The Shattered Truth

**

The cold sting of realization hit Ethan harder than any blow he had received. Lyra, standing there in the dim firelight, was no longer the girl he had once known. The warmth in her eyes had disappeared, replaced by something darker—something more dangerous. He could see it now: her presence was as cold and unyielding as the mountains surrounding them.

Ethan struggled to move, but his body felt as though it were encased in stone. Every muscle screamed in protest, refusing to cooperate. His mind, however, was sharp, racing with thoughts he could barely grasp.

*What happened to you, Lyra?*

She wasn't the same person who had once held his hand in the darkness, whispering promises of a future that seemed so simple, so full of hope. Now, she was a stranger—a person whose motives he could no longer decipher.

Kiera and Ivan stood nearby, both of them tense, eyes flicking between Ethan and Lyra. There was no comfort in their gazes—only wariness, suspicion. The truth hung thick in the air, and none of them knew how to address it.

"You…" Ethan's voice cracked, but he forced the words out. "What did you do to me?"

Lyra's expression was unreadable as she stepped closer to him. Her every movement was calculated, deliberate. The flickering firelight seemed to dance across her face, casting shadows that made her appear even more distant, even more alien.

"I didn't do anything to you, Ethan," she replied, her voice chillingly calm. "You did this to yourself."

Ethan's heart clenched. He didn't understand. How could this be his fault? He had been following the clues, trying to unlock the secrets of the Shards, trying to make sense of the countless lives he had lived. But now, it all seemed futile. Everything he had done, every decision he had made, led him to this moment. And yet, it felt like he was no closer to understanding the truth.

"Don't lie," Ethan spat, his voice trembling with frustration. "You knew about the Shards. You knew everything, didn't you?"

Lyra's lips curled into a thin smile, one that didn't reach her eyes. "You think I'm lying? I'm not the one who brought the Shards into your life. I tried to warn you. But you were too eager to accept the power."

Ethan's mind was a whirlwind of questions, all of them leading to the same bitter conclusion: *Lyra had known all along.* She had known about the Shards, known about the consequences, and yet she had never told him the whole truth.

"Why?" he demanded. "Why didn't you tell me? Why let me suffer like this?"

Her gaze softened for a fleeting moment, but the coldness returned quickly. "Because you weren't ready, Ethan. None of you were. The Shards are not meant for people like you. You're not just some victim in this, not just a pawn to be moved around. You've been a part of something much larger than you ever realized."

Ethan's pulse quickened. *Larger than I realized?* What did she mean? He could feel the weight of her words pressing down on him, suffocating him. His thoughts began to spiral—questions upon questions upon questions, all tangled together.

Kiera stepped forward, her eyes narrowing as she studied Lyra. "What are you saying? That the Shards were *always* meant to find him? That it was all planned?"

Lyra's gaze shifted to Kiera, and for the first time, a flicker of uncertainty passed over her face. But it was gone before anyone could fully register it.

"The Shards didn't choose him, Kiera," Lyra said softly, almost regretfully. "Ethan wasn't meant to be the one to wield them. But he's tied to them now, and there's no escaping that. The truth is far darker than any of you know."

The words hung in the air like a death sentence. Ethan felt his breath catch in his throat. *What truth?*

"Enough with the riddles, Lyra," Ivan said, his voice laced with anger. "If you know something, you better start talking. What is this all really about?"

Lyra met Ivan's gaze without flinching. "The Shards are a key. A key to something older, something more powerful than anything you've ever encountered. The ones who created them... they're the ones who are controlling everything. Every move you make, every step you take, it's all been part of their plan."

Ethan's mind raced, the words sinking in like lead. *Controlling everything?* The idea that there were people—powerful people—who had been pulling the strings all along made his stomach churn.

"And you?" Ethan asked, trying to steady his breath. "Are you one of them?"

Lyra's lips twisted into something close to a smile, but it was cruel, biting. "No. I'm not one of them. But I was once close enough to see how deep it goes. I was foolish enough to think I could stop it, but I was wrong."

"You tried to stop it?" Kiera asked, her voice filled with disbelief. "And now you've just given up?"

Lyra's eyes flickered to Kiera, and for a moment, there was something unspoken between them. But Lyra didn't answer. Instead, she turned back to Ethan, her gaze softening—just for a moment.

"You've been given a choice, Ethan," she said quietly. "The Shards are calling to you. They want to be used. But if you continue down this path, you'll never be the same again. The price of their power is more than you can bear."

The warning in her voice was clear. The Shards had already begun to change him. But what would happen if he gave in to them completely? Was it already too late?

"Why are you here then?" Ethan asked, his voice barely a whisper. "Why come to us now?"

Lyra paused, her eyes growing distant as if she were remembering something—something painful. "Because I can't let you make the same mistakes I did. I won't let you fall into their hands."

The weight of her words hung over Ethan, and for the first time since he had awakened in the mountains, he felt the full depth of his situation. He was tangled in something much bigger than himself. And every step he took, every choice he made, only brought him closer to the inevitable conclusion.

The Shards were not just a power—they were a curse. And no one who sought to control them would be free of their burden.

As the fire flickered and the night deepened, Ethan knew that the next step would decide everything. There was no turning back now.

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