Chapter Six: Princess Lysaria's Curiosity
The gardens of Iridessa bloomed with an unnatural brilliance, petals dancing in slow spirals that defied gravity. Lysaria stood beneath a silver-barked tree, her wings folded behind her like veils of moonlight. Yet even in this place of living art, her thoughts were far from peace.
She had heard the rumors fleeting whispers about a presence felt but never seen, of footprints that appeared in wet soil with no owner, of flickering shadows where no one stood. At first, she dismissed it as court gossip, the kind that clings to royalty like perfume. But then came the sighting near the reflecting pool. The guards reported a wave of searing heat, then ice, and one even claimed to hear his own thoughts repeated aloud before blacking out.
And she saw it too.
Not a shape, not a body but a feeling. A presence that tingled against her skin like static. Something that didn't belong.
She had asked her mother, Queen Elyssira, about the ancient warnings. The Queen dismissed them coldly. "Old threats. Broken magic. Nothing that should concern a future ruler."
But Lysaria's heart wouldn't let her rest.
So, she returned to the Garden of Stillwinds where the guards had last felt the presence. No one followed her she made sure of that. If she was wrong, she would face the shame alone. But if she was right…
She stepped into the heart of the hedge maze, a place rarely visited by others. At the center stood a fountain that hadn't run in decades. Moss crawled over the stone edges. The air felt heavy here, as if time itself slowed in deference.
"Are you there?" she asked aloud.
Nothing.
She waited. Minutes passed.
Then, the wind shifted.
A petal drifted upward instead of down.
Lysaria turned slowly. "I won't hurt you."
Still no answer. But she felt it closer now. That same tingling pressure, like the atmosphere thickened with something alive.
"You don't have to trust me. Just… listen."
A whisper of warmth danced past her shoulder. A gust, too precise to be wind.
Her heart leapt.
"You're the one they call invisible. The one with powers." She paused. "I don't believe you're a monster."
A branch creaked behind her.
"I think you're alone," she added.
That did something.
A shimmer, so faint it might have been imagination, flickered before her eyes. Then a voice low, cracked, and hollow answered.
"You shouldn't be here."
Lysaria's breath caught. "Then why haven't you left?"
Silence.
"I think you want someone to see you."
Another pause. "No one ever has. Not truly."
She took a cautious step forward. "Then let me."
The voice sighed. "You can't. I'm not just unseen. I'm cursed."
Lysaria knelt near the fountain. "Cursed with what?"
There was a long, eerie silence. When the voice returned, it was bitter.
"With five powers that make kingdoms fall."
She blinked. Five?
"I've heard only myths. No details. Tell me."
"No."
Lysaria frowned. "I want to understand."
A gust lifted her hair gently.
"No one ever does."
She remained still. "Maybe I'm not no one."
The quiet stretched. Then finally, like clouds parting, he spoke again.
"The first is fire. But not like yours. Mine burns through dimensions. It doesn't scorch flesh it scorches reality."
Lysaria's eyes widened. "And the second?"
"Echoes of thought. I hear what people think before they know they're thinking it. Sometimes… I answer without meaning to."
Lysaria looked around. "That's how you found me?"
"You called. Not with words. But your heart did."
Her breath caught in her throat. This man who had no name in court, no face in records was no beast. He was wounded. A soul fraying at the edges.
"What's your name?" she asked gently.
There was hesitation.
"I… don't remember."
Her heart ached. "Then I'll help you find it."
He didn't reply. But something changed. The air felt less tense. The birds returned to their songs. Even the moss on the fountain looked brighter.
Lysaria stood slowly. "I'll come back tomorrow. Same place. Will you be here?"
"Maybe."
She smiled. "That's more than I hoped."
As she left the maze, she heard his voice again, carried by the wind.
"You're not like the others."
And she whispered back, though he was out of earshot.
"Neither are you."