Chapter 380: The Man’s Story
The air in Lyan’s chambers hung heavy with anticipation, thick enough to cut with a knife. The warm glow of the fireplace cast dancing shadows across the walls, creating an atmosphere both intimate and slightly unsettling. Lyan sat in the center of the room, his posture rigid with tension, his eyes flickering nervously between his gathered companions. Their faces, illuminated by the soft firelight, reflected a myriad of emotions - curiosity, concern, and an undercurrent of affection that made Lyan’s heart ache with a bittersweet longing.
He took a deep, shuddering breath, his gaze dropping to the intricate patterns on the carpet beneath his feet. The weight of his past, of the secrets he’d carried for so long, pressed down on him like a physical burden. When he finally looked up, meeting the eyes of those who had become his family in this strange world, his voice emerged as a barely audible whisper.
"Before all of this," Lyan began, each word feeling like it was being torn from his very soul, "before I came to this world, I lived a life so different, so... ordinary, that it feels like a dream now." He paused, swallowing hard against the lump forming in his throat. "I was just a bookkeeper on Earth."
The word ’Earth’ hung in the air, alien and familiar all at once. Lyan watched as eyebrows raised and eyes widened, but the silence remained unbroken. The lack of interruption, the patient acceptance in their eyes, gave him the courage to continue.
"My days were filled with numbers, dusty books, and endless stacks of papers," he continued, a wistful smile tugging at the corners of his mouth. "It wasn’t glamorous or exciting, but it was... mine. And it wasn’t without its joys." His voice softened, filled with a tenderness that made his companions lean in closer. "I had my family, my younger sister. She... she was my whole world."
Lyan’s eyes misted over, lost in memories of a time and place so far removed from his current reality. "We didn’t have much, but we had each other. Those simple moments - sharing a meal, laughing over some silly joke, just being together - they were what made life worth living." His voice cracked slightly, raw with emotion. "I can still see her smile, you know? The way her eyes would light up when I’d bring her sweets from the market. It was like... like seeing the sun come out after a storm."
He paused, gathering himself. The room was silent save for the crackling of the fire and the soft sounds of breathing. When Lyan spoke again, his voice was tinged with a determination that seemed to come from the very depths of his being.
"I wanted to give her everything, to make her life better. I worked so hard, dreaming of the day we could move somewhere nicer, somewhere she could have all the opportunities she deserved." His expression darkened, a shadow passing over his features. "But then... then came ’The Cleansing’."
The temperature in the room seemed to plummet at his words. His companions shifted uneasily, the tension palpable. Lyan’s smile had vanished, replaced by a grimace that spoke of unimaginable pain.