Lyria's POV
Ten seconds.
I make my choice.
I grab Cassian's unconscious body and drag him toward the window with strength I didn't know I had. He's heavy—all muscle and armor—but desperation makes me strong.
"I'm not leaving you behind," I gasp. "Not happening."
Five seconds.
The door explodes inward. Soldiers flood the room.
No time to think. Only time to act.
I wrap my arms around Cassian, close my eyes, and jump out the window.
We fall.
Wind screams past my ears. The ground rushes up to meet us. I'm about to die. We're both about to die.
"STARS, PLEASE!" I scream into the darkness. "HELP US!"
My mark explodes with silver light. It spreads like wings from my back—not real wings, just pure starlight taking that shape. It doesn't stop our fall completely, but it slows us enough that when we hit the ground, we crash hard but survive.
I land on top of Cassian. Pain shoots through my ankle. Above, soldiers shout from the broken window.
"She jumped! Find them!"
I try to stand but my leg screams in protest. Sprained. Maybe broken.
Cassian groans. His eyes flutter open—clear silver for just a moment.
"Lyria?" His voice is weak, confused. "Why didn't you... you should have run..."
"Shut up," I snap, pulling him to his feet. "We're both running. Now move!"
We stumble into the forest just as soldiers pour out of the church. My ankle throbs with each step but I don't stop. Can't stop.
Behind us, torches bob through the darkness. Seraphine's voice rings out: "Find her! She can't have gotten far with a wounded leg!"
We push deeper into the trees. Cassian is getting his strength back, taking more of his own weight. The shadows on his face are receding slowly.
"You saved me," he says, his voice full of wonder. "Even after I tried to—"
"The curse tried," I correct him. "Not you."
"You don't know that."
"Yes, I do." I meet his eyes. "Because you warned me. You fought it long enough to tell me to run. The real you is still in there, fighting."
Something shifts in his expression. Gratitude. Hope. Fear.
We break through into a clearing. A stream cuts through the center, water glittering in the moonlight.
"We need to keep moving," Cassian says, but I collapse beside the stream.
"Can't," I gasp. "Ankle. Need... just need a minute."
He kneels beside me, gently touching my swollen ankle. I wince.
"It's bad," he says. "You shouldn't have jumped. You should have left me."
"I told you to shut up about that." I splash cold water on my face. "We're in this together now. Whether you like it or not."
For the first time since I met him, Cassian almost smiles. Almost.
Then his whole body goes rigid.
"They're close," he whispers. "Too close. And there's something else..."
"What?"
He looks at me, his face pale. "The Shadow Sovereign. I can feel him. He's not just controlling your sister anymore. He's coming here himself. Manifesting in the physical world."
My blood turns to ice. "How is that possible? I thought he was trapped in the void."
"He was. But every star that dies weakens the barriers." Cassian's jaw clenches. "He's using Seraphine's body as an anchor. And now that he knows where you are, he's coming to finish this personally."
The forest suddenly feels colder. Darker.
"How long do we have?"
"Minutes. Maybe less."
I try to stand but my ankle gives out. Cassian catches me.
"You can't run," he says quietly. "And I can't carry you fast enough to escape him."
"Then we fight."
"Fight a god with your weak ankle and my unstable curse?" He shakes his head. "We'll die."
"Then what do we do?" My voice breaks. "Just give up?"
Cassian stares at me for a long moment. Then he does something I never expected.
He kneels before me and pulls out a small dagger. Before I can stop him, he cuts his palm and holds out his bleeding hand.
"What are you doing?"
"A blood oath. The strongest magic binding that exists." His silver eyes are intense. "If you accept this, my life becomes tied to yours. I'll have the strength to fight the curse because breaking it would mean breaking my oath to you. But Lyria..." He hesitates. "If the curse ever fully takes me, the oath will kill us both. Our lives will be linked. If I die, you die. If you die, I die."
"That's insane!"
"It's the only way I can protect you from both the Shadow Sovereign and myself." His hand doesn't waver. "You saved my life when you should have run. Let me return the favor. Let me bind myself to you so completely that the curse can't use me against you."
"But you could die—"
"I'm already dying. The curse is spreading every hour. At least this way, I die protecting you instead of killing you." His voice drops to a whisper. "Please, Lyria. Let me have this one good thing before the end."
Tears blur my vision. This man—this cursed, broken knight—is offering me everything he has left.
I cut my own palm with his dagger.
"If we're dying," I say, taking his hand, "we're dying together. After we save the stars and kick the Shadow Sovereign's butt back to the void where he belongs."
Our blood mixes. The moment our wounds touch, power explodes between us.
Silver and shadow spiral together, weaving into a pattern that burns itself onto both our hearts. I gasp as the mark appears—half starlight, half shadow, perfectly balanced.
The oath is sealed.
I can feel him now. Not just near me, but inside me. His heartbeat matches mine. His pain is my pain. His strength is my strength.
And his curse... I can feel it too. A cold darkness trying to devour him from the inside.
"I'll break it," I promise. "I'll find a way to break your curse."
"Just survive," he says. "That's all I ask."
The trees around us suddenly wither and die. Frost spreads across the ground in patterns that look like screaming faces.
"He's here," Cassian breathes.
The temperature drops so fast I can see my breath. The stream freezes solid. Even the stars above seem to dim.
A voice—ancient, terrible, full of malice—speaks from everywhere and nowhere:
"How touching. The broken knight and the false queen, bound together in blood. This will make destroying you both so much more satisfying."
A figure materializes from the shadows between the trees.
At first, I think it's Seraphine. The body is hers. But everything else is wrong. She floats above the ground, her hair writhing like snakes, her black eyes endless voids. Dark energy pours off her in waves.
