Lyra was everywhere—and nowhere.
For a few days, she didn’t attack me. But she also didn't leave.
I felt her nearby, just out of sight, watching. Waiting. The air around me felt tight, like a rope pulled between us.
She was in the sound of the wind. In a quick shape I saw in a window that wasn’t really there. In a quiet floorboard creak when no one was near.
The system still didn't give me any more information about our connection. I tried everything. But every time I got close to an answer, something stopped me.
This wasn't just a code lock. This was someone blocking me.
Someone didn’t want me to know the truth.
And that meant I had to find it.
A Hunter in the Dark
On the fourth night, I was in my training room, working out until I was tired. Sweat ran down my back. The lights ab
