Lyra did not sleep.
Every time she closed her eyes, the Reach answered. Not with sound, but with sensation. The faint aftershocks of sealed wards, the lingering echo of pressure where the shadows had pressed hardest. The Starfire within her refused to settle, coiled tight and restless, as if it had learned something during the breach and could not forget it.
She rose before the signal bell, dressing quietly and stepping into the corridor while most of the settlement still breathed in shallow half dreams. The stone beneath her feet felt warmer than usual, pulsing faintly with residual energy. The Reach remembered. So did she.
By the time she reached the inner training ring, the space was already occupied.
Seris stood alone at the center, blade drawn, moving through forms with ruthless precision. Each strike cut cleanly through the air, controlled and sharp, her focus absolute. Lyra paused at the edge, watching the way Seris grounded herself through motion, how every breath anchored her to the present.
You should be resting, Seris said without turning.
Lyra stepped forward. I tried.
Seris finally faced her, eyes assessing, not unkind but unyielding. And failed.
Lyra nodded. The Starfire is still loud.
It will be, Seris replied. You touched the core of the Reach last night. You forced it to bend around you. That kind of contact leaves marks, on both sides.
Lyra glanced down at her hands, flexing her fingers. I did what I had to.
Seris sheathed her blade. You did. And that is exactly why this is dangerous.
Before Lyra could respond, Kaelin entered the ring, his presence shifting the air subtly, the way it always did when decisions followed him. Two Watchers trailed behind, faces set, eyes wary.
We have confirmation, Kaelin said. The Council has withdrawn its outer sentinels.
Relief flared briefly in Lyra's chest. Then why do you look like that?
Because they did not retreat, Kaelin replied. They repositioned.
The words landed with slow, deliberate weight.
Repositioned how, Lyra asked.
Kaelin gestured, and one of the Watchers stepped forward, placing a crystal shard on the stone between them. Light flared, forming a shifting image of the surrounding territories. Markers glowed where Council forces had once been scattered. Now they clustered, tightening, moving inward like a closing hand.
They are abandoning perimeter control, Kaelin said. Consolidating power near the Eclipse Line.
Lyra's pulse quickened. That region was unstable even without interference, saturated with residual resonance from previous cycles. You cannot hold that much force there without triggering something.
Kaelin's gaze sharpened. Exactly.
Seris swore softly under her breath. They are baiting you.
Lyra felt the truth of it settle into her bones. The mark on the map stone, the sudden silence from the Council, the pressure she still felt at the edges of her awareness. They were not reacting anymore. They were preparing.
What happens if the Eclipse Line destabilizes, Lyra asked.
Kaelin did not answer immediately. When he did, his voice was low. The Veil thins. Old channels reopen. Things that should remain buried begin to surface.
The Whispering Veil, Lyra murmured.
Yes, Kaelin said. And worse.
The weight of that single word pressed down on the ring, thick and suffocating. Lyra felt the Starfire stir again, not in fear, but recognition.
They want me to come to them, she said.
Seris stepped closer. And they want you off balance when you do.
Lyra looked between them. Then we do not give them that advantage.
Kaelin's brow furrowed. What are you suggesting?
Lyra drew a steady breath. You said I was marked. That I announced myself. If they are watching, then let them see control, not reaction. Let them see restraint.
Seris studied her carefully. That is easy to say. Harder to execute when they start pulling at your power again.
I know, Lyra replied. But if I let them dictate the pace, I lose before anything even begins.
Kaelin considered her words, fingers steepled. There is another complication.
Lyra braced herself.
The Watchers are divided, he continued. Some believe you should be shielded at all costs. Others believe you should be sent beyond the Reach, before your presence draws greater forces here.
Anger flared, sharp and immediate. Sent away? After everything?
Seris's jaw tightened. They fear what they cannot control.
Lyra forced herself to stay calm. And you?
Kaelin met her gaze evenly. I believe hiding you would be a mistake. But forcing you forward too quickly would be just as dangerous.
The silence stretched. Lyra felt it then, a subtle shift beneath her feet, not from the Reach, but from herself. A fracture forming, not in stone, but in certainty.
You do not trust me yet, she said quietly.
Kaelin did not deny it. Trust is earned through consistency. Not moments of crisis.
The truth of that stung more than she expected. Lyra turned away, staring at the stone wall where faint runes glimmered, scars of old defenses layered upon newer ones.
I am not asking you to hand me authority, she said. I am asking you to let me choose how I grow into this.
Seris placed a hand on her shoulder, steady and grounding. And she has earned that much.
Kaelin exhaled slowly. Very well. But understand this. From this moment forward, everything you do will be watched, not just by the Council, but by forces older and far less forgiving. A single misstep could fracture more than wards.
Lyra nodded. I understand.
As if summoned by the weight of that admission, the crystal shard flickered violently. The image warped, markers blinking erratically.
Kaelin moved instantly. What is it?
The Watcher frowned. Energy surge along the outer ravine. Not a breach. A signal.
Lyra felt it too. A ripple through the Starfire, subtle but unmistakable. This was not an attack. It was an invitation.
They are accelerating, she said.
Seris's voice was grim. Then restraint may no longer be enough.
Lyra closed her eyes briefly, steadying herself. When she opened them, the uncertainty had not vanished, but it had sharpened into something usable.
Then we prepare for the moment restraint breaks, she said. On our terms.
Kaelin studied her for a long moment. Then he nodded once.
Very well. Training intensifies. Knowledge expands. No more half truths. If you are to stand at the center of this, you will understand what stands with you, and against you.
The words sent a shiver through her, equal parts dread and anticipation.
As they left the ring together, Lyra felt the Reach stir again, not in warning, but in acknowledgment. The fractures beneath the stone were real, spreading, inevitable.
And for the first time, she understood that the greatest danger was not the shadows pressing in from beyond the Veil, but the choices she would be forced to make when holding everything together demanded sacrifice.