The moon did not return to normal.
It evolved.
The golden fractures that burst outward that night did not fade with dawn. They remained—intricate, luminous lines stretching farther across the sky than ever before.
Maps were useless now.
The fractures no longer followed predictable patterns.
They moved.
Slowly.
Almost imperceptibly.
But they shifted.
And Lyra began to dream.
It started three nights after the Veil’s failure.
Lyra woke before sunrise, breath steady but eyes unfocused.
Selene felt it instantly from across the valley.
Not a tug.
A crossing.
She reached the girl’s side just as Lyra spoke.
“I walked,” Lyra whispered.
“Walked where?” Kael asked gently.
Lyra’s gaze was distant.
“Along the fractures.”
Silence filled the room.
Selene crouched beside her.
“Tell m
