Lyra’s POV
I woke to the sound of silence, heavy and cold, as though the world had forgotten how to breathe. My body throbbed in painful harmony with the chaos that had just been unleashed, and yet, the remnants of that violence seemed almost... distant. I could still taste the ash of battle on my lips, feel the pulse of the curse in my veins, but everything was muted, as though I had slipped into some strange, fragile moment between life and death.
Rhyker’s presence flickered in my mind—weak, uncertain, but it was there. A tether that pulled at the very core of me. That connection that had once been a bond so strong, so pure, now felt like a thread stretched beyond its limits. I could feel him... but only just. It wasn’t enough to anchor me, to pull me back from the edge of panic. No.
