LYRA'S POV
(DAY ONE AFTER INTERVENTION)
"Broken."
That was the only word for what I'd become.
I existed in three places simultaneously—my physical body in the sanctuary office, reviewing closure proceedings documentation. A fragment of consciousness in shadow spaces, monitoring the twenty-three evacuated students as they traveled deeper into unclaimed territories. Another fragment trapped in dimensional layers where the intervened students' lost potential echoed like ghosts of what they could have been.
"Lyra." Maya's voice cut through the fragmented chaos. "Elder Thane needs to speak with you. The Council is accelerating the closure vote."
Accelerating. Of course they were.
I pulled myself together—most of myself—consolidating enough to appear coherent even though pieces of my awareness remained scattered across states I might never fully reclaim. The effort cost me. Everything costs me now.
