The Riftwalker

Lyra was the type of girl who stepped forward when others stepped back. Most people at the age of seventeen had their lives planned, but she was not one of those people. She had no interest in being ordinary, but today her fate would pull her from the shadows whether she liked it or not.

Lyra was returning from school when she heard a scream. The scream seemed to come from the nearby lake. She walked fast, almost running, and without wasting a second, she made her way towards the lake. Making her way through the big trees and thick bushes, she reached the lake. There in the lake, an old man was struggling in the water. A boat stood some way away. The old man seemed to have fallen from it trying to catch a huge fish. Lyra was still thinking when her eyes met the fearful gaze of the old man. Navigating with her blue eyes, she tried to look for anything that would help her. She quickly grasped a life-saving tube that was hanging on a pole and jumped into the water. She swam fast towards the man as her flowing black hair flew behind her. As soon as she reached the man, the man took hold of the tube and soon they were out of the water and onto the boat that was standing near.

The man coughed and sat down. “Thank you, daughter! I thought I was done today.”, the old man said, grateful. “My pleasure, sir.”, Lyra replied, “But sir how did you...”. “That is an uninteresting story. Here take this, I have a reward for you”, the man said, taking a pendant out of his pocket. “No sir, thank you.”, Lyra said. “Please I will be happy if you do.”, the old man interjected. Lyra thought momentarily and then politely took the pendant from the man’s hand and wore it across her neck. “Thank you,” she said. “No, daughter, I owed you,” he told her. “Thank you anyway,” she thanked again, and without a backward glance, she went away.

The old man watched from the shadows, his weathered face creased with a faint, knowing smile as the girl disappeared down the street. His sharp eyes, clouded with age but not with wisdom, followed her every step. He had spent days searching and waiting for the right person, someone who could do this mission, someone with brilliance. And now, at last, he had found her. “Finally..,” he murmured to himself, his voice barely audible against the morning breeze. “I know she can do this… she must.” Turning back toward the winding path, he began to walk. His cane tapped rhythmically against the cobblestones, a sound that matched the muttered words spilling from his lips.

Nervousness crept into his mind, but he had to believe she could do this, and maybe she would. But there’s one thing he knows she has to do this, even if she doesn’t want to. “They won’t understand yet,” he whispered, his thoughts swirling like the leaves in the breeze. “Not until it’s too late. But she will. She must.”. He walked away knowing that soon everything would be better. “You can do this”, he muttered as he walked on, and consoling himself, he walked back to where he had come from. Lyra spent the rest of the day examining the pendant. She had a peculiar feeling that this was not an ordinary pendant. It seemed different from any other pendant she had seen before. 

“What’s that?” her mother asked as she put the green tea down.

Lyra explained everything that had happened, explaining every single detail.

“That is wonderful darling, that you helped someone! But you shouldn’t have taken that pendant”, her mother said.

“I didn’t want to, but he was continuously insisting so, I had no option but to take it”, Lyra told her.

“Okay, dear,” her mom said, eyeing the clock. “It’s getting late. Go to sleep. You have school tomorrow.”

“Ok, Mom, when will Dad come?”, Lyra said.

“He might be back until 10 maybe, but you should rather go to sleep.”, her mom replied.

Ok Mom, Night!”, she said.

“Good night sweetie.”, her mom replied.

Lyra headed for her room and pushed upon the door. Her room somehow seemed more messy than usual, she thought to clean it, but then as she realized it was late, she turned off the light and lay on her bed. Lyra lay down quietly on her bed thinking about the pendant. The pendant was hanging around her neck. Lyra closed her eyes trying to sleep. Lyra was one of those people who could never have sleeping disorders, but today seemed to be a different day. She turned to one side and the other, but it was no use. She thought of shutting her mind down, but she was still thinking this so, she thought no more, and it was only a matter of seconds when her eyes felt heavy, and she entered the world of dreams. The next morning’s air was crisp as Lyra made her way to school, her footsteps echoing softly on the quiet street. Her thoughts were consumed by the pendant hanging around her neck, it’s cool surface pressing gently against her skin. She couldn’t shake the feeling that it was more than just a piece of jewellery. The previous day’s events replayed endlessly in her mind, raising questions she couldn’t answer.

Lost in her thoughts, Lyra barely noticed the world around her. The distant hum of cars and the rustle of leaves in the light breeze all blurred as her focus stayed on the pendant. Then, without warning, a strange dizziness swept over her. It was as if the ground beneath her tilted ever so slightly, throwing her off balance.

She staggered, her vision blurring, and before she could steady herself, her head collided with something hard and unyielding, a lamp post, perhaps? The jolt sent a sharp pain through her forehead, but before she could process what was happening, her surroundings dissolved into darkness. The world seemed to vanish entirely. Her heart pounded in her chest, each beat echoing louder in the emptiness around her. Just when she thought the void would consume her completely, a blinding light burst before her eyes, sharp and overwhelming. The brightness was unnatural, almost alive, as it pulsed and shifted. Lyra’s breath caught in her throat. She reached out instinctively, but her fingers met only air.

And then, as abruptly as it began, the light was gone. Everything was gone. The street, the morning air, the sound of life—it had all disappeared. Her eyes felt heavy, and her body weak and she could feel pain in her head, but maybe she had no more time to think, she had gone unconscious.