Lyra POVThe weight of her father’s words clung to the air like a storm waiting to break.We prepare.For what?A war against gods who had existed before time itself? A battle against something no mortal could ever hope to understand?Lyra’s fingers curled into fists against her lap, her nails biting into her palms. Every instinct in her screamed that something was wrong, something beyond the devastation left behind by the Demon God.She had survived. But at what cost?The presence inside her had not faded.The First Queen still lurked in the shadows of her soul, coiled like a predator biding its time. Lyra could feel her - not an overwhelming force taking control, not yet, but there. A whisper at the back of her mind, a weight that had settled into her very bones.A force that did not belong to her.Kane’s grip on her hand was steady, grounding. But even he couldn’t quiet the turmoil inside her.Across from her, her father watched, his sharp amber eyes filled with something unreadabl
Lyra POVThe flickering lamps lining the corridor cast elongated shadows on the stone walls as Lyra followed her father into the war room. The weight of what she had asked settled heavily on her chest, but she did not waver.She needed answers.Kane walked beside her, silent but present, his silver eyes watchful. He had been there when the First Queen had taken over her body - he had spoken to her - and now, he would hear the truth alongside her.Killian dismissed the guards stationed outside the chamber before stepping in, his presence commanding as ever. The heavy wooden doors groaned shut behind them.The room was dimly lit, with a large, circular table in the center, covered in old maps and ancient texts. The scent of parchment and aged leather filled the space, mingling with the faint traces of smoke from the brazier in the corner.Killian remained standing, arms crossed over his chest. "What do you know of the First Queen?" he asked.Lyra inhaled sharply. "Only what the historie
Lyra’s POVThe chamber was silent after her father’s final words, but inside her mind - inside her soul - there was no silence.The First Queen was awake.She could feel her, a whisper in the back of her thoughts, a presence curling around her consciousness like smoke."You are not ready."Lyra stiffened, her nails digging into her palms.She had spent her life believing she was in control of her own destiny. That her choices, her victories, and her losses were her own. But now?Now, she wasn’t just herself anymore.The First Queen’s presence had been lingering since the moment she woke after the battle with the Demon God. At first, it had been subtle - a whisper here, a flicker of something in the corner of her mind. But now, it was like an ember catching fire, waiting to consume.Lyra closed her eyes, exhaling slowly."You are my heir."The words weren’t just memories. They were hers - the Queen’s voice brushing against her thoughts, curling into her mind like it belonged there.No.
Lyra’s Point of ViewThe northern stronghold was vast, its foundations built into the heart of the mountain itself. Hallways of cold stone stretched endlessly, twisting in intricate patterns as if the fortress had grown like roots over time, each tunnel a passageway to secrets long buried.Lyra followed her father in silence, her boots echoing against the polished floors as they descended deeper into the stronghold. The torches lining the walls flickered, their golden light barely reaching the shadows that seemed to press in from every side.She could feel it.The weight of history. The whispers of those who had come before.They were walking into the old places - the ones that had not been disturbed in centuries.Killian had said little since they left the war room. His expression remained unreadable, but Lyra didn’t miss the tension in his shoulders, the slight furrow in his brow.Finally, he spoke. “The archives were sealed after the war between the First Queen and the Demon God. N
Lyra’s POVThe hours passed in silence.Scrolls, tomes, fragmented stone tablets - each one an ancient whisper from the past. Some were barely legible, their ink faded with time, while others had been written in languages Lyra didn’t recognize.She had lost track of how many books they had opened, how many records they had scoured. And yet, the truth remained just beyond reach, like a shadow retreating from the light.Her father stood across from her, his fingers tracing the edge of a brittle parchment. He hadn’t spoken much since her vision. But Lyra could feel it - his mind turning over the same thoughts, the same questions.Lyra frowned, thinking back to the battlefield in her vision. The crown. The blood. The chains forged by the gods themselves.“She wasn’t meant to be a ruler,” Lyra murmured. “She was meant to destroy. But something stopped her.”The air in the archive felt heavier.Killian crossed his arms, his gaze flickering toward the deeper, unsearched shelves of the archive
Lyra POV When she finally repeated the Queen’s last words - The gods have not finished their design.Her father exhaled slowly. For the first time, he looked… unsettled.“She meant you,” he said at last. “They created her for war. And now…” His gaze flickered to her.Lyra swallowed hard. “I don’t know what they want from me.” Her voice was quieter than she intended. “But I can feel it, Father. Like something inside me is waking up.”Killian was silent for a long moment. Then, finally, he said, “You need to learn everything about her.”Lyra blinked. “I already...”“Not just what she was,” Killian cut in. “But what she became.”Lyra frowned. “You think she found a way to escape the gods’ control?”Killian’s gaze darkened. “She must have. Otherwise, she wouldn’t be here now. Inside you.”A shiver ran through her.She had felt Aelthira’s rage. Her defiance. She wasn’t just lingering in Lyra’s soul. She was waiting.Waiting for something. But what?Before Lyra could say anything else, a
