The first time I stole a Celestial Gift, I was thirteen years old.
I didn't mean to. The boy—Elias—had shoved me too hard in the schoolyard, and my instincts flared to life. A rush of energy surged through me, foreign and electric, and suddenly, he collapsed. His Gift, the ability to manipulate light, drained into me like water into a cracked desert. I could feel it thrumming beneath my skin, but the exhilaration was fleeting. Moments later, pain lanced through my chest like a needle sewing through flesh. I clutched my heart, gasping, as an invisible weight settled inside me.
A piece of my heart had turned to stone.
That was the day I learned what I was. The day I learned why people like me—people with Eclipse—weren't supposed to exist.
Now, nine years later, I've made peace with my curse. I don't steal Gifts anymore, not unless I have to. Not unless my life depends on it. But I can still feel the weight inside me, a reminder of every ability I've taken. A reminder that one day, my heart will stop beating entirely.
Tonight, as I weave through the crowded streets of Corvalis, I remind myself of my rules. No attachments. No unnecessary risks. Most importantly—stay hidden. The Revenants are always watching, always hunting for people like me. If they ever found out what I could do, they'd rip me apart piece by piece, draining my power until there was nothing left.
I pull my hood lower over my face as I slip into an alleyway, my heartbeat steady despite the adrenaline threading through my veins. The underground fight ring is just ahead, and if I'm lucky, I'll make it out with enough money to keep my head down for another month.
Then, I feel it—
A presence.
A mind brushing against mine, tentative yet sharp. A telepath. My pulse spikes, and I spin around, but the alley is empty. The sensation lingers, wrapping around me like a whisper in the dark.
And then I hear the voice, clear as day.
"I've been looking for you, Lyra Kane."
I don't have time to run before a figure steps from the shadows—tall, dark-eyed, and entirely too familiar.
Kael.
The man who's been hunting me for years.
And judging by the look on his face, he's finally caught up to me.