As soon as Huey was gone, Lyra's heart sank deeper into her chest.
'He's gone. ' she gaped at the door feeling her emotions boil.
He left without even a single glance at her.
'I've fucked up... I've fucked up, I've fucked up! ' she grabbed her hair in a panic.
Why was she feeling like this?
Lyra had no idea.
It wasn't her fault, it was the Core's influence...or so she kept telling herself.
At the last moment before he left, she saw the blank look on his face. It was even more distant than usual.
What was she supposed to do o now?
'Apoligize! I have to apologize... ' yes, that made sense.
Apologize for taking advantage of the moment to lean on him.
Wait.
Lyra paused.
What exactly did she do, anyway?
'That's right. I really didn't do anything wrong for him to think of me as an attention seeking whore.'
Or did she?
"I don't know!! ' she wanted to pull her hair out at this point.
Professor Hathaway who was watching all this with an odd expression finally decided to intervene.
"Uhh, Lyra, is everything alright?"
Lyra took in a deep breath and sighed equally. Her shoulders slumped and her head was covered by gloom. Lyra turned around to face the professor in a white lab coat, slouching her fine figure as she slowly approached him.
She grabbed the chair she tossed away earlier, dragged it across the floor with little to no enthusiasm, and finally positioned it before the man.
With another melancholic sigh, Lyra took her sit.
___ ____
In the end, Tyla decided to come with me for some unknown reason.
No. I'm pretty sure it was to bug me.
Controlling my facial muscles to maintain my expression, I side glanced at her and hissed.
"Why are you following me again?"
Tyla walked with her back straight, and poise next to me. Her expression was unbothered by my tone, and eventually she said while looking ahead.
"You said you were going to see the Village Head, weren't you. I'll come with you then and show you the way. " She said.
" Usually you would need an appointment, but I'm sure the Head is already expecting you so it should be fine, " she continued — " I'll accompany you for the meantime. Unless of course you know the way yourself? " Then she shot me taunting grin.
'This bitch! '
"Oh now you act like you know me, huh. How convenient for you."
I watched Tyla's expression crack slightly at my comment.
Then she stuttered comically with a straight face.
"Th-that was different. This is this."
I gave her an odd glance then looked away and shook my head.
'I don't have time for this. '
Except, I had nothing but time now.
As of right this moment, I decided the next course of action I'll take.
'I'll travel around the world again and see with my own eyes the extent of the apocalypse.' the truth was, I just wanted to get as far away from people right now.
But if I was asked why, I had no tangible reason.
My response would probably be: "mood" while saying it in a Batman like voice.
Then I'd venture into the night to save the day—
'What am I talking about?! '
Growling to myself, I raised my hand and facepalmed.
Next to me, Tyla's shot me strange look.
She said.
"Are you sure you're okay?"
My brows furrowed.
" Why wouldn't I be? "
Was I okay? Yes, sure. I was great.
The best even.
Why would she think I wasn't?
"... You're letting your famous mask crack a lot more often since you got back." Unexpectedly, Tyla said.
"... I don't know what you're talking about. " My frowned deepened.
I never liked people reading into me like that.
"If you don't want to talk about it, it's fine. I can understand, " Tyla said curtly, but added at the end.
" Whenever I have something bothering me on my mind, I usually go spar to clear my head. Works most of the time. " She shrugged.
I looked at her and grinned.
"Are you asking me for a spar then?"
Tyla's rebuttal was instant.
" Bleak heavens, no! Who would want to go up against something like you? They must either been brain dead, or outright dead."
Harsh. And did she just call me 'something'?
"You know...you just described your Chief guard, you know?"
Tyla's expression froze and crumpled when I said that.
"It... it's your imagination. I-i didn't say anything of the sorts." She stuttered.
Finding the chance amusing, and payback for earlier, I added.
"Come on, Tyla, you're letting your mask crack. Where's that ice cold beauty I know off, huh?" I mocked.
But contrary to my expectations, Tyla turned red instead, and she fumed at me all of a sudden with hurried breaths.
"B-beauty?! H-how dare you say something like that to a warrior! W-wanna die?!"
Her intensity was so heavy, I recoiled and raised my hands in submission before she actually tries to bite me.
"Okay, okay. Calm down. Although, where I come from, that's a compliment."
Then I watched her face grow a shade redder. Her eyes lost focus and she stumbled before leaning on a wall with her head lowered.
"C... compliment..." She kept muttering.
Isn't she not being herself right here?
While I wondered what was up with her, my mind strayed to Lyra.
'What's there to think about anymore?' I already made my decision.
I shook the thought out of my head and reassumed my mask before turning to leave.
"I'm going ahead then. ' I waved without turning around.
I vaguely knew the direction from here.
