Lyra stood in front of her mirror, biting her lip as she tried to decide on her outfit for the day. She wanted something that felt true to her: stylish but relaxed, confident but effortless. After a few moments of deliberation, she pulled out a white corset top from her closet - simple, structured, and a little bit bold without screaming for attention, just the way she liked. She paired it with her favourite jeans, the kind that fit just right without being too tight.
Over her arm, she slung a matching denim jacket, knowing she’d probably just toss it on and off throughout the day. The double-denim combo worked for her - it wasn’t flashy, but there was something about it that made her feel put together and comfortable. She slipped into her trusty and somewhat worn out white sneakers, knowing she would have a lot of walking to do today, and they surely could be trusted with the job.
After tying her hair into a loose ponytail, a few strands framing her face, she applied a touch of lip gloss for a subtle and natural shine and sprayed a quick spritz of a light, floral perfume. “Perfect,” she murmured to herself, giving her reflection a quick nod. She felt like herself - ready for the day, the scavenger hunt, and, most importantly, ready to have fun with some of her friends. Grabbing her bag, she gave herself a small smile. Time to go.
As the teams for the scavenger hunt were being formed, Lyra found herself scanning the crowd but to her disappointment, she couldn’t spot anyone she considered a close friend. She felt her heart beating faster: “no, this could not be happening. She would not be left behind all alone.” Just at that point however, as her anxiety started to reach its peak, a familiar face stood out - Renlin, Inessa’s older brother. He was teamed up with a few girls who seemed friendly enough, and as Lyra made her way over, one of them particularly caught her attention. It wasn’t just Renlin she recognised; she had met one of the girls, Desdemona, before as well. She greeted them warmly, and not long after, the team headed off for the hunt.
The scavenger hunt was in full swing, and to Lyra’s surprise, she found herself genuinely enjoying the morning. While the thrill of solving clues and racing to find hidden objects wasn’t exactly her cup of tea, the little chats she shared with the girls on her team more than made up for it. As they moved from place to place, she found herself relaxing into the conversation, laughing at jokes, and even getting a bit competitive. It had turned into a surprisingly good day, better than she had anticipated.
But in true Lyra fashion, just when things seemed to be going smoothly, a little chaos decided to join the party. Everything was going well until Mona’s pet lizard, Kiki, made a sudden break for freedom. The tiny reptile dashed out of Mona’s grasp and scurried off, finding her way into the library, much to the group’s dismay. Lyra, ever the helpful and good-hearted soul, immediately volunteered to help wherever she could to return the runaway safely. The group followed Kiki into the library, where they tried to capture the little creature without causing too much disruption.
Lyra’s teammates, knowing she was in Enigma Stag, the house known for its mastery of illusions, turned to her for a magical solution. Encouraged by their hopeful looks, she decided to give it a try. It seemed like a simple enough task to create a gentle illusion of a bookshelf to block off Kiki’s escape path and keep her safe until Mona could scoop her up. She tried to convince herself nothing could go wrong, it was just an illusion - nothing harmful, right?
With a nervous glance at the girls, Lyra focused, her mind honing in on the image of a bookshelf. She could almost picture the illusion, light and intangible, just enough to keep Kiki in place without causing harm. But as she channeled her magic, something went wrong. The glow of her magic didn’t fade into the usual transparency of an illusion. Instead, it solidified into a actual tangible and very much solid wooden shelf. It happened too quickly, and turned too tangibly. Her magic, Lyra was not in control of it, the magic controlled her. In a panic at this realisation, Lyra broke her illusion. The worst thing she could have done in the moment.
Before anyone could react or fully realised what was going on, the bookshelf came crashing down with a resounding thud, and in the blink of an eye, it landed right on top of poor Kiki. The silence that followed was deafening. Lyra’s heart sank as she realised what had just happened. Normally, an illusion would simply vanish, as fleeting as a daydream. Like the way the marshmallow had disappeared when Atlas had performed his illusion. But this… this was all too real. The bookshelf had taken on a life of its own, crushing the poor lizard underneath.
Lyra’s face paled as the reality of the situation set in. The girls and Renlin around her stood frozen in shock, eyes wide as they took in the scene. Lyra could feel the weight of their stares, but she couldn’t bring herself to look up. Her heart was pounding, her mind racing. How had this happened? It was just supposed to be an illusion, a trick of the mind. But her magic had betrayed her, or perhaps she had betrayed her magic - she couldn’t tell. “I - I didn’t mean -” Lyra stammered, her voice barely a whisper. She wanted to say something, anything to make it better, but no further words came. Her magic was supposed to be helpful, light, and harmless, she was supposed to be in control, but instead, it had brought a catastrophe.
With that the sadness and anger at herself took over. She had known how irresponsible it was to perform magic she did not master. She should have known better than to try it. If anyone knew the consequences of using magic irresponsibly, it was Lyra. She had been to caught up in the moment, wanted to help too badly. And an innocent animal had fallen victim to it, to her.
Without thinking, Lyra turned and ran. She couldn’t bear to face Desdemona - not after what she had done. She didn’t know where she was going, but in that moment, it didn’t matter. She just needed to get away, to be alone with her guilt, her failure. She ran, the tears finally spilling down her cheeks, leaving everything behind. She had disappointed herself above all else, she had been so excited about the morning, about the friendships which had started to form, but now, all she felt was regret and hurt.
Desdemona - @raviola
Mentioned:
Renlin - @Madilfill
Thalia - @Kristi
Freya - @novella
Atlas - @idiot.exe
