The Orb is Taken

The walk back to the village was grueling. Mina’s arm throbbed, each step sending sharp jolts of pain through her small frame. She clutched her arm, tears streaming silently down her face. Skyline’s steady presence was a comfort, but her mind churned with guilt and dread.

As they approached the encampment just outside the village, Mina spotted Lyra waiting near the fire pit. Lyra’s arms were crossed, her expression carved in stone. She didn’t rush forward. She didn’t call out. She just watched, her sharp eyes taking in every bruise, every scrape, and the orb’s faint glow hovering hesitantly behind Mina.

“Mina,” Lyra said finally, her voice quiet and controlled in a way that made Mina’s stomach twist. “Inside. Now.”

Mina didn’t argue. She shuffled past Lyra, barely looking up, and sank into a chair as Meera bustled in with a basin of water and clean cloths. The sting of the cloth against her wounds was nothing compared to the lump forming in her throat.

“What were you thinking?” Lyra’s voice cut through the room like a blade. She crouched in front of Mina, her eyes locking onto the girl’s. “The Waste isn’t a playground, Mina. You could have been killed.”

“I didn’t mean to—” Mina’s voice broke, and she cast a desperate glance at the orb, which lingered near the door.

“Don’t,” Lyra said sharply. “This isn’t about the orb. This is about you. You made a choice, Mina. You wandered off alone. You ignored the dangers we’ve talked about time and time again.”

“But the orb—” Mina started, only for Lyra to cut her off.

“The orb isn’t the one who got scraped up in a crevasse,” Lyra said firmly. “You were. And now, because of your choices, we need to reconsider what’s safe for you—and for it.”

Mina’s heart sank. “You’re not taking it away, are you?”

Lyra glanced at Meera, who exchanged a quiet look with Skyline. “You need time to understand what it means to be responsible,” Lyra said. “And the orb needs time to learn its role too. For now, it stays with Skyline.”

“No!” Mina shot to her feet, only to stumble from the pain. Tears streamed down her cheeks as she turned to the orb. “I’ll be better. I promise. Don’t take it away.”

The orb pulsed faintly, drifting toward Mina, but Skyline intercepted it with a shimmering filament. “This is not punishment, Mina,” Skyline said gently. “It is protection. For you both.”

Mina collapsed back into the chair, sobbing quietly as Meera wrapped her wounds. The orb dimmed, its glow flickering as Skyline guided it out of the room.