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“Grandfather?”
The Crystal Exarch looked up from his book to see Lyna shifting from foot to foot. She had just turned twelve, and she was already trying so hard to be an adult. She declared that she wanted to be part of the guard, and she trained with gusto. What used to be a fun activity between them became a deadly ability. He wondered if he should be worried about this choice, but Lyna was determined.
“What is it, my dear?” he asked, shutting the book and setting it aside.
She stood still, and held up a book to him. Then she tapped a word. “What does this mean?”
He took the thick tome and saw the word in question. “A nonagenarian is a person in his nineties.” He flipped it over to look at the cover, but before he could ask where she had picked it up, she asked another question.
“Oh! Like you?”
His lips twitched, and then he wondered if he should be offended. If so, what over: being thought too young or too old. “No, I passed my centenarian mark many years ago, Lyna. That means I am well over a hundred,” he added quickly, when he saw her look even more confused. In truth, I am over three hundred, he thought, but recalling that fact was a stabbing reminder about why he was here in the First. Should he even count the two hundred years he spent asleep? He didn’t know.
“Grandfather, you’re old.”
He laughed. “That I am, Lyna. And someday, you will be old too.” A pause, and then he realized just how true that was. After all, her kind lived to three hundred years old easily. Would he still be alive to see it, or would she live long after him?
Lyna let out a squeal, showing just how young she still was. “No! Never!”
The Exarch got to his feet and drew her into a hug. She welcomed the hug, and he could feel her smile as he stroked her ears. “You will live a long time, Lyna, and I hope that your life is happy. I promise you that the night will return, and the Light will not destroy us.”
“How do you know?” she asked, lifting her head.
He knelt so that he was on her level. “Because one day, the Warrior of Darkness will come. And when she comes, she will show you just how beautiful the moon is.”
Lyna smiled hopefully. “Everyone says the Warrior of Darkness will be a boy, but you say she’ll be a girl, just like me! I want to be brave like her too!”
A smile came to his face. “Perhaps there will be more than one,” he suggested, “and they will be boys and girls. But my favorite is the goddess of the moon. And you will be just as brave and heroic, Lyna. You already are.”
A proud flush burst in her cheeks, and she managed to nod. “Thank you!” she cheered, and hugged him again. Then she grabbed her book and clutched it to her chest. “See you later, Grandfather!”
“Anytime, Lyna.” He meant it. The time they had together was precious, and he would treasure every single moment.