Lyra's POV:
"Stay behind me."
Kael didn't raise his voice. He didn't need to, because something in the air had already changed.
Alive in a way that made my skin tighten.
Dain stepped forward first this time.
Not joking, not relaxed, every part of him was alert now.
"This isn't like the others," he said under his breath.
Rowan didn't respond but he had already moved.
Watching the trees like he expected something to step out at any second.
I swallowed.
"That voice," I said quietly. "You heard it too, right?"
No one answered me. That was my answer.
My chest tightened.
"It said my name."
Still nothing.
Kael's hand brushed my arm.
Not holding, not pulling. Just there.
"Don't respond if you hear it again."
My brows pulled together.
"Why?"
This time, Rowan answered.
"Because if it's who we think it is…he doesn't need sound to reach you."
A chill ran through me.
"That's not comforting."
Dain let out a low exhale.
"It's not supposed to be."
The forest shifted.
Not violently, not like the Hollowborn. This was quieter and more controlled.
Like something intelligent was moving through it.
My pulse picked up.
"I don't like this."
"You shouldn't," Kael said.
Then, a step.
Soft, measured, and close. Close enough that every instinct in my body locked.
And then he stepped out.
Not rushed, not aggressive. He walked like he had all the time in the world.
He was taller than the others. Darker in a way that had nothing to do with shadows. It was in his presence.
His eyes found mine instantly.
And everything else disappeared.
"Lyra."
My name. Not like before. Not distant. Not in my head. Right in front of me. Real.
My breath caught.
"I told you I'd find you."
My chest tightened sharply.
"I don't know you."
The words came out fast. Because something in me reacted before I could stop it.
Recognition.
It wasn't clear, but it was there.
His expression didn't change.
If anything…it softened.
That made it worse.
"You did," he said quietly.
"Before they took you."
Kael stepped forward instantly.
Cutting the space between us.
Blocking him from view.
"You don't get to speak to her."
The man's gaze shifted slowly.
Landing on Kael like it meant something.
Like he knew him. Like he had been expecting him.
"That's new," he said.
Dain scoffed.
"Yeah, we get that a lot. Who are you?"
The man didn't answer.
Not to him.
His attention stayed on Kael.
"You're the one who touched her."
The words dropped heavy. My stomach twisted.
Kael didn't react. At least not outwardly but I felt it. That shift. That tension snapping tighter.
"You don't get to ask questions," Kael said.
The man tilted his head slightly.
Studying him.
"No," he said calmly. "But I get to decide what happens next."
Rowan stepped in then.
Subtle but deliberate. Positioning himself slightly closer to Kael. Not in front. Beside.
That small movement didn't go unnoticed. Not by me and certainly not by him.
His gaze flickered between them.
And something like amusement passed through his expression.
"That's interesting."
Dain frowned.
"What is?"
But the man ignored him again. His focus returned to me.
"You feel it, don't you?" he asked softly.
I didn't answer. I didn't want to but my silence said enough.
His smile was faint and knowing.
"They're trying to hold you in place."
My chest tightened.
"That's not what is happening."
"Isn't it?"
His voice didn't rise but it settled under my skin in a way I didn't like.
"Stay out of it," Kael said.
Now there was an edge.
The man's gaze slid back to him.
"You don't understand what she is."
Kael didn't hesitate.
"I understand enough."
"No," he said quietly. "You understand what you want her to be."
That landed hard. I saw it in the way Kael's shoulders shifted slightly. The way Rowan's attention sharpened. The way Dain went completely still.
Something passed between the three of them.
Unspoken but heavy.
I didn't understand it but I felt it.
And suddenly…I wasn't the only tension in the space.
"Say what you came to say," Rowan cut in.
He sounded calm but there was something underneath it.
Something dangerous.
The man looked at him. Really looked this time, and for a second…something changed.
Recognition.
"You remember more than you should," he said.
Rowan didn't respond but his jaw tightened.
Just slightly but I caught it. Dain didn't but Kael definitely did.
