Lyara

**The Forgotten Goddess** Long ago, before the stars learned to shine, there was a goddess named Lyara, Keeper of Time’s Stillness. Her hair was white as frost, her eyes the gray of twilight. She was no goddess of battle or love; her gift was simpler. She granted moments of stillness to those burdened by grief, allowing their hearts to breathe. But as the world changed, mortals began to crave speed and ambition. They forgot the need for stillness and, in time, forgot her. Without prayers to sustain her, Lyara faded from memory. Her once-radiant hair dulled to ash, and her presence waned until she retreated to the edges of existence, unseen and unneeded. In solitude, Lyara wove constellations from the fragments of lost moments. She scattered them across the night, faint and fleeting, visible only to those who sought solace. For centuries, she lingered there, forgotten but waiting. One night, a child sat beneath her stars, tears streaking her face. “I wish time would stop,” the child whispered. Lyara, drawn by the pure longing, appeared unseen. She knelt beside the child, her ethereal hand brushing away a tear. For a single heartbeat, time paused. The child’s breath steadied. Her tears ceased, though she didn’t know why. Looking to the faint stars above, she whispered, “Thank you.” In that quiet moment, Lyara’s purpose returned. Though forgotten by name, her presence lived on, a pale shimmer in the night sky, offering stillness to those who needed it most.