The moon hung high in the sky, its pale light casting long shadows across the garden. Lyra stood there, her thoughts swirling, tangled in the words Azrael had spoken, words that seemed to carry more weight with each passing moment. She could still feel his gaze, cold and calculating, as though it had burned into her skin. There was no escaping the truth, she was a part of something much larger than herself, something ancient and dangerous.
Kael stood a few paces behind her, his presence like a constant, unspoken reminder of the rules she was bound by. He was her protector, her guard, but in this moment, he felt like more than that. His silence, though familiar, was heavier tonight. He watched her closely, his sharp gaze never straying too far, though his posture remained relaxed, too relaxed for someone who had been thrust into a life of constant vigilance.
The garden around them seemed alive with whispered secrets, the rustling of leaves and the soft croon of night creatures filling the air. But to Lyra, the silence was deafening. The weight of it pressed in on her chest, making it harder to breathe, harder to think.
"It's not the silence that frightens me," she murmured softly, more to herself than to Kael.
Kael didn't respond immediately. Instead, he stood still, his eyes scanning the surroundings, but he was listening. He had learned long ago not to fill every silence with words. Sometimes, it was best to let the world speak for itself.
After a long pause, he finally spoke, his voice low, steady. "Then what is it?"
Lyra turned her head slightly, her gaze catching his in the dim light. There was something in his eyes, something deeper than just the cold professionalism of a bodyguard. He had been by her side for so long, through countless trials and dangers, and yet, she had never felt his presence so... tangible.
"I'm not afraid of the silence itself," she said, her voice barely above a whisper. "I'm afraid of what it means."
Kael's jaw tightened, but his gaze never wavered. He had known this moment was coming, though he had hoped it wouldn't. The weight of Lyra's hidden bloodline, the prophecy she was caught in, had always been there, lingering in the background of their lives like a shadow they couldn't outrun.
He took a step closer, the soft crunch of gravel beneath his boots the only sound that broke the stillness. "You've been trained to understand the rules, Lyra," he said, his voice a quiet command, as though he were reminding her of something she had long since internalized. "And the most important rule is this: silence."
Lyra's lips parted in a breath, her heart pounding in her chest as the gravity of his words sank in. The rules of silence. She had followed them her whole life, ever since she had first been brought to the Citadel, veiled and unseen, her bloodline hidden from the world. It was the way things were done here, words were dangerous, secrets were sacred, and to speak out of turn was to invite disaster.
"I know the rules," she replied, though her voice betrayed her unease. "But they... they don't make sense anymore, Kael. Not with what Azrael said. Not with the prophecy."
Kael's face softened, just a fraction, but his eyes remained hard. "The rules are the only thing keeping you safe," he said. "We've both known that for a long time."
She turned her head away, the weight of his words sinking in deeper than she had expected. The rules of silence had been drilled into her since childhood, never speak unless spoken to, never reveal your true self, never let them see your fear. It had always been the safest course of action. But now, with Azrael's ominous words echoing in her mind, the rules felt like chains. Chains she could no longer ignore.
"I've lived my life by those rules," she said quietly, her voice tinged with a quiet anger she hadn't known she had. "But what if they're not enough anymore? What if the silence, this silence, is what's holding me back?"
Kael took another step forward, his hand instinctively reaching for her shoulder in a gesture of comfort, though he knew comfort was a luxury neither of them could afford. "You've always known the price of speaking out, Lyra. We both have. You're not the only one bound by these rules. The Ascended, the rebellion, they all follow the same law of silence. We don't speak. We listen. We watch."
Lyra's eyes flickered with something that was almost defiance. "And what happens when the watching isn't enough? When they come for me? When they find out"
She cut herself off, biting her lip, a shudder running through her. Kael's grip tightened slightly, his gaze softening, though there was still a cold edge to it.
"They won't find out," he said firmly, though his voice was tinged with the faintest hint of doubt. "Not if you keep your head down. Not if you remember the rules."
The rules. The rules that had governed every part of her life, from the way she walked to the way she spoke. It wasn't just the rules of silence that bound her. It was the very fact that she was nothing more than a pawn in the Ascended's game, a game in which speaking out, even daring to voice her thoughts, was a risk she could not afford.
But still, the words from Azrael haunted her. "You are the flame that will either ignite this world or burn it to ash."
Lyra turned her gaze back to Kael, her eyes dark with unspoken thoughts. "I'm tired of being silent, Kael. I'm tired of being a shadow."
Kael's gaze softened, but the reality of their situation was too clear for him to allow sentiment to take hold. "The world is not ready for you to step out of the shadows," he said quietly. "And neither are you."
Her heart clenched at the truth in his words, though she couldn't bring herself to say them aloud. "I've spent my entire life hiding, and now they want something from me. They want me to be something I'm not. To become something I fear."
Kael exhaled softly, his breath visible in the cool night air. "You're not alone in this, Lyra. But you must understand, the rules are in place for a reason. You're not the only one whose survival depends on silence. The world outside the Citadel is more dangerous than you can imagine. And what you carry inside you… it's not just a blessing. It's a curse."
Lyra's heart skipped a beat at his words. The curse. The prophecy. It was always there, lurking in the back of her mind, always waiting to break free. But for now, all she could do was listen to the rules.
She closed her eyes, feeling the weight of it all. The burden of silence, the fear of speaking too soon, the responsibility of a bloodline she couldn't escape. But in that moment, she realized something, something deep inside her that she had never allowed herself to consider.
The silence wasn't just a rule. It was a prison.
And prisons, like all things, could be broken.