Lyra's POV
Guards close in around me. My mother stands beside Domitius, her face empty of emotion. Like I'm a stranger. Like she didn't give birth to me.
You created me? My voice shakes. That's what you're claiming?
Not claiming, Mira says coldly. Stating fact. The Council hired me twenty-three years ago to help design their perfect weapon. I provided the raw material. You.
The Court erupts in shocked whispers. Even the gods look disturbed.
But you're my mother, I whisper.
I'm a scientist who was paid very well to contribute to an important project. No emotion. No regret. Just facts. You were always meant to execute Kairos. That's your purpose. Your only purpose.
Something inside me cracks.
Domitius smiles like he's won. You see, Judge Lyra? You're not a person with choices. You're a weapon. And weapons do what they're designed to do.
No. The word comes out stronger than I feel.
No? Domitius's smile vanishes. You dare refuse?
I dare question. I straighten my spine, refusing to look weak. If I was designed to execute Kairos, then this trial is a lie. You already decided he's guilty. You don't want justice. You want legal murder.
The crowd goes silent. Even Theron looks shocked.
Domitius's face darkens. Guards, seize
Wait! Kairos's voice cuts through the chaos. Let her speak. She has that right under ancient law.
Domitius glares at him. You don't give orders here, prisoner.
Ancient law supersedes Council authority, Kairos says calmly. Every accused has the right to hear their judge's full reasoning. Unless you want to admit this trial is illegal?
Domitius's jaw clenches. He can't refuse without exposing the whole conspiracy.
Fine, he spits. Speak, girl. But choose your words carefully.
All eyes turn to me again. My heart hammers. This is it. My only chance.
I cannot judge Kairos because the witnesses are lying, I say clearly. Every single one of them. I heard deception in their testimony.
Gasps fill the Court.
Celestia lied about what she saw. Morpheus lied about what he heard. The soldier lied about finding Kairos alone. I look directly at Domitius. They're all hiding something. Which means this entire trial is built on false evidence.
Ridiculous! Theron shouts. Your curse must be broken!
My curse works perfectly, I shoot back. That's the problem, isn't it? You needed me to confirm lies as truth. But I can't. Because Kairos isn't lying.
Domitius stands slowly. You're making a grave mistake.
Am I? Then let Kairos tell his full story. Let him defend himself properly. Unless you're afraid of what he'll say?
The crowd murmurs. Even the gods are watching Domitius now, suspicious.
He's trapped. If he refuses, he looks guilty. If he allows it, Kairos might expose everything.
Very well, Domitius says through gritted teeth. Speak, Kairos. Tell your lies to the Court. But know that every word will be judged.
Kairos stands, chains rattling. He looks exhausted but determined.
Three days before her death, Fate came to me in secret, he begins. His voice carries through the silent Court. She was terrified. Shaking. I'd never seen her like that.
He pauses, pain crossing his face.
She told me she'd foreseen something catastrophic. Something that required her to die to prevent it. She wouldn't tell me what said the knowledge itself would make everything worse. But she begged me to help her die peacefully.
Shocked whispers explode through the crowd.
Lies! Theron shouts. Fate would never ask for death!
She didn't ask lightly, Kairos says, his voice breaking. She cried. Apologized. Told me she'd seen every possible future, and this was the only path where the universe survived.
Silence. Pure, devastating silence.
He's telling the truth.
I refused at first, Kairos continues. Begged her to find another way. But she was certain. So I agreed to be present. To make her final moments peaceful. To hold her hand while she... His voice cracks completely. While she chose to die.
Tears stream down his face. A god, crying openly.
When it was over, the Council guards arrived. They accused me immediately. Wouldn't listen to my explanation. And I... He looks at me. I accepted the blame. Because Fate asked me to. She said someone would come who could hear the truth. Someone who would choose freely. She meant you, Lyra.
My breath catches.
Enough of this! Domitius roars. Judge Lyra, final question. When Kairos claims Fate asked to die, is he lying?
Every eye in the Court turns to me.
My hands shake. My heart races.
This is it. The moment that determines everything.
I open my mouth
And someone screams.
Not in the Court. Outside.
A massive explosion rocks the building. The floor shakes. Cracks appear in the walls.
What Domitius starts.
Another explosion. Closer this time.
The doors burst open. A guard runs in, bleeding and terrified.
Attack! he shouts. We're under attack! The resistance is here! They're freeing the prisoners and
He collapses, dead.
Chaos erupts. Gods teleporting out. Mortals running for exits. Guards drawing weapons.
Through the smoke and panic, I see Kairos watching me.
His chains suddenly shatter.
All of them. Like they were never there.
His power floods back, visible as waves of temporal energy. The exhaustion disappears from his face. His eyes glow with divine light.
He was never drained. Never weakened.
It was all an act.
Kairos walks toward me through the chaos, guards trying and failing to stop him. Time itself seems to bend around him, freezing attackers mid-step.
I'm sorry, he says when he reaches me. Fate said you needed to choose freely. That meant you had to believe I was helpless. Believe the trial was real.
You lied to me, I whisper.
No. Everything I said was truth. But I hid how much power I still had. He extends his hand. The resistance is here to help us escape. Come with me. Leave this place. I'll explain everything.
Behind him, I see Nyx materialize from shadows, fighting Council guards alongside mortals and minor gods.
The resistance. The attack. Kairos's power returning.
It was all planned.
Domitius screams orders, but no one's listening anymore. The Court is collapsing into war.
Lyra! My mother shouts from across the room. Don't! If you leave with him, you're a traitor! They'll hunt you forever!
Kairos keeps his hand extended. Choose, Lyra. Stay here as their weapon or come with me and discover what you really are.
The building shakes again. Fire spreads along the walls.
I stare at his hand, my mind spinning.
Then I see something that makes my blood freeze.
Behind Kairos, barely visible through the smoke
Another figure. Watching us with cold, calculating eyes.
A figure who looks exactly like Fate.
She's not dead. Fate is alive. And she's been watching this entire trial.