ВойтиI owe you guys an apology 🙇. I disappeared for a while, but not because I stopped caring...this story and these characters mean too much to me. Thank you for waiting and for staying with me 🤍.
{Lyra's pov} ~Not all family is blood Some arrive gently and choose to stay~ The training grounds pulsed with movement. Not the clang of heavy swords but the dull thud of fists meeting flesh, the sharp scrape of boots against packed earth, and the quick flash of daggers changing hands too fast for the untrained eye to follow. Ash and Aiden were in the middle of it. Their shirts were discarded somewhere near the edge of the field leaving sweat-slicked skin gleaming under the sun. Muscles flexed and tightened with every strike, every dodge, every brutal counter. This kind of training wasn’t just about strength. It demanded speed. Precision. Awareness. One wrong move, one delayed reaction, and a dagger could find a vulnerable spot. Ash fought like a tactician even with his fists controlled, efficient. He twisted an opponent’s wrist sharply, disarming him with ease and sending the dagger spinning into the dirt before landing a solid strike to the man’s chest.
{Lyra’s POV} The air still felt heavy after what happened. My reflection in their eyes haunted me—the way my irises burned red, the way my body trembled as if I were someone else entirely. I had cried into Ash and Aiden’s arms until my throat was raw, until their warmth calmed the storm inside me. But even now, sitting in the courtyard garden under the silver moon, the unease refused to leave. The night breeze carried the scent of flowers and damp earth, yet instead of peace, it only made me feel like the world was holding its breath. I drew my knees closer, wrapping my arms around myself. My heart still raced at the memory of that crimson reflection. Was that really me “Lyra.” The soft voice broke through my thoughts. I looked up—and froze. Kiel. His dark hair shimmered faintly in the moonlight, and his smile… gentle. Too gentle. “I didn’t mean to intrude,” he said, lifting his hands slightly as though I were some startled deer he might spook. “I just wanted to
{Lyra’s POV}I stretched with a soft yawn, the silk sheets rustling beneath me. Another slow morning, another blurry dream I couldn’t quite piece together. Ever since I woke up in this palace—nothing felt real… and yet, somehow, everything felt too real.I pulled myself out of bed, dragging my bare feet across the cold marble floor. The large mirror near the wardrobe caught my eye, and I stepped toward it like I did every morning. This simple routine—washing my face, brushing my hair, seeing me—was all I had. All I knew.But this time, something was different.I froze.My reflection stared back at me, just as it always did—messy silver hair, pale skin, slightly parted lips. But my eyes… oh gods… my eyes weren’t mine.They were glowing.A deep, rich red, glimmering like molten rubies, shimmered in place of my usual warm brown.I staggered back from the mirror with a gasp, nearly tripping over my own feet.“No… no, that’s not—this isn’t me,” I whispered, hands trembling as I reached up
{Lyra’s POV}My heart thundered in my chest.Ash’s body blocked me from Kael’s view, his stance protective and ready to strike. Aiden flanked his brother, equally tense, a low growl vibrating in his chest.Kael didn’t flinch. He just stood there– unbothered, eyes glinting with something I couldn’t quite name.“A word of advice,” Ash said coldly, “Back off.”Kael raised a brow, a slow smirk tugging at the corner of his lips. “And what if I don’t?”Tension rippled like a current. The air thickened. The twins were about to explode—and then…Kael's entire demeanor shifted.The sharpness in his gaze melted into something softer. Almost innocent.He dropped his arms in mock surrender and stepped back casually. “Relax, I didn’t come here to fight,” he said lightly, brushing nonexistent dust from his dark coat. “I just wanted to see her. That’s all.”Ash narrowed his eyes. “See her?”“To say thank you.” Kael turned toward me, expression unreadable. “For saving me… back then, in the forest. R
{Lyra’s POV}Lying in bed all day was beginning to drive me crazy.The room was lovely—soft sheets, the scent of lavender in the air, and sunlight gently spilling in from the arched windows—but I felt caged. Like a porcelain doll, too fragile to be moved.I sat up slowly, wincing just a little. “I want to go outside,” I said.Ash looked up from the book he was pretending to read, and Aiden perked immediately from the corner, where he’d been folding and refolding a shirt for the tenth time.“Outside?” Aiden asked, like I’d just suggested skydiving off the roof. “Are you sure?”“I’m not made of glass,” I said with a half-smile. “I just need air. Please?”They exchanged that weird twin look—one of those silent conversations I still hadn’t figured out. Then they both nodded.“Fine,” Ash said, setting the book down. “But we’re coming with you.”“Obviously,” Aiden added.I rolled my eyes fondly and slipped off the bed. “I’ll go get ready.”****After a warm bath, I stood in front of the war
{Ash’s POV}The room was still.Too still.Lyra had fallen asleep again, her breathing soft and even beneath the dim golden glow of the bedside lamp. I watched her chest rise and fall like it was the most fragile thing in the world. Like if I looked away, she might disappear again.Aiden sat on the armchair across from the bed, arms draped over his knees, fingers clutched together in a silent prayer he’d never say out loud. We’d been here for hours. We hadn’t left her side since she woke up. And we wouldn’t. Not now. Not ever.“I keep hoping she’ll open her eyes and just… remember,” he whispered.His voice cracked on the last word.“She will,” I said, though I wasn’t sure who I was trying to convince—him or myself.Aiden looked at me, brows furrowed. “What if she doesn’t?”I exhaled slowly, leaning back against the headboard. “Then we’ll help her remember. One piece at a time.”He fell silent again. The kind of silence that felt loud. Heavy.“She was everything to us,” he murmured aft







