Chapter 165

*Lyra*

The fading light stretched long shadows across the room, casting jagged shapes that seemed to mock the chaos swirling inside me. The air felt heavy, oppressive, as if the walls themselves were closing in. But it wasn’t the room—it was the ticking clock, the sinking sun, the relentless march of time pulling Rowan further and further away from me.

I knelt beside his still body, my trembling h