Transmigrated as a Ghost

Seeing the lost, almost hopeless look in Lyra's eyes, Marcus could tell that she was grasping at what to do with her life now.

Certainly, she had lost pretty much everything she had cared about to this war.

Her parents were dead, the path she had been on was now completely uprooted, and in the end, she had even had to kill her mentor who had stood on opposing sides.

Now all she had was the position of duchess, which she took more as a means to an end in order to accomplish her goal of revenge than for anything else

Of course, she cared about the people within her parents' former and now her territory, but it was simply her duty, not something she ever wished to have.

Originally Lyra never would have even taken the position of duchess, since she had become a great knight and would not have been able to hold another title.

Still, as the circumstances pushed her towards this path, she had done what was necessary to advance her goal at the time.

"Lyra, I understand very well what you are going through. And while I cannot say I went through exactly what you are, I have been in a similar place." Marcus said, using the kindest and most soothing tone he could.

He knew that Lyra was feeling troubled, but just because she had lost everything twice already, did not mean she could not rebuild again.

"I believe that I told you about how when I first arrived, I fell deep underground and floated all the way through the planet. Well, I definitely glossed over how traumatizing that was. To be stuck, unable to do anything other than exist in my own mind was maddening. Many times, I wished I could die again, to start over once more. But I had no way to even do that. Eventually with a little hope and honestly some luck, I managed to figure out how my powers worked, but for a long time I felt like I had no reason to live."

After saying this, Marcus clenched his fists and remembered a very painful memory, knowing that it would help him better understand Lyra's current circumstances.

"I also lost my parents unjustly, though not as Marcus. You know that I inherited the memories and emotions of another person, and really that changed me quite a bit. I still feel mostly like I am Marcus, but I cannot say I am entirely the same as I was before merging with Irene. But that is not what really matters here. What I want to say is that I have felt the same pain of loss that you have, and I know it is hard."

Marcus then moved closer to Lyra and pated her on the head while smiling, and she began crying loudly.

He knew already why she had come to him for help, and while Lyra was feeling lost right now, she really did want someone to point her in a new direction.

If she truly felt like this life was no longer worth living, she would not have been waiting for him back at Mrazivý's tent, and could have just run away, or even gone off somewhere to die.

No, she was looking for Marcus who was the closest person she had left, to give her a new reason to keep on living and enjoying life.

Though, she was also feeling some guilt for her actions now that she had achieved her revenge, since in her quest, many people died in what she viewed as part of her own selfish desire

Of course, all of these people that had died did so to fight for what they themselves had wanted, so truthfully it had not been Lyra's fault, she just wanted to punish herself.

"Listen Lyra, I came to this world with nothing, but even though I was not looking for it, I found a family, and made plenty of friends through my adventures in this world. There is so much to live for here, and I am sure that you would regret closing yourself off to those around you. Anyway, if you want a reason to live, how about doing it for me. You were already almost like an older sister to me back on Earth, and we have reconnected here. I know it is not exactly the same now, but I still think of you as family Lyra."

Once Marcus had finished speaking, he waited for her response, already knowing he had broken through to her.

Nodding her head, Lyra, moved in and hugged Marcus and said, "Thank you. I was not sure if you were just going to leave me on my own now that I was not in danger anymore. As you said, things are a lot different now. You have a little sister, and Mrazivý, so I was not sure if you would want to be around me now that you had accomplished your goal. Also, I almost did not want to ever get close to anyone ever again, to avoid the pain of losing someone I care about."

"You do not need to worry about me ever abandoning you. As I said we are practically family, and in this world, it is very comforting to have someone around that I knew before. And I understand that it hurst to lose those you care about, and locking yourself away and never making any meaningful connections may seem easier. but eventually that kind of life weighs down on you. This world is a vast place, and full of many amazing things as I am sure you know. Even now the two of us have barely scratched the surface in this one little corner that we have called home. So how about at some point, you, me, and whoever else we want, go and see what this world has to offer. You know as they say, it is the journey not the destination."

Laughing, Lyra could not believe that Marcus just said such a cliché line, but after their talk she was feeling much better.

She was glad that Marcus did still see her like a sister, and was willing to stay by her side and be her friend.

With almost no one left, he helped her see the light that she had lost when her parents died.

Certainly, she would never be able to get back what she had already lost, but that did not mean she could not build new relationships.

"Now how about we head back to mine and Mrazivý's tent. I know that the two of you have talked a bit, and I believe that Mrazivý already thinks of you as a friend. Oh, but I guess if we are like brother and sister, Mrazivý would also be like your sister, since I am going to marry her. And there is also Lilia who I am sure is going to love you once the two of you meet. So see, your family is already growing bigger than you thought." Marcus said, wanting to make sure that Lyra understood that she had more than just him, and that she could in the future make many more connections.

Smiling, Lyra said, "Yeah, I guess it is a bit like that. Maybe one day I will even be able to find someone like how you found Mrazivý."

"Well, if you do, they will need to at least be as strong as me." Marcus said doing his best impersonation of a overprotective brother.

Lyra then punched him in the side of the arm and said, "Like that is for you to decide. If they are at least as strong as me that will be fine."

The two of them began laughing loudly, before heading back, to where Mrazivý was in order to plan what they might do in the future.