"…Are you Lyra?" Max muttered out loud, his voice barely more than a whisper. A wave of shock surged through him as he stared at the girl standing before him. It had been so long, so many events had passed, and yet… he remembered.
It was vague—like a dream slipping through his fingers—but he could recall meeting a girl with that exact face, those same piercing eyes, during the recruitment assessment for the Phoenix Order Guild.
Back then, she had caught his eye, not for her beauty, but for her strength. She had ranked second in talent—just below him. A quiet, promising genius who disappeared from his life just as quickly as she entered.
He had assumed she was one of the many talented people he had left behind in his rapid rise through the Lower Domain. People who, despite their gifts, couldn't keep up with the abnormal pace at which he climbed. But now, here she was—standing before him in the Middle Domain, her aura calm yet undeniably powerful.
