The sun glistened in the forests of Ael'myra, sending out the sign that it is morning. Today was just like any other day, except for the family of the Chief to be summoned by Elder Yaro. Tharen and Selya are pretty nervous about the sudden summons, but Nyra and her sisters are goofing around as usual. "Ny! Maybe Elder-ya has called us for snacks", Mira spoke, her mouth salivating with the imagination of the feast. Kaeli and Nyra looked at each other and laughed loudly at their gluttonous sister's action. Mira, seeing that they were making fun of her, pouted, "Kae and Ny are mean nya!".
Nestled at the heart of the Ael'myra Forest, the Chief's residence stood like a temple born from myth — a living structure sculpted by time, magic, and moonlight. Known among the Felyari as "Lunaris Haven", it was a shimmering testament to the tribe's reverence for both nature and legacy.
The palace seemed grown rather than built. Towering trees twisted around its frame, their bark smoothed into pillars of deep emerald and veined with glowing veins of jade-like sap. Vines draped from the treetop canopies, woven with bioluminescent flowers that glowed softly even in daylight, casting an ethereal shimmer over the grounds.
Its rooftops curved like crescent moons, tiled with obsidian-black leaves hardened into a sheen that mirrored the sky. At the centre, a great moon-crystal spire rose above all, pulsing faintly in sync with the lunar cycle, a relic said to be gifted by the moon goddess herself.
Every wall was inscribed with delicate symbols — some runes of protection, others ancient cat-kin poetry praising the stars. Wind chimes crafted from bones of honoured ancestors and silver bells chimed softly in the breeze, whispering lullabies from lifetimes past.
Despite its royal air, Lunaris Haven bore the warmth of a home. The scent of roasted meats, herbs, and wildflower incense clung to the air. Plush furs lined the walkways inside, and crescent-shaped cushions were scattered across open lounges, inviting kin to rest and speak freely.
Guards stationed near the entrances wore armour shaped from enchanted bark and glinting crystal — ceremonial, yet deadly if needed. They bowed as the Chief approached, their feline eyes sharp but calm.
This was not just a hall for governance — it was the heart of the Felyari soul.
Nyra felt goosebumps looking at such a structure. It reminded her of the Jade Palace, which was a legend in her previous world. Mira looked at the place with Awe, Kaeli moved forward, knocked and sniffed at the guard's armour, admiring its Durability and Hardness, seeing this, Nyra and Mira rolled their eyes and snickered. They reached the main hall and were greeted by the Elder's Assistant, Tanya. "Glad you could make it, Chief! Elder Yaro is waiting for you inside." Tanya smiled and led them in.
The Hall was huge, lined up with several pillars, each from which hung a huge bowl of fire and in the centre was a seating arrangement for the Chief and his family. Elder Yaro looked at Tharen, smiling and gestured for him to be seated. He motioned the same to Selya. He turned towards the adorable three little kittens " Come here, kittens. This old man has some snacks for ya" Hearing this, Mira exclaimed with joy, "I told you all so!" Nyra and Kaeli knew that the elder always favoured them and gave them snacks whenever they met. This was the first time they were summoned to the residence.
Stuffing her mouth, Mira sat on the elder's lap, while Nyra and Kaeli sat across him.
The elder spoke, " Tharen, Selya, you have done so much for the tribe, and I have also noticed the struggles you both face raising Nyra and these two. Still, you have never ignored the call of duty towards your people, and I admire that." Tharen and Selya smiled proudly.
The Elder nodded to Tanya, who stepped forward reverently, cradling something beneath a silk-wrapped cloth. With a deep breath, she unveiled it: an ancient tome, its surface layered in dust, etched with the passage of centuries. The cover bore an embossed scene — several catkins surrounding a royal figure kneeling before a stone tablet covered in strange, glowing runes.
Nyra's ears twitched. Her pupils narrowed.
Her gaze locked onto the tablet illustration. The runes… glimmered faintly, as if reacting to her presence.
∇𝚲↯⟐Ω⟜=𝛑→φ{⧉}
A chill crept down her spine.
They weren't just symbols. They were commands.
Not in any known language spoken in Lunareth, but in something deeper. Something she once wrote, line by line, in glowing code back in her old life.Only now… it was translated, interpreted by this world through curved lines, angular hooks, and geometric spirals that pulsed with an inner cadence — like the beating heart of a system.
