Chapter 20 When Power Breaks

Chapter 20 When Power Breaks
They waste a second and they began moving, Karl's warning ringing through their mind, and by the time dawn stretched across the Empire, Lyra had already made her decision, one that didn’t sit well with anyone, especially not Valerius. Still, she didn’t argue or explain more than necessary.

“I’ll handle it,” she said, and that was the end of it.

The first fracture wasn’t far from the capital.

It appeared in the lower districts, little at first, just like the last one, the air slightly distorted, light bending in unnatural ways, people slowing down without understanding why, their movements delayed as if something unseen were interfering with reality itself.

But Lyra felt it immediately; it was stronger than before, messier and unstable.

She stood at the edge of it, alone, even though Valerius had insisted on coming with her; she refused.

“This isn’t something you hold in place this time,” she told him. “This one reacts differently.”

His jaw tightened.

“That doesn’t mean you go alone.” He said, concerned.

“It does if I don’t want the entire district collapsing while we fight it.” She says, and he didn’t like it, but he understood.

Now she stood there, the distortion spreading slowly outward like a ripple in water, except this ripple twisted everything it touched: sounds, buildings, flickering slightly, people freezing mid-step before stumbling forward again like their bodies were trying to correct something they couldn’t comprehend.

Lyra stepped forward. Her gaze sharpened.

“Let’s not waste time,” she murmured.

And then she walked into it.

Inside… it was different: not silent or empty like the other one, but loud and chaotic, like multiple fractured layers overlapping each other, pulling in different directions and clashing, refusing to stabilize.

Lyra’s body tensed immediately.

“This one’s worse,” she muttered, slightly worried.

The distortion reacted instantly to her presence, surging toward her like a living thing, though it had no form or shape, just pressure and instability.

She lifted her hand.

“Stop.” She yells out, but nothing happens; instead, it pushes harder against her.

Her breath hitched slightly as the force pressed against her, not physically, but like something trying to tear through her thoughts, her control.

“Fine,” she said under her breath. Then she pushed back.

Meanwhile, outside, the ground cracked as the distortion violently expanded, pushing outward before snapping back. The energy spiked enough to send a shockwave through the surrounding area.

Even from afar, Valerius felt it, and his expression instantly darkened.

“She’s pushing too hard,” he muttered to himself as he looked ahead.

Kael, standing nearby, didn’t look surprised. “She’s trying to force stability,” he said.

Valerius turned sharply.

“And?”

Kael met his gaze as he spoke, “That only works if the fracture wants to stabilize.”

Vaierius didn't wait a second as he immediately ran towards her.

Inside

Lyra gritted her teeth. This wasn’t like before; the last one had been empty, but this one…it was resisting, in fact, fighting back.

Her power surged again, stronger this time, pressing against the distortion, forcing it inward, trying to collapse it into something stable.

And for a moment it worked, the chaos slowed, and the pressure lessened, but suddenly…it snapped.

Pain shot through her; it was sharp and sudden as her body jerked slightly. The distortion pushed back twice as hard, the force slamming into her mind as control began to slip just enough for it to break through slowly.

Her breathing hitched.

“…no,” she muttered under her breath in disbelief

But it didn’t stop, it kept pushing, expanding, and for the first time, Lyra stepped back.

The distortion surged forward, aggressive now, unstable in a way that felt almost… aware.

Suddenly a second presence entered. It cut through the chaos sharply, pushing the distortion back just enough to interrupt its momentum.

This made Lyra freeze because she realized that force wasn’t her…

In the moment. A figure stepped into view. It was a woman, not older than her. She had dark hair, roughly pulled back, her expression calm but focused. Her eyes were glossy, Danny, with the same kind of depth Lyra had only ever felt in herself.

And in the next second, she moved, her hand lifted, and the distortion suddenly paused.

Lyra’s eyes widened slightly.

“…what?” She says out loud in shock

The woman didn’t look at her immediately; her focus was on the fracture as she spoke.

“You’re forcing it wrong,” she said at the top of her voice

Lyra frowned, “ stabilizing it.” She explained equally loudly due to the noise inside.

“No,” the woman replied calmly. “You’re overpowering it.” She pointed out.

And that irritated her.

“It worked before.” She presses.

The woman finally glanced at her, “And now it’s not,” she said.

