Chapter 8: The Emptiness inside Her
720 Words
Everything felt… quiet.
Too quiet.
Nyra sat at the edge of the bed, her fingers gripping the thin blanket tightly as she stared down at her hands.
They looked the same.
Nothing had changed.
But everything had.
“I can’t feel it…” she whispered again.
The power that once burned beneath her skin—the force that had terrified everyone, including herself—
It was gone.
Completely gone.
And in its place…
There was nothing.
Her chest tightened painfully.
For days, she had struggled to control it. Feared it. Hated it.
But now that it was gone—
She felt weaker than ever.
Empty.
Like a part of her had been ripped away.
“You’re thinking too much.”
Ronan’s voice broke through the silence as he leaned against the doorway, arms crossed, watching her carefully.
Nyra didn’t look up.
“You don’t understand,” she said quietly.
Ronan pushed off the wall and stepped inside.
“Then explain it.”
Nyra swallowed.
“It’s gone,” she said. “Whatever was inside me… I can’t feel it anymore.”
Ronan didn’t respond immediately.
Instead, he studied her closely, as if trying to read something beneath the surface.
“That’s not entirely a bad thing,” he said finally.
Nyra’s head snapped up.
“Not a bad thing?” she repeated.
Her voice cracked slightly.
“That power almost destroyed everything.”
“And it was the only thing keeping me from being weak!” she shot back.
Silence fell.
Heavy.
Ronan’s expression darkened slightly.
“You’re not weak.”
Nyra let out a bitter laugh.
“That’s easy for you to say.”
She stood abruptly, her emotions rising faster than she could control.
“You didn’t grow up being nothing,” she continued. “You didn’t spend your whole life being looked at like you didn’t matter!”
Ronan didn’t interrupt.
Didn’t argue.
He just watched her.
And somehow—
That made it worse.
Nyra’s breathing became uneven.
“I finally had something,” she whispered. “Something that made me… different.”
Her voice broke.
“And now it’s gone.”
The room fell silent again.
Then—
Ronan stepped closer.
Not too close.
Just enough.
“It’s not gone,” he said quietly.
Nyra shook her head.
“You didn’t feel what I felt,” she replied. “It’s empty now.”
Ronan’s gaze sharpened.
“No,” he said. “It’s suppressed.”
Nyra froze.
“What…?”
“The hunters,” he continued. “Whatever they used on you—it didn’t remove your power.”
Her heart skipped.
“It locked it.”
Hope flickered—
Small.
Fragile.
Dangerous.
Nyra took a step toward him.
“Then why can’t I feel it?”
Ronan’s voice lowered slightly.
“Because they don’t want you to.”
A chill ran through her.
Before she could respond—
The door opened again.
Kael stepped inside.
The tension in the room shifted instantly.
Sharp.
Unforgiving.
Nyra stiffened.
Her emotions tangled instantly—pain, anger, confusion.
“Why are you here?” she asked coldly.
Kael didn’t hesitate.
“To take you back.”
Ronan scoffed.
“Still trying?”
Kael ignored him.
His gaze stayed on Nyra.
“You’re not safe here.”
Nyra’s jaw tightened.
“And I’m safe with you?” she shot back.
Silence.
Kael didn’t answer.
Because he couldn’t.
Nyra’s expression hardened.
“That’s what I thought.”
Kael stepped closer.
“You don’t understand what’s coming,” he said.
Nyra’s eyes flashed.
“Then explain it,” she demanded.
Before Kael could respond—
A sharp pain hit her chest.
Nyra gasped.
Her body stiffened.
“What—?!”
Her hand flew to her chest as something pulsed deep inside her—
Faint.
Weak.
But there.
The power.
Her eyes widened.
Ronan’s expression changed instantly.
“What is it?”
Nyra’s voice trembled.
“It’s… back…”
But something was wrong.
It didn’t feel the same.
It felt…
Pulled.
Dragged.
Like something was calling it.
Like something was trying to take it.
Nyra’s breath hitched.
“They’re… using it…”
Kael’s eyes darkened.
“Using what?”
Nyra looked up—
Fear filling her eyes.
“Me.”
If Nyra’s power is suppressed…
how are the hunters still using it?
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