Upon entering the city, Lyra noticed that the inhabitants had stopped their conversations. Not universally, but sufficiently so for her to notice.
A merchant halted mid-sentence, two guards near the gate exchanged anxious glances, and a child pointing at her was swiftly withdrawn by his mother.
This reaction silently propagated through the streets like an unseen blaze. Fear. Whispers followed their procession as the quartet advanced further into Aerindor, the capital city. Rylan leaned closer to Lyra.
"Either we appear exceptionally attractive today, or there is something amiss," he remarked. Kael maintained a serious expression.
"It is fear," Lyra responded, already aware of the truth. She could sense it, not from her own power, but from the people. That sensation felt somehow worse.
The city itself was aesthetically striking. Tall silver towers loomed above congested streets; banners fluttered in the breeze; glowing lanterns hung from stone bridges spanning narrow canals.
Nevertheless, the atmosphere was oppressive and excessively tense. The stranger beside them also perceived it.
"There are more guards than usual," he observed.
He was correct. Armoured soldiers stood at nearly every major intersection, some wielding unfamiliar weapons—thin silver spears inscribed with luminescent symbols.
Selene, walking alongside them under a hooded cloak, quietly whispered:
"Rune weapons." Kael looked at her. For anomalies? he asked. Selene nodded once.
"The kingdoms have adapted more swiftly than I anticipated." That statement unsettled Lyra.
Adapted to what?
To individuals like herself.
Suddenly, audible voices echoed from ahead. A substantial crowd had gathered near the central plaza. Someone was speaking from an elevated stone platform.
"The rise of unstable anomalies endangers the very balance of civilisation!" Lord murmured nervously.
Lyra's stomach clenched. A royal official continued loudly:
"Entire cities have already suffered catastrophic events, uncontrolled powers, temporal fractures, and dimensional instability!" Rylan folded his arms.
"That clearly pertains to us," he noted. The official raised a glowing scroll.
"By order of King Valerin, all individuals classified as anomalies must register with the crown's authority!" The crowd reacted instantly, some supporting the declaration while others appeared frightened.
Somebody made the critical statement.
"Any unregistered anomaly discovered within the kingdom shall be deemed a national threat." Kael's eyes narrowed.
"They are criminalising awakenings," he stated. Selene's expression darkened slightly. "This is the beginning," she replied.
Lyra retreated into the shadow of a nearby building, pulling her hood lower. Nonetheless, it was too late. A woman in the crowd gasped loudly upon noticing her faintly glowing bond mark beneath her sleeve.
"That mark..." she exclaimed. Recognition spread rapidly. Whispers erupted:
"It's her..."
"The Balance Woman..."
"The anomaly leader..."
"Is she responsible for this escalation?" Fear spread faster than the truth.
Guards quickly discerned the rising tension, with one pointing directly at Lyra.
"There!" Kael stepped protectively in front of her. Rylan sighed dramatically.
"The peaceful city visit has now officially concluded." More guards converged around the plaza entrances, not yet attacking but preparing defences.
The royal official fixed his gaze on Lyra, then his expression hardened not with fear but with hostility.
"You," he said sharply, "are responsible for the Expansion." A silence fell over the crowd.
Lyra maintained her composure. "I did not cause this," she replied. The official laughed bitterly.
"Then why do awakenings occur wherever you go?" he challenged.
Part of her feared his assertion might be true. Before she could respond, a young man emerged from the crowd.
"No," he declared.
All turned toward him. Lyra recognised Elias immediately, the silver-eyed anomaly from the mountains. He intervened between Lyra and the soldiers.
"She saved my life," he stated.
The crowd erupted in confused protests. The official pointed angrily.
"You are infected as well!" Elias's unstable silver energy flickered around his hands, but this time, he barely managed to control it.
"I am alive because she helped me," he said.
"That power destroyed an entire mountain!" the official retorted "I was losing control," Elias admitted.
"And whose fault is that?" he snapped. Silence ensued, as Elias could not answer. He did not know.
The official looked back at the crowd. "This is precisely why anomalies cannot be trusted!" he declared.
More people began to withdraw from Lyra, their fear evident. A nearby child started crying. Kael's jaw clenched, and Rylan ceased joking entirely. Lyra, for her part, understood painfully that the conflict was no longer with monsters but with fear itself.
The official abruptly raised his hand.
"Royal hunters!" At that moment, three figures in black armour advanced, each wielding rune weapons emitting anti-energy symbols.
Selene's face immediately hardened. "That is problematic," she said.
The stranger narrowed his eyes. Are you familiar with them? he asked. Selene responded quietly: "They eliminate anomalies."
The lead hunter removed his helmet, revealing cold grey eyes fixed on Lyra. Calmly, he announced:
"By decree of Aerindor, Lyra, the Balance Anomaly, you are under arrest."
At that instant, someone within the crowd masked a smile. The chaos engulfing the city was precisely their goal.