Then the distortion surged again, stronger and faster, as both of them instantly reacted. Lyra pushed from one side, while the woman was on the other.
It was now two similar but not identical forces, and Lyra felt it. The difference… the woman’s power wasn’t overwhelming; it was precise and controlled, in a way that didn’t clash with the distortion but redirected it and balanced it.

“Who are you?” Lyra asked through clenched teeth.

The woman didn’t answer right away. Instead, she stepped closer to the center of the fracture, her hand moving slightly to guide the distortion rather than crush it.

“Focus,” she said. “You’re letting it overwhelm you.”

“I’m not…”

“You are.” The woman cuts in immediately

Lyra snapped her gaze toward her, but she couldn’t argue, and this time, it hit both of them.

The force slammed into Lyra’s mind, harder than before, her control slipping further, her breath catching as the pressure built rapidly.

Her power spiked in response, too fast and too much. The space around her cracked, now unstable and dangerous

The woman reacted instantly, “Stop!” She yells out sharply, but Lyra didn’t cause she couldn’t.

Her power was already spiraling, trying to force the fracture into submission, the only way it knew how, which was through control, dominance, and force, but it was breaking her.

Quickly, the woman moved fast, moving closer to her in a second, her hand grabbing Lyra's wrist firmly.

“Listen to me,” she said, her voice sharp but steady. “You don’t control this by overpowering it.”

Lyra’s breathing was uneven now.

“…then how?” She asked roughly.

The woman held her gaze, “You match it,” she said.
And for a second, everything slowed. Lyra stared at her, then the distortion, and then back at her again, and at that moment, something clicked.

Quickly, she exhaled, and this time she decided not to push but to adjust. Her power shifted, matching the instability instead of fighting it.

The effect was immediate, whereas the distortion was slow. This made the woman nod slightly at Lyra.

“Good,” she praises.

And they move together. It wasn’t a fight anymore but a correction. Both of them are guiding the fracture inward, stabilizing it without forcing it to collapse violently.

And this worked, the distortion folded and became stabilized, then it was gone.
Now there was silence.

Lyra staggered slightly, and the woman let go of her wrist.

“You’re reckless,” she scolds.

Lyra steadied herself, then looked at her.

“And you’re familiar,” she replied simply while catching her breath.

The woman raised a brow slightly, “Is that supposed to be a compliment?”

Lyra didn’t answer; instead, she studied her closely.

“You have the same kind of power,” she points out with a raised brow as she now feels calmer

“Similar,” she corrected.

Lyra’s eyes narrowed slightly.

“not equal.” She corrects.

A faint smirk touched the woman’s lips.

“No,” she agreed. “Not equal.”

And there was no hostility in it, just the truth. For a moment, neither of them spoke.

Then Lyra broke the silence as she questioned, “What’s your name ?”

The woman hesitated briefly but then answered.

“Aeris.”

The name settled between them, and Lyra nodded, then spoke.

“Lyra.” She introduced
Herself

Aeris glanced at her, “I know.” She says calmly with a slight grin.

Then, suddenly, footsteps approached them quickly. It was Valerius; he stopped the moment he saw them.

Lyra.

He was glad to see her alive and standing, but then he noticed someone else next to her.

His gaze sharpened instantly.

“Who is she?” he asked.

Lyra didn’t look away from Aeris, “She helped,” she said.

“You’re welcome.” She says, cheekily folding her arms over her chest.

Valerius didn’t relax as his gaze moved between them, assessing, then finally settled on Lyra.

“You’re hurt.” He points out with a deep frown

“I’m fine.” She says dismissively

“You’re not.” He argued, still frowning.

Lyra sighed softly, “I said I’m fine.” She pressed

And during this, Aeris watched the exchange quietly, then spoke.

“She pushed too far,” she said.

Instantly, Valerius’s expression darkened, “I can see that.” He responds, still looking at Lyra.

Lyra shot her a look, “I handled it.”

Buy Aeris didn’t argue.

“You survived it,” she corrected, and Valerius stepped closer to Lyra.

“You’re not doing this alone again,” he said firmly.

“…fine,” she said with a soft smile

Aeris watched them for a moment, then turned slightly.

“This won’t be the last one,” she suddenly says.

And Lyra nodded, “I know.” She responds sharply.

Aeris glanced back at her.

“And next time,” she added, “try not to break yourself before you fix it.”

Lyra’s lips curved faintly.

“No promises.”