CHAPTER 29 — Lyra's Burden
The world beyond the Red Horizon looked nothing like the fiery wasteland they left behind. The sky dimmed into a bruised purple, the clouds hanging low and heavy like they were hiding something ancient. Trees twisted into strange spirals, as if reaching toward a sun that no longer existed.
The path was quiet.
Too quiet.
Kai walked beside Lyra, their fingers locked together as if neither was willing to let go. Her hand trembled occasionally — not from fear, but from exhaustion, and the ever-growing weight of everything she carried.
Cipher Fox darted ahead in human form, cloak fluttering behind him, while Tether Hawk remained above them, wings beating gently through the misty air.
For hours, no one spoke.
Kai kept watching Lyra from the corner of his eye. She avoided looking back. Her jaw was tight. Her steps were steady, but her mind was clearly far away.
Finally, he stopped.
"Lyra," he said quietly. "Talk to me."
She halted but didn't turn.
Cipher and Tether exchanged looks and kept moving ahead to give them space.
Kai stepped closer. "You've been silent since we left the Horizon."
Lyra inhaled shakily, her back still turned. "There's nothing to say."
"That's a lie," Kai said softly.
Lyra flinched.
He walked around to face her, gently taking her hands. "Something is eating you alive."
Her shoulders tensed. "I'm fine."
Kai brushed his thumb along her knuckles. "You're not. And you don't have to pretend around me."
For a moment, Lyra looked as if she would push him away.
But then her strength crumbled.
Her eyes softened, brimmed with tears she tried to blink away. She stepped forward slowly until her forehead rested against his chest, hands fisting in his shirt.
"Kai…" she whispered, voice breaking, "I'm afraid."
His arms wrapped around her instantly. "Of what?"
"Of myself," she whispered. "Of who I am. Of… what I might become."
Kai held her tighter. "You're afraid of turning into her."
Lyra stiffened but didn't deny it.
The Hollow Queen's shadow stretched over her life like a curse — one she had never asked for.
"Lyra," Kai murmured, lifting her chin gently so he could look into her trembling eyes. "You are nothing like your mother."
Tears glimmered in her lashes. "How do you know? Her blood runs in me. Her power. Her darkness. The Gates respond to me — the next one can only open because of me. What if it changes me? What if it takes over?"
Kai cupped her face. "I won't let it."
Lyra swallowed hard. "Sometimes… I feel something inside me. Something I can't control."
Kai leaned closer. "Then let me help you control it."
She looked up at him, breath shaking, eyes wide with vulnerability.
"Kai… I've never had anyone stay with me when I break."
He brushed his thumb under her eye, wiping a tear. "Then get used to it. I'm not going anywhere."
Lyra's breath hitched.
She rose onto her toes.
And she kissed him.
This time, it was slow — not desperate, not rushed like last time. Soft. Searching. Gentle. Her lips lingered against his as if she didn't want to leave, as if she was afraid the world might collapse if she did.
Kai kissed her back, hands running up her spine, pulling her closer until their bodies pressed together. The heat between them was warm and steady — not wild, but grounding.
Lyra broke the kiss only when the wind shifted, brushing her hair across her face.
Kai leaned his forehead against hers. "You're not alone. Say it."
Her fingers tightened against his chest. "I'm… not alone."
"And you won't face the next Gate alone."
She nodded — small, shaky, but real.
Kai kissed her forehead softly, lingering there.
Then—
A sharp cry echoed through the forest.
Cipher Fox sprinted toward them. "Kai! Lyra! You both need to see this. Now."
Tether Hawk swooped down beside him, feathers ruffled. "The next Gate — we found it."
Kai and Lyra exchanged a look, their hands still intertwined, before following.
The Gate wasn't like the others.
The first had pulsed like a temple heart.
The second had screamed with crimson fury.
But this one…
This one moaned.
A swirling arch of black stone stood tall in a hollow clearing. Veins of violet light pulsed through it like blood. Above it, the sky cracked open, revealing swirling mist shaped almost like a woman's whispering face.
Lyra stopped dead.
Her breath left her body.
Kai felt her hand tremble violently.
"Lyra?" he whispered.
She didn't answer.
Her eyes were fixed on the Gate — and the Gate's light seemed to pulse in response. The air thickened, energy humming like a song of recognition.
Cipher stepped back. "It reacts to her."
Tether folded his wings uneasily. "Of course it does. She's the key."
Lyra stepped forward without realizing it, drawn like a magnet.
Kai grabbed her wrist gently. "Don't just walk into it."
"I'm not," she whispered.
But even she didn't sound sure.
She stared at the swirling darkness inside the Gate, eyes wide, almost hypnotized.
A voice echoed faintly — soft, feminine, chilling.
"Lyyyyra…"
Lyra gasped, stumbling backwards. Kai caught her instantly.
Cipher's ears twitched. "You heard that, right? That wasn't just her imagination."
Tether nodded. "The Hollow Queen is reaching through."
Lyra clutched Kai's shirt. "She's calling me. She… wants me to enter."
"We're not letting that happen," Kai said immediately.
Lyra looked up at him, fear shaking her voice. "But I have to. If I don't open this Gate… the next will tear itself open. The realms will bleed into each other."
Kai grimaced. "There has to be another way."
"There isn't," Tether said quietly. "This Gate was built around her lineage. Only Lyra can stabilize it."
Lyra swallowed. "Then I go."
Kai grabbed both her hands.
"No. We go."
Her breath caught.
"Kai…"
"I'm not letting you face a Gate your mother created by yourself. I don't care what's inside. I'm going with you."
For a moment, Lyra stood frozen.
Then she stepped forward, pressing her forehead into his chest, breathing him in.
"You make me brave," she whispered.
Kai's arms wrapped around her again.
"And you make me stronger."
She pulled back — just enough to kiss him again. This kiss was deeper, lingering, filled with something softer and heavier than before.
When she pulled away, her lips were trembling.
"Stay close to me inside," she whispered. "If I lose myself… pull me back."
"Always," Kai murmured.
Cipher coughed loudly. "As cute as this is, the Gate is getting angry."
The violet veins were pulsing faster. The air vibrated sharply, mist swirling violently.
Lyra took a deep breath, wiped her face, and stepped toward the Gate.
Kai moved with her, never letting go of her hand.
The Gate screamed open — a rift of swirling darkness and violet light — and a burst of raw energy erupted outward.
Kai shielded Lyra with his body.
She grabbed his arm.
"Kai… hold on!"
"I'm not letting go!"
The Gate pulled them forward—
wind roaring—
light twisting—
Lyra's hair whipping wildly—
Kai's energy flaring—
And then—
Silence.
Black.
Cold.
They landed on hard stone.
Kai groaned, pushing up on his hands.
Lyra lay beside him, breathing fast, eyes wide with disorientation.
Kai reached for her immediately.
"You okay?" he whispered.
She nodded shakily. "I'm… I think so."
But something was wrong.
The air was thick. Heavy. Almost alive.
The shadows moved.
And a voice — dripping with sorrow and power — whispered from everywhere and nowhere:
"Welcome home… daughter."
Lyra's grip on Kai tightened painfully.
"Kai," she whispered, voice cracking, "she's here."
Kai pulled her against him, shielding her with his body.
"I've got you," he whispered.
"Whatever happens… I'm not letting her take you."
And the shadows answered with a soft, chilling laugh.
The Hollow Queen had arrived.
And Lyra's burden had only just begun.