Lyra’s POV
I woke to darkness.
The room around me was cold—unnaturally cold, the kind of chill that seeped into my bones and settled there, lingering long after I’d given up on finding warmth.
I didn’t know how long I’d been there. Time didn’t seem to exist in that place. The only thing that remained constant was the silence, heavy and suffocating. No sounds of life, no soft whispers of wind or the distant hum of the world outside. Just a hollow stillness, like the universe had forgotten I was there.
I strained my senses, but there was nothing. Nothing but the oppressive silence and the feeling of being utterly, utterly alone.
The stone walls felt like they were closing in on me. I didn’t know if it was the magic or my own fear, but I swore the air was thiqcker now, pressing down on
