Chapter 4

When Mother ended the surveillance feed, the image remained too blurred to prove what had happened. It still showed that my body had not changed position for hours.

She chose the explanation that asked nothing of her.

When the five-day coming-of-age trial ended, Elara was the first candidate out of the arena. Her life mark had stabilized, its silver lines clear around her wrist.

“I passed!” She caught Father’s arm, then looked toward our territory. “My life mark is stable, so the prophecy was wrong. We can go home and let Lyra out now.”

Father’s eyes reddened as he checked her mark and nodded. “Of course. We’ll leave now.”

“She’s been locked up for five days,” Elara said. “She hasn’t eaten or answered a single message. We need to take her to a healer.”

Mother wiped her tears as she entered the car. “I was too harsh. If Lyra apologizes, she’ll receive everything Elara does from now on. Once she recovers, we can complete the blessing at the Temple of the First Moon together.”

For eighteen years, I had waited to hear them promise that they would treat me fairly. Now that the words had finally come, they carried surprisingly little weight.

Only after Elara’s life mark stabilized had they remembered their other daughter needed care. Mother’s promise still came with conditions. I had to apologize, obey, and prove I would never inconvenience Elara before earning a share of their love.

I had no use for it anymore.

At the estate, Elara ran straight to the kitchen. The meat pie she had left in the oven remained untouched, its filling sour and its crust dried hard.

“She didn’t eat anything.”

Elara raced toward the underground level. “Lyra hasn’t come out in five days. Something happened to her!”

Mother followed her into the corridor. Her guilt hardened into anger when she saw the silver door still locked. She struck the panel.

“Lyra, the trial is over. How much longer are you going to continue this?”

My body remained silent behind the door.

“Do you know how worried Elara has been? She couldn’t eat or sleep, and she asked about you after every round. She came home safely, and you’re still punishing her with your silence.”

I had been dead for five days, yet they could still find new crimes in my silence.

Father stepped forward, containing his anger. “You have disappointed me. We worried about you, while you chose to hide here and waste everyone’s time. Do you feel any remorse?”

Elara moved between them and the door. “She wouldn’t ignore us without a reason. She hasn’t opened my messages or moved on the surveillance feed. Why do you still think she’s pretending?”

Their expressions froze, and the corridor fell quiet.

Ronan hurried down the stairs with his phone. “I called Lyra’s trial instructor to ask whether an exception could be made. He confirmed she missed the trial and filed an emergency report. Mooncrest wants to know whether anyone prevented her from leaving the territory.”

He turned toward the silver door. “Did you contact him beforehand, Lyra? Why did you make this a formal investigation? Academy intervention could freeze Elara’s result.”

Mother’s hesitation vanished. “We raised you for eighteen years, and this is how you repay us? You missed your trial, so now you want the academy to invalidate Elara’s result?”

Father’s voice went cold. “Elara has always defended you, and you keep trying to drag her down. We returned immediately and planned to include you in the Temple of the First Moon blessing. What else do you want from this family?”

I had never contacted my instructor or requested a review. He had noticed that his student was missing and responded as a responsible adult should.

My parents had already written the accusation and delivered the verdict. They had practiced that skill for eighteen years.

Elara alone refused to join them. She grasped the silver handle and looked up at the unchanged green status light.

“Lyra hasn’t replied in five days,” she said. “She hasn’t moved on the surveillance feed, and I still can’t feel her through our twin bond. Open the door.”

“Enough!”

Mother yanked Elara away and pulled her behind her, as though I remained the danger in that room.

“We told her where the spare key was. She could have opened the door from inside. If she refuses to come out, she is deliberately delaying us.”

Elara struck the wall but regained her balance. Her gaze returned to the locked door.