CHAPTER 17 — THE SHATTERED REALMS
The moment Kai and Lyra stepped through the rift, the world dissolved into splintered light.
A wind like broken glass cut across their faces, though it didn't wound—only stung enough to remind them they were no longer inside a single world. The Shattered Realms were fragments of realities, drifting like islands in a void of glowing dusk. Some pieces were the size of cities; others no larger than a floating stone. All of them turned slowly, quietly, as if they were asleep.
Lyra tightened her hold on Kai's wrist as gravity shifted under them.
"Is this… normal?" she whispered.
Kai managed a breath. "Define normal when the sky is upside down."
Above them—or below—massive arches of ancient forests floated like broken crescent moons. Rivers poured from one fragment into the open air, only to be sucked into another floating piece, as though the laws of physics gave up long ago.
Kai steadied Lyra as another gust shifted the platform they stood on. She stumbled toward him, hands grabbing his shoulders for balance. For a heartbeat, they were close, too close; her breath brushed his chin, and the heat of her fingers through his coat sent an unexpected shiver down his spine.
Lyra quickly stepped back, cheeks warming.
Kai cleared his throat. "We should… uh… figure out where we are."
"Right," she said, though she didn't quite let go of his sleeve.
Their bond was stronger than ever since Lyra's powers awakened. The same luminous markings that now traced her forearms flickered softly with each emotional spike, and right now they glowed in a rhythm Kai didn't dare interpret.
He caught himself staring.
Lyra noticed and turned away, pretending to inspect a jagged path of floating stones leading toward the next realm.
"Kai," she said gently, "don't look at me like that. You'll make me short-circuit my magic."
He laughed despite the danger around them. Only Lyra could make him feel safe in a place that defied every rule of reality.
NEW THREATS IN A BROKEN WORLD
The Cipher Fox and Sky-Tether Hawk, both in human form, moved ahead, scouting. Their keen senses had guided the group thus far, but even they hesitated at the sight of twisting landscapes.
Riven, the Cipher Fox, sniffed the air.
"Magic residue. Something powerful drifted through here not long ago."
Aeri, the Sky-Tether Hawk, pointed up. "More like several somethings."
Kai followed her gaze.
Shadowy silhouettes shimmered across the fractured sky—creatures shaped like shards of night. Their bodies were razor-thin, their wings jagged like broken mirrors, reflecting distorted versions of the realms around them.
"Shard Wraiths," Lyra whispered. "Guardians of the Hollow Queen. She must be near."
Kai's body tensed.
He knew a confrontation with the Hollow Queen was inevitable… but with Lyra now awakened, the emotional stakes were heavier. The Hollow Queen didn't just want power. She wanted her daughter back.
Whether Lyra wished it or not.
"Stay close," Kai murmured, stepping slightly in front of Lyra.
"You know I can fight, right?" she teased, though her voice carried a soft warmth.
"I know," he said. "But that doesn't mean I won't protect you."
Her breath caught—just for a moment—and she looked away before her glowing markings betrayed her feelings.
THE PATH OF MEMORY
As they moved through the jagged floating plains, Lyra suddenly halted.
"Kai," she whispered. "Do you hear that?"
He listened. The shattered realms hummed with constant magic, but underneath that hum came a faint melody—soft, haunting, familiar.
A lullaby.
Lyra gasped. "That's… my mother's song. Before she changed. Before she became…" Her voice cracked.
Kai reached out slowly, as if touching her fear. "You don't have to face her alone."
"I know." She inhaled shakily. "But part of me… still remembers her kindness."
Kai's heart twisted—not in jealousy but in a fierce wish to shield her from the pain she clearly didn't deserve.
He placed his hand lightly on her back. "Whatever she is now, you're not responsible for her choices."
Lyra turned toward him, surprised, grateful, and something else—something tender.
"I don't know what I'd do without you, Kai."
"You'll never have to find out."
The way they stared at each other lingered longer than either of them admitted out loud.
NEW FRIEND, NEW DANGER
The ground vibrated.
The Cipher Fox leapt back, transforming midair into his fox form. "Something's emerging!"
The stone beneath them cracked. A huge figure rose—mechanical, crystalline, humming with unstable energy.
A Shattered Titan.
Kai pulled Lyra behind him. "A Titan this close to the Hollow Queen's domain? That's not chance."
Aeri drew her sky-forged blades. "Then this is a warning."
The Titan roared, its voice a metallic thunder that shook the floating islands. It lunged forward with jagged arms.
Kai's power ignited instinctively—lightning crackled along his arms, blue flames spiraled in his palms, earth rose beneath his feet.
Lyra mirrored him, her newly awakened abilities glowing brilliantly—light curling like ribbons around her fingers, forming twin crescent-shaped blades.
"Kai?" she asked, meeting his eyes.
"Yeah?"
"Let's show this realm why it shouldn't have messed with us."
He grinned. "Ladies first."
Their teamwork was flawless—almost too perfect. Lyra sliced through the Titan's arm with a burst of light, while Kai struck its core with elemental force. Aeri dove from above, wings flaring in human shape, slicing through magic nodes exposed by their attacks. Riven darted in fox form across the Titan's legs, destabilizing its stance.
The Titan collapsed, shattering into dust-like fragments of reality.
Lyra stumbled, the last surge of power draining her. Kai caught her before she fell, his arms circling her waist.
"You okay?" he asked softly.
Her fingers curled around his collar, breath warming his neck. "I am… now."
The closeness lingered.
Too long.
And yet, neither moved.
THE QUEEN'S WHISPER
Before Kai could speak—before Lyra could step back—a cold breeze swept through the realm.
Every fragment of floating land stilled.
A voice echoed across the void, melodic and sharp as broken crystal:
"Lyra… my daughter. Come home."
Lyra stiffened, her grip on Kai tightening.
Kai held her firmly. "Don't listen to her."
The Hollow Queen's silhouette appeared across the next floating fragment—a tall, haunting figure crowned in fractured light, cloak trailing into endless darkness.
Her eyes fixed on Kai first.
"You've taken what belongs to me, child of stolen power."
Kai felt Lyra's fear spike.
Then the Queen's gaze shifted to her daughter—softening, aching, yearning.
"Lyra… you were never meant to walk beside him. Only beside me."
Lyra stepped back—not away from Kai, but closer to him.
Her voice trembled, but her resolve didn't.
"I'm not yours to claim. Not anymore."
Kai felt something warm and fierce swell inside him.
Lyra's glow intensified as she added:
"And I choose him."
The Hollow Queen's expression shattered into fury.
The entire realm screamed.
The floating islands cracked. Gravity spun violently. Shard Wraiths began pouring through rips in the sky.
Kai pulled Lyra close, shielding her as the world broke apart around them.
Whatever chapter came next…
whatever destiny awaited…
They would face it together.
Hand in hand.
Heart to heart.
No matter the cost.