For a long moment, no one spoke.
The harbor stretched out before us, gray and endless under the heavy clouds. Waves rolled slowly against the wooden supports of the pier, and somewhere in the distance a cargo ship's horn echoed across the water.
But all I could hear was what Lyra had just said.
You're the only one who might be able to stop it.
I stared at the dark water beneath the pier.
"Okay," I said slowly, "I'm going to pretend you didn't just say that."
Lyra raised an eyebrow.
"Why?"
"Because every time someone says something like that, the situation gets worse."
"That's usually how it works."
I rubbed my temples.
"Fantastic."
Kael stepped forward slightly, his gaze fixed on Lyra.
"Explain."
Lyra crossed her arms and leaned back against the railing again.
"The cracks between worlds are growing."
"That should not be possible," Kael repeated.
"And yet it's happening."
I pointed at both of them.
"Quick question."
Neither of them answered.
"How do you even know there are cracks between worlds?"
Lyra nodded toward the city skyline.
"Because they're already appearing."
My stomach tightened.
"Where?"
"Everywhere."
That wasn't comforting.
She continued, "Small distortions at first. Shadows moving where there are no objects. Cold spots that don't match the environment. People hearing voices in empty places."
I frowned.
"That sounds like a horror movie."
Lyra didn't smile.
"It's worse than that."
Kael's voice turned sharp.
"When did this start?"
Lyra thought for a moment.
"A few weeks ago."
My heart skipped.
"A few weeks?"
"Yes."
Kael looked at me.
"The same time your bloodline awakened."
I blinked.
"Wait."
I pointed at myself.
"You're not saying I caused it, right?"
Lyra shook her head.
"No."
I exhaled.
"Good."
"But your awakening may have accelerated it."
My relief disappeared instantly.
"Of course it did."
The wind picked up across the harbor, carrying the smell of salt and oil from the nearby docks.
I shoved my hands into my pockets.
"So these cracks… what exactly comes through them?"
Lyra's expression grew serious.
"Things that were sealed away."
"That sounds extremely bad."
"It is."
Kael folded his arms.
"The barrier between realms was created for a reason."
I looked at him.
"You're really good at saying scary things without explaining them."
"The shadow realm is not meant to interact with our world," Kael said.
"Why?"
"Because many of the creatures that exist there are… unstable."
I raised an eyebrow.
"Unstable how?"
Lyra answered.
"Imagine a predator that feeds on shadow energy."
"Okay…"
"And then imagine placing that predator in a world filled with shadows everywhere."
My stomach dropped.
"Right. That's bad."
Kael nodded once.
"Very."
For a moment we all stared out at the harbor again.
Then something occurred to me.
"Wait."
Lyra looked at me.
"What?"
"You said the cracks started a few weeks ago."
"Yes."
"And the hunters have been after me since then."
"Yes."
"So they know about this too."
Lyra nodded.
"Of course they do."
"Then why are they still trying to kill me?"
Kael answered that one.
"Because they believe the safest solution is eliminating the bloodline entirely."
I stared at him.
"That's their solution?"
"Yes."
"Kill the only person who might stop the problem."
"Yes."
I shook my head.
"That's impressively stupid."
Lyra smirked slightly.
"The hunters prefer simple solutions."
Kael didn't disagree.
My phone vibrated again in my pocket.
I groaned.
"Another message?"
I pulled it out.
Unknown number.
Again.
I hesitated before opening it.
Lyra noticed.
"Problem?"
"I keep getting messages from people who shouldn't have my number."
"What does it say?"
I looked at the screen.
The message was short.
LOOK UP.
My pulse quickened.
"Okay," I muttered.
"That's not ominous at all."
Kael's eyes narrowed instantly.
"Do not—"
But I had already lifted my head.
Above us, the sky twisted.
At first I thought it was just the storm clouds shifting.
Then the air itself began to distort.
Like heat waves rippling across the sky.
Except the temperature dropped suddenly.
The shadows along the pier stretched unnaturally long.
Lyra stepped away from the railing.
"Kael…"
"I see it."
The distortion in the sky deepened.
A thin line of darkness split across the clouds.
Like someone had cut the sky open with a knife.
My stomach sank.
"That's a crack, isn't it?"
Lyra nodded slowly.
"Yes."
The tear widened slightly.
Dark energy spilled from the opening like smoke.
The shadows beneath the pier twisted violently.
Kael drew his blade instantly.
"Back away from the edge."
I stepped backward slowly.
"Please tell me something isn't coming out of that."
Lyra didn't answer.
Which was answer enough.
The tear in the sky widened another inch.
Something moved inside it.
A shape.
Large.
Too large.
My pulse began racing.
"Oh no."
Kael's voice was calm but tense.
"Adrian."
"Yeah?"
"Prepare yourself."
"Prepare for what?"
The shape behind the crack shifted again.
Then two massive glowing eyes appeared within the darkness.
They opened slowly.
Watching us.
The air across the harbor turned ice cold.
My chest tightened as the bloodline reacted violently.
The shadows around my feet surged upward like a living storm.
Lyra whispered under her breath.
"It's already happening…"
I swallowed hard.
"What is that thing?"
Kael's voice was grim.
"A scout."
My jaw dropped.
"That's a scout?!"
The creature's eyes burned brighter within the crack in the sky.
And something deep in my bloodline recognized it.
Not as an enemy.
But as something much older.
Much more powerful.
The crack widened another inch.
And for the first time since this nightmare began…
I realized the war between worlds had already started.