The feeling of being watched didn't go away.
Even after Cassian disappeared from the rooftop across the street, the tension in the air stayed heavy, like something unseen was pressing down on the entire district.
I leaned against the railing, scanning the surrounding buildings again.
Nothing.
Just glass towers, quiet offices, and the early morning traffic beginning to thicken below.
But my instincts wouldn't settle.
"You're sure someone else was watching?" I asked.
Kael didn't look away from the skyline.
"Yes."
"More hunters?"
"No."
"That somehow sounds worse."
Kael finally turned to face me.
"It usually is."
I rubbed my hands over my face, trying to wake up my exhausted brain.
"So let me get this straight," I said. "In the last twelve hours we've been attacked by hunters, visited by a shadow spirit, contacted by a mysterious observer, and now there's another unknown group spying on us."
"Yes."
"That feels excessive."
Kael shrugged slightly.
"You are becoming important."
"That's the worst explanation so far."
My phone buzzed again.
My stomach tightened instantly.
"Please don't be another creepy message," I muttered.
I looked at the screen.
This time it wasn't an unknown number.
It was Lyra.
I frowned.
"You've got to be kidding me."
Kael noticed the name immediately.
"What does she want?"
I opened the message.
Lyra: You met Cassian.
I stared at the screen.
"How does she—"
Another message appeared before I finished the sentence.
Lyra: Relax. I wasn't watching you. But I know how he operates.
I typed back quickly.
Me: You have a bad habit of appearing when things get weird.
Three dots appeared instantly.
Lyra: Things are about to get much weirder.
I sighed.
"That's becoming the theme of my life."
Kael crossed his arms.
"What does she say?"
I read the message out loud.
His expression didn't change.
"Ask her what she wants."
I typed again.
Me: What do you want?
A moment passed.
Then her reply appeared.
Lyra: To keep you alive.
I snorted.
"Sure."
Me: You have a strange way of doing that.
A few seconds passed before her next message.
Lyra: Meet me.
I looked at Kael.
"She wants to meet."
"Where?"
I read the new message as it appeared.
Lyra: South Harbor. Pier 17. One hour.
I raised an eyebrow.
"That sounds like a setup."
Kael nodded.
"It probably is."
"So we're not going."
Kael looked at me.
"We are going."
I sighed.
"Of course we are."
—
An hour later, the rain had completely stopped, but thick clouds still covered the sky.
South Harbor was quiet in the early morning. Cargo ships rested along the docks, and the smell of saltwater mixed with diesel fuel drifted through the air.
Pier 17 was nearly empty.
Which made it the perfect place for an ambush.
I walked beside Kael along the wooden boards of the pier, my hands buried in my jacket pockets.
"You ever notice how all suspicious meetings happen in places like this?" I asked.
"Yes."
"Why can't it ever be a café?"
"Because cafés have witnesses."
"Fair point."
The harbor water below us moved slowly, dark and calm.
Then I saw her.
Lyra stood near the end of the pier, leaning casually against the railing.
Her long gray coat fluttered slightly in the wind.
She looked exactly the same as the night before.
Relaxed.
Confident.
Like she wasn't worried about anything.
"Nice meeting spot," I said as we approached.
Lyra smiled faintly.
"I like the view."
Kael stopped a few feet away from her.
"You shouldn't have contacted him."
Lyra sighed.
"You're still protective."
"Answer the question."
She looked past him at me.
"You met Cassian."
"Yeah," I said. "He seems… weird."
Lyra laughed softly.
"That's a polite description."
"You know him?"
"Everyone in our world knows him."
I frowned.
"That doesn't explain anything."
Lyra pushed herself away from the railing.
"Cassian belongs to an organization called the Observers."
I blinked.
"That sounds exactly like what he called himself."
"Yes."
"And they do what exactly?"
"They watch powerful events."
"That's vague."
"They record history while it's happening."
I crossed my arms.
"So they're basically supernatural journalists?"
Lyra smirked.
"Something like that."
Kael's voice remained cold.
"They also interfere when necessary."
Lyra didn't deny it.
"Sometimes."
I frowned.
"And why are they interested in me?"
Lyra's eyes met mine.
"Because your bloodline hasn't appeared in over four hundred years."
That number hit me like a punch.
"Four hundred?"
"Yes."
"And suddenly I show up."
"Yes."
"And now everyone is paying attention."
Lyra nodded.
"Exactly."
I rubbed the back of my neck.
"That's a lot of pressure."
Lyra studied me carefully.
"You still don't understand what you are."
"Apparently not."
"The First Shadow bloodline is not just rare," she said quietly.
"It's legendary."
Kael stepped forward.
"That legend nearly destroyed the shadow realm."
Lyra didn't argue.
"That's true."
I stared at both of them.
"Okay, hold on."
I pointed at myself.
"You're telling me my ancestors almost destroyed an entire realm?"
"Yes," they both said.
"Great."
Lyra leaned slightly closer.
"And the thing that spoke to you last night?"
My stomach tightened.
"You know about that too?"
"Yes."
"What was it?"
Lyra's voice dropped.
"A fragment."
"A fragment of what?"
She hesitated.
Then answered.
"Of the First Shadow itself."
The pier suddenly felt much colder.
"You mean… the original owner of this bloodline?"
"Yes."
I exhaled slowly.
"Okay. That's terrifying."
Lyra nodded.
"It should be."
Kael stepped between us again.
"Why are you telling him this?"
Lyra's expression became serious.
"Because something else is coming."
I groaned.
"Everyone keeps saying that."
"This time," Lyra said quietly, "it's different."
"Why?"
She looked directly into my eyes.
"Because the shadow realm is starting to open."
My pulse quickened.
"Open… how?"
"Cracks."
"Cracks?"
"Small fractures between worlds."
Kael's voice hardened.
"That should not be possible."
Lyra shrugged.
"It shouldn't."
"Then what's causing it?"
Lyra glanced at me.
"That's the question."
A heavy silence fell over the pier.
Finally I sighed.
"So basically," I said, "my powers are waking up, ancient shadow beings are appearing, hunters are trying to kill me, mysterious observers are watching me…"
"Yes," Lyra said.
"And now another dimension might be breaking open."
"Yes."
I rubbed my face.
"I miss my old life."
Lyra gave a faint smile.
"I'm sure you do."
Kael looked out across the harbor.
His voice was quiet.
"If the shadow realm opens…"
Lyra finished the sentence for him.
"Then the things trapped inside it will come through."
A cold chill spread through my chest.
I stared out at the dark water beneath the pier.
"Let me guess," I muttered.
"That's very bad."
Lyra nodded slowly.
"Yes."
Then she looked back at me.
"And you're the only one who might be able to stop it."