Dawn broke through, disturbing Nyra’s deep sleep. Her body was heavy as she began to wake. Slowly, she blinked her eyes open, the tent dimming in the early morning light. She stretched, but something felt off. Different.

Her heart raced as she stared down at her limbs—arms instead of legs, hands instead of paws. Her breath quickened. She sat up too quickly and tumbled over, crashing into something with a loud smash. She froze, eyes wide as she stared at the broken mirror on the ground. Slowly, she crawled toward the cracked shards, her breath trembling. The reflection staring back at her was not what she expected. A woman with long, flowing golden hair and lion ears twitching atop her head. Her face… it looked like Elira's.

“What is this?” Nyra thought, panic bubbling up inside her.

“Nyra, is everything alright?” Rachelle’s voice came from outside the tent. “Mirael is waiting for you.”

Nyra panicked and slipped on a mirror shard with a thud.

"I'm coming in!" Rachelle called, stepping into the tent and freezing in place. "Oh… my goodness!"

“Hi…” Nyra laughed awkwardly, lying on the ground.

“How on earth…?” Rachelle’s eyes were wide, and her voice filled with disbelief.

“Rachelle, what’s going on?” Elena called from outside before entering the tent herself. Her breath caught in her throat as she took in the sight. “E…Elira?”

“I do look like her, don’t I?” Nyra mumbled.

Elena stared, her gaze flicking between Nyra’s ears and the twitching tail behind her. “Can…can you stand?” Elena asked, still in shock.

Nyra smiled awkwardly. “It’s been a while…I might need help.”

Elena rushed to her side, gently pulling Nyra to her feet.

“You need some clothes,” Elena muttered, glancing at Rachelle. “Stay here and help her. I’ll get something suitable.”

Moments later. Elena returned with a long red dress. Together, she and Rachelle helped Nyra dress, the fabric unfamiliar but comforting against her skin. As they finished, Elena brushed Nyra’s soft, wavy hair, her hands lingering for a moment.

Nyra glanced at her reflection one more time.

“It’s… strange, but I think I’ll manage.”

Elena handed Nyra the brush and left the tent with Rachelle, her footsteps quick as they exited into the cool morning air.

"This is complicated," Elena told Rachelle as they stepped outside the tent. The air stirred her thoughts, though it did little to calm her racing mind.

Rachelle fidgeted, her hands clasped tightly together. “Your Highness… It’s strange, isn’t it? I mean… what she looks like now.”

Elena glanced back at the tent, her brow furrowing.

“Strange doesn’t begin to describe it. I can hardly believe what I’m seeing.” She hesitated, lowering her voice. “She looks so much like…”

Rachelle nodded before Elena could finish speaking. “Elira.”

The silence that followed was heavy. Elena clenched her hands into fists at her sides, the memory of her daughter’s face resurfacing in her mind.

“But Nyra isn't her," she said finally, her voice firm as if saying it aloud would make it true. "She's Nyra…only… different.”

“She helped me earlier by standing up for me. Now it is our turn to help her,” Rachelle said softly.

Elena’s eyes softened at that. “I agree. It’s just—how do I explain any of this to Eldric? He’s still struggling to accept what happened to Elira four years ago, and Nyra… is now at the centre of it.”

Rachelle looked down. “Do you think he’ll react harshly?”

Elena shook her head slowly.

"No, I don't think he'll snap at her the way he did with you. But… this will be a lot for anyone to take in, let alone him. The news of Elira's death already unsettled the kingdom. They've barely recovered, and now this."

Rachelle glanced up nervously. “Will they ever be told the truth?”

“I don’t know,” Elena admitted. “We need to hear what Nyra has to say first. She seems to be hiding something, but I won’t push her. She’ll speak if she wants to.”

Rachelle let out a small sigh, relieved that Elena shared her cautious approach. "I hope she does soon. It feels like there's something important to be said."

Elena nodded, her eyes fixed on the horizon. “Yes, but for now, we need to focus on what comes next. Eldric will need to hear this, and whatever Nyra decides to reveal… we’ll handle it then.”

Rachelle shifted on her feet, glancing back toward the tent. “What if… what if she never tells us?”

Elena exhaled deeply, the weight of the question lingering in the air. “Then we’ll move forward as we always have—with love and patience.”

Inside the tent, Nyra sat cross-legged, staring at her reflection in the broken shards of the mirror. Her golden hair tumbled over her shoulders, her lion ears twitching slightly. Her gaze lingered on her face—so human, yet so foreign.

“Elira…” The name echoed in her mind, but she pushed it down, burying it deep within. She wasn’t ready. Not yet.

The soft flicker of the tent flap interrupted her thoughts as Rachelle stepped inside once more. Nyra glanced up, observing her.

