The city air hit her face at once, cool, clean, alive. The kind of air she had only ever been able to imagine when she saw the city through a screen.

She headed toward the cobblestone square with the fountain. People moved back and forth without a care, children ran and laughed, and the merchants' stalls were full.

Her eyes wandered everywhere. To the buildings with red rooftops. To the windmills turning slowly above the walls.

Everything was exactly as she remembered it.

And that was what frightened her most.

It was not just similar.

It was the same.

After wandering through the narrow streets for quite some time, she passed the flower shop, the blacksmith, the Guild building, places she could have found even with her eyes closed.

She had walked these streets hundreds of times.

Only...

She had never done it as a person.

Eventually, close to noon, she found her way to the headquarters of the Knights of Ventus.

The building rose before her, imposing. Much taller than she had imagined when she had seen it inside the game.

Two knights stood at the entrance, still as statues. Lyra hesitated. She climbed a few steps... and then sat a little farther away, near the training grounds.

That was where she broke.

With her elbows resting on her knees and her hands holding her head, she tried to find her breath. In some insane way, she had ended up inside the game. Her head was spinning.

What happened to me? Is this a dream? A coma? A hallucination? A mental breakdown? Did I die?

But the stone beneath her fingers was real. The wind in her hair was real. The voices of the people around her were real.

Her eyes burned, and her breath came out in short, uneven pulls.

And then two small brown boots stopped in front of her.

"Are you okay?"

A sweet, childlike voice asked.

Lyra slowly lifted her gaze.

Standing in front of her was a little girl wearing a cute red dress with a matching hat. Blonde hair, large expressive eyes that shone brightly, and a smile Lyra had seen so many times on her computer screen.

Her heart stopped.

Nelly.

The thought flashed through her mind.

"I'm not sure," she managed to say. "I think... I'm lost."

Nelly smiled widely.

"No problem! Nelly knows how to help!" she said, then turned and ran toward the knights' door.

"Uncle Valir! Uncle Valir! My new friend needs help! She's lost!"

Lyra felt her stomach drop and her heart begin to pound wildly.

His name struck her like lightning.

V-Valir?

Was that possible?

Earlier, she had assumed that since Alina had sent her to speak with her sister, the Grand Master was not in the city.

She turned, startled.

And then she saw him.

He stood at the entrance of the headquarters, speaking casually with two knights. Tall, blond, his shoulders broad. He was turned slightly to the side. His blue cloak fell naturally behind him, moving softly with the wind. His white uniform, detailed in gold and blue, was striking. He stood at ease, one hand resting on his belt while the other hung relaxed at his side.

His posture carried authority without the slightest effort.

And most importantly?

He had noticed the little girl.

His head turned slightly toward her. His gaze softened at once, and the corner of his mouth lifted into a barely visible smile.

He was calm, carrying the ease of a man who had grown used to half the city calling him "uncle," even though he was not really that old.

"Nelly?" he said, a hint of surprise in his voice. "Did you come to see your mother?"

The little girl nodded eagerly, her eyes shining.

"Yes! But Uncle Valir, can you help my friend?" she said, pointing excitedly toward Lyra.

Valir cast a glance in the direction the child indicated.

"Of course," he said with a small nod.

Nelly smiled brightly, as if she had just completed a very important mission.

"Great!" she exclaimed.

And before anyone could add anything else, she turned and ran into the building, her small footsteps echoing against the stone floor as she disappeared inside.

When he turned back, his eyes met Lyra's.

The light fell over his golden hair, which hung carelessly around his face as if the wind itself had tousled it. His blue eyes were calm but alive, carrying a glimmer of confidence.

His face was finely shaped, almost aristocratic, and the faint smile on his lips made his already handsome features even more charming.

Don't come here. Don't come...

She did not feel ready to face this meeting yet.

But Valir approached.

His steps were steady and quiet against the stone courtyard. There was no hurry in his movements. When he stopped in front of her, he observed her, as if weighing the situation without making her feel cornered.

Then he inclined his head slightly in a polite greeting.

"Good morning, miss."

His voice was deep and steady.

"My name is Valir. I am the Grand Master of the Knights of Ventus."

Lyra felt time stop for a fraction of a second.

Standing before her was the man she had wished she could meet in real life. The one she had spent so much time staring at before falling asleep.

He was alive.

Warm.

Breathing.

And he introduced himself so simply. As if it meant nothing. As if he were not the most powerful man she had ever heard described in that world.

She did not know if she wanted to laugh, cry, or scream.

His gaze remained on her with calm attention.

"I was told you might need help," he said, pausing briefly, as if he understood something of what was happening inside her head.

Then he asked, in the same calm, certain tone, "Are you lost?"

Lyra tried to swallow.

"My name is Lyra. I'm... a traveler... I think."

The word came out on its own.

His gaze did not leave her.

"A traveler? From where?"

The question came gently, almost friendly.

She hesitated for a fraction of a second, but it was enough.

She saw it in the way his eyes narrowed slightly.

"Far away..." she said at last.

The brief silence that followed made her nervous. His eyes narrowed almost imperceptibly. Not with hostility, but with attention. As if he were trying to understand something.

Her heart was beating so hard it almost hurt.

This was not imagination.

He was here.

And he was looking at her.

His gaze lingered on her for one second longer than necessary.

"Lyra, you said?"

"Yes."

"Ah," he said. "You must be the girl Ed and Alina found by the riverbank." He smiled.

That caught her off guard. She cleared her throat softly.

"Ahem... yes. That's me."

"Alina passed by earlier and told me you might come here to speak with Vienna," he said calmly. "But she is occupied at the moment. She isn't at headquarters."

His eyes returned to her.

"How can I help you?"

Lyra took a deep breath.

"I don't remember how I got here," she said at last. "They told me I might be able to get some answers here. I suddenly found myself in a city with nothing on me."

She said almost all of it in a single breath.

Valir looked at her in silence for a moment, then said simply,

"If you are looking for somewhere to stay, we can host you here, in the headquarters' dormitories, until you find your way."

He nodded slightly toward the building behind him.

"There are several empty rooms. And it will be easier for you to speak with Vienna later."

Lyra stared at him, surprised.

"Is that allowed?"

A small smile returned to his face.

"Of course."

Some of the tension in her shoulders eased.

"That... sounds good."

Valir nodded.

"It certainly is."

His gaze remained on her for a moment longer.

"Windstadt is a safe city for travelers," he said calmly. "We simply are not used to finding people who do not remember where they came from."

Lyra felt her stomach tighten.

No matter how polite his voice sounded, there was a trace of doubt beneath it.

It made sense.

A stranger who had appeared out of nowhere, with no past and no explanation. She had hesitated for a moment.

And he had seen it.

The truth she was hiding was dangerous.

She knew he was not offering her a place to stay because this was normal.

He was offering because he wanted to keep an eye on her until he was certain she was not a threat.

The silence that followed lasted only a moment.

For a second, she felt strangely exposed, as if she were standing in front of someone who saw more than he said.

"You will stay here for now," he said at last.

It was not a question this time.

It was a decision.

He was not waiting for her to choose.

"I don't want to cause trouble," she said quickly.

"You haven't." His gaze did not leave her. "Yet."

The girl swallowed.

She felt as if she were standing before a wolf measuring its prey.

This was not the "Valir" she watched on her screen when she played.

He was not a fantasy hero.

He was the leader of an entire region.

And she was an unknown factor.

If you enjoy the story so far, please consider leaving a like or a comment!

Thank you for reading "Rookie of the Wind".