POV: Lyra

The Void did not attack me, It waited for permission, I know it’s there before it speaks because the wards hesitate not collapse or scream. They pause, like trained animals suddenly unsure who they belong to.

The candle on the counter bends its flame sideways, not from wind, but from attention.

The runes carved into the doorframe dull from blue to a washed-out grey, confused rather than broken.

I didn’t look up.

Kenny is asleep down the hall. I can feel him the way I feel my own ...