Chapter no 25
The Heart Beneath Shadows
Days passed. Maybe weeks. Time had no meaning anymore.Since the Blood Moon's fall, the world had been painted in twilight — neither day nor night, a strange in-between where light fought to exist.
Lyra Voss walked through the ruins of the ancient citadel with silent steps. Her sword — once drenched in power — now hung loosely at her side. The wolf within her still growled for Eira's presence, but her human heart whispered patience.
Every night, when the wind grew still, she returned to the lake. The place where Eira's reflection appeared.Every night, she waited.
And sometimes — just sometimes — the surface of the water glowed faintly, as though it remembered Eira's touch.
That night, Lyra sat on the edge of the lake, her fingers tracing the ripples. "You said you'd always guard me," she whispered. "But I can't feel you anymore."
A sudden chill swept through the air. The moonlight dimmed.
And then — the reflection moved.
It wasn't the water. It wasn't the wind. It was her.Eira Vale.
But not the same. Her reflection was fractured, flickering like broken glass. Her eyes glowed faintly blue — no longer warm, but distant, ethereal.
"Lyra…" her voice echoed softly, like a dream breaking.
Lyra's breath caught. "Eira! Tell me how to bring you back!"
Eira shook her head, her hair floating as if in another world. "You can't. I'm not bound by life anymore. But I found something—someone—who can help."
"Who?" Lyra demanded, her voice trembling.
"The Keeper of Shadows," Eira said. "She guards the veil between the living and the lost. If you find her, you might open the path… for us."
Lyra's heart pounded. "Then I'll find her. No matter where she hides."
Eira's reflection flickered again, pain washing over her face. "But the Keeper will ask for something in return. Something you can't give."
"I'll give anything," Lyra said firmly. "Even my soul."
Eira's eyes softened — love, sorrow, fear, all tangled together. "That's what I'm afraid of."
Before Lyra could answer, the reflection shattered. The water exploded outward, soaking her boots. A whisper followed — a final echo fading into the night:
"Follow the shadow of your heart…"
The light was gone.
Lyra stood in silence, her breath shaking, her eyes burning. Around her, the air shimmered faintly — a new power awakening. Her mark, the one Eira had given her long ago, glowed faintly beneath her skin.
For the first time since the curse broke, Lyra felt something other than pain.Hope.
She looked toward the forest, where the fog was thickest, where the air trembled with secrets.
"That's where I'll find you," she whispered, gripping her sword. "Keeper or not… I'll bring you back, Eira."
And with the moon watching her from above, Lyra stepped into the shadows — her silver eyes glowing like the last promise of night.
The story of the Midnight Daughter was far from over