Elarion Shattered

The village hadn't changed. At first glance, it appeared the same.

The crooked stalls in the square were still there, along with crates of bruised fruit resting under fraying awnings. The dull clatter of buckets and low, tired voices still passed between doorways. Someone was patching the roof of the tavern again, and children chased each other near the well, their laughter bright and aimless.

But the air felt... wrong.

Jalen walked slower than usual. He told himself it was just the weight of the sample jar in his satchel. Just the ache in his legs from the hill. But he knew better.

The wind that moved through Bramble Hollow no longer reached the soil. It scraped past rooftops and fences but didn't touch the fields. The wheat swayed, but not in rhythm. Like something beneath the roots was resisting the pull.

He passed the bakery.

No Marta at the counter. No flour-slicked apron. No voice calling his name like she always did, half a tease, half a greeting.

Just a closed door and a cold hearth.

He didn't stop walking.

Not until—

"Hey, herb boy!" someone called, playful and familiar. "If you walk any slower, you'll start growing moss!"

He stopped.

Only one person ever called him that.

She was his best friend. She'd just been gone a long time.

Confused, he turned.

And blinked once in disbelief.

She was actually back!

Standing near the old stone bench outside the well was Lyra Rynn—dusty boots, travel cloak, and all. Her hood was halfway down, caught in the breeze.

Perched on her shoulder was a bird he didn't recognize—small, bright-feathered, and watching him like he was the curiosity.

It let out a chirp and tilted its head smugly. 

And the only thing Jalen could say was, "Hey! That bird is judging me!"

Lyra laughed, and it was the same laugh he remembered—quick, bright, a little uneven around the edges.

"That's because he is," she said, stepping forward without missing a beat. "Honestly, I leave for a little while and you forget how to stand up straight."

Jalen rolled his eyes, but the smile tugging at his mouth betrayed him. "You call a year a little while?"

"Depends on the calendar," she said with a shrug. "Or the planet."

She stopped in front of him and tilted her head slightly, eyes scanning his face like she was checking to make sure he was real too.

He didn't move.

Neither did she.

Then she grinned. "Hi."

Jalen exhaled. "Hi."

They stood like that for a breath longer than necessary, the weight of what hadn't been said hanging quietly between them.

The bird fluffed its feathers and let out a low, trilling chirp that somehow sounded like, Can we move this along already?

Lyra chuckled and reached up to scratch under its chin. "Okay, okay. You know it's rude to interrupt this brooding reunion. Manners, Sparrowwind. Manners."

"Sparrowwind?"

"Oh! I almost forgot to introduce you two. This little fellow is Sparrowwind. A rare Talonis that I found on my travels."

Jalen finally let out a proper breath and gestured toward the market square. "Come on. Since you're back, you've got to tell me everything."

"Not without a bakery bribe."

"Fiiiine."

For the first time since the hill, his shoulders started to lower.

As their steps started falling into their old rhythm, like time hadn't passed at all, Lyra glanced sideways at him. "You've sure gotten taller."

Jalen snorted, "Oh yeah! And you've gotten prettier, you bookworm."

She rolled her eyes, chuckling. "Ha, ha. Very funny. But we both know the second one's true. You look good, shortstack."

"Hey! I grew two inches; I'm five-six now, thank you. Plus, I'm only 21, so I can still grow."

They passed the cracked wall of the old tannery, moss threading the gaps like it had always been there. Lyra ran a hand across the stone, then turned a slow circle, taking everything in.

"Place feels smaller than I remembered."

"It didn't shrink," Jalen said. "You just stopped standing on crates to reach the shelves."

She bumped him lightly with her shoulder.

The bakery came into view, and for a moment, Jalen expected to hear Marta shouting something through the window. Instead—nothing. No flour trail on the porch. No clatter of mixing bowls. Just stillness.

Lyra narrowed her eyes. "Did it always feel this… quiet?"

Jalen didn't answer. He pushed the door open and stepped inside.

Warm rolls lined the counter, but the hearth was cold. A faint smell of yeast lingered in the air, but it didn't have a fresh scent. More like a memory than a scent.

Coins clinked into the dish beside the register. But Marta wasn't seen emerging from the back room.

Out front again, the old garden bench waited near the fence. Jalen led the way, settling onto the far end without a word. Lyra hesitated before sitting, brushing a few dried petals off the plank beside her.

"So," he said, tearing his roll. "What have you actually been doing?"

She gave him a look. "You're seriously asking me that now?"

He shrugged. "You come walking out of nowhere with a smug bird and mysterious energy. I'm allowed to be curious."

Lyra let out a soft laugh, then leaned back on her palms. "It's mostly been research. Guild work. Lore dives, lost ruins, weird soil reports. A lot of mold. A lot of dead ends."

He raised an eyebrow. "And?"

"Eventually I found him." She tilted her head toward Sparrowwind, who now sat perched with perfect poise, feathers gleaming.

The little bird tilted its head like it was eavesdropping.

"Wasn't looking for a pet," Lyra added. "But he sort of chose me."

Jalen gave a slow nod, his voice quieter now. "And then you came back."

She didn't look at him. "I didn't plan to. But everything I found started pointing back here."

"Bramble Hollow?"

"Gilbert," she corrected. "He filed a report to the Briarstead archive. Something about soil turning strange. Unnatural growth spreading along the ridges."

Jalen blinked. "He never told me."

"You know your old man doesn't like to worry you."

Silence settled in, thick as moss. Sparrowwind fluffed his feathers and chirped once, sharp and watchful.

Lyra took a bite of her roll. "But hey, I'm here now. So let's see what we've got!"