h4Chapter 69: Risking Death?/h4

Most attempts fail. Most who try... die."

Thatst wordnded heavy.

Lira frowned. "There has to be a way."

"There might be," he admitted. "But not without time, research, and preparation. You’d need to stay here. I will offer my resources—for Lira’s sake."

I bowed my head again. "Thank you, Your Majesty."

"Don’t thank me yet," he said. "It will not be easy."

I nced again at Lucas, who remained statuesque beside the throne. No flicker. Nothing at all. Just... cold.

I wanted to scream, to demand why he was here—how he was here. But the ache in my chest and the fear in my blood warned me: not yet. Don’t lose the only lead you have.

"I’ll need a ce to stay," I said softly.

"You’ll be given quarters near the East Library," the king said. "We have many mages who study ancient realm-splitting spells. Begin there."

Lira squeezed my arm. "I’ll help her, Father."

"I expect you will," he said, voice full of dry affection. "It’s good to have you home."

She smiled, bowed again, then turned to me. "Come. I’ll show you around."

I followed her, but not before casting onest nce over my shoulder.

Lucas’s eyes were still on me.

Still empty.

Still watching.

The guest quarters in the East Wing werevishpared to the academy. I had a bedrger than any I’d ever slept in, silken sheets, a marble bath that filled with fragrant steam at a touch, and a view of ake that shimmered with moonlight even at noon.

Still, I didn’t sleep that night.

I sat by the window, cloak wrapped tight around my shoulders, and stared up at the stars.

Lucas.

Or was it really him?

The man beside the king felt like a shadow of who I remembered. A shell. Something had been taken from him.

Or worse... reced.

Could he be a twin? A doppelganger? Or something more unnatural—reanimated, recreated?

I needed to know.

But how?

A knock startled me from my thoughts.

Lira entered, this time in a soft white robe, her hair down, a cup of something warm in her hands.

"You okay?" she asked, handing me the mug.

I nodded slowly. "Thank you. Just... overwhelmed."

She sat on the edge of my bed. "I know you’re not telling me everything. And that’s okay. I figure, you’ve got your secrets."

"I do," I admitted.

"But whatever’s eating you... it’s not going to win. You’re strong, Athena. Stronger than you think."

I looked down at the swirling surface of the drink. "You barely know me."

"I don’t need years to know someone," she said. I don’t mind that you are from another realm at all.

I smiled faintly, grateful.

"Lira... thank you. For bringing me here. For trusting me."

"Of course," she said, nudging my knee. "You’re not just my guest. You’re my friend, don’t forget"

I held her gaze. "Yes, I won’t forget that."

But inside, something still twisted tight.

Lucas. Or the man who wore his face.

Tomorrow, I would begin my research. I would explore the libraries, question the schrs, find any fragment of spellwork or lost magic that could open the way back to my realm.

The pce was like something out of a dream—suspended bridges glowing with silver light, walls carved with runes that shimmered in the sunlight, and stairways that curled impossibly into the sky. I’d never seen anything like it.

"Come on," Lira grinned, tugging me down a hall filled with floating candles the next day. "You’ve seen nothing yet. The Mirror Garden’s this way."

Every step through the ce made me feel smaller, like I was walking through someone else’s memory. Magic saturated the air, rich and thick. Unlike the resistance I felt at the academy, here it weed me, curling around my fingers like smoke.

We walked through an orchard of ss-blossomed trees that sang when the wind touched them, and then to a courtyard where the stars still shimmered in daylight. Iughed without thinking, spinning once as tiny lights trailed after me.

Lira smiled. "Told you you’d like it."

"I love it," I said honestly. For a moment, it almost made me forget the ache in my chest. Almost.

We passed a reflecting pool where the water showed not your face, but your truest desire. I didn’t dare look.

"I need to meet with my tutor quickly," Lira said, pausing at a fork in the hall. "Go wherever you like—just don’t get caught sneaking into the war chamber. They’re sensitive about that."

I nodded. "I’ll stay out of trouble."

She vanished around the corner with a yful wave, and I turned down a quiet corridor draped in silks that swayed like breathing walls. My footsteps slowed. This part of the pce was quieter, older. The light dimmed, and I could hear the soft hum of magic through the stone.

I passed a set of high doors left ajar and paused. Something tugged at me—an instinct, a presence.

I pushed the door open.

Inside was a library, circr and filled with spiraling shelves. And at the center, a man stood with his back to me, talking softly with one of the pce advisors. The advisor bowed and left.

And the man turned.

My breath caught.

Lucas.

I almost called his name aloud.

It was him. Same broad shoulders. Same silver-streaked dark hair. Same storm-grey eyes. Only those eyes—they were dead. Empty. And devoid of everything I remembered. He looked at me like I was a stranger. I felt a pang of pain

He gave a polite nod. "You seem lost."

My throat tightened.

I stepped forward slowly. "I... I didn’t expect anyone here."

He tilted his head slightly. "I’m often here. The king values my counsel."

Of course. He was the king’s trusted advisor.

Lucas.

But not my Lucas.

He didn’t recognize me.

Didn’t remember me.

I managed a stiff smile. "I didn’t mean to intrude. I was exploring."

"No harm done." He looked back at the books.