Lyra felt as if she were lost in a trance.
Her body stood among them, yet her soul wandered through distant realms. The uncertainty she found herself in brought her both a deep ache and an odd sense of joy. The woman standing before her did not feel like a stranger. On the contrary, it felt as though Lyra had known her for a very long time—perhaps even loved her. It was a spiritual recognition, one born from the heart and soul.
The woman's beauty was straight out of legends. Her hair, in a shade of blonde Lyra had never seen before, flowed down to her waist. Her radiant blue eyes resembled the sky. The faint freckles on her face gave her the appearance of someone utterly natural, utterly trustworthy. Alice and Defne gazed at each other for a long time. It was Alice who broke the silence.
"It's too early… Far too early," she whispered.
Defne remained silent.
Lyra turned to her mother and whispered, "Mother…"
Alice returned to herself at the sound of Lyra's voice. She gently touched her daughter's chin, lifted it slightly, and said softly, "Hello."
Lyra couldn't respond. She simply locked eyes with her mother. Her mother smiled at her as if to give her strength, but said nothing more.
Alice stepped forward. "We must go," she said with resolve. "I'll tell her everything."
Defne's eyes welled up with tears again. The time to part from her daughter had come.
Turning to Lyra, Alice explained that she wasn't safe here, that they needed to leave, and that in time, she would reveal everything. She asked Lyra to trust her.
Defne embraced her daughter one last time, tears streaming down her face.
"Alice is your protector. I trust her as I trust my own soul," she said, then walked away.
Alice took Lyra's hands, and together, they rose into the sky in a beam of light.
Though it had only been five hours, to Lyra it felt as if centuries had passed.
---
Beneath the dark veil of the sky, Lyra was summoned to a sacred council under the light of the stars. The goddess of purity and wisdom, Astrea; the goddess of balance and justice, Themis; and the goddess of war, Enyo, sat upon thrones glowing with divine light. Their eyes pierced through Lyra's soul.
Lyra stepped into the white circle at the center. The surrounding lights and scents were strange—like walking the edge between peace and unease. All her conflicting emotions stirred within her.
Astrea spoke first, her voice soft yet powerful:
"Lyra, wisdom and healing flow through your blood. The ability to hear nature's secrets and bring healing is now yours."
Themis added with a balanced and steady voice:
"May the light of justice be with you. Balance the light and darkness in your heart, and bring forth truth and righteousness."
Enyo roared, surrounded by flames:
"And my fire shall be your strength in battle. With courage and fury, you will burn the shadows into ash."
In the presence of these three goddesses, Lyra felt the dormant powers in her blood awakening one by one. She was no longer a mere being—she was now a goddess. Her duty was to restore balance to the world and free it from the grip of darkness.
Perhaps even more than that… But for now, this was all Lyra knew.
She carried wisdom, justice, and fire within her all at once. That was why the goddesses had summoned her—because her destiny lay far beyond that of any mortal.
---
And yet, the greatest question within Lyra remained: who were her true parents? Where did her roots lie?
This mystery churned within her soul like a storm.
Lyra was not merely a goddess with three powers. She was the fusion of good and evil.
Her mother was Maria, the goddess of pure kindness and compassion. Her father was Malgor, the god of destruction and darkness. But Lyra did not know this yet.
That was why her essence was grey—neither fully light nor fully shadow.
Her goodness held the power to heal and breathe life into all things. But the darkness within her held the power to destroy everything. Balancing these extremes would be her greatest trial.
---
Lyra's fate was to walk her own path by balancing these opposing forces.
As she left the mortal world behind, she felt the weight of the grey power within her chest.
But in truth, she stood at the threshold of a new beginning.
Her true place was among the stars, in the realm of the ancient gods.
The Divine Realm was woven with infinity, every corner filled with power and secrets. There, Lyra would come face to face with her true self—the one who carried the legacy of both her mother and her father—and she would learn to master the balance within her.
But the Divine Realm was not ruled by holy light alone. Darkness, too, had its place.
The war between good and evil within Lyra would grow more complex there. Allies and enemies would multiply. Her trials would become greater.
Now that she had awakened her true powers, Lyra had to seize the threads of fate.
For the balance of the universe rested in her hands.