In a moment, I heard Tyla's sharp voice as she rushed to follow me from behind.
"No, with. Hold on, wait for me!"
___ ___
"Do you fully understand the danger that comes with having an Organic Core by this point. " Professor Hathaway asked deeply as he took off his frames and wiped their lenses.
Lyra's expression was intently focused and stern as she nodded with clenched fist.
"Yes, I do."
Though it was impossible for anyone to fully grasp the danger, Hathaway silently added in his heart.
As explained before, the risks an effects varies and contradicts from person to person. Up until now, the full grasp on the extent an organic core resulted was impossible.
It was even more so now that the rest of the world outlawed tge use of organic core to make knights. Aside from that the cores serve as any other for of good raw energy with sufficient power to support the current civilization.
Hathaway put on his glasses after wiping the lense and smiled at Lyra.
"Yes. Now if you have any questions, feel free to ask."
Lyra nodded and went through all the information she just received. In all honesty, she had a number of questions and doubts concerning them, and even more worries.
But if she were to have the professor explain and answer each of them, Lyra was sure they would be there for days. And besides Hathaway already explained to her that as she continued to live — if she continued to live, she would come to understand the aspects and her abilities better than even he himself.
So instead she decided to ask him the next question that was most curious to her.
"Uhm, professor, do you know anything about this." As Lyra began, she conjured a potent tongue of violet flames in her hands.
As for how she could do it, it was rather simple like breathing. It was an instinctive feeling, but she highly doubted she could achieve the level of control she had before on the roof.
Bling Hathaway's green eyes lit up as soon as he saw it. He adjusted his glasses, leaned forward, as he examined the fluttering flame in Lyra's palm.
Then he slowly said.
"Ah, yes. The enigmatic violet flames. You even have an ability."
" An ability?!" Lyra's purple pupils shrunk as her excitement skyrocketed. At the same time, the violet flames in her hand erupted and spiralled upward like a twisting tower.
-VWOOSH!!
Hathaway quickly backed away, shielding his face a the last moment.
Lyra yelped, clenched her fist and quickly extinguished the violet twister of flames.
Then she panicked.
"I'm so, so, sorry about that. I-i didn't mean for it to loose control like that." She pleaded earnestly as she watched the professor pull out a small rag to wipe his sweaty face.
Professor Hathaway laughed mildly at that.
"No, it's fine. I understand, and I'm not hurt." But his heart raced inside of his chest.
'What ferocious flames...! Those clearly aren't normal, even I felt the threat the moment the falred up. ' his instincts as a knight screamed at him at that point. The heat of the flames were like nothing he had ever see before.
Maybe he was exaggerating a bit there.
But Lyra's flames certainly weren't normal. Especially for his instincts to warn him like that. It had to be noted that mundane fire couldn't hurt most Knights, and even then, it would only deal minimum damage at most.
During most cases at least.
But this time, it was different.
Aft a while of thought, the professor sighed and said.
"Those flames... aren't normal." He said as if lamenting.
'Clearly. They're purple!"' Lyra lampooned internally, but nodded meekly at the professor's words.
"You said something about an ability?" Lyra asked, unable to disguise the sjine in her sapphire eyes.
Hathaway found it amusing and laughed. He regained composure and began to explain.
"Yes. As you know Knights are superhuman who's overall abilities stem from a core implant in their body. There are many other factors, but in the end, not every Knight we know have weird and unrealistic powers we call Ability."
Lyra nodded attentively, urging him to continue since she already knew all his part. As a knight enthusiast as she was, it was basically common Knowledge for her.
"The unique knights with Abilities are called Carriers, or Holders. Reason should be self-explanatory." He added with a smile at the latter.
" Yes, I know that." Lyra nodded then her expression became slightly complicated.
"You mean to say I'm one of those unique few?"
" Yes. Knights with high level, and, or organic cores have higher chances of becoming Carriers. But in the end, it mostly boils down to pure luck, and once again, the constitution and attunement level of the host slash knight. "
Lyra's eyes flickered with a little light of understanding. She hadn't directly met with an Ability holding Knight before, but she had heard about them and seen them behind screens.
Even the current 'Heroes', the first ever generation of Knights, were all Carriers.
So this kind of world seemed so far nd distant to her.
Hathaway laughed and drew her attention.
"That look... you'll be surprised to know an Ability isn't all that special and unique sounding as it seems." He explained, pouring cold water on he hit excitement.
Lyra blinked her eyes, finding confusion in his words.
"What do you mean by that?" There was a small frown on her face.
She was suddenly being told the Abilities she had oh so admired from afar were nothing special or unique.
Hathaway wiped his forehead with the rag one more time. He felt Lyra's gaze was quite bright like a child despite being a young adult woman.
The he stated as if it was a matter
"Well that's because they're actually side effects."