Chapter 6 Six
Chapter 6 Six
The Falling Sky
The light in the sky kept getting brighter and brighter, and Lyra slowly lifted her head as her eyes widened because the huge ship above them was humming loudly like an angry star that had been disturbed, and the beam at its center kept growing and stretching and swelling like it wanted to swallow the whole world, and it felt like it was coming just to erase everything, not just the building or the street, but everything, even them.
“Val…” she whispered softly, her voice small and shaky as she looked up.
Valerius was weak in her arms, and his body felt too hot like he was burning from the inside, and his breathing was slow and uneven, but even then, even like that, his fingers were still holding onto her sleeve tightly as if he didn’t want to let go of her no matter what happened.
“Don’t… be scared,” he said softly, even though his voice trembled and sounded tired, and it felt like every word took effort for him to say, “I’m here.”
Lyra swallowed slowly as her heart beat very fast inside her chest, so loud it almost felt like it would burst out, and she nodded even though he could barely see her.
“I know,” she said quietly, trying to sound strong even though she didn’t feel strong at all, “but we need to move.”
The ground shook again under their feet, and dust fell from the ceiling like soft gray rain, and the air smelled thick like smoke and burnt metal, making it hard to breathe, and everything around them felt like it was breaking apart.
Then Unit 7’s voice came quickly into her mind, sharp and urgent.
“Impact in ten seconds.”
Ten seconds felt too small, too short, like it wasn’t even time at all, and Lyra’s mind raced as she looked around quickly at the van, then at the broken walls, then back at the glowing sky that was about to fall on them.
Think. Think. Think.
Her fingers tightened as something inside her hardened, and she shook her head a little.
“I won’t die here,” she said quietly but firmly, like she was making a promise to herself.
Valerius’s ears twitched slightly, and even though he was weak, he still heard her words.
“That’s… my line,” he murmured faintly, and even in that moment, his voice carried a tiny bit of humor.
Lyra almost smiled, just a little, but there was no time for that.
Then she moved quickly.
“Unit 7,” she said fast, her voice sharper now, “reroute all power to the van and overload the cloaking system.”
“Warning: system may collapse.”
“I know,” she replied without hesitation, “do it.”
The van lit up softly with a faint glow that flickered like it wasn’t stable, and Lyra quickly moved, dragging Valerius toward it as his body leaned heavily against her, and even though he tried to stand on his own, his legs shook too much to support him.
“I can walk,” he said weakly, trying to sound stronger than he was.
“You can barely breathe,” she replied quickly, not even looking at him as she kept moving.
One of his silver tails moved slowly and wrapped gently around her waist, helping her support his weight, and together they stumbled forward, step by step, until they reached the van.
The moment they got inside, the doors slammed shut behind them with a loud sound that echoed in the tight space.
Outside, the white light screamed down from the sky, brighter than anything Lyra had ever seen.
Lyra gripped the controls tightly, her hands shaking slightly.
“Hold on,” she whispered softly.
And then—
The world exploded into light. Everything turned white. It was so bright that it swallowed everything, every sound, every shape, every thought. For a moment, there was nothing at all, no sound, no light, no feeling, just a strange empty quiet that wrapped around everything like a blanket.
—-
Lyra blinked slowly as her eyes struggled to adjust, and her head hurt badly like something had hit her hard, and everything felt heavy, like her body didn’t fully belong to her yet.
“Val?” she called softly, her voice shaky but There was no answer making Her chest tighten painfully.
“Val!” she called again, louder this time, fear creeping into her voice. She turned quickly, her movements clumsy, and then she saw him, feeling slightly relieved
He was there beside her, slumped against the seat.
Still
Too still
“No…” her voice broke slightly as fear filled her chest.
She quickly reached out to him with trembling fingers and touched him gently ,his skin was still warm but he wasn’t moving.
“Hey… wake up,” she said softly, her voice quieter now, almost like she was afraid to be too loud, “you said… you’d take me home” her voice broke, but nothing happened
Lyra bit down on her lip as her eyes stung a little, as tears threatened to fall, and then slowly, she placed her hand on his chest, feeling for something, anything.
“Please…” she whispered, her heart in her throat making it hard for her to breathe
The air around them felt strange again, too still, too quiet, like even the world was waiting.
Then suddenly…
A faint glow appeared
The violet runes on his chest flickered softly
Once
Twice
Then Valerius coughed weakly, a small, fragile sound. Immediately her eyes widened instantly as she moved closer to him
“Val!”she whispered yelled in pure relief
His eyes opened slowly, not bright like before, not powerful or glowing, but tired and heavy, yet alive
“You’re loud,” he murmured softly, slowly adjusting on his seat
Lyra let out a small, shaky laugh as relief washed over her, “You almost died,” she said as she stared at him, her chest full
He blinked slowly at her, “But I didn’t,” he answered simply. Then his gaze softened slightly as he looked at her, “You’re still here” he whispers as he slowly reaches for her hand, interlocking them
Lyra didn’t know what to say to that, so she just nodded quietly with a small smile.
Outside the van, everything had changed. The building was gone, the alley gone , even the streets had disappeared. Everything had been wiped away like it never existed, leaving behind only dust and silence.
The sky above was calm again
Lyra looked out through the cracked window quietly, “They really tried to erase us,” she says
Valerius followed her gaze slowly, his expression darkening, “Mu father…” he whispered, his words get cut in his throat
There was no anger in his voice, only something heavy and quiet, it was sad as she turned to look at him
“Why?” she asked gently
Valerius stayed silent for a long moment before answering
“Because I became a problem,” he said softly, his expression grim
Lyra frowned slightly, “But you’re his son…”
“I’m hisweapon,” Valerius corrected quietly, a small frown growing on his face
That made something inside Lyra hurt in a way she didn’t fully understand.She didn’t like how that sounded, not one bit. How could a father be so cruel to his own blood. It was something she couldn’t fully understand
“You’re not just that,” she said firmly, even though her voice was soft, causing him to look at her, surprised. She held his gaze, even though she felt unsure.
“You’re… you,” she finished, holding his hands in hers once again, her heart beat now in rhythm with his own, she could feel it
Valerius stare at her for a moment, like he was trying to understand her words. Then slowly, one of his silver tails moved and wrapped gently around her waist, warm and soft and careful
“Then stay,” he said quietly
Lyra blinked slightl
“Stay… as the one who sees me like that.”
Her heart skipped a little, and she didn’t fully understand what he meant, but she understood enough through what she felt for him
He didn’t want to be alone and she didn’t want to be alone either, she she nodded her head slightly
“Okay,” she responds with a smile smile, placing her head onto his as they both shut their eyes, simply enjoying each others soft energy
—
Far above them, hidden behind thick clouds, the great ship moved slowly, watching silently like it was waiting for something.
And somewhere deep inside it, the king sat in silence, already knowing that his son had survived, and that the girl beside him had become something dangerous.
Not a ghost
But the only person in the entire galaxy who could stand beside a monste and not be afraid.
“What exactly are you ?”