Lyra didn’t go back to the others.
She didn’t want voices.
Didn’t want questions.
Didn’t want anything that could interrupt what was already building inside her.
So she walked.
Past the main hall.
Past the courtyard.
Until she found herself at the edge of the territory, where everything grew quieter.
Still.
It felt fitting.
Because for the first time—
There was nothing pulling at her from either side.
No one waiting.
No one pushing.
No one asking.
Just her.
And the truth she had been avoiding.
Lyra sat down slowly on the low stone near the trees, her hands resting loosely in her lap.
For a moment—
She did nothing.
Just breathed.
And then—
It came.
Not all at once.
But piece by piece.
Daniel.
The way he had looked at her that last time.
Not angry.
Not hurt.
Just