The man's attention returned to me.
Always back to me.
"You died," he said.
The words were simple and direct. And they hit like a blow.
My breath caught.
"No," I said immediately.
But it sounded weaker now because this wasn't the first time I had heard it.
"You did," he repeated. "Not here. Not in this body."
Everything in me froze and my heart started racing.
"What are you talking about?"
He stepped closer.
Kael moved instantly. Blocking him again but this time he was closer and more forceful.
"Don't."
The man stopped. Not because he had to but because he chose to and somehow that was worse.
"You're running out of time," he said softly.
"To do what?" I snapped.
"To remember."
My chest tightened.
"I don't need to remember anything."
"Yes," he said. "You do."
Silence fell.
"You were never supposed to come back like this."
The words settled deep. Too deep because something in me recognized them.
My head started to ache.
Images flickered but they were too fast to catch.
A room. Different. Bright. Cold.
"System error"
I gasped.
The pain spiked and then it was gone. Just like that.
I stumbled slightly.
Kael's hand caught my arm instantly.
"Lyra."
I blinked hard.
"I'm fine."
That was an obvious lie.
The man watched everything.
He smiled again with that same knowing look.
"You see?" he said quietly. "It's already breaking."
Dain stepped forward. That was it.
"I'm getting really tired of this cryptic nonsense."
The man didn't even look at him.
"You should be more worried about what she becomes when it finishes."
My stomach dropped.
"Finishes what?"
He didn't answer immediately.
And that pause, that silence, it was worse than anything else.
Then he said it.
"She wasn't sent here."
My breath caught.
"She forced her way back."
Everything stopped.
My heart, my thoughts, the air in my lungs. Because that…that didn't make sense.
"I didn't do anything"
"You don't remember," he cut in gently. "But you will."
Kael's grip tightened slightly.
"You're done," Kael said.
The man exhaled slowly like he expected that.
"Am I?"
His gaze shifted again.
This time to all of them. One by one. Measuring and calculating them.
"You think you can take her back there," he said. "After this?"
"We're not asking for permission," Dain replied.
A flash of something crossed the man's face.
Approval?
Maybe.
"Good," he said.
And then everything changed.
The air shifted. Not like before, this was heavier and deeper.
Like something underneath the world had just…moved.
My chest tightened.
"What is that?"
No one answered. Because they felt it too. Even him.
For the first time, his expression shifted.
He wasn't calm or amused, he was alert.
That same feeling from before but stronger and closer.
Something else was coming and whatever it was, it wasn't on his side either.
"…so it begins," he murmured.
Kael's body tensed. Rowan stepped forward slightly. Dain's expression darkened.
My pulse was racing again.
"What begins?"
No one answered me. Of course. The forest went still. Completely still.
And then, a sound. Not a howl. Not movement. Something else, like a crack. Like space itself splitting open.
My breath caught.
"What's happening?"
The ground beneath my feet shifted.
Not violently but it was enough. Enough to feel wrong. Enough to feel like reality was unstable.
The man looked at me.
One last time and this time, there was no amusement nor calm, just certainty.
"They're coming for you now."
My chest tightened.
"Who?"
His gaze didn't leave mine.
"The ones who sent you back wrong."
My heart stopped.
Because deep down, I knew.
This wasn't about wolves anymore. Not just that. Something bigger had just stepped into the story and I was at the center of it.
The crack split wider and light spilled through it.
It wasn't natural and definitely not normal.
Everything in me reacted to it.
Not fear, not exactly. It was recognition and that was the worst part.
Kael's hand tightened on my arm.
"Don't move."
As if I could if I wanted to. Like my body wasn't already locked in place. The light pulsed.
Once. Twice. And then a voice came through it.
It was unfamiliar and yet terrifyingly known.
"Target reacquired."
My breath left me. Because I understood that. I didn't know how, but I did.
And before anyone could react, the light surged forward.
Straight toward me.
And everything went pitch black.