The valley did not sleep. Lyra felt it the moment they crossed fully into the Grey Reach,a low, constant awareness beneath the quiet, like a held breath. Torches burned low along stone paths, their flames steady despite the night wind. The structures were simple, built from salvaged rock and reinforced timber, but they carried intention. Nothing here was accidental. People watched her openly. Not with fear. With recognition. Lyra shifted under the weight of it, fingers curling at her sides as the Starfire pulsed in uneasy response. She had spent years avoiding notice, shaping herself small. Here, there was no shrinking away from what she was. Seris led her toward the center of the settlement, where a wide stone platform rose slightly above the rest. A shallow fire pit burned there, its flames tinted faintly blue by mineral salts. This is as safe as it gets," Seris said. "For now. Lyra looked around.
Safe from the Council?
Safe from their reach, Seris replied. "Not from their interest. A few of the onlookers turned away as they passed, returning to quiet conversations. Others lingered, studying Lyra with unmasked curiosity. A woman with greying hair and sharp eyes stepped forward. "Is this her? Seris nodded. "Yes. The woman's gaze swept over Lyra, lingering on the faint glow beneath her skin. She's young.
I know," Seris said.
Lyra bristled. I can hear you. The woman's mouth twitched. Good. It means you're grounded. She extended a hand.
"Eryndra."
Lyra hesitated, then took it. The contact sent a brief pulse through her senses,controlled, disciplined energy. Not Starfire. Something adjacent. Structured. You feel it, Eryndra said softly. Already. Lyra withdrew her hand. I don't know what I'm feeling. That's honest," Eryndra replied. "And dangerous. They moved toward one of the larger structures near the platform. Inside, the air was warmer, scented with herbs and stone dust. Maps were spread across a long table, weighted at the corners by polished fragments of crystal. Kael's face flashed in Lyra's mind without warning.
Is he" Her voice faltered. Seris shook her head once. I don't know. The words hurt more than a clean answer. Eryndra gestured for Lyra to sit. You felt something during the eclipse.
"Yes."
Not a surge," Seris added. "A call. Lyra nodded slowly. It pulled. Like gravity. Eryndra exchanged a look with Seris.
"Then it's begun."
Lyra's chest tightened. You keep saying that. Begun what?The return, Eryndra said. Of things that should have stayed buried. Seris leaned forward. The Starborn were never just weapons or symbols. They were anchors.
"For what?" Lyra asked.
For balance, Eryndra replied. Between what lives under the sky… and what waits beyond it. The words settled uneasily. You're saying the eclipse opened something," Lyra said. It weakened the boundary,mSeris corrected. "And your awakening didn't help. Lyra laughed once, sharp and humorless. "So this is my fault now. "No," Eryndra said firmly. It's your inheritance. A deep sound rolled through the valley then,low, resonant, too deliberate to be thunder. The ground vibrated faintly beneath their feet. Lyra went still. "That sound…"
Yes, Seris said. You hear it because you can.
"Others can't?" Lyra asked.
They feel it, Eryndra replied. You hear it. The difference chilled her. Seris straightened. We need to test her. Lyra stiffened.
"Test?"
Control, Seris clarified. Range. Response.
"I didn't agree to...
You agreed when you stopped running, Seris said quietly. Lyra closed her eyes for a moment, then opened them. "Fine."
They led her outside, beyond the central platform, to a cleared ring of stone etched with faint markings. Lyra recognized the pattern instinctively,containment, not suppression.
Stand in the center, Eryndra said.
Lyra did.
Release, Seris instructed. Slowly.
Lyra swallowed and let the Starfire rise,not in a burst, but in measured breaths. Light bled through her skin, brightening the markings beneath her feet. The air grew warm, charged. She felt it then,resistance. Not from the circle, but from the space beyond it. As if something pressed back when she pushed outward.
Do you feel that? Seris asked.
Yes, Lyra whispered. Something's… answering.
Eryndra's expression tightened. That's not the boundary. The ground shuddered violently. A cry rose from the edge of the settlement. Torches flared as people turned toward the valley's eastern ridge. A shape moved there,too large, too wrong, its outline bending the night around it. The air screamed as it crossed into the world, reality stretching thin in its wake.
Lyra gasped. The Starfire surged in panic.
Hold it, Seris snapped. Do not flare.
"What is that?" Lyra demanded.
Eryndra's voice was grim. A Herald.
The shape resolved slightly,limbs unfolding, eyes igniting like embers in a hollow skull of shadow. It shouldn't be able to cross yet," Seris said. "The boundary isn't that weak. The Herald let out a sound that was not sound at all, a pressure that made Lyra's vision blur. And then...clarity. The Starfire aligned, not in chaos but in focus. The noise faded, replaced by a single, terrifying certainty.
It sees me.
Lyra met Seris's gaze, fear and resolve colliding in her chest. It's not here by accident.
No, Seris said. It never is.
The Herald took another step into the valley.
And the circle beneath Lyra's feet began to crack.