Lyra’s POVThe air shifted.It was subtle at first - a faint pressure at the back of Lyra’s skull, a whisper too soft to hear yet impossible to ignore. Then came the cold. A sharp, unnatural chill, crawling up her spine, settling deep in her bones.Something was watching them.Kane noticed it, too. His grip on his sword tightened, golden eyes scanning the shadowed corners of the archive. Killian exhaled slowly, his face unreadable, but Lyra could feel his unease like a tangible force.Then - a whisper.Soft at first. A voice just beyond reach, threading through the silence like smoke.The sound sent a bolt of instinctive dread through Lyra’s chest. She turned sharply, her gaze landing on one of the oldest murals carved into the walls.And then she saw it. The mural had changed.It wasn’t possible. Stone did not shift, nor did carved figures alter themselves after centuries of being untouched. Yet here it was.The battle scene once etched in time - the First Lycan Queen standing agains
Third POVThe storm came without warning.One moment, the northern stronghold stood under a cold, starless sky, its towers looming over the mountain pass like silent sentinels. The next, the wind howled through the craggy peaks, shrieking like an enraged beast. The heavens split open, jagged lightning illuminating the snow-covered cliffs in flashes of violent white.But it wasn’t just a storm.Something was moving within it.High above the fortress, the clouds churned unnaturally, spiraling like a great vortex. The air itself vibrated with an ancient force - something raw, something wrong. The very stone of the mountain trembled, deep cracks splintering across the walls of the fortress.Then, the first scream rang out.A sentry, stationed atop the western tower, staggered back from the battlements, his spear clattering to the ground. His eyes were wide, his face twisted in horror."Gods help us," he whispered, before falling to his knees.More screams followed as warriors pointed skyw
The sky cracked open.Darkness poured like a flood across the Hollow Grounds, swirling in violent eddies, twisting with the force of the Harbinger’s will. The shattered remnants of the barrier flickered behind them - dying magic, breaking apart.There was no more protection. No more walls. The city’s last shield had fallen.Lyra’s heart pounded as she stared at the figure standing at the edge of the Hollow Grounds. The Harbinger.His golden eyes gleamed like dying stars, hollow and endless. His form, once lost to time, now stood before them in terrifying clarity. The First Lycan King. His power pulsed like a second heartbeat in the air, thick and suffocating.Kane hadn’t moved.Lyra glanced at him - his face was carved from stone, his grip white-knuckled on his sword. But she knew what he was feeling. The weight of his bloodline. The horror of looking into the past and seeing it twisted into something unrecognizable.The Harbinger tilted his head, his gaze locking onto Kane like a pre
The fire burned low, casting flickering shadows over the tense figures gathered around it. The night stretched long and restless, the air thick with unspoken fears. Lyra sat at the edge of the circle, fingers flexing against the hilt of her sword. Kane stood beside her, unmoving, his gaze locked on the barrier’s glowing arc in the distance.The weight of the inevitable pressed down on all of them.Nyxar hadn't moved since the Harbinger’s last whisper faded into the night, his golden eyes watching the horizon beyond the barrier, where the Hollow Grounds lay in waiting. The witches murmured amongst themselves, their magic lingering in the air like a silent, unseen hum.Then - the barrier pulsed. Slightly weaker now. No one spoke the words, but they all felt it in their bones.The next attack would not be a test. It would be the final breach. The realization settled over them, thick and suffocating.Kane was the first to break the silence. "We can’t wait for him to come to us." His voice
Lyra’s POVA deep, guttural sound reverberated through the stone beneath Lyra’s feet, sending a tremor up her spine. The lamps lining the walls flickered violently, their light bending unnaturally as if disturbed by an unseen force. The council chamber, already thick with tension, fell into an uneasy silence.Then came the second tremor - stronger this time. Dust trickled from the high-arched ceiling, and the heavy wooden table at the center of the room groaned under the sudden shift.Kane’s hand was on his sword before Lyra had the chance to speak. His body tensed beside her, muscles coiled as his sharp eyes scanned the chamber.The council members stirred uneasily, their anxious whispers breaking into urgent murmurs.“What in the gods’ name was that?” One of the elders, Lord Ildren, leaned forward, his weathered face pale with uncertainty.“The city is protected,” Lady Corva said sharply, though her fingers curled against the armrest of her chair. “Nothing should be able to-”Anothe
