CHAPTER 39

Bound in Shadows (Lyra's Perspective Inside Eryx's Grasp) The Chains of Magic 

Pain.

It was the first thing Lyra felt when she opened her eyes. A dull, throbbing pain spreading through every limb, as if something unnatural had seeped into her bones.

She tried to move—and failed.

Her wrists were bound in chains that shimmered like liquid night, coiling around her skin like living things. The coldness of the metal burned against her flesh, sending waves of exhaustion through her body.

She blinked against the dim glow of the chamber she was trapped in. Dark stone walls stretched around her, carved with ancient sigils pulsing with eerie silver light. A single brazier flickered in the corner, its flames casting twisted shadows.

Lyra swallowed hard.

She wasn't alone.

A presence—powerful, suffocating—loomed in the darkness. She felt it before she saw him.

Eryx.

He stepped forward, emerging from the gloom like a specter of the night itself. His silver eyes gleamed like twin moons, filled with amusement and something far more dangerous possession.

"Awake at last," he murmured, his voice a velvety whisper that slithered under her skin.

Lyra forced herself to meet his gaze. "Where am I?"

Eryx tilted his head. "Somewhere far beyond Alden's reach."

Her heart twisted painfully.

She clenched her fists. "He'll find me."

A soft chuckle escaped his lips. "I hope he tries. It will make things more… entertaining."

A shiver ran down her spine.

She yanked at the chains, gritting her teeth. Nothing.

Eryx watched her struggle, amused. "Those aren't ordinary shackles, Princess. They are forged from celestial iron, designed to suppress the power within you."

Lyra's breath hitched. He knew.

Eryx took a slow step forward, closing the distance between them. "You feel it, don't you? That ache inside you. That power… waiting to be freed."

She said nothing.

Eryx's gaze darkened. "The mark on your skin is not a curse, Lyra. It is a key. And I will show you how to unlock it."

Eryx raised his hand, and the air around them shifted.

A sudden wave of energy crashed through her, sending a sharp jolt up her spine. Her breath came in ragged gasps as something deep inside her responded to his call.

A warmth—forbidden, intoxicating—stirred in her chest.

Lyra gasped, struggling to push it down. "What—what are you doing?"

Eryx's smile was slow, knowing. "I'm showing you the truth."

The sigils on the walls flared, and suddenly—

She wasn't in the chamber anymore.

The world around her shifted, and she found herself standing in a battlefield drenched in blood.

Bodies lay scattered. Alden. Selene. Kael. Their eyes lifeless.

Lyra's knees buckled. "No—"

A voice, cold and absolute, whispered in her ear.

"This is your future, Lyra. If you resist me."

Eryx's form materialized beside her, his presence pressing against her mind like a vice.

She turned to him, fury in her voice. "This isn't real."

Eryx tilted his head. "Isn't it?"

The scene changed again.

She was standing on a throne.

Her hands dripped with gold and fire.

The world bowed before her.

And Alden—Alden was at her feet, broken, defeated.

Lyra's breath caught.

She stumbled back, shaking her head. "No. This—this isn't what I want!"

Eryx stepped closer; voice smooth as silk. "Are you so sure?"

She hated how his words wormed their way into her thoughts.

How, deep down—a part of her wasn't afraid of the power he offered.

But Alden—Alden's face flashed in her mind.

His determined eyes. His unwavering loyalty. The way he always reached for her hand, no matter how many times she pushed him away.

Lyra clenched her fists. "You're trying to twist me."

Eryx's expression darkened. "I am offering you freedom."

She lifted her chin. "Then you don't understand me at all."

Eryx exhaled, almost disappointed. "So stubborn."

He lifted his hand—and agony exploded through her body.

Lyra screamed.

Pain rippled through her veins, burning through every nerve.

The chains tightened. The sigils flared.

Lyra felt herself slipping.

Eryx's voice slithered through her mind. "Stop fighting, Lyra. This power is yours. Let it consume you."

She wanted to scream. To break free.

Then—

A warmth.

A presence.

Somewhere deep inside her mind, Alden's voice echoed.

"Lyra."

She gasped, eyes snapping open.

His voice. Faint. Distant. But real.

Eryx's smirk faltered.

Lyra latched onto the sound, onto him.

"Hold on. I'm coming."

Tears pricked her eyes.

Alden was still out there. Fighting for her.

And she would fight too.

With every ounce of strength she had left, Lyra threw her head back and screamed.

The chains shattered.

