Salaris dove. Her sharp talons struck Lyra's shoulder, not hard enough to maim but hard enough to jolt her entire body backward. Pain that was real and grounding blossomed.
Lyra gasped, clutching the wound. Her bow clattered to the stone but it did not break. Salaris landed in front of her with its wings flared, eyes like twin storms boring into her soul.
The chains faltered and the phantom Elara's smile twisted into something cold. "Why resist? You let me die once already. What honor is left in you?"
Lyra's breath hitched. The words stabbed deeper than any blade. But this time, instead of breaking, something inside her became hardened.
Her fingers brushed the bow, it was trembling, then it became tightened around it. She rose slowly as shadows were peeling from her skin with each breath.
"You are right," she whispered hoarsely. "I did let you die. And I have carried that guilt every day since. But if I let it chain me here, then I had dishonor you worse."
