Lyra Karant
At Cloud's Peak
Over the last few months, Lyra Karant had experimented with the absolute upper bounds of her magical prowess. She had fought enemies great and small, whether monstrous beast or mild insurgent from another country, or even rogue cultist who just wanted a shiny thing, and had come out of the vast majority of those encounters on top– and even when she had not, she had learned significantly from those encounters. It had been a long, harrowing road to get her to where she was now, from the incredibly unconfident girl who barely understood the tenets of magical manipulation via ethernano, to the twin slayer-wielding hybrid slayer, crystal blade in hand and steel plate covering her body. She had undergone more training than she could count under the watchful eyes of so many mentors and assistants that she had endured what was not harsh and brutal so much as cruel and unusual-- and yes, we’re looking directly at you, Mysie Faulkner. All of this had helped her transform into the shimmering angel of mercy of grace, crystal rose wings carrying her through the skies of the world where she could do the most good that she possibly could. This was the calling that Lyra had found for herself, one that she simply adored being able to do. If nothing else, this was where she wanted to be and hopefully she could settle into that role.
However, with such powers as she was gaining, there was a responsibility that came with it, and one that was meted by the Magic Council to tame and control and monitor the powers of its guilded mages; their method of ranking their ages to categorise and restrict their abilities needed to be observed. Today was the day that the Fates decreed that it was time to allow Lyra access to the next tier of her prowess; the vaunted S-rank mage. She had no idea this was coming, of course. Lyra did the same thing every single day since she had joined Luminous Rose, which was an incredibly well-documented routine: wake up, have a light breakfast, go for a morning walk or jog, depending on the day, come home and bathe, then go about her guild tasks for the day, whether that be participating in jobs or training herself. Particularly lately it had been less about jobs and more about training, for the work she was doing was of far higher impact than it had been previously. These days, Lyra had been spending a lot of time training with her rapier, as she’d never been a weapon-wielding sort until recently, when the wonderful conjoined soul attached to her named Rhett had proven to her the need to be able to physically defend herself from any and all attackers. It had been a long and arduous months-long and hyper-intensive process that had taught her to use a rapier in the fastest way possible; whether she was good at it now was another question. So too could she clad herself in the strongest steel, with the armour that her wonderful friend Tanith Ilara had made for her; between all of this she had leaned into the necessities of fighting a little more than she’d anticipated.
The fact that all of this was now about to be put to the extreme test was something that, were she to know ahead of time, she would have possibly been too scared to even make an attempt.
Enough backstory.
The letter that Lyra received was delivered while she was out during her morning walk. Yesterday’s training had been particularly physically intensive and so today was a rest day. When she returned, however, the letter was attached to her door with a pink heart sticker, with her name written in a beautifully cursive handwriting that she did not recognise. Plucking the letter from the door, Lyra opened the letter and took a seat at her small round wooden table, where she could read its contents in full. The contents of that letter were incredibly detailed and very self-explanatory, though that did not stop her face from draining of all colour as she read through the instructions that were given to her. This, in her hands, was a letter from Desirée, the guildmistress of Luminous Rose. This was no ordinary letter, one that left her hands mildly trembling. Lyra was to be promoted to S-rank, on the simple condition that she take up arms against one of the leader’s comrades in a place that sounded so otherworldly and fantastic that the rose mage could hardly believe that this was about to happen at all. Lyra knew in her heart that it had to be true, and that this was in fact actually happening, because Desirée would have not deigned to reach out otherwise. She was rather busy and, by all accounts, had her own career to be managing outside of running a guild. If this letter had been given to her, then it was in fact something that she was receiving for a proper reason.
The one thing that stood out to Lyra was that this location was on the edge of the atmosphere. It was somewhere that she could in fact reach by flying, of course, but the sheer fact remained that this was going to be an incredibly intense experience. Wherever this was– whatever this was– promised to be an insane time, no matter what came of it. Lyra knew that she was going to have to go into this totally prepared, ready to fight, and steeled for no matter what came her way.
Well. It was time for that shower. She had somewhere to be, in hindsight, and her day was only just beginning. If she pushed herself, she could make it there just after noon at full speed.
The flight to the place that she had been indicated was one that was fraught with worry and stress. To ensure that she was not alone and did not get attacked on the way, Lyra had summoned her avian companion Akasha; the crystal moon phoenix was a wonderful travelling companion, even at the speeds that Lyra was undertaking to fly through the air. Much like her guildmistress, though this was not a fact she knew offhand, Lyra was making excellent time flying through the air under her own power. It was going to have to become her new method of transport; up until now, Lyra had resorted to using the train to get herself to where she needed. However, with little to carry and even less to burden her, flying on crystal rose wings would have to become the new solution to this particular problem given how incredibly effective this was for her. She was outpacing trains below her at her speed, which meant that she now had sufficient ability to take herself anywhere in the world that she wished to go.
