Cyrene

Prologue

Something was wrong, and Vaelynn Vane could feel it in a way she couldn’t explain. It wasn’t something she could see or touch, but something that pressed heavily against her chest, making the air around her feel thick and unfamiliar. It was almost midnight…

She stood barefoot in the rain, unmoving, as cold rain drops soaked into her skin and clothes, yet she didn’t react. For a moment, she tried to remember how she had ended up outside, but the thought slipped away before it could fully form, as if it didn’t belong to her at all.

A faint echo stirred in her mind—unclear, distant, and almost broken. Not quite a voice, not quite silence.

Go.

Her fingers twitched slightly, and before she could understand why, her body moved. One step forward. Then another. Slow. Careful. Like she wasn’t meant to be there. Ahead, beneath the dim glow of a flickering streetlight, stood the watchman, unaware of her presence. He hadn’t seen her yet.

Vaelynn stopped for a second, her head tilting ever so slightly, as if trying to understand something just beyond her reach. Or remember something she had already lost.

Then she moved again.

Jake the Watchman, had almost missed her at first, the rain blurring his vision as he stood near the gate, adjusting his cap and scanning the empty street out of habit.

It was the faint movement that caught his attention—a figure standing too still, too close. He turned, squinting through the dim light, and then he saw her. “Excuse me?” he called out, confusion slipping into his voice. Vaelynn stood a few steps away, barefoot in the rain, her hair clinging to her face, her clothes damp and heavy. There was something wrong in the way she stood—too rigid, too quiet, like she didn’t belong in the moment at all.

Jake frowned, taking a cautious step forward. “It’s late,” he said, trying to keep his tone steady. “You shouldn’t be outside at this hour.” She didn’t respond. Not a word, not even a flicker of expression. The uneasiness in his chest deepened. “Did something happen?” he asked, moving closer now. “Are you alright?” Still nothing. Her eyes remained fixed on him, distant and unfocused, as if she was looking through him rather than at him. Jake hesitated, and then reached out, placing a hand lightly on her arm. “Ma’am?—” That was when she moved.

Her hand shot forward, gripping his wrist with a sudden force that made him flinch. “Hey—what are you doing?” he said, trying to pull back, but her hold tightened instead of loosening. Panic flickered across his face as he struggled to free himself, but before he could react again, her other hand rose and closed around his throat. The pressure was immediate. Jake’s breath caught as his hands flew to her arm, trying to push her away, but she didn’t move. She didn’t hesitate. Her expression stayed the same—empty, distant, almost unaware. “Stop—” he choked, his voice breaking as the rain grew louder, drowning out the sound of his struggle. His movements became frantic, then desperate, his grip weakening as the air left his lungs. But Vaelynn didn’t let go. She held on with the same steady force, as if guided by something beyond her control.

Slowly, his strength faded, his hands slipping from her arm as his body went still. For a moment, everything fell silent except for the rain. Then, without urgency, her fingers loosened, and Jake’s body collapsed against the wet ground. Vaelynn stood there, unmoving, her breathing uneven as she looked down at him, as if trying to understand what she had just done— before the thought faded, leaving nothing behind.

The rain continued to fall, washing over everything, softening the edges of what had just happened. After a few seconds, or maybe minutes, she blinked, her expression shifting slightly, not into fear, not into regret—just emptiness. Without another glance, she stepped past him, her bare feet pressing lightly against the wet ground, and walked out through the open gate. The street beyond was quiet, deserted, the world carrying on as if nothing had changed. She kept walking, her movements slow but steady, disappearing into the darkness without hesitation, without purpose that anyone could see.

Hours passed. The rain eased, the night grew deeper, and she returned the same way she had left. Her clothes were damp, her hair messy, but her face remained calm, and untouched by everything that had happened. She walked past the body without stopping, without even looking at it this time, as if it were nothing more than something that didn’t belong to her world. Reaching the third floor, she unlocked her door and stepped inside.

The room was silent. Familiar. Safe. Slowly, she moved to the corner and sat down, curling into herself, her hands resting in her lap, faint traces of what the rain hadn’t washed away were still clinging to her skin. Her eyes grew heavy. Her breathing steadied. And within moments, Vaelynn fell asleep—peacefully, as if the night had been nothing at all.