Lyra POV Lyra walked with purpose through the dimly lit corridors of the castle, each step echoing softly against the ancient stone walls. She could still feel the weight of the council’s words pressing down on her, their doubts clinging to the edges of her mind like shadows that refused to be shaken off. But she wasn’t going to let them consume her.She had made her decision. Now, she needed to be ready.The chamber that held the First Queen’s belongings was deep beneath the castle, hidden away from the world. Lyra was once here with her father. The torches lining the walls flickered as Lyra and Kane descended the spiral staircase, the air growing colder the further they went.At the bottom, massive doors of black iron awaited them, etched with ancient runes that pulsed faintly under Lyra’s fingertips as she pressed her palm to the cold metal. The seals recognized her blood, her power, and with a deep groan, the doors unlocked, swinging open to reveal the chamber beyond.A hush fell
The grand hall of the council chamber was eerily quiet as Lyra and Kane stepped inside. The room, bathed in muted light from the high, arched windows, seemed to hold its breath. The members of the council - elders from every corner of the kingdom, each of them powerful, respected - sat at their long, polished table. Their eyes were trained on her, but it wasn’t just curiosity that lined their gazes. It was a heavy, suffocating mix of concern, fear, and suspicion.Lyra felt the weight of their stares, each one an invisible pressure on her chest. The air seemed thick with unsaid words, too many emotions coiling together in a silent storm. As she walked further into the room, her silver eyes flickered over the council members - each a pillar of power in their own right - and she couldn’t help but notice the way they recoiled from her presence, as though her very being unsettled them.The whispers were already starting.“I told you it would come to this,” Elder Varick muttered from the fa
Lyra POV The air in the corridor felt thick, pressing against Lyra as she ran. Her feet barely made a sound on the stone floors, but her mind was roaring, the heavy weight of what she had just witnessed haunting every step. The shadows above the city - something had shifted. The magic in the air had twisted, turned darker, and for the first time, she had felt the very essence of fear curling around her bones.Lyra didn’t stop to question the urgency in her movements. She only had one thought - Kane. She needed to find him, needed to feel his strength, his calm presence to steady the growing panic inside her.As she reached the door to their quarters, her breath hitched. Her hand was shaking as she pressed it to the handle, pushing the door open just enough to slip inside. The familiar warmth of their shared space embraced her, but the air in here felt different now - tense, like a storm was gathering just beneath the surface.“Kane?” she called softly, stepping further in, her voice
Lyra’s POVThe air in the chamber was thick with something unseen, something pressing. Lyra exhaled slowly, trying to shake the restless energy curling through her veins. Across from her, Nyxar stilled, his dark eyes narrowing as if he, too, had felt it.It wasn’t just unease. It was something else - something shifting beneath the surface of reality.A slow, pulsing force.Ancient. Wrong.Lyra’s fingers twitched at her sides. She turned to Nyxar, meeting his gaze. “You feel it too.”Nyxar didn’t answer immediately. He tilted his head slightly, as if listening to something just beyond the reach of mortal hearing. Then, quietly, “Yes.”Her pulse quickened. “What is it?”For a moment, he didn’t respond. Then, with measured slowness, he turned toward the archway leading to the terrace. “Come.”Lyra followed, her steps brisk but silent as they moved through the halls. The further they walked, the heavier the air became, charged with something unnatural. It wasn’t just her imagination - eve
Nyxar’s POVThe council chamber emptied in slow, uncertain waves.Some left in silence, their faces unreadable. Others lingered in hushed groups, murmuring behind hands and cloaks, their whispered fears curling through the air like smoke. Nyxar didn’t need to hear them to know what they were saying.She’s changed.She’s unnatural.She cannot be trusted.His lips curled in the barest sneer as he leaned against a shadowed pillar, arms crossed. Fools. Cowards.They sat in their high seats and clung to their old ways, blind to the tides shifting beneath their feet. Did they truly believe the Harbinger would spare them if they turned against Lyra now? Did they think they had another choice?He watched them scatter like frightened birds, saw the doubt etched into the lines of their faces, the hesitance in their step.Weakness.This was the rot that always seeped into kingdoms before they fell - the hesitation to do what was necessary, the fear of the unknown outweighing the threat already a
Lyra’s POVThe corridor was long behind them now, swallowed by the cold stone walls of the ancient passageway. After Nyxar's warnings and the unsettling energy that still buzzed beneath her skin, Lyra had returned to their quarters with Kane, her thoughts a storm of questions and instincts she could barely contain.Now, wrapped in the soft embrace of their bed, the room dimly lit by the moonlight filtering through gauzy curtains, she lay beside him, tangled in a quiet stillness.Kane’s arm draped around her waist, his thumb brushing lazy circles along her hipbone as if grounding her to the present. But Lyra’s mind wandered - back to the runes, the sealed door, and the low thrumming that echoed beneath the castle floors like a warning or a heartbeat."You're quiet," Kane murmured beside her. His voice was low, still slightly rough from sleep, but it held a softness only she ever heard. "Too quiet. That usually means you're thinking something dangerous."Lyra let out a breath. Not quite