The sun was slowly rising over the eastern hills. Birds chirped atop the wooden roof of the farmhouse, blending into the calm of the morning. But inside the house, the atmosphere was unusually tense.
Zayn was only two years old. Standing by the window with a wooden toy horse in his small hands, he gazed outside. His blue eyes seemed lost in the sky. As always, he was silent—like someone trying to make sense of a world far too big for him. Emotions far too complex for a child his age would occasionally flicker across his face like fleeting shadows.
His mother Elira's voice echoed from the other room. It was tense, pained, and impatient. Zayn couldn't fully understand what was happening, but he could sense that something was different. Everyone in the house—especially his siblings Daeron and Selia—moved with a nervous energy.
Zayn watched them carefully. Ten-year-old Daeron was trying to act like an adult in their father's absence. Eight-year-old Selia was emotional but strong. Both were keeping a quiet watch over their younger brother, silently praying for their mother.
Suddenly, the cry of a newborn baby echoed through the house.
Zayn's eyes widened. It was a sound he had never heard before. The tension in the house instantly melted away. The servants sighed in relief. Selia wiped away her tears with a smile. Daeron peeked quietly into their mother's room.
But it was Zayn's reaction that stunned everyone.
He lowered his head... and then gently smiled. His eyes sparkled. He was smiling.
Everyone froze where they stood. Even Elira's helper turned around in disbelief.
"Zayn... did Zayn just smile?" Selia asked, astonished.
"For the first time..." Daeron whispered. "Zayn smiled for the first time."
While the newborn baby continued to cry, Zayn slowly placed his toy horse on the floor. He quietly walked toward his mother's door. It was slightly ajar, and a soft voice came from inside.
"Farewell to my fears... welcome, my little miracle," Elira whispered.
Zayn saw a tiny, red-haired baby cradled in his mother's arms. The baby, sensing his presence, turned toward him. For a brief moment, her blue eyes sparkled.
Something deep inside Zayn stirred.
A warmth filled his chest. He couldn't understand what it meant, but it felt as though a powerful bond had already formed between him and the tiny being before him. There were no clear explanations for such feelings in a two-year-old's heart. But somewhere inside, he felt it: protection, tenderness... and an unexplainable sense of familiarity.
The baby suddenly stopped crying. Elira noticed her daughter's gaze locked onto Zayn. Smiling gently, she said:
"Zayn... this is your little sister. Her name is... Lyra."
When Zayn heard the name, he smiled again.
No one understood why. But he did. Not consciously, but deep down, he knew this baby would hold an irreplaceable place in his life.
The terrifying dreams that haunted him every night—clashing swords, rising flames, muffled screams—were gone tonight.
Tonight, there was only silence.
And in that silence... Lyra's blue eyes.