Liam's POV
"It's happening. It's really happening…" I whispered, my breath shallow as the safe door clicked shut. My mother's hands trembled as she locked it behind me, her voice frantic.
"Liam! Hide. Hurry! You have to—"
"Mum, what's going on?" My voice cracked as I glanced at the window. It's too quiet.
"Don't come out. No matter what."
I pressed my back against the cold wall, the sound of my heart pounding louder than the whistling wind outside. The world outside had turned dark, and all I could hear was my mother's soft breaths as she fumbled with the code to the vault. Where's Dad? Where's Lyra?
Lyra. I brought her here and shared our refuge with her. The thought of her betrayal was unthinkable. Yet, as the seconds ticked on, a gnawing unease settled in my gut. Has she betrayed us?
A loud bang made me jump, then another. Gunshots.
I swallowed hard, trying to steady my breath. My father's teachings echoed in my mind—stay calm, observe, wait. I gripped the cold metal of the gun, the weight of the weapon reassuring.
But then... a crack shattered the silence. The door burst open. Mum! She fell, blood blooming across the floor like a cruel flower. The gunfire rang out as the attackers flooded the room, their faces masked. Among them, a figure stepped forward. Lyra.
What is she doing? I blinked, confusion twisting my gut. There was a smirk—or was it just the tears in my eyes?
Then I saw her. Another Lyra. Her twin. She looked just like her...
No. No, no— I tried to comprehend what was happening, but the sight of the blade sinking into Lyra's chest stopped everything. She... stabbed herself? Or was she forced to?
The room spun, the air thick with gunpowder and betrayal. My world—my mother—gone.