Lyra Ashen woke before the bells. That alone unsettled her.
The Citadel of Emberfall ran on routine,bells for dawn, bells for watch change, bells for council hours. For years, Lyra had learned to measure her days by them. Today, there was nothing. No sound. No movement. Just a silence that pressed against her senses, alert and expectant. She lay still on the cot, staring at the low stone ceiling as faint blue runes pulsed along the walls. They always glowed when she was near. No one had ever offered an explanation, and she had learned not to ask questions that made people uncomfortable. Her palms tingled, warmth lingering beneath the skin like embers refusing to die. Lyra sat up and exhaled slowly. Whatever had happened during the convergence had not faded with sleep. If anything, it felt closer now, as though something unseen had taken a step toward her. She dressed quickly, fastening her worn leather tunic and pulling her cloak around her shoulders. The Citadel corridors were already active when she stepped out guards moving with unusual urgency, whispers following her path. Some looked away when she met their eyes. Others did not bother hiding their unease. She ignored them all. The Hall of Seers lay at the mountain's core, its doors carved with celestial symbols that predated the kingdoms themselves. One door stood partially open. Lyra slowed. The Seers were precise to the point of superstition. Open doors meant intention. Inside, the Astral Basin glowed brighter than she had ever seen it. Liquid light churned softly within the stone ring, casting shifting reflections across the chamber walls. Three figures waited. High Seer Maelor stood near the Basin, hands clasped behind his back, his expression carefully controlled. Seer Elowen watched Lyra with sharp, assessing eyes. And leaning against a pillar, arms crossed, was Kael. Relief flickered before Lyra could stop it. "You're early," Kael said.
"So are you," she replied. His mouth curved slightly, then flattened as his gaze sharpened. Whatever had brought them here was no routine summons. "The Basin reacted at first light," Maelor said. Lyra's attention snapped to the pool. "Reacted how?" Elowen gestured. "It awakened." Lyra felt it then a pull low in her chest, subtle but insistent. The Basin had never responded to her presence before. Now it stirred as if recognizing her. She took a step forward without meaning to. Kael shifted closer, close enough that his presence grounded her. She did not thank him, but she felt it.
"What does this mean?" Lyra asked. Maelor hesitated. That frightened her more than any immediate answer. "It means," Elowen said carefully, "that the convergence was not an anomaly. It was a beginning." Lyra's jaw tightened. "You called me here for speculation?" Maelor turned to face her fully. "The Astral Basin responds only to Starbound blood."
The words struck harder than she expected. "That's impossible," Lyra said. "The Starbound line ended centuries ago." "It was erased," Elowen corrected. "Not ended."
Lyra shook her head. "My parents were healers. Ordinary people."
Kael spoke quietly. "Ordinary people don't leave legacies that wake ancient relics." The Basin surged, light rising abruptly. Runes ignited along the chamber walls, symbols burning into clarity. Images flooded the air. A burning sky. Two moons locked in eclipse. A lone figure standing amid falling ash, eyes lit with silver-blue fire. Lyra gasped as the vision collapsed. Her knees buckled, and Kael caught her before she hit the stone. "That's enough," he said sharply. "She's not trained." "The Basin chose," Maelor replied. "Not us." Lyra pulled free, breath unsteady. "So what now? You tell me I'm a myth reborn and expect me to accept it?" "We expect you to survive it," Elowen said. A horn sounded outside,low and urgent. Then another. Kael turned toward the doors, hand already on his weapon. "That's the outer watch." Maelor's expression darkened. "Too soon." Lyra felt the tremor beneath her feet, subtle but unmistakable. The mountain itself seemed to stir. "What's happening?" she asked.
Elowen met her gaze. "The convergence has drawn attention. Forces that should still be dormant are moving."
Lyra looked back at the Basin, at the fading light still whispering her name. She had spent her life feeling misplaced, as though she stood slightly out of alignment with the world around her. Now she understood why.
Whatever the stars had marked her to become, whatever ash and light now stirred in her blood, one truth was clear Her life before this moment was already gone. And something ancient, buried deep beneath the Citadel, had begun to wake in answer.