Echoes of Betrayal

Chapter Twenty-three Karyna

"Lyra, wake up!" I screamed, my voice echoing through the deserted village. My heart pounded in my chest as I watched Lady Violet Stormwood's cold, unmoved expression. "If you had listened to me, this never would have happened," she said, her tone devoid of any emotion.

"I don't want to die!" I shouted, my voice cracking with desperation. Tears streamed down my face as I begged, "Please, let Lyra go! Let us live!"

But their expressions remained unchanged. Ethan's form flickered, his face twisted with a cruel smirk, and Lady Stormwood's eyes gleamed with a sinister satisfaction. My magic, responding to my heightened emotions, began to glow around me, casting an eerie light in the dimness of the bridge.

Lady Stormwood's smirk widened as she looked at the glowing aura surrounding me. "This is just the beginning," she murmured, almost to herself.

"No!" I cried, watching in horror as she lifted Lyra's unconscious body and dangled her over the edge of the bridge. "Please, don't!"

But my pleas fell on deaf ears. With a swift, merciless motion, she released her grip, and Lyra's body plummeted into the void below. "No!" I screamed, straining against Ethan's shadows that held me in place. I lunged forward, desperate to save her, but the shadows tightened, pulling me back.

The sight of Lyra falling, the helplessness of the moment, it all became too much. My control shattered. The magic within me surged uncontrollably, bursting forth in a chaotic explosion. I could feel the power ripping through me, wild and untamed.

Ethan's shadows faltered, but only for a moment. Lady Stormwood's eyes narrowed as she took a step back, clearly pleased with the raw, unbridled magic I was emitting. "Yes," she hissed, her voice filled with a dark triumph. "This is what I needed."

But I couldn't focus on her words. The energy within me was too much to contain. It twisted and writhed, seeking an outlet, and I was powerless to stop it. The air crackled with my power, the very ground beneath us trembling as I lost control entirely.

A blinding light erupted from me, and then everything went dark.

In the darkness, I sat alone, tears streaming down my face, my sobs echoing in the void. The weight of my failure crushed me, the image of Lyra falling replaying endlessly in my mind. Suddenly, a bright white light pierced the darkness, and with it came whispers, familiar and soothing.

The same whispers that had guided me out of the enchanted forest the day my parents died, the same whispers that had encouraged me to flee from Lady Stormwood earlier. "Stay calm, Karyna," a gentle female voice said.

"I can't," I choked out, my voice barely a whisper. "All hope is lost. I failed Lyra."

"You haven't failed Lyra," the voice reassured me, soft yet firm. "Stay calm, and I can prove it to you."

"How?" I asked, desperation lacing my words. As I tried to control my ragged breathing and slow my racing heart, another light appeared, brighter this time. From within the light, I heard a familiar voice calling out to me.

"Karyna, we're here!" It was Alexander.

The sound of his voice was like a lifeline. I latched onto it, using it to ground myself. Slowly, I began to calm down, the chaos within me settling into a quiet hum. The blinding light receded, and I found myself back on the bridge, Alexander and Azzie standing at one end, their expressions a mix of determination and concern.

"Karyna, it's going to be alright," Alexander said, his eyes locking onto mine with a fierce intensity. "We're here to help."

I nodded weakly, my tears still falling, but now there was a glimmer of hope amidst the despair. The whispers had been right—I hadn't failed yet. There was still a chance, a way to set things right.