Lyria's POV
I woke up screaming—except no sound came out.
My hands flew to my throat, clawing at the skin like I could dig out whatever was blocking my voice. My chest heaved as I gasped for air. The memories Kael had shown me burned behind my eyes. The golden palace. My sister's betrayal. The feeling of my voice being ripped away while I screamed silently.
But when I opened my eyes, I wasn't in Kael's arms anymore.
I was alone.
The temple was empty and quiet, lit only by the pale morning light coming through the broken roof. For a moment, I wondered if last night had been a dream. The glowing-eyed monsters. The man with silver eyes who called me a goddess. All of it seemed impossible in the harsh light of day.
Then I looked down at my hands.
They were clean.
Last night, they'd been covered in dirt and blood from scrambling across the temple floor. Now my skin was spotless, like someone had washed me while I slept. My torn dress was gone too, replaced by a simple gray gown that felt softer than anything I'd ever owned.
My heart started racing. Someone had been here. Someone had touched me, changed my clothes while I was unconscious.
"Kael?" I tried to say, but only silence came out. Frustration boiled in my chest. I wanted to scream his name, to demand answers, but I couldn't make a single sound.
I stood up on shaky legs and looked around the temple. Everything seemed normal—the same crumbling walls, the same broken statues, the same—
Wait.
The statues were different.
I walked closer to the largest one, the statue I usually slept beside. Last night, its face had been completely scratched off, just blank stone where features should be. But now I could see details I'd never noticed before. The scratches were still there, but underneath them...
I reached out and touched the statue's cheek.
The moment my fingers made contact, pain exploded through my skull.
I gasped and stumbled backward, but the vision had already grabbed me. Images flooded my mind like a dam breaking—
A temple filled with people, their faces turned up toward me in worship. They were praying, singing my name. "Lady Lyria, goddess of songs, hear our prayers..."
My own voice, young and bright and impossibly beautiful, echoing through marble halls. "I will always listen. I will always answer."
A woman with hair like moonlight and eyes like ice standing before me. My sister. "You think you're so special, don't you? Father's favorite. The people's beloved. But you're weak, Lyria. Too kind. Too soft."
"Selene, please, I only want to help—"
"Help?" She laughed, cold and cruel. "You want to help? Then sleep, dear sister. Sleep and forget."
Hands grabbing me. So many hands. My own voice rising in a scream as power—my power—was torn from my throat like someone ripping out my heart—
I came back to myself on my knees, tears streaming down my face. My hands were pressed against the temple floor, and I was shaking so hard I thought I might break apart.
Selene. My sister. She did this to me.
But why? Why would my own sister steal my voice and throw me away like garbage?
"Because you discovered our secret."
I spun around so fast I nearly fell over.
Kael stood in the temple doorway, watching me with those strange silver eyes. He looked exactly the same as last night—tall, pale, unnaturally beautiful. His dark hair moved in a wind I couldn't feel.
"How did you—" I started to sign, then stopped. He'd already proven he could understand me somehow.
"I can hear your thoughts when you're emotional," he said quietly, walking toward me. "It's one of my gifts. Or curses, depending on how you see it."
He could hear my thoughts? My face burned with embarrassment. What else had he heard?
"Everything," he answered, and I swear I saw the corner of his mouth twitch. Was he... amused? "Don't worry. Most of your thoughts are quite innocent. Except when you're thinking about hitting that merchant with his own tomatoes. That was creative."
Despite everything, I almost smiled. Almost.
Kael stopped a few feet away from me. Up close, I could see he looked tired—no, not tired. Sad. Like he carried the weight of the whole world on his shoulders.
"You have questions," he said. It wasn't a question.
I nodded and signed rapidly, hoping he could somehow understand: Who am I? What am I? Why can't I remember? What did my sister do? Why are you helping me?
"One at a time." He held up a hand. "You are Lyria, goddess of songs, stories, and memory. You were one of the most beloved deities in the Celestial Court until you discovered something you weren't supposed to know. Your sister, Selene, led the others in stealing your voice and casting you down here. They made you forget who you were so you couldn't fight back."
