chapter 6

The Fire Between Us

The silver-bound book trembled in Lyra's hands.

Its pages didn't flip by touch… they turned by memory.

Every word written in her own handwriting.

Except… she had no memory of writing them.

> "He kissed me beneath the twin moons," one line whispered.

"And I trusted him, even as the world burned."

Lyra shut the book.

> "Why can't I remember his face?"

Caelum stood behind her, arms folded, jaw tight.

> "Maybe it's safer that way."

> "You're jealous," she said, surprising even herself.

His silence spoke volumes.

> "You were there too, weren't you?" she asked softly.

"Back then."

He met her eyes.

> "I was your sword. Your shield.

But never your heart."

---

The wind shifted.

Sudden, sharp, electric.

A voice drifted through the ruins.

A voice that made Lyra freeze.

> "Is that what he told you?"

She turned.

And there he stood.

The man from her visions.

Golden eyes. Midnight robes. A presence that pulled at the core of her being.

> "Lyra," he said, stepping closer.

"It's me. Your king. Your love. Do you truly not remember?"

Caelum's blade was out in a flash.

> "Stay away from her."

But Lyra raised a hand.

> "Wait."

Her heart pounded.

Because her soul remembered him…

…even if her mind did not.

---

> "Who are you?" she asked.

He smiled — a smile full of sorrow and longing.

> "I am Malric, King of Shadows, once crowned beside you.

And I died the moment you did."

---

The ground beneath them shuddered.

Caelum stepped forward.

> "You betrayed her. You made a pact with the Veyr. You burned Elarion."

Malric didn't deny it.

> "I did… because I thought it would save her.

They promised she would live."

He looked at Lyra.

> "I chose darkness to protect your light. And I lost everything."

---

A war stirred in Lyra's chest.

Memories—fragments—flashed:

Their wedding under moonfire.

A dagger hidden in roses.

Her dying breath in his arms.

> "Why are you here?" she asked, voice trembling.

Malric's answer was soft.

> "Because they're coming again. And this time, if we don't stand together…

you won't be reborn again."

---

Caelum grabbed her arm.

> "You can't trust him.

He's already betrayed you once."

But Malric stepped closer.

> "And you've lied to her since she woke."

Both men stared at each other — rage, history, and heartbreak between them.

And Lyra stood in the middle.

Torn between two protectors…

…one of past love.

…one of present loyalty.

And somewhere in the shadows…

The Veyr were watching.

And smiling.

---

To be continued...

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