Chapter 1 – The Last City of Glass
The city rose like a dream out of the desert—towers of crystal and steel, shimmering beneath a violet sky. They called it Aurelia, the last city of glass, where science and sorcery lived as one.
To most, Aurelia was paradise. But to Lyra Deylan, it was a cage.
She stood at the edge of the eastern wall, staring at the endless wasteland beyond. The wall pulsed with glowing runes, humming softly like a heartbeat. The Elders said the magic kept the darkness out. Lyra wasn't so sure.
Her hands trembled again. The strange mark on her palm—like a star carved into her skin—burned whenever the runes glowed. She had hidden it for years, but the pain was growing worse.
"Still daydreaming, Lyra?"
She turned. Seren Vale, her closest friend, leaned casually against the wall. His green eyes sparkled with mischief, but there was something restless beneath his smile.
"I wasn't daydreaming," Lyra muttered. "I was… thinking."
"You always are." Seren pushed off the wall and walked closer. "One day you'll think yourself right into trouble."
Before Lyra could reply, the sky shifted. A ripple of shadow passed over the city, blotting out the sun for an instant. Every tower flickered as if the magic faltered.
And in that moment, Lyra heard it—
A whisper. Low. Ancient. Calling her name.
She pressed her hands against her ears, but the voice sank deeper, curling into her soul:
The Eclipse is coming.
The mark on her palm flared with light. Seren gasped. "Lyra… your hand—!"
Before she could explain, a cold rain began to fall, though no clouds had been in the sky a heartbeat ago. The citizens of Aurelia scattered in confusion. And through the curtain of rain, a stranger walked into the city.
Cloaked in black, silver eyes gleaming, he looked straight at Lyra.
And for the first time in her life, she felt her heart stop.