“Are you alright?” Rachelle asked, her voice gentle.

Nyra nodded. She gestured toward the scattered mirror shards.

“It feels strange…seeing myself like this.”

Rachelle knelt beside her, glancing at the broken reflection. "I can't imagine what it must be like for you."

Nyra offered a small, tight-lipped smile. “I’ll manage.”

Rachelle hesitated, then spoke calmly. “Elena wants to talk to Eldric…about what’s happened. Are you ready for that?”

Nyra’s eyes flickered, her expression unreadable. "I'm not sure, but I don't have much of a choice, do I?"

“You don’t have to explain everything right away,” Rachelle said gently. “We can take it slow. One step at a time.”

Nyra met Rachelle’s gaze, her lioness instincts flickering beneath her human appearance.

“I know. But I can’t shake the feeling that whatever happens next…will change everything.”

Elena enters Eldric’s tent, finding he’s talking calmly with Mirael.

"She had no harm come to her. I got her out of there as fast as I could with a little assistance from Leo," Mirael said in a panic.

"I understand. Judging people by their parents is something I can't do. It is wrong, and Nyra will snap at me again,” Eldric started, then took a deep breath. “I’m here to apologise for my outburst, and I also owe Rachelle and Zara, my hyena, an apology. I wasn’t very nice to her now that I have had time to think about it.”

“Oh, Your Highness,” Mirael said, bowing.

“It’s all right. I was hoping to find both of you. Promise me you won’t overreact. I have someone to show you,” Elena said.

Elena guided them outside Nyra’s tent.

"Are you ready?" Elena asked.

“You can come in,” Nyra replied.

As they entered, they both locked eyes with Nyra.

“I’m sorry, but before you say anything, I’m not who you think I am,” Nyra said, looking up to her ears and swishing her tail.

“N…Nyra!” Mirael blurted.

“Yes, it’s me,” Nyra replied. She paused. “There is something I want to tell you all, now that I can speak for myself, not that there was anything wrong with Rachelle speaking for me, though.”

Nyra patted the ground, indicating that everyone should sit.

“Okay, let’s start here. I’m sure you have read or heard of reincarnation stories," Nyra began, her voice steady but laced with uncertainty. "But maybe not ones about the characters who have memories of their past life but are reborn right after they pass away?"

She took a breath, looking at Elena and Eldric, her golden eyes softening. “Elira passed away four years ago, as you know… but then I was born not long afterwards, along with her memories. I remember the times of Elira laughing with you, Eldric.” She paused, glancing at Elena, her voice growing quieter. “I remember when you sang Elira to sleep, Elena… and when she played with you, Mirael. I also have my memories. My mother, Vela, and the times we cuddled together and the strange moments, walking on my back legs thinking I was still Elira sometimes, and my favourite memory of all. The friendship I have built with Rachelle. How she’s come from being too afraid to come close to me to watching the night sky with Mistral, Nero, and me.”

Nyra's voice faltered slightly, but she kept going, her words a little more urgent now. “I’ve told Horus, Mistral, Zara, Koda, and Nero about this too. But please don’t let this leave this tent. If it does, it would be utter chaos. I trust you all just as Elira did. Can you promise me?”

“Promise,” they all said.

“Now… questions?” Nyra asked.

Mirael sat quietly for a moment, her eyes wide and her hands trembling slightly in her lap. She looked between Nyra and the ground, struggling to form her thoughts into words.

“I…I don’t know what to say,” Mirael finally whispered, her voice tight with emotion. “Elira… my friend… it’s like she’s here, but...” 

She trailed off, her breath catching as she met Nyra’s eyes again, searching for the traces of the girl she used to know.

Nyra gave a small, comforting smile.

“I know it’s a lot to take in, Mirael. She’s still here… in a way.”

Mirael nodded, blinking back tears. "I thought…I thought I had lost her forever. When they told me about what happened to you—to Elira… I didn't know how to move on. I tried to be strong and help others, but it was never the same."

Nyra’s gaze softened as she shifted closer to Mirael, her golden tail flicking gently.

“You didn’t lose her, Mirael. She’ll always be in your heart, watching over you, and now I can be with you as Nyra,” Nyra said calmly.

“You differ from Elira, but I can still feel her in you,” Mirael’s voice cracked, tears now flowing freely.

“And I’m still your friend, no matter how much has changed.” Nyra smiled.

Mirael gave a shaky laugh, wiping her eyes. “This is insane. Elira…Nyra, I don’t know what to call you now.”

Nyra chuckled lightly. “You can call me Nyra. Elira is part of my memories. I understand if it takes time to adjust.”

