The first light of dawn filtered softly through the towering canopy of the Sacred Grove, bathing the ancient trees in a gentle golden hue. The night’s battle with the shadow of her father still clung to Lyra’s mind like a heavy fog, leaving her exhausted but strangely awake, as if something inside her had awakened alongside the fading darkness.

Ethan sat beside her on the moss-covered ground, his expression guarded but resolute. Though the danger had passed for now, the weight of what lay ...