Lyra didn't remember falling asleep.
But she remembered the dream.
Not a dream. A memory.
She was five. Clutching her mother's skirts.
The village bells were ringing. Screams rising.
The fire hadn't come from the sky.
It had come from within her.
And when she opened her eyes—
Everyone she loved was gone.
She woke gasping.
Vesper whined softly at the edge of her bed, his warm scaled head nudging her hand.
"It's okay," she whispered, even though it wasn't.
Even though it had never been.
The sun was barely cresting the mountains, gilding the Academy rooftops in cold gold. Her muscles ached from the Trial. Her skin still tingled where magic had erupted out of her like a cracked dam.
She was lucky to be alive.
But luck had nothing to do with it.
Lucien Valmer had caught her.
And that was the part that frightened her most.
"Tell me what you saw."
Velora's voice echoed through the Flamekeeper's Hall like smoke curling through stone.
Lyra stood at attention, flanked by two silent guards. Her bondstone pulsed against her collarbone like a second heartbeat.
"It wasn't clear," she said, voice hoarse. "I saw… fire. Chains. Blood. A dragon screaming."
Velora studied her, expression unreadable. She wore a deep crimson robe today, embroidered with ancient glyphs of the High Flame. Her golden circlet glowed faintly in the torchlight.
"And Lucien?"
Lyra hesitated.
"He was dying. There was frost in his lungs. And blood on his hands."
Velora's brows arched faintly. "Curious."
She stepped forward.
"There are many kinds of visions, Lyra Ashwyn. Some are warnings. Others… invitations."
"I don't understand."
"You will."
Later that afternoon, she found Nico waiting outside the training yard, tossing a small flame between his palms.
"You look like someone just threatened your soul."
"They did," she muttered.
He offered a lopsided grin. "Welcome to the club."
She joined him, silently grateful for the normalcy. Nico's presence was loud, unfiltered, real.
"Everyone's talking about the Trial," he said. "You made history. Also nearly made Vesper a meteor. But hey—details."
She rolled her eyes.
"You okay?" he added after a pause.
Lyra didn't answer right away.
"I don't know what's happening to me," she admitted. "The fire's… changing."
"Magic does that," he said. "So does pressure. So do secrets."
She glanced at him. "You sound like you've got plenty of those."
"Oh, I'm a locked vault," he said cheerfully. "But I do know one thing: whatever you're turning into, Lyra… you're not turning alone."
She almost smiled.
That evening, the Academy bells rang three times.
A summons.
Lyra joined the line of trainees filing into the Obsidian Arena. The council had called an assembly—rare and serious.
Velora stood in the center, robes trailing behind her like blood in water.
Beside her, Lucien.
Always Lucien.
"This Academy," Velora began, "was built not only to train riders, but to protect the realm from threats beyond our borders… and within."
A hum ran through the crowd.
"There have been whispers of corruption," she continued. "A breach in the veil. Forbidden glyphs. Rogue flames. These are not accidents."
The crowd murmured louder.
Velora raised her hand. "Which is why, effective immediately, all bonded pairs will undergo loyalty trials over the next week. You will be observed, tested, and pushed."
She looked directly at Lyra.
"Some of you will rise. Others will be... extinguished."
That night, Lyra stood on the parapet wall, arms folded, the wind burning cold across her skin.
She sensed him before she heard him.
Lucien.
He moved like winter—quiet and certain.
"Did she summon you?" Lyra asked.
"No," he replied. "I came because I knew you'd be here."
She turned to face him.
"Why did you help me?"
Lucien stared out at the darkening sky.
"Because I know what it's like to be powerful… and not in control."
Silence stretched between them.
Then, softly—
"I'm afraid," Lyra said.
"Good," he replied. "It means you haven't become the monster they want you to be."
Their eyes met.
And for the first time, he reached out—just once—and brushed his fingers against hers.
A spark.
Not magic.
Not fire.
Something deeper.
More dangerous.
Something like trust.
🔥Teaser ~
Lyra and Lucien are summoned for a secret mission outside the Academy walls—into a forbidden forest where a dragon has gone rogue… and something ancient has awakened.