Into the Waste

“Mina!” Lyra’s voice cut through the stillness, sharp and worried. She scanned the uneven terrain, her chest tightening.

Mina, crouching near a fissure in the earth, called back, “I just want to see what’s down here! There’s something glowing!”

“Mina, get back here!” Lyra’s boots crunched against the brittle ground as she strode forward, but Mina didn’t move.

The orb hovered beside Mina, dim and flickering as if uncertain.

“I think it’s a Creche root,” Mina said, leaning over the edge. The glow pulsed faintly, like a heartbeat, deep in the fissure. “Maybe it’s alive?”

Lyra’s heart pounded as she reached Mina. “Alive or not, you don’t go near those things without someone who knows what they’re doing. Back up. Now.”

Mina hesitated, glancing at the orb. “But what if it’s something important? The orb—”

“The orb isn’t in charge, Mina,” Lyra snapped, her voice harsher than she intended.

Mina flinched but stayed where she was. “You’re just scared,” she said, her voice small but defiant.

Lyra froze. “Of course I’m scared! You think being scared is a bad thing? It’s what keeps us alive out here.”

As Lyra reached for her, the ground shifted beneath Mina. The brittle edge crumbled, and Mina’s hands scrabbled for purchase as she slid into the fissure.

“Mina!” Lyra lunged, grabbing Mina’s arm just as the girl disappeared below the surface.

Mina dangled precariously, the fissure’s glow bathing her face in eerie light. The orb hovered nearby, spinning erratically.

“It’s okay!” Mina gasped, her voice trembling. “I—I’m fine!”

“No, you’re not!” Lyra gritted her teeth, pulling Mina upward with all her strength. The edge crumbled further, sending jagged chunks of earth into the chasm below.

The glow in the fissure brightened, and a low hum filled the air, vibrating through their bones. Lyra’s instincts screamed at her to move, but she couldn’t let go.

The orb flared suddenly, its light cutting through the deepening gloom. Mina’s grip on Lyra tightened as the fissure seemed to shift, the glow fading as quickly as it had brightened.

With one final heave, Lyra pulled Mina onto solid ground. They collapsed together, breathing hard.

“What were you thinking?” Lyra demanded, her voice shaking.

Mina curled around the orb, her face pale. “I just… I thought it was something good. Something we needed.”

Lyra looked at her, her anger softening as she saw the tears in Mina’s eyes. “Mina… not everything that glows is worth chasing.”

The orb dimmed, its light steadying into a soft, reassuring glow. Mina stared at it, her voice barely above a whisper. “It didn’t stop me, though.”

“It doesn’t have to,” Lyra said quietly. “That’s your job.”

They sat in silence, the Waste stretching dark and empty around them, as the faint hum of the fissure faded into nothing.