108.16 Lymir, The Lake, and The Gaze

Lymir, the Lake, and the Gaze

There once was a lake hidden deep in a valley where the sun arrived softly and the wind knew silence. It was said that whoever looked into its waters would not just see their reflection, but remember who they truly were.

One day, a young wanderer named Lymir descended from the mountains in search of something he could not name. The world had taught him to chase greatness, to climb higher, to go farther. But still, something was missing.

He came to the edge of the lake and gazed into its still surface.

At first, he saw only his face - tired from the journey, eyes dimmed from too much seeking. But as the moments passed, the reflection changed. He saw a child laughing. A mother’s smile, a father’s hand. A dream long buried. He saw moments of kindness he had forgotten, and wounds he never tended. The still water had become a mirror of memory.

As he looked upon his reflection, a single tear fell from his eye. It touched the surface of the lake with a gentle ripple.

And the lake, feeling the warmth of his sorrow, spoke.

“Why do you cry when you look into me?” it asked.

Lymir answered, “Because I searched the world to find meaning. I climbed mountains and crossed seas. But here, in your stillness, I see what I’ve been missing - the beauty I once carried, the light I abandoned. I didn’t know it was still there.”

The water shimmered.

Then, from the edge of the trees, the goddess of the forest stepped forward - her robe woven from leaves and moonlight, her eyes soft as dusk.

“You did not weep for vanity,” she said. “You wept because you remembered. Most look to the world and forget themselves. But you looked within - and found the world anew.”

From that day on, Lymir became known not as the Seeker, but as The New Noble - the one who did not just reflect, but remembered.

The lake remained clear, even in storm and season. And it is said that if one comes to its edge with an honest heart, it may still whisper:
“The truth you seek is not out there. It is in the gaze you dare to meet.”