Each word hit me like a punch. A goddess. I was a goddess.
"As for why I'm helping you..." He paused, and something flickered in his silver eyes. "Let's just say I know what it's like to have everything taken from you."
Before I could ask what he meant, a sound echoed through the temple.
Footsteps. Multiple footsteps.
Kael's expression darkened. "They're coming."
"Who?" I signed frantically.
"More hunters. Your sister doesn't give up easily." He turned to me, and his voice became urgent. "Lyria, listen carefully. This temple—your temple—is the only place in the mortal realm where your power still exists. That's why you've been drawn here. That's why the statues show you memories when you touch them."
I looked around at the crumbling walls, the broken statues, the scratched-out faces. This was MY temple? This ruin was mine?
"It wasn't always like this," Kael said softly. "Once, this was the most beautiful temple in the world. People traveled for months just to hear you sing. You answered every prayer. You helped everyone who asked. You were... beloved."
My throat tightened. I wanted to ask more, but the footsteps were getting closer. I could hear voices now, harsh and angry.
"Find her! Selene wants proof of death this time!"
"Search every corner!"
"If the God of Silence interferes again, we have permission to engage."
Kael's jaw clenched. "I need to take you somewhere safe. Somewhere even the Celestial Court can't reach."
"Where?" I signed.
"My realm. The Silent Realm." He held out his hand. "It's the only place you'll be protected while you recover your power."
I stared at his hand. Last night, I'd had no choice. But now, in the daylight, I could think clearly. Going with him meant leaving the only home I knew. It meant trusting someone I'd just met. It meant accepting that I was something impossible—a goddess.
But staying meant dying.
The temple doors crashed open. Five hunters poured in, their eyes glowing red, their weapons raised. They were bigger than the ones from last night, more armored, more dangerous.
"There!" one shouted, pointing at me.
Kael moved in front of me instantly, his body a shield between me and them. "Last chance to leave," he said coldly. "I wasn't merciful last night. I won't be merciful now."
The lead hunter laughed. "We brought iron chains this time, God of Silence. Let's see how powerful you are when—"
He didn't finish. Kael moved so fast he blurred. One moment he was standing still. The next, all five hunters were on the ground, not moving. I didn't even see what he did.
But I saw his hands were shaking.
"Lyria," he said without turning around. His voice sounded strained. "I need you to decide. Now."
More footsteps outside. More voices. How many had they sent?
I looked at the ruined temple one last time—at the defaced statues, at the scratched walls, at the only home I'd known for as long as I could remember. Then I looked at Kael, at this strange god who'd saved me twice now for reasons I didn't understand.
I put my hand in his.
His fingers closed around mine, cold but steady. "Hold on," he whispered.
The world dissolved into shadow and silver light. I felt like I was falling and flying at the same time. My stomach lurched. The temple disappeared. The hunters' shouts faded away.
When reality snapped back, I collapsed onto a floor made of smooth black stone. My head spun. My body felt wrong, like I'd been turned inside out and put back together.
I heard Kael breathing hard beside me. "We're safe now. We're in my—"
Then he made a sound I'd never heard before. A gasp of pain.
I looked up and froze.
Kael was on his knees, one hand pressed against his chest. Between his fingers, I could see blood—thick and silver, not red like human blood. It spread across his shirt, soaking through the fabric.
"The iron chains," he said through gritted teeth. "They got me before I could—"
He fell forward, and I barely caught him. His weight nearly crushed me, but I held on, lowering him to the ground. His silver eyes were losing their glow, fading to a dull gray.
"Kael!" I tried to scream, but only silence came out. I pressed my hands against his wound, trying to stop the bleeding, but the silver blood just kept coming.
He looked up at me, and even in pain, he seemed sad. "Ironic," he whispered. "The God of Silence... dying in his own realm... where no one can hear him scream..."
His eyes closed.
His chest stopped moving.
And I was alone in the darkness with a dead god in my arms.