Tous les chapitres de : Chapitre 31 - Chapitre 40

Lyra's POV Morning felt… wrong. Not because anything had happened—but because nothing had. No alarms. No whispers of danger creeping through the halls. No tension thick enough to choke on. Just the usual rhythm of the academy waking up—students talking, footsteps echoing through corridors, distant laughter carried on the breeze. It should have been comforting. It wasn’t. I walked beside Nira through the eastern corridor, sunlight pouring in through the tall windows and stretching across the stone floor. My shadows trailed faintly behind me, thinner than usual, but not gone. Never gone. “You’re doing it again,” Nira said, glancing at me. “Doing what?” “Thinking too much.” I exhaled slowly. “It’s too quiet.” She smiled, like she’d heard that one too many times. “You’ve said that every day this week.” “And I’ll keep saying it until something happens.” Because something always did. We stepped out onto the training grounds, and I immediately spotted Kaelen near t

Lyra's POV I woke to the soft warmth lingering from the night before, the faint residual glow of Kaelen’s presence still clinging to the room. My shadows curled lazily along my legs, no longer tense or wary, as if they had finally allowed themselves to relax after the closeness we had shared. For a moment, I just stayed there, letting the calm sink in. Kaelen was already awake, the faint golden flicker of his light moving gently across the room as he practiced the smallest controlled outputs, each motion measured, precise. I wanted to leave immediately. Go back to my room, return to routine, to normalcy, Just like the previous day. But I didn’t. Not yet. Not while he was here, steady and present, the weight of his gaze gentle but undeniably attentive. “You’re awake,” he said softly, without turning fully toward me. “I fell asleep again,” I murmured, brushing a strand of hair from my face. “I didn’t wake you.” he replied simply. His calm certainty made my chest tighten in

Lyra's POV I shouldn’t have gone back to his room. I knew that before I even reached the door. Knew it in the way my shadows curled tighter around me, not in warning—but in anticipation. Knew it in the way my heartbeat refused to steady no matter how slowly I breathed. And still— I knocked. The door opened almost immediately. Kaelen stood there, like he had been expecting me. Not surprised. Not questioning. Just… there. Waiting. For a moment, neither of us spoke. The silence wasn’t awkward. It was heavy. Charged. “I wasn’t sure you would come,” he said quietly. “I wasn’t sure either,” I admitted. That much was true. But I hadn’t turned away. He stepped aside, letting me in. This time, I didn’t hesitate. The door closed behind me with a soft click that felt louder than it should have. Final. “You felt it today,” I said, turning toward him. “During training.” It wasn’t a question. His jaw tightened slightly. “Yes.” “Valen.” “He’s

Lyra's POV The academy did not return to normal. It couldn’t. By the time we left the training grounds, word had already begun to spread. Not clearly. Not accurately. But enough. Students moved differently in the corridors—voices lower, eyes sharper, conversations cutting off the moment anyone unfamiliar passed by. The usual rhythm of the academy had fractured into something uneasy and restrained. Fear. Not loud. Not chaotic. But present. I felt it in every step. “They’re going to lock this place down,” Cassian muttered as we walked, his voice quieter than usual. “For once, that might not be a bad idea,” Nira replied, though her usual lightness was missing. Tarik said nothing, but his gaze moved constantly—watching exits, corners, shadows. Elsa walked beside us, calm as ever. Too calm. I noticed it. And I hated that I noticed it. My shadows shifted uneasily around me. Not reacting to her. Just… aware. “We don’t turn on each other,” I said su

Lyra's POV The academy woke differently. Not with noise. Not with routine. With control. Guards lined the corridors before most students had even stepped out of their rooms. Not the usual academy guards—these were royal. Armored. Silent. Watching everything. I slowed as I stepped into the hallway, my shadows shifting faintly at my feet. This wasn’t precaution. This was containment. Students gathered in small clusters, voices low, eyes moving too quickly, too carefully. No one lingered long in one place. No one trusted stillness. Good. Because neither did I. “You look like you didn’t sleep.” I turned slightly. Nira. Her tone was light. Her eyes were not. “I did,” I replied. It wasn’t a lie. Just not the full truth. Her gaze lingered on me a moment longer than usual—then shifted, scanning the corridor behind me. “They’ve locked the outer gates,” she said quietly. “No one in. No one out.” “That won’t stop them,” I replied. “No,” she agre