Today, that was a neat little spot way above the midpoint of the desert village and Morgate Town. The mountain ranges that passed below her were picturesque and beautiful, and as their snow-capped peaks became only an afterthought below her as she ascended towards the peak of the second-highest mountain in the range, which had been given to her as a set of coordinates in the letter that she could double-check on her iLac, she spared a moment to glance down at the scenery below her and allowed the marvels of the natural world to overwhelm her for just a second. It was beautiful. If she had more time, she would have spent more of it staring at the world. However, as she glanced up, there it was - the airborne torus that she had been directed to. At full speed, she would be there soon. Lyra looked on eagerly with anticipation as the moment she had been building up to was finally upon her. By the time she reached the peak, she had already called Akasha away to let her rest for the fight that would inevitably come.
Finally, as she drew level with the airlock entrance of the magnificent floating palace, strewn with dazzling and beautiful lights that adorned its bright surface, Lyra took her first step onto metallic deck plates and gazed upon the marvel that now surrounded her. This place, as she walked through it, was incredible in its own way. This was an incredibly highly technologically advanced facility that was festooned with crystal technology that she had no idea about to begin with; given her proclivity towards crystalline equipment herself, this place seemed rather up her alley, if Lyra thought so herself. Really, this place was a marvel. It hummed with an energy that she just couldn’t know or place, and the lights that danced their way across the ship were nothing short of incredibly breathtaking.
However, it was the voice that broke her out of her reverie- one that seemed to come out of absolutely nowhere, and yet still permeated the air with little more than a beautiful sweetness. ”Welcome to the Fragmental of White Lights, the mobile research facility of the most advanced gemstone tech- the professor, Queen Diamandis Stellune, awaits within the west gate! The floor will glow to lead you in the right direction, so make sure to follow it!"
Well, that was a simple enough instruction after all. Lyra knew she could absolutely do that - and, true to the voice’s word, the floor began to light up underneath her feet, a cascade of rainbow glow that shimmered through different strands of light underfoot. The shifting glow was enough to guide the rose mage to where she needed to be, which took her on a roundabout path through the vessel to tour her way through the internal bulkheads. Once she finally reached the promised western gate, having seen much of the vessel, Lyra beheld a form before her; resplendent, beautiful, breathtaking, this was a person that needed little introduction at this point, as she had already been introduced by the voice.
”Queen Stellune,” came Lyra’s reply, bowing her head by way of greeting royalty. ”My name is Lyra Karant. I was sent by my guildmistress, Desirée.”
Brown eyes as piercing as the gaze of a hawk stared down the red-dressed mage, where she could behold the full sight of the girl whose interesting pink hair was now before her. Lyra let her eyes drift back up and met that look, both trying to take the measure of the woman before them. Truly, the Queen was stunning; clad in diamond-like light battle plate, a mask over her mouth, and white hair held up in a rather unique hairstyle, Lyra couldn’t help but know that this was a woman who did nothing but exude confidence. If only she could be so.
”It’s my pleasure to meet you, Lyra,” said the professor in reply. ”I take it that you are here for business, not pleasure. What can I do for you?”
Suddenly, Lyra found her lack of confidence catching up with her; her voice, though she wished it to cooperate, barely managed to do so without finding every last scratch in her throat on the way up. ”W-well, the mistress has asked me to spar with you, but your ship is very pretty, and-”
The queen raised a hand to forestall Lyra from saying anything further. ”I understand. In that case, let us cut straight to the heart of the matter, and we shall indulge pleasure after our business is concluded. Come.”
As if on cue, the inside edge of the ship began to fold down, revealing the sky around them; this gave them the opportunity to fight outside, where they could not damage the vessel. Lyra saw the wisdom in that.
”I much prefer aerial combat - it is something I am rather accustomed to. Are you able to do so?” she asked, to which Lyra nodded her head, and instead chose to sprout her pink crystal wings; with an approving look, the Queen could only speculate at their origin.
”We have much to talk about after we’re finished, it seems. Shall we?”
And with that, two women took to the skies, simultaneously steeling themselves for the fight that was to come; Lyra, first, by conjuring her cryst-blade and her armour, and the retired queen by drawing the sword that rested upon her hip. This would be a fight that Lyra was going to have to work at. The queen exuded nothing but raw power, and carried herself in the way that a queen would have for the sake of combat. An approving eye glanced upon Lyra’s crystal rapier, and added one more thing to discuss after the fight. However, as Lyra prepared herself to engage, she could see the queen going for a key that was kept at her side; she was some form of summoner, perhaps, using a key to summon some form of allied creature to assist her in battle. Well, if she could, Lyra could as well - but Akasha would be a trump card reserved for the future.
The diamond of white prepared her blade, while the rose quartz drew hers high.
In the next instant, two swords crossed as the both dashed towards each other at blinding speed, the resounding crash of crystal and metal a shockwave that already threatened to push them both back. Lyra had already conjured her glorious mote to allow her spells that extra push she needed, but the cryst-blade would need all the help that it could get in order to overcome this opponent. So too was her magical armour holding its own, forming its great aegis in order to protect Lyra from incoming blows.