Mirael nodded again, the weight of the revelation settling in.

"It just feels like Elira has come back, but I don't even know how to process it. I'm happy, but also… I'm scared. What if…what if something happens to you again?" Mirael said, worried.

“I don't plan on going anywhere. We'll face whatever comes our way. Together. Just like we used to," Nyra reinsured.

As Nyra nuzzled Mirael’s hand without thinking, a soft purr escaped her throat. Mirael laughed through her tears. Until Nyra blinked, suddenly realising what she was doing.

“Oh,” Nyra pulled back quickly, her ears twitching as embarrassment washed over her. “Ahem, I, uh… I didn’t mean to do that. I am now a human. I can’t be doing that.”

Mirael chuckled softly, wiping away the last of her tears. That's okay, Nyra. You’ve been living as a lioness for four years now.

Nyra’s tail flicked nervously, and she let out a sheepish laugh. “Yeah, I guess some things have…stuck.”

“Eli…I mean, Nyra, you don’t have to answer, but what was it like to be between Elira and Nyra before you reincarnated?” Eldric asked, his voice gentle and filled with curiosity.

Nyra took a moment, her golden eyes reflecting a mix of confusion and sorrow.

"It was like a pitch-black tunnel, and then I saw a white ball of light in the distance," she started. "I was floating in a dark void surrounded by silence. The darkness was heavy, pressing in from all sides, suffocating yet strangely comforting. But I had no control over myself. It felt as though time didn’t exist in that place. Thoughts slipped away into nothingness. I felt…lost."

Her tail flicked nervously, the instinct to nuzzle a nearby friend bubbling to the surface, a part of her lioness nature. She resisted, but the urge to seek comfort was overwhelming.

“Sometimes,” she continued, her voice softer now, “I could hear echoes of laughter, fleeting memories of my past life. It was as if Elira was calling to me, her joy a distant melody that faded into the void. At that moment, I felt a profound loneliness. I was alone in that darkness, yearning for the warmth of connection. It was scary. Knowing I existed yet feeling like a mere shadow of a forgotten dream.

As Nyra spoke, her expression shifted, the fear morphing into a sense of longing. “And then that distance light expanded and rushed towards me, and that’s how I awoke to the softness of my mother’s fur, which was all the comfort I needed. It was as if the darkness had been a test that led me to her. The warmth enveloped me like a safety net, reminding me that I wasn’t alone.”

She glanced around at Eldric, Elena, Mirael, and Rachelle, her heart racing with the vulnerability of sharing this part of herself.

“In that moment of awakening, I realised I was no longer Elira. I had changed. The memories of her life came with me, and I carry those memories while embracing who I am now. I am Nyra, and Elira’s memories have helped to shape my journey as I navigate this new life.”

She paused and turned to Eldric.

“Oh, Eldric, and as I have picked up some of Elira’s behaviours, it won’t stop me from setting you straight when I need to. You owe people apologies,” Nyra said quickly while laughing.

“I was getting to that,” Eldric laughed in return.

He turned to Rachelle. “I’m sorry for yelling at you back in the dining hall. As Nyra said, I should think before I act. Would you forgive me, not as your king but as a person?” Eldric said.

“I forgive you; I just need to learn when to translate,” Rachelle said.

“Thank you. And thank you for helping Nyra with speaking when she needed you to. I guess I can be a bit of an arse sometimes,” Eldric laughed awkwardly. “Come, let’s leave them be. You too, Mirael.”

Eldric, Mirael and Rachelle left the tent, which quickly filled with silence.

Nyra turned to Elena, who had silent tears streaming down her face. Nyra rushed over and rested her head on Elena’s shoulder. Elena’s hand trembled as it rested on Nyra’s head. The tears wouldn’t stop, and her voice came out shaky, barely a whisper.

“I…I’ve missed you so much,” Elena murmured, her breath hitching between sobs. “Every day, I’ve wished I could see you again, hear your laugh, hold you in my arms, and now—,” she choked, covering her face with one hand. “You’re here, but you’re not… not like before. You’ve been suffering all this time, and I didn’t even know.”

Nyra pressed closer, feeling Elena’s pain deeply, and wrapped her arm around Elena, wiping away some of Elena’s tears with her dress sleeve. Elena sobbed harder, overwhelmed by the loss of Elira and the comfort Nyra offered at the same time.

“I’m so sorry, Elena,” Nyra whispered, her voice thick with emotion. “I’m sorry you’ve had to carry this pain. Elira will always be with you, in your heart, even if you didn’t know.”

Elena’s hand gripped Nyra’s shoulder, pulling her close as if afraid to let go.

“I just wish… I could have told you how much I love you. I never got to say goodbye.” Elena sighed.