Sparks of Trust

Lyra crouched near the blackened edge of a tree, her fingers brushing over the fragile, green shoots sprouting at its base. Mina lingered a few steps behind her, the orb in her hands glowing faintly, its light flickering like it shared her unease.

“Do you think it’s strange,” Mina said, breaking the quiet, “that the fire hurt so much but now everything is growing again?”

Lyra looked up, her gaze sharpening with interest. “Strange how?”

Mina tilted her head, clutching the orb closer. “Like… maybe the fire wasn’t just bad. It made room for something new. But it still scares me.”

Lyra’s lips pressed into a thin line. “Fear’s like that,” she said after a moment. “It can burn away what you think you need until you’re left with something raw. But it’s what you do with that fear that matters.”

The orb pulsed softly in Mina’s hands, and she glanced down at it, frowning. “It’s been quiet today. Like it doesn’t know what to say.”

“Maybe it’s waiting for you to decide something,” Lyra offered, though her voice held a distant quality.

Mina hesitated. “Do you think it’s afraid too?”

Lyra turned fully toward her now, the smallest hint of a smile tugging at her mouth. “If it’s learning from you, maybe it is.”

For a moment, Mina seemed to wrestle with something unspoken. Then, as if arriving at a decision, she extended the orb toward Lyra.

“Here,” she said. “I think it trusts you too.”

Lyra froze, her breath catching at the unexpected gesture. Carefully, she took the orb, its light dimming as it adjusted to her touch.

“Strange,” Lyra murmured, a flicker of something vulnerable crossing her face. “It feels… calm.”

“Maybe it’s because you’re calm,” Mina said simply, her expression wide-eyed and earnest.

Lyra held the orb a moment longer before passing it back, her guarded walls softening just a little. “You’ve got more wisdom than you know, Mina. Hold on to that.”

Mina’s lips quirked into a small smile at Lyra’s words, and for a moment, silence filled the space between them, soft and unhurried. The orb pulsed faintly, as if echoing the quiet understanding they shared.