The Shadow Sovereign has arrived.
And we're completely surrounded by his army of shadow beasts.
Cassian pulls me behind him, his sword drawn. I can feel his fear through our bond—not fear for himself, but for me.
"Run," I whisper. "You can still—"
"No." His voice is firm. "We made an oath. Where you go, I go. Always."
The Shadow Sovereign laughs, and the sound makes my bones ache.
"How noble. How foolish." He raises Seraphine's hand. "Did you really think you could reach the fallen star? That little light trick you call magic?" He gestures dismissively. "I've been killing stars for weeks. Their power feeds me. Makes me stronger. And soon, when I consume the fallen star myself, I'll have enough power to kill the Moon Goddess herself."
My heart stops. "You can't—"
"Oh, but I can. And I will. Starting with you." Dark energy gathers in his palm, crackling with power. "Any last words, false queen?"
Cassian's grip tightens on his sword. Through our bond, I feel his determination. He's going to try to buy me time to escape, even if it kills him.
I grab his hand. "Together," I whisper.
"Together," he agrees.
The Shadow Sovereign unleashes his attack.
But before the dark energy reaches us, the ground beneath our feet begins to glow.
Silver symbols light up in a circle around us—ancient markings I've never seen before.
"What—" Cassian starts.
The old priest from the church steps out from behind a tree. But he's not old anymore. He stands tall and strong, his eyes glowing with pure white light.
"You made a mistake coming here, Shadow Sovereign," the priest says, his voice echoing with power. "This is sacred ground. Protected by the Moon Goddess herself."
The Shadow Sovereign snarls. "A Guardian? Impossible! The last Guardian died three hundred years ago!"
"The last Guardian went into hiding," the priest—the Guardian—corrects. "Waiting for the Celestial Queen to return. And now she has."
He looks at me, and I see recognition in his eyes.
"Lyria Everen, daughter of the Morning Star, heir to the Celestial Throne." The Guardian kneels. "I've been waiting for you for a very long time."
The shadows around us retreat from the Guardian's light. Even the Shadow Sovereign's form flickers and wavers.
"This changes nothing!" the Shadow Sovereign roars. "She's weak! Untrained! She'll never reach the fallen star in time!"
"Perhaps not alone," the Guardian says. "But she doesn't have to be alone anymore."
He touches the ground and the silver symbols flare brighter. A portal opens—swirling starlight forming a doorway to somewhere else.
"Through there," the Guardian says urgently. "It leads directly to the Dark Forest, to where the fallen star waits. You'll skip days of travel. But you must go NOW. I can only hold him back for so long!"
Cassian doesn't hesitate. He lifts me in his arms—my sprained ankle can't support me—and runs for the portal.
"NO!" The Shadow Sovereign's scream shakes the earth. "You cannot escape me! I'll hunt you to the ends of the world! I'll—"
We leap through the portal.
Reality twists and spins. Colors blur together. I feel like I'm falling through stars themselves.
Then we land hard on solid ground.
When my vision clears, we're in a forest unlike any I've ever seen. The trees are massive, their bark black as midnight. No birds sing. No wind blows. The air itself feels heavy, oppressive.
"The Dark Forest," Cassian breathes. "We're actually here."
And ahead, through the twisted trees, I see it.
A light.
Silver and pure and beautiful.
The fallen star.
It's so close. Maybe a mile away. Maybe less.
"We made it," I whisper. "We actually—"
The ground explodes beneath us.
Massive roots burst up, wrapping around our legs, our arms, pulling us down. The trees themselves seem to wake up, branches reaching for us like claws.
"The Forest protects the star!" Cassian shouts, cutting at the roots. "It's trying to kill us!"
More roots surge up. One wraps around my throat, squeezing.
Can't breathe. Can't—
Through our blood oath, I feel Cassian's panic. He's trying to reach me but the roots have him too.
This is it. We came so far. Got so close.
And we're going to die within sight of our goal.
The mark on my chest burns hot, responding to my fear.
Then I hear a voice. Not the stars this time.
My mother's voice, clear as day:
"Let go, Lyria. Stop fighting the Forest. Stop fighting yourself. The star knows you're coming. The Forest knows who you are. You just have to remember."
Remember what?
"Remember who you were always meant to be."
The root around my throat squeezes tighter. Black spots dance in my vision.
I stop fighting.
I close my eyes and reach deep inside myself, past the fear, past the pain, to that place where the star's power lives.
And I remember.
I am Lyria Everen.
Daughter of the Morning Star.
Heir to the Celestial Throne.
And this forest WILL let me pass.
Power explodes from every cell in my body.
Not just light this time.
Stars.
Actual stars burst into existence around me, blazing with silver fire. They cut through the roots like they're made of paper. The trees shrink back, almost bowing.
The Forest recognizes me.
Recognizes what I truly am.
When the light fades, I'm standing. The roots are gone. Cassian stares at me with wide eyes.
"Lyria," he breathes. "Your eyes. They're glowing silver."
I can feel it. The power humming through me. Not overwhelming this time. Not uncontrolled.
This is mine. This belongs to me.
I take a step toward the fallen star. The Forest parts before me, creating a clear path.
"Come on," I say to Cassian, offering my hand. "Let's finish this."
He takes my hand, and together we walk toward the light.
The fallen star pulses brighter as we approach, like it's happy to see me.
We're going to make it. We're actually going to—
A figure steps out from behind the star.
My heart stops.
It's my father.
Lord Viktor Everen stands there, smiling coldly, one hand resting on the fallen star like it's his property.
"Hello, daughter," he says. "Did you really think I'd let you take what's mine?"