls, muttering about 'impossible readings' and 'unprecedented phenomena.'"

Lyra slid back into her pillow, beaten. "I'm not sure what's happening to me, Sophia. These abilities... they are becoming more powerful. And the earthquake wasn't natural. "I can feel something big coming."

Dr. Patel's countenance got serious. She glanced at the door before leaning in close. "What I'm about to tell you... let's just say it's no longer precisely mainstream archaeology. Have you ever heard of Elyria?

Lyra frowned. "What about the mythical advanced civilization?" I had a thought that turned out to be a theory.

"So did I, until recently." Dr. Patel took out a pill and swiped through photos of weird symbols and relics. "These have been discovered on websites around the sector, dating back to long before any known civilization. And here's the kicker: they all appeared after the excellent Resonance."

Lyra's thoughts raced. "you're saying the Resonance... what, exposed those websites?"

"Greater than that." I suppose it activated them." Dr. Patel's eyes shone with delight. "The Elyrians were not myths, Lyra. They were genuine, and they lived in an era far beyond our knowledge. "Technology capable of manipulating Earth's very materials."

A shiver rushed down Lyra's spine. "Like what I did at the camp?"

Before Dr. Patel could respond, the door sprang open. Maya raced in, her expression a mix of relief and wrath. "3 days! After three days of radio silence, I discover out you're awake from the gossipy nurse. You're a first-class pal!"

Lyra couldn't help but smile. "neglected you too, Maya."

Maya huffed, but her frown softened as she observed Lyra's faded face. "Flynn, you look like hell. "How do you feel?"

"Like I arm-wrestled a tectonic plate," Lyra sighed. "And misplaced."

"Well, get used to it," a fresh voice added. A man Lyra didn't recognize leaned against the doorframe, holding a notebook and tucking a pen behind his ear. "because the entire global's approximately to be knocking on your door."

Dr. Patel sighed. "Lyra and Maya, this is Marcus Reed. "He is a-."

"Journalist," Marcus finished with a charming smile. "And you, Ms. Flynn, are the tale of this century. 'Geological Goddess Saves Camp From Positive Doom."It has a pleasant ring to it, don't you notice?"

Lyra's belly dropped. "You can't put up that. Nobody would agree with that, and even if they did...

"They'd never leave you by yourself," Maya concluded, clearly looking at Marcus. "Back down, vulture. Can't you see she's been through enough?"

Marcus raised his palms in surrender. "Good day, I am one of the desirable guys here. The arena is changing quicker than any of us can keep up with. Humans must realize the reality of what is happening."

An unsettling stillness descended upon the room. Lyra's thoughts raced with the possibilities of what she had uncovered. Elyria, her developing powers, and the looming threat of every other Resonance were too much for the system to handle.

"I need some air," she muttered, throwing her legs over the bed's edge. The room swirled uncomfortably, but she gritted her teeth and stood.

"Whoa there, hero," Maya reassured her. "You positive that is a very good idea?"

Lyra nodded, determination setting in. "I am positive. And I understand where we want to go next."

Dr. Patel raised his eyebrow. "Oh? "And where's that?"

"My father's old studies website," Lyra said, memories flooding back. "He was intrigued by Elyrian mythology. reported that he came close to taking a stride forward before disappearing for the length of the Resonance."

The words weighed heavily in the air. Lyra should remember her father's joyful expression the last time she saw him, his eyes gleaming with the delights of discovery. Then the arena turned the wrong way up, and he vanished without a trace.

"Lyra," Dr. Patel said gently, "are you sure you need to go down that route? We looked for months following the Resonance. There was no trace of him."

"things are one-of-a-kind now," Lyra asserted. "I am different. Maybe I can sense something we missed before."

Maya gripped her hand. "If that's what you need to do, I'm with you. A person has to keep you from face-planting, anyway.

Marcus' eyes glowed with interest. "What if I tag along? It feels like one heck of a narrative.

Lyra hesitated and then nodded. "nice. But no posting anything without my permission. Deal?"

"Go my coronary heart," Marcus smiled, miming the motion.

A nurse peeked her head in while they were making preparations. "Ms. Flynn?" There may be a name for you. Somebody from the government. "They are... quite insistent."

The organization exchanged engaged glances. Lyra took a long breath, bracing herself. "ok. Placed them via."

A stern voice rang out over the room's intercom. "Ms. Flynn, this is the popular Hawthorne of America military. We need to talk about what happened at the study camp. And about your father's works."

Lyra's blood was bloodless. How did they recognize her father?

"I am afraid this is not a request," the general said. "A car will come to pick you up in one hour. Come by myself, or we'll have to take... alternative measures."

The road stopped suddenly, leaving a stunned silence in its wake.

Maya became the key focus for improvement. "Like hell you're going on my own. We are going to find a way to-"

"No," Lyra said, a strategy already developing. "I'll go." But I need everyone to do something for me."

She outlined her concept quickly, conscious that time was ticking away. Dr. Patel gave her an appreciative smile when she finished. "Lyra, it's risky." "Are you certain about this?"

Lyra nodded, a fiery determination burning in her chest. "I'm done being a passive observer. I want to know what's coming, who I'm becoming. and I believe my father knew more than he let on.

As the others prepared to leave, Lyra stood at the window, gazing out at the altered landscape. The new world was beautiful in an unusual way, but it was also riddled with unknowns. Elyria's secrets lay hidden someplace out there, waiting to be discovered. The truth regarding her father's disappearance was hidden somewhere easily accessible.

A tiny vibration raced through the ground, so Lyra should be able to sense it. Is there a caution? A welcome? She couldn't be sure. But as the shiny black car came up outside, Lyra knew one thing with utter certainty:

Nothing may ever be the same again.

She grew out of the window, squaring her shoulders. Lyra was prepared to face whatever difficult events that awaited her, no matter what secrets the government had. The timid geologist became a thing of the past, transformed by something greater.

Lyra felt the Earth's pulse pulsing through her veins as she stepped out of the medical facility chamber, a constant reminder of her growing strength. She envisioned her father, Elyria, and the visions that haunted her goals.

I'm coming, she thought angrily. I will find the truth, whatever it takes.

The elevator doors slid open, revealing stern-faced guys wearing dark suits. "Ms. Flynn?" "Please include us."

Lyra took a deep breath and moved forward, leaving the shelter of the medical facility behind her. Because the doors closed behind her, she couldn't shake the sense that she had stepped into the lion's den.

However, she reminded herself that lions had nothing on the primal strength of the Earth itself. And for better or worse, that energy was suddenly coursing through her veins.

Allow them to try to cage her. In her protection, the ground beneath their feet may rise upward.

Lyra smirked with a hungry glitter in her eyes. He or she sought to modify the rules as the sport began to rotate.