I stood on the barren mountains that overlooked my tiny world. The wind tugged at my cloak, lifting it like restless wings, and whipped my hair across my face. The horizon stretched endlessly, jagged peaks etched against a fading light that no longer promised warmth. In my hands, three letters waited for their destinations. Will they reach their owners? I do not know. Yet hope has not vanished. The chilling breeze brushed against me in a gentle hug, carrying the faint scent of distant forests, rain-soaked earth, and something wild I could not name.

I am Arlya Noctalis. I have come a long way from the day my world darkened in mere minutes. I leave behind a letter for my dearest friend, Aquira Thaleryn. I hope it accompanies her through challenges yet to come. And two more letters, which may never reach their owners despite my wish for them to do so.

 Fragment One

The city seems alive, breathing and watching as night presses against the walls. I ran as fast as I could, my boots slapping the cobblestones, echoing like warnings through the narrow streets. Every shadow whispered my failure and tried to slow my steps. Your voice, clear and fierce, told me to go, that I had to survive at all costs. Words cannot hold the fear I felt, the ache of leaving you behind. Each step chipped away at something deep within me, something I cannot yet name. I always wanted to stay by your side, yet you told me to leave.

Sunlight on rooftops and laughter filled a day that feels as though it belonged to another life. I had wanted to stay, to cling to what was familiar, yet the world demanded I leave. Every corner I passed carried a memory of what was stolen. Every flicker of torchlight, every shadowed alley reminded me of what I may never see again. I could almost hear your laughter in the wind, a cruel echo that followed me relentlessly.

Frost bit my skin and fire crackled in the distance, painting the night in angry orange and cold blue. Shadows moved unnaturally, as though the darkness itself were alive and conspiring. My fingers brushed the faintly glowing runes on my bracelet. The seal I bore weighed heavily tonight. My voice was locked away. I could not call for help. Yet in this silence, I found my resolve.

Even in darkness, I summoned light. The spirits that answered me flickered and hummed, fragile companions in the void. I whispered to them, though they could not respond. I apologized for dragging them into this and for calling them to witness my fear. They did not flinch. They did not judge. They remained with me as I moved through the night, small sparks against the overwhelming black.

I do not know if my words, or the feelings they carried, will ever reach you. Perhaps they will vanish into the darkness like smoke, forgotten and unclaimed. Still, I write to remember, to hold onto the promise that I will return if the world allows it. If you are still out there, know that I carry you with me in every heartbeat, in every breath, and in every choice I make to keep moving forward. Your name, unsung by many, is the only one I will cherish until the end of time.

The world felt endless in my solitude. I felt the weight of unseen eyes watching, testing, waiting. Let this letter be their understanding that despite all odds, I would not stop searching. Even when nights stretched endlessly, even when stars seemed to have forgotten us, even when the earth itself conspired to keep us apart, I would search.

I did not know where this path would lead, nor how many dangers awaited. The wind carried whispers of loss and shadows of betrayal, yet I held your memory close. Perhaps one day, when the tides of fate turned and the skies bent to mercy, we would meet again. I wrote to remember. I wrote to keep a promise. I wrote even when my voice could not carry the words aloud. I would not stop. I would survive. I would return to where I belonged.

Fragment Two

This is something I have not told anyone, not even my best friend. There is a lingering presence I cannot name, one that lives deep within the crevices of my heart and thoughts. Impossible to claim, impossible to touch, impossible to forget. In moments ever so fleeting, the world I know bends toward it through a glance or a gesture. Tethered by a thread that cannot be severed, I make my way through the world alone. 

Fate, a word I have grown to detest, yet it drew the lines of this yearning and longing. I am meant to remain watching and recalling from afar. And yet, my feelings overflow. Every spell cast, every shadow chased, carried a trace of this precious unseen presence. The memories of the days I had with you sustained me even when everything else threatened to crumble. 

Your sacrifice is something I can never forget. Even in solitude, my heart felt it. Somewhere beyond my reach, I felt its weight. What I held in memory was stronger than any distance, and so I endured the ache of absence willingly. Every heartbeat carried it forward. Every thought bound it closer. Chasing something I could not reach increased the yearning and longing. 

Is it truly a gift, this power of mine? If so, why could it not save you? Thoughts and regrets snuck upon me when my soul was fatigued, and the endless nights called out to me. Shadows mocked my weakness in the situation, my failure to use my powers. A crystal reminder of the precious existence that I lost. I longed for a moment where memories of your choice could have been different. 

I had walked alone since the loss of two precious individuals in my life, and yet your loss hurt more. Each step I took, each breath I breathed made it hurt even more. The gravity of your sacrifice etched within the seal of mine. A blessing everyone calls it, a gift, a miracle, and yet I did not see it that way. Why did you have to do what you did? 

I wrote this letter in hopes that flowers, breeze, and stars would bring it to you. I hoped this feeling was not mine alone. Even in silence, I hoped you might answer. Memories sustained me. Even if nothing replied, even if it cost me, I hoped one day to reach you. 

Fragment Three 

Aquira Thaleryn, I am truly sorry to leave you behind. The sweet, spunky sprite you entrusted to me I shall return. I have departed from the world I knew. My path, my dear friend, is not one that others can walk by my side. However, I leave a trace of the task I have yet to undertake, knowing that you will understand the reason for my departure. 

Dangers that cannot be named, threats that do not approach openly. These are things I cannot explain, yet I cannot deny them. The journey is arduous and lonely, and all that I have relied on, all that I have held dear, must be kept at a distance. My friend, please understand. Even if it tears me from everyone, their safety, your safety, matters more. 

Lessons, laughter, counsel, and trust all fold into the spaces I occupy. The words I have written are left behind. These fragments, if ever found, may serve as a map of intent, a testimony of my journey. Even in absence and shadow, I carry what must be preserved. I will face what comes. I will endure. I will continue toward what has been taken. I will find him at all costs. 

Aquira, it pains me to leave you behind. However, this is something I must do. Until the time comes for our reunion, I will hold you dear in my heart. I, Arlya Noctalis, leave behind this sapphire as a token of our friendship. Farewell, my dearest friend. May you be blessed with happiness. 

Now I begin my journey anew. The mountains stretch into the dark beyond. The wind bites my face. Stars glimmer faintly over the horizon. What lies in the distance is unknown, but I will find the person I seek, even if I have to cross time itself.