POV: Lyra
The second the sun dipped behind the mountain ridge, I felt it.
That shift in the air.
Not magic. Not the bond.
Memory.
But it wasn't mine.
It was old and burning, clawing its way to the surface like fire through a paper-thin veil.
I sat alone at the edge of the forest, knees pulled to my chest, the wind brushing past like whispers I almost understood.
Then it hit me — a vision so sudden, so visceral, I gasped.
A girl, bound in gold.
A boy, marked by ash.
Their hands reached for each other — and when they touched, the world shattered.
I jerked back, clutching my chest.
The pain was real. The grief was real.
But that girl… wasn't me.
Or maybe she was.
I didn't know anymore.
Ever since the Sanctuary cracked, the bond had been pulsing with new energy. It wasn't just fire in my veins — it was him. Even when he wasn't there. Especially when he wasn't there.
And now, the Elder's words echoed in my head:
"Emberlyn."
"You were born after the fire."
I didn't want to be a name in a prophecy. I didn't want to be a symbol.
I just wanted to choose who I was.
And I wanted Kairo.
Even when I shouldn't.
Even if it would break both of us.
The trees shifted behind me.
I turned, expecting him.
But it wasn't Kairo.
It was Rhea.
"I figured you'd be out here," she said, her voice softer than usual.
"Let me guess," I said, brushing dirt off my palms. "You're here to tell me to run while I still can?"
She hesitated. "Actually… no."
I blinked.
"I'm here to give you a choice," she said, crouching beside me. "Something the Council never will."
My throat tightened. "What choice?"
Rhea reached into her cloak and pulled out a blade. Silver. Ancient. Humming with old magic.
"If you sever the bond yourself," she said, "before it completes… it might not kill him."
My blood ran cold.
"Might?"
She looked at me, eyes steady. "There's no promise. But it's the only way to be free of it. To break fate before it breaks you."
I stared at the blade.
It pulsed softly. Like it recognized me.
"You've seen what this bond does," she continued. "It's more than love. It's obsession. It warps the heart, clouds the mind. You won't survive it, Lyra. Neither of you will."
My fingers hovered over the hilt.
I thought about Kairo's voice, soft in the night. His breath against my skin. The way his hand trembled when he touched mine, like he was holding on to something already slipping away.
I thought about what I would be without him.
And I wasn't sure I wanted to know.
"I'll think about it," I whispered.
Rhea nodded and stood.
But before she left, she said one more thing.
"Memories are starting to return, aren't they?"
I froze.
She smiled — but it didn't reach her eyes.
"Just wait," she said. "The worst ones always come last."
Then she vanished into the trees.
And I was left with the blade.
The truth.
And a heartbeat that no longer felt entirely my own.