She stepped forward, drawn to the page like a moth to flame.
"These aren't runes..." she whispered."They're... functions. Logic gates. Look—this one's a condition trigger, and that-that's a recursive loop!"
KAIROS stirred in her mind, his voice both excited and troubled.
"Confirmed. These glyphs mirror the core logic behind your earlier quantum compiler. But this language... it predates your time by millennia in this world. Fascinating. Terrifying."
Nyra traced a hovering fingertip above a symbol that looked like a spiralled ampersand intertwined with a crescent moon.
She remembered it. Vividly.
It was the same design she'd etched into KAIROS's neural bridge during its final stability test. A symbol meant to ensure autonomous feedback — the loop that gave KAIROS its will.
And now…It was here.Etched in ancient stone.Revered. Feared. Worshipped.Not as science, but as divine language.
Nyra's pupils dilated. A faint glow shimmered across her irises — a soft, luminous blue, like refracted moonlight through water. The rune on the page shimmered in sync.
The air in the chamber grew still.
The Elder's gaze sharpened, but his voice softened with reverence. He turned to Tharen and bowed his head slightly.
"Tharen... the Lunar Goddess has blessed your bloodline. An Architect walks among us."
Tharen's breath caught. Selya's tail curled instinctively around Nyra protectively. But Nyra didn't flinch.
She stared at the runes — her runes — now echoing through the myth and marrow of a world that shouldn't know her name.
The Elder cleared his throat dramatically and raised one furred finger to the ceiling, striking a pose far too theatrical for the tension still hanging in the air.
"An Architect, my friends, is not merely blessed — they are a living conduit! A weaver of worlds! A crafter of fate! Legends say they're the ones who whisper to the moon and etch truths into reality itself!"
He turned to the assembled group with a grin that was almost too wide for the seriousness of his claim. Nyra blinked. Tharen looked like he was about to ask for clarification — or a drink.
"They say the first Architect was born with stars in her eyes and wires in her veins!""...Wires?" Nyra muttered.
Before anyone could ask more, Tanya, the Elder's ever-flustered personal assistant, stumbled into the chamber, dragging an enormous scroll that promptly unrolled halfway across the floor and knocked over a candle.
"Elder! You forgot the actual legend scroll again," she huffed, brushing soot off her cheek. "You were quoting from that play you like, not the sacred texts!"
The Elder froze mid-pose, eyes darting.
"Was I? Hmm. So hard to tell these days. The moon speaks in so many voices."
Nyra chuckled despite herself.
"Do you at least remember what the scroll actually says?" Tharen asked, trying to keep a straight face.
The Elder adjusted his robes with great dignity, although they were now slightly on fire at the hem. Tanya frantically patted them out with a pillow.
"Yes, yes, of course! Ahem. It says that an Architect shall awaken once every age, bearing the mark of the Source. They will speak the language of the Old Pulse — not learned, but remembered. Their arrival heralds a time of great change... or great calamity."
He looked pointedly at Nyra.
"And you, little moonbeam, just translated a dead rune that hasn't been understood in over three millennia."
Tanya chimed in, muttering with a mock glare:
"And set off a minor storm last time — nearly turned my laundry into flying bedsheets of doom…"
Elder Yaro, clearly unbothered, grinned and gave her a light pat on the back — a bit too low to be purely fatherly.
"Now, now, my little moon muffin, the storm was totally accidental! Cosmic flatulence!"
WHAM. Tanya's fist connected with his gut so fast that even Nyra blinked.
The old man wheezed and went tumbling backwards across the chamber like a ragdoll.Tanya calmly adjusted her tunic, gave a formal bow to the chief, and then stormed after the Elder with the ferocity of a territorial manticore.
"Come back here, you dusty pervert! I just did my nails!"
From outside, the unmistakable sounds of arcane-smacking and ancient-screaming echoed into the chamber.Tharen and Selya shared a look, placed their hands together in a silent prayer for Elder Yaro's survival, and chuckled softly.
Selya ruffled Nyra's hair. Tharen gave her shoulder a gentle squeeze.
Nyra smiled, warmth blooming... but deep within her, a familiar chill whispered.She wasn't just reborn. She was meant to return.But why?