The silence was unbearable.
For the first time since they met…
Lyra was gone.
Kael stood alone in the middle of the fractured battlefield. The wind howled violently, lifting shards of stone and fragments of unstable energy into the air.
But he didn't move.
Not yet.
His eyes were fixed on the exact place where she had disappeared.
"…Lyra…"
Nothing.
The bond was still there.
But weak.
Distant.
Like a light at the end of a tunnel he couldn't reach.
His fists slowly clenched.
A dark energy began to form around him.
"You let her go," the dark figure said.
Kael didn't answer.
"Interesting…" it murmured. "In all your past lives… you always tried to save her."
Silence.
"But this time…"
It tilted its head slightly.
"You stood still."
Kael slowly lifted his gaze.
And something had changed.
"You think I'm going to do nothing…?"
His voice was calm.
Too calm.
The ground trembled slightly beneath his feet.
"I'm going to find her."
A cold smile crossed his face.
"And I'm going to break anything that stands between us."
The figure watched him closely.
"Even the Council?"
Kael didn't look away.
"If I have to."
Silence.
Then the figure smiled.
"Then show me…"
"How far you're willing to go."
✧ Meanwhile…
The world shifted violently.
Lyra appeared in an unfamiliar forest.
Dense.
Silent.
Oppressive.
She fell to her knees, gasping for breath.
"Kael…"
Her chest tightened instantly.
The bond…
Still there.
But painful.
Like an open wound.
She pressed her hand against her chest.
"I'm sorry…"
Her voice trembled.
But she knew.
She hadn't had a choice.
Or at least…
That's what she was trying to believe.
Suddenly—
A wave of energy surged through her body.
"AAH—!"
She doubled over as intense pain tore through her.
Her magic…
Was unstable.
Even more than before.
Fragments of golden and black light burst around her, burning through the air.
"No… not now…"
She tried to calm herself.
But without Kael…
It was different.
The bond that stabilized her power…
Was broken.
"I… I'm losing control…"
An explosion of energy shook the forest.
Trees around her cracked.
The ground split apart.
Lyra trembled violently.
"This is why I left…"
Tears streamed down her face.
"I can't stay near him…"
"Or I'll destroy him…"
A soft voice suddenly echoed behind her.
"Or maybe…"
Lyra turned sharply.
A figure appeared between the trees.
Feminine.
Calm.
Powerful.
"You're simply afraid of yourself."
Lyra frowned.
"Who are you?"
The woman stepped forward slowly.
Her eyes glowed with a strange light.
"Someone who understands your power…"
A faint smile formed.
"And your destiny."
Lyra struggled to stand.
"If you were sent by the Council—"
"No."
The answer came instantly.
"I don't work for them."
Silence.
"I work… against them."
Lyra's eyes widened slightly.
"Then why help me?"
The woman stopped a few steps away.
"Because you…"
She stared directly into Lyra's eyes.
"You are the key to destroying this system."
Lyra's heart raced.
"And if I refuse?"
A mysterious smile appeared.
"You can't."
"Because your power…"
The woman raised her hand slightly.
And Lyra's energy reacted immediately.
"…was never meant to be controlled."
A heavy silence fell.
"It was meant to…"
A pause.
"…rewrite the world."
✧
The battlefield had changed.
The Council still watched.
But this time…
Kael wasn't waiting anymore.
"If you think I'm going to play by your rules…"
He slowly raised his head.
A mix of dark and golden energy swirled around him.
Unstable.
But powerful.
"You're wrong."
The ground cracked beneath his feet.
A violent aura exploded outward.
The members of the Council stepped back slightly.
"His energy…"
"It's evolving…"
Kael clenched his fists.
"You tried to control our destiny…"
He took a step forward.
"Now…"
His eyes blazed with intensity.
"I decide."
A massive shockwave swept across the battlefield.
The fight…
Was truly about to begin.