The flames roared as they left her body.
Lyra didn’t think—she simply let the power rip through her, a torrent of forbidden fire that scorched the cracked marble, split the air, and surged straight for Selene.
The goddess didn’t move.
For a heartbeat, the entire world seemed to hold its breath. Then the impact hit—light clashing against light, fire clashing against silver flame. The explosion rattled the hall, pillars cracking, shards of stone raining down.
Lyra fell to her knees, gasping, her chest burning from the inside out. She expected to see Selene reduced to ash.
But when the smoke cleared, the goddess still stood.
Her silver robes were scorched, her hair disheveled, yet her eyes gleamed with something that made Lyra’s stomach twist—delight.
“You dare,” Selene whispered, her
