The moment Aria and the others stepped out of the hidden sanctuary into the ruined halls of the temple, they knew something was wrong. The dust had settled, the air eerily still. The soft echoes of dripping water were the only sounds that filled the silence.
And Lyra was gone.
No sign of a struggle. No scent trail. Just… absence.
"Where is she?" Kael's voice cut through the quiet like a blade.
"Where's who?" asked Ren.
"Lyra", answered Kael annoyingly.
"I left her right here," Aria whispered, her silver-blue eyes scanning the shadows. "She was unconscious but alive."
Ren raised an eyebrow, "You sure she did not just get bored and walk off like the drama queen she is?"
"No, I do not think so" Dax murmured. "It seems someone took her."
A chill swept through the room, and the silence felt heavier than before.
