Lost and Haunted

– Lyra's POV -

I held on to the balcony rail of the Celestial Citadel so tight that my knuckles turned white. It was the only thing keeping me steady. If I let go, I might fall. Not because of the height, but because of the heavy feeling pressing down on my chest.

Down below, the world was breaking apart.

The sounds reached me even from here. Wolves howled through the night. Some howls were filled with anger, others with pain. Their cries overlapped with the sharp voices of witches shouting spells, words so loud and sharp that they cracked in the air. Fire roared as flames swallowed the forests.

I smelled the smoke drifting up to the Citadel. It made my stomach twist so hard that I thought I would throw up.

I tried to take a deep breath, but my chest would not loosen. Nothing made sense. Why did everything feel like it was collapsing all at once?

And then a thought hit me. The boy.

The one from the forest.

Was he alive? Was he dead? Did he make it out after I was pulled away?

I couldn’t understand why I couldn’t stop thinking about him. I barely knew him. I should have been able to push him out of my mind like a dream fading in the morning. But I couldn’t.

I hugged myself tighter, shaking as the sky burned red in the distance.

And then I felt it.

The air behind me turned cold.

I didn’t need to turn around to know who it was. My Mom... the Moon Goddess. Her presence always felt the same, like the entire sky had stepped into the room with me. Heavy... and Endless.

She walked out of the shadows in silence. Her silver gown glitters, her long white hair floated behind her like it had its own wind. Her face was calm. Too calm.

She never looked tired, but I knew she had to be. She held the divine realm together with her power alone.

"Lyra, my child," she said softly. It carried through the air like the world itself listened when she spoke. "It's time."

The words made my stomach twist.

I turned toward her so fast my braid whipped across my shoulder.

"Time for what?" My voice cracked. "Mom... I can’t fix this. Look at me. I can’t even control my powers. I’m just—"

She stopped me with a look.

Her eyes were nothing like mine. Mine were pale silver. Hers held depth so endless I always felt like a child when I looked at them.

"You were born for this, Lyra," she said. "The book of prophecy does not lie. The destiny of the realms has chosen you."

I shook my head. "No. No, I am not ready. I can’t even use Evictus without something going wrong. I don’t want this, Mom."

She lifted one hand. The air between us shimmered like water disturbed by a stone.

And then I saw it.

A vision unfolded in front of me, sharp and terrifying. Wolves tearing into vampires. Vampires draining witches until their screams stopped. Fire swallowing villages whole. Children running until flames swallowed them too. The skies turning black with smoke so thick the sun could not shine through.

I pressed my hands over my mouth as tears burned my eyes.

"This isn't war, Lyra," my mother said quietly. "This is destruction. If no one stops it, there will be nothing left."

Her words hit harder than the vision itself.

I turned to her with wet cheeks. "Why me, Mom? Why does it have to be me? You are the Moon Goddess. You are stronger than anyone. You can fight. You can save them." My voice rose until it cracked. "I am scared."

She stepped closer and placed her hand on my cheek. Her touch was warm, but there was weight in it too, like she was pressing the entire fate of the world into my skin.

When I was small, her touch had always felt safe. Now it didn’t feel like comfort. It felt like goodbye.

"You are both light and shadow, my child," she said softly. "When you went to the supernatural realm, even for a moment, the prophecy awoke. It has waited for you since before you were born."

"I don’t understand," I whispered.

"You will, my Child," she said. "You are the bridge between worlds. You will not face this alone. Someone is destined to protect you. Your knight. He will be the blade when you cannot fight. He will be the shield when you cannot stand. When the time comes, he will come to you."

Her voice stayed calm, but for the first time, I saw it.

Fear.

She was afraid.

My mother, the Moon Goddess who had never bowed to anyone, was afraid.

"Who is he?" My voice trembled.

She didn’t answer.

The ground shook before I could ask again.

The night ripped open with a sound.

Then, a portal appeared in front of us, spinning violently. Black and wild. Like someone had cut a hole straight into the world.

The wind roared out of it. My hair whipped across my face. My feet slid against the marble floor as it pulled harder.

"Mom!" I screamed as the force grew stronger.

She reached for me. I reached back.

Our fingers almost touched... almost.

But the pull was too strong.

I saw her face twist with fear.

And for the first time in my life, I saw a tear fall from her eyes as the shadows took me.

One moment I was on the balcony.

The next, I was falling through darkness.

The world spun violently. My body twisted until it felt like my bones might break. Pain exploded through my veins like fire. I screamed until my throat hurt.

And then I hit the ground.

Hard.

The impact drove the air from my lungs. My ribs burned as I gasped for breath. I curled up on the dirt, coughing until I tasted blood in my mouth.

I tried to push myself up, but my arms shook.

The forest around me was dark. Too dark. The trees towered over me like walls. Fog covered the ground so thick I couldn’t see my own feet. The air stank of wet earth and blood.

I knew this place.

The supernatural realm.

No. Not again.

I forced myself to stand even though my legs trembled.

And then I heard it.

A growl.

My whole body froze.

A massive werewolf stepped out of the shadows. His fur was dark and matted with blood. His eyes glowed a deep, dangerous red as they locked on me.

"Who are you?" His voice rumbled like thunder rolling over the mountains.

My lips shook. "I… I’m Lyra."

His eyes narrowed. He sniffed the air slowly like he was confirming something.

And then more creatures appeared.

Wolves shifting into human form with eyes that glowed faint gold. Vampires with pale skin and sharp fangs stepped out from the trees. Witches with sparks of fire and lightning crackling in their hands circled me.

They closed in slowly.

"Her aura…" one witch whispered.

"She does not belong here," a vampire growled.

"Kill her before she brings ruin!" someone else shouted.

Their words cut through me.

I wrapped my arms around myself and shook so hard my teeth clicked. I tried to use Evictus, but nothing happened. My body was too weak due to the impact.

Before I could say anything, the ground shook again.

Black shadows burst out of the dirt like living things. They moved like snakes, fast and cold, and wrapped around me before I could scream.

"No!" I thrashed as they pulled tighter.

"Take her," a voice hissed from the darkness.

The shadows tightened until I couldn’t breathe.

The ground opened beneath me.

I fell again.

This time I slammed into stone. My head hit hard enough that pain exploded through my skull. Warm blood ran down my face.

"Please…" My voice cracked until I could barely hear it myself. "Please help me…"

No one came.

The shadows rose higher. Whispers in a language I didn’t know filled the air. My body jerked like I wasn’t in control anymore.

I tried to fight, but my body wouldn’t listen.

The darkness swallowed me whole.

And then everything went black.