Those blows, with every swing of what she was now seeing as a magically-charged blade, struck hard. It was a good thing that Lyra was nothing short of a master of defensive magics, for every hit felt like it was already putting a dent in the shielding that she could conjure for herself; the blade whispered rainbow diamonds upon the air with its very swing, tearing behind it a vacuum that threatened to consume all. Each of her initial strikes were met with the tip of the cryst-blade, parried away with fine movements that belied no need for footwork whilst dancing in the air. Diamandis could– and did– come at her from any and every angle, and the practised airborne fighter took full advantage of such movements, dancing upon the air lighter than a feather tossed in a zephyr. Each blade swing, charged by beautiful lights and energies, was even more ferocious than the last as she sought to probe Lyra’s seemingly considerable defences. However, this was the thing - the queen was keeping the rose mage on the back foot constantly. Lyra was unsure of how she could possibly break through the defence of someone more experienced and better prepared for this fight than she-
When it came to her. She was on the back foot. She had tools in her toolbox for this exact moment.
Suddenly, as the winds rushed around them, they changed direction as Lyra leaned into their power, allowing herself to drink deep of the moment; the sudden conjuration of the wind shifted into a tornado that cut razor-deep, forcing the queen to back step out of the area of effect lest her skin be sliced open on the sharpness of the wind. So too did Lyra allow her body to drink deeply of her slayer magic, her slayer force coming into full effect; the hybrid magic that coursed through her veins now gave her the strength she needed to fight this enemy at full force. Emerald eyes turned a glowing gold as Lyra stared down her opponent - having bought herself a moment, Lyra could ill afford not to capitalise on the advantage she had created for herself.
Magical blades conjured from her body and lanced out towards the airborne queen, slashing down and slicing into her even as she considered how to strike back - however, every blade that met the queen’s body to slow her and drain her will to fight was met with a brilliant sunbeam issued from the blade. The first two splashed harmlessly off Lyra’s defences, but the third began to find purchase in the slayer’s body, where she knew that the wound she suddenly suffered was going to slow her down just a little bit.
Suddenly, the diamond of white was already back on Lyra, ready to engage even at this distance. The blade of her sword shimmered with holy electricity as Lyra watched it trace a beautifully deadly arc through the air, barely able to meet its suddenly lightning-fast motion with a glancing blow of her rapier to prevent it meeting skin; all things being equal, however, Lyra was not about to give up. The queen posed a hyper-aggressive threat, one that refused to allow Lyra a moment to breathe. As such, Lyra was going to have to fight back somehow against this enemy. In her next breath, despite her shield coming down, Lyra knew she had pause and respite in order to act properly; tendrils of flame whipped around her body as sacred flame wreathed around her, not only to refresh her wounds but to ensure that her mana and her health were both re-blessed in equal parts. She was a tough nut to crack - but what happens when an immovable object meets the sword that can cleave all?
Simple, really; the unbreaking shield conjures its reflective barrier to turn away the sword’s brightest cut.
In the next moment, a flash of bright light as rainbow-glimmering sword met Lyra’s shielding and, in that moment, the Queen was thrown back as her own magical attack was reflected back on to her. Without skipping a single beat as the Queen winced in pain, Lyra dashed in at her best possible speed, borne on crystal wings, where she thrust the blade of her crystal rapier directly at the throat of her enemy, using the chaos of what was likely an unexpected reversal to hold at threat point an opponent who could have brought Lyra to her knees were she not careful about how she acted. However, this fight was over. Lyra knew she had the queen at a dangerous point.
”Checkmate.”
It was the most confident word that Lyra had said all day; fueled by the hybrid force in her body and running off pure adrenaline, Lyra knew that no matter what the queen attempted next, her only answer would be to force the weighted tip of her weapon through flesh in order to stop her. It was the best way. The only way. Many fights were short, and most were over in the first fifteen seconds; this one had been no exception. The queen could but smile.
”And therefore, I concede,” came the airy, angelic voice of the queen. ”Come. We have much to discuss.”
Over tea, the two talked. They discussed the intricacies of Lyra’s crystalline panoply, and how the research facility they now stood upon was designed to research such things; Lyra asked for a small boon in that if she required further assistance and research in managing her equipment that if she could come and consult her majesty’s opinion on such things, to which she agreed.
Most importantly, however, Lyra was handed a token. A small silver coin, a symbol of favour; etched with a mountainous design on one face.
”Take this to your guildmistress, with my regards. She will know what this is for.”
Lyra considered the object betwixt her fingers for a moment with a nod. What a strange thing to see, to behold - it certainly carried some meaning between old friends. Whatever it was, the more important thing was that she had met the trial by fire head on and succeeded. The adrenaline had long worn off, replaced in its stead with the warmth of a hot beverage. It had been a long day. A good day.
This was but the first step in a long road, one where she was going to have the world open up to her by virtue of its many challenges. However, she knew that she now had the strength to fight them; the rose quartz would not hesitate. Or at least, if she did, it’d be a lot less than it was previously. No guarantees there.
For a time, the two talked, and it was conversation held in good company. Lyra knew, in this moment, that her life was finally on the course it was designed to be upon.
MEL @ WW
