CHAPTER 18

The Shadows Within a Change Unraveling

Lyra stumbled back; her breath ragged. The raw power that had surged through her moments ago still hummed beneath her skin, electric and unfamiliar. Her heart pounded as Eryx's words echoed in her mind.

"You're becoming one of them."

"No," she whispered, shaking her head. "That's not possible."

Alden stepped between her and Eryx; his sword still gripped tightly. "Explain. Now."

Eryx remained eerily calm. "It's already begun." He gestured toward Lyra's arm.

She followed his gaze—and froze.

The mark on her forearm was no longer the familiar golden glow of celestial magic. It had darkened. The edges of the intricate pattern bled into a deep silver, laced with threads of something darker, almost black.

Kael sucked in a sharp breath. "That's… not celestial magic anymore."

Panic clawed at her chest.

"What's happening to me?"

Eryx took a slow step closer, his expression unreadable. "The veil was not just a prison, Lyra. It was a barrier. When it broke, the Forgotten weren't the only ones freed."

Lyra's pulse raced.

"You mean… something got into me?"

A tense silence followed. Then Eryx murmured, "I mean that something was always inside you. And now, it's waking up."

Alden's grip on his sword tightened. "If you knew this, why didn't you tell us sooner?"

Eryx's silver eyes gleamed in the moonlight. "Would you have believed me?"

Kael ran a shaking hand through his hair. "We need to figure this out, fast. If Lyra's magic is changing, we don't know what it'll do to her—or to the kingdom."

Lyra swallowed hard, her mind spinning. She had spent her entire life believing she was destined to save Eldoris.

But now, a terrifying question loomed over her.

What if I'm destined to destroy it instead?

The Warning in the Stars

That night, sleep eluded her.

She sat outside the ruined temple, staring up at the sky. The stars, once comforting, now seemed distant. Different.

"You feel it, don't you?"

She turned to see Eryx standing behind her, his hands clasped behind his back. His silver eyes reflected the starlight.

Lyra hesitated, then nodded. "Something is… shifting."

Eryx sat beside her. "The stars have been whispering about you for a long time, Princess. But I think you already knew that."

She glanced down at her arm, tracing the darkened edges of her mark. "I thought I was meant to wield celestial power. But now…"

"You're standing at the crossroads of two fates," Eryx said softly. "And you must choose which path to take."

Lyra exhaled sharply. "And if I choose wrong?"

Eryx's gaze darkened. "Then the kingdom falls."

A chill ran through her.

She turned back to the stars, watching as a shooting star cut across the sky.

A bad omen.

Deep down, she knew the choice had already begun to slip from her hands.

The Shattered Alliance

By morning, the tension between the group had thickened like a storm on the horizon.

Alden paced near the temple ruins; his jaw tight. "We need answers, and we need them now. We can't just sit here while Lyra's magic turns into something we don't understand."

Kael nodded, flipping through an ancient tome. "I might have something." He turned the pages urgently. "There's an old prophecy about the 'Celestial and the Forsaken.' It speaks of a ruler with celestial magic who—" Kael stopped, his face paling.

Lyra's stomach twisted. "Who what?"

Kael hesitated. Then, in a grim voice, he read:

"The Celestial shall rise, but should the Forsaken awaken within her, she will become the Harbinger of the End."

A cold silence followed.

Alden's fists clenched. "No. That's not her fate."

Eryx tilted his head. "Are you sure?"

Alden rounded on him. "You act like you know everything, but you refuse to give straight answers."

Eryx smirked. "Some truths must be uncovered, not handed over."

Alden glared at him. "If you try anything, I'll kill you myself."

Eryx merely chuckled. "Noted."

Lyra couldn't take it anymore.

"We don't have time for this!" she snapped. "Fighting each other won't fix anything."

She took a steadying breath and turned to Kael. "Tell me the rest of the prophecy."

Kael's expression remained grim. "There's a way to stop the Forsaken from taking over." He hesitated before continuing. "But it requires a sacrifice."

Lyra stilled. "What kind of sacrifice?"

Kael's voice was barely a whisper.

"Yours."

The Choice That Will Break Her

Lyra felt the weight of those words crush her.

If she let this power grow, she could become the Harbinger of the End.

If she fought it—if she sacrificed herself—she might save Eldoris.

But at what cost?

Alden stepped forward immediately. "No. We will find another way."

Kael ran a hand down his face. "What if there isn't another way?"

Eryx watched Lyra closely, his expression unreadable. "What will you choose, Princess?"

Lyra opened her mouth—

But before she could speak, a sudden howling wind tore through the ruins.

The air shifted.

And then, they were no longer alone.

A figure cloaked in darkness emerged from the mist.

Their voice was smooth, almost amused.

"The choice is no longer yours to make."

A sudden pain exploded in Lyra's chest. She gasped as her vision darkened.

The last thing she saw before the world slipped away—

Was Eryx's satisfied smile.