324 Memory Lane Part 1

His words hung in the air as Kyera tried to process what he had said. She sipped the tea, unnervingly quiet for the man sitting across from him. He could feel a stifling pressure in his chest.

"Kyera, I murdered your brothers, though I had my reasons. Not that it is justified. I fought you. I don't deny it. I have schemed, plotted, and tried to overthrow the village hierarchy. I do a lot of crap I am not proud of, but I did not kill Verone. I had hurt you enough by then to go after the only thing you had left." Kan began explaining, trying to lay everything down on the table. He needed her to believe this, she had to know the truth.

Her golden eyes watched him quietly, they were so calm. It was unnerving as he waited for her to speak. She finished her tea and set it back on the table. Kyera leaned forward, her arms balanced on the table.

"I am listening. Tell me what happened that night." Kyera ordered him, Kan was shocked. He never dreamed she would give him a chance to clear himself. She would never believe his word alone, and he knew n much. There were so few ways go prove this… then he had a realization.

"Kyera, my word won't be enough. May I show you?" He replied honestly uncomfortable with the notion, but knowing it's the only way. Kyera's eyes lit up as she realized what he was offering. She knew at that point he spoke the truth, but she couldn't turn the chance down. It would be the only chance she had to see Verone once more. She offered him her hand.

Hesitantly, he took her hand and closed his eyes focusing on that night. He felt her soul meld with his and those memories become clear.

Kyera sensed the forests near the Bazaar. The berry trees and the warmth of evening fires. The feel of grass and leaves beneath her feet. For a moment, she saw the fires of the circle dancing merrily in the night. She willed herself toward them, but instead turned away. For a moment she panicked, wondering who was controlling her, but then remembered this was nothing but a memory, Kan's memory.

He stalked through the forest in a slow circle, making his way down a familiar path. Kyera's heart stung as she realized he made his way toward her homestead, where her brothers lay dead. The house was the same as she remembered, the garden better tended than she expected. Kan had made his way to the garden and turned human before the stones. A whispered prayer for forgiveness and a hope for a better life was uttered. She tried to make sense if it but… in the end gave up.

"How dare you come here." a voice from the past demanded. Kyera wanted desperately to look back but instead, Kan ran. Faster than she herself moved he threw himself into a sprint. His form changed mid stride as the tiger made up more ground.