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He always moved with caution. Before coming after word arrived of a new Guide, he had run a full preliminary check.
Rhys leaned back with an easy, lazy smirk. “So what now? If it isn’t your equipment
malfunctioning, are we supposed to blame the Guide p>
Zev’s gaze shifted toward Lyra.
Hadrien spoke before Zev could utter a single word.
“Not a chance. One round of this chaos was more than enough. You won’t drag her through it again p>
Zev stared at Lyra without speaking.
Lyra fell silent for a beat, then gently tapped the back of Hadrien’s hand.
She had already endured this trial once.
What harm would there be in a second attempt?
Zev clearly expected her to agree.
And she had no choice but to comply.
After all, she was the one asking for concessions.
Hadrien shot her a look of surprise.
Lyra lowered her head and typed into her Star Brain.
“I will undergo the test again. If the machine malfunctions a second time, what terms stand p>
“Our original agreement holds,” Zev replied.
Lyra nodded once.
She typed a short message, “Let’s begin p>
Hadrien studied her closely.
Lyra pressed her lips together and offered a faint, reassuring smile to show she was all right.
“You don’t have to push through this if you can’t bear it,” Hadrien said softly. “It’s okay p>
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Lyra shook her head.
She fitted the testing apparatus over her temples and closed her eyes once more.
The scenes unfolding before her eyes differed this time around.
Yet each layer of the trial grew harder than the last.
Every barrier she faced proved more brutal than the one before it.
The final stage, in particular, pushed human sensory endurance to its absolute breaking point.
Clutching a thick timber beam, she shoved aside wailing, headless corpses surrounding her. With nothing but raw, unyielding resolve, she threw herself forward and dove straight into the passageway set amid churning magma.
When the sequence finished, she opened her eyes again.
Sweat beaded across her forehead, and traces of raw panic lingered in her stare.
“Are you alright p>
A warm, broad palm settled over the back of her hand. The warmth seeped into her skin, a quiet anchor reminding Lyra she had returned to reality.
Hadrien’s voice hummed with clear distress. His other hand brushed her cold, pale cheek.
Lyra met his eyes and shook her head quietly.
Then she turned her gaze toward Zev across from her.
Zev tapped the testing equipment once, baffled.
This made no sense.
It had been perfectly fine before he came.
The other onlookers caught the gesture and instantly understood–the machine had failed again.
“Well, well, well… This is what happens when you don’t arrest corrupt officials. Now you’ve embarrassed yourself in front of everyone. Completely lost face p>
Zev lifted his eyes, his expression complicated as he regarded Lyra.
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One faulty reading could be dismissed as an equipment error.
Two consecutive failures meant the fault did not lie with the machinery.
This detector could register power grades ranging from low Tier–C all the way to Tier–25–the highest documented rank any Guide had ever achieved.
Yet Lyra’s reading remained blank.
There were only two possibilities.
Either her psychic power fell far too weak to register even Tier–C…
Or…
He let the second, far more unsettling possibility flicker briefly through his thoughts before pushing it aside.
“I keep my word.” He glanced down at the Star Brain wrapped around his wrist. “You leave with us at this exact time the day after tomorrow p>
Lyra tightened her jaw, released a long slow breath, and nodded.
Zev then turned toward Hadrien.
“Black Spire will enter full lockdown for this period. No outside personnel permitted entry, and no staff allowed to leave the facility. My troops will establish a perimeter and maintain constant protective detail near the Guide.
“All other logistics fall to you to arrange p>
Hadrien stared back at him, his face cold and unresponsive.
Zev turned on his heel and began issuing orders to his Sentinel unit.
Yannis and Lior talked too freely, so Zev sent them away.
Lyra refused to waste precious time. She twisted toward the gathered spirit animals and waved them closer.
The spirit animals walked over in confusion.
The ones closest to her drew near at once; the more distant creatures hung back, lingering farther out.
Lyra scanned the assembly. She pointed to the smaller spirit animals and waved again,
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beckoning them to gather beside her.
She gestured toward her shoulders, the top of her head, then stretched out her arms.
Her meaning was plain: perch wherever you can. If you cannot stand upon me, lean against me–any way you wish.
In short, they could treat her like a tree to perch on.
Slowly, the spirit animals grasped her intent.
None moved immediately, caught in hesitation.
Lyra shifted her gaze to the Sentinels each spirit animal belonged to.
She shook her head at them, her gaze earnest and pleading.
She had fought hard to secure this arrangement.
None of them ought to let this chance slip away.
coil against me,
Watching her silent appeal, the Sentinels lowered their eyes with tangled emotions.
One by one, the spirit animals drifted toward Lyra.
Lyra offered a gentle smile to the remaining spirit animals, signaling there would be a turn for every last one of them.
Hadrien said nothing about her choice, though his mood hung heavy as he stepped forward to help keep order.
Lyra tilted her head upward and offered him a grateful smile.
The sight of her smile stung Hadrien’s eyes. He shifted his gaze away, weighed down by guilt.
Zev finished assigning his troops and turned back to witness the scene.
He strode over.
“ Is this how you treat a Guide p>
She was practically buried beneath spirit animals, used like some sort of perch.
It astonished him that she could still smile.
When he lifted a hand to drive the creatures away, Lyra wrapped her arms around the spirit animals clinging to her frame.
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She fixed him with a stern look, clearly signaling this was her own choice.
“Spirit birds carry sharp talons that will tear your skin open,” Zev warned. “Serpents coiled fully around your body will cut off circulation after a while p>
Lyra turned her head away, her manner distant.
She was no fool.
If any position grew uncomfortable, she would shift.
“I don’t need your advice. This is my decision p>
Seeing the petite girl almost buried beneath spirit animals use her Star Brain to deliver such a blunt refusal, Zev acted as if he did not understand.
“If you cannot bear to part with them, you can go room by room and see them at the door, one by one. Why crowd around like this p>
Lyra kept her face rigid and ignored him completely.
Hadrien likewise paid him no mind, standing quietly beside her.
Zev redirected his frustration toward Hadrien.
“You serve as her personal guard. Is this how you safeguard her p>
“She has sustained no injuries, and she wants this,” Hadrien replied in a cool, sharp tone. “What reason would I have to stop her p>
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Ruby Walker
Ruby Walker is a rising voice in the world of romance and spicy fiction. With a gift for weaving deep emotions, sizzling chemistry, and unexpected twists, her stories are a blend of passion and drama that captivate readers from start to finish. Ruby’s writing style is bold and irresistible—perfect for those who crave intense, addictive love stories.