Framed?!

Lyrasia woke up to shouting.

It was distant at first, muffled by sleep, but the moment her mind sharpened, the noise became overwhelming. Angry voices, desperate cries, the sound of feet stomping against dirt.

Something was wrong.

She pushed herself up, her tiny body sluggish from sleep. The air felt heavy, thick with something that made her chest tighten. Then, she heard it—her mother's cries. Heart-wrenching, gasping sobs that didn't belong to the strong woman who tucked her into bed every night.

Lyrasia forced her way out of her crib, scrambling toward the door. The house was in disarray, furniture slightly askew as if someone had left in a hurry. When she reached the entrance, she saw her mother in the middle of their yard, clutching her chest as if physically trying to hold herself together. Her eyes were red and swollen, her shoulders trembling violently.

"Mother…?"

Her voice barely carried, drowned out by the commotion outside.