Chapter 13: Lyria: The Rose’s Game
Summary
- Lyria recalls a dream about crashing waves and awakens feeling pain in her wrist.
- She notices medical patches on her body and that her severed hand has been reattached.
- Lyria is in a circular, grand room with views of an underwater ecosystem and strange creatures.
- After dressing in clothing provided to her, Lyria follows a stone path to a grove of rose trees where a man waits.
- The man, Matteo Sun, reassures her of her safety; they discuss sleep, nightmares, and Pinks' admiration for Reds.
- Lyria recognizes Matteo and declines his offer for tea, knowing of his marriage to Quicksilver and the reputation involved.
- Matteo talks about being associated with Quicksilver and reminisces about the hardships of being a Pink.
- They discuss Lyria's visit to the Telemanus estate, Ephraim's actions, and her tragic experiences at Camp 121.
- Matteo promises no harm to Lyria and offers a psychological perspective on trust and freedom.
- They play a game where each must answer the other's questions truthfully, discussing a self-contained ecosystem, a device in Lyria's head, and her motivations.
- Matteo reveals the nature of the device in Lyria's head, a psyche, which could potentially allow her to control machines and become powerful.
- He explains the history of the psyche, its destructive potential, and the regret and actions of its creator, Agala si Ken.
- Matteo offers to repair the psyche in exchange for Lyria losing some memories, enhancing her abilities but affecting her emotional connections to her past.
- Lyria ultimately decides against the repair, valuing her memories and personal identity over gaining power.
- Matteo respects her decision and agrees to remove the psyche and eventually help her return home.
- As Lyria awaits surgery, she reflects on identity, strength from adversity, and denies the power offered to her.
- During surgery preparation, Matteo expresses gratitude to Lyria for reminding him of the importance of the past.
- Lyria learns that her message was blocked, but Matteo decides to forward it, hinting that Darrow might still be alive.