Eryx's eyes widened.

Lyra's body collapsed to the floor, breath ragged, but she wasn't broken.

Not yet.

Not ever.

Eryx's lips curled into a snarl. "So be it."

Darkness rushed toward her.

And the real fight began.

A Dangerous Bargain 

Lyra's body trembled as she tried to push herself up from the cold stone floor. Every part of her ached from the raw power that had surged through her when she shattered the chains. But she was free—at least for now.

Eryx stood a few steps away, watching her with an unreadable expression. The flickering torchlight cast eerie shadows over his sharp features, making him look more like a phantom than a man.

Lyra took a shaky breath, forcing herself to her feet. "You failed."

Eryx's silver eyes narrowed. "Did I?"

Before she could react, he lifted his hand. A force—cold and suffocating—wrapped around her throat, lifting her off the ground.

Lyra gasped, kicking, struggling. The air left her lungs as an invisible grip tightened like a vice.

"You broke the chains," Eryx murmured. "Impressive. But that was only a test."

Lyra's vision blurred. Dark spots danced before her eyes.

"You're still mine."

And then, he released her.

Lyra collapsed to the ground, coughing violently. The stone was ice against her palms, her body weak from the struggle.

Eryx knelt beside her, his voice soft. "You think you've won something, don't you?"

Lyra forced herself to glare at him.

He smirked. "You're not strong enough to escape me. But you could be."

She frowned, trying to steady her breathing. "What… are you talking about?"

Eryx leaned closer, his presence suffocatingly close. "Join me, Lyra. I can show you how to control the power inside you. You'll never have to be afraid again."

She clenched her fists. "I'll never join you."

Eryx sighed, standing. "I expected as much." He turned his back to her, staring at the ancient sigils carved into the walls. "You should know… Alden is on his way."

Lyra's breath caught.

Eryx glanced at her over his shoulder. "He's walking straight into a trap."

"No," she whispered.

Eryx's smile was cruel. "I gave you a choice, Lyra. If you stay, I will spare him. But if you fight me… I will make you watch as I rip the life from his body."

Lyra's heart pounded violently.

Stay and protect Alden. Or fight and risk losing him.

She had minutes to decide.

Lyra paced the chamber, her mind spinning. Eryx's offer was a lie. She knew that. But if she made the wrong move, Alden would die.

Her hands shook.

Her heart told her to fight. But doubt crept in like poison.

Eryx watched her with a knowing gaze. "You feel it, don't you? The conflict. The temptation."

Lyra turned sharply. "You don't know me."

Eryx smirked. "I know you better than you know yourself."

Lyra took a step back. "You're lying."

He tilted his head. "Am I?"

And then—he touched her mark.

A jolt of power surged through her, burning, twisting—awakening something dark.

She gasped, clutching her arm. Her veins glowed gold, pulsing with raw magic.

And then—a vision.

Flashes of another time. Another life.

Alden, bleeding out in her arms.

Her own voice, whispering a name she didn't recognize.

Eryx, standing beside her, not as an enemy—but as an ally.

Lyra stumbled back, her breath ragged.

Eryx watched her with quiet satisfaction. "You're starting to remember."

"No," she whispered.

"You and I—" He took a step closer. "We were meant to stand together."

A cold dread seeped into her bones.

She didn't want to believe him.

But deep inside her, a piece of her soul whispered that it was true.

Lyra stood frozen, her mind warring with itself.

Alden. The prophecy. The war. The truth Eryx claimed to hold.

She had to make a decision. Now.

She clenched her fists. "If I stay, you'll spare him?"

Eryx's smirk was victorious. "Yes."

Lyra's heart ached.

She had fought so hard to resist him. But Alden—if she lost him, none of this would matter.

Her voice was barely a whisper. "Swear it."

Eryx's gaze flickered.

He stepped forward and gently took her hand. "I swear."

Lyra took a slow breath. She had to buy time. She had to play his game.

Her fingers tightened around his.

For the first time, Eryx looked surprised.

The door burst open.

And there stood Alden.

His eyes darkened as they fell on their intertwined hands.

Pain. Unmistakable.

And something inside Lyra shattered.

Alden raised his sword. "Get away from her."

Eryx's smirk returned. "Oh, Alden… you're too late."

Lyra's stomach twisted in horror.

Alden thought she had chosen Eryx.

And she had no way to tell him the truth.

Because in that moment—

Eryx whispered a spell.

Darkness swallowed them both.