Return of Tower's Phantom-Chapter 17 – The Prayer That Reached Him

The Temple of Elaria was quiet under the moonlight, its white spires glowing faintly with divine energy. Incense curled through the halls, and at the far end—kneeling before the statue of the Goddess—was Lyra.

Clad in ceremonial robes, her hands trembled as she pressed them together in prayer. Her voice was barely a whisper.

"...If you still hear me... if you still walk this world... come back."

She had prayed like this every week since the day Rael died. Since the Tower betrayed him. Since the gods claimed his soul and declared him corrupted.

But she never believed them.

He wasn't a monster. He was kind. Sharp-tongued, yes, and terrifying in battle—but he had saved her life more times than she could count. He never asked for thanks. He never wanted praise.

He just kept moving forward.

She opened her eyes and stared at the pendant in her hands—a black shard, the only thing that didn't burn away when he vanished.

A remnant of his soul.

And tonight, it was warm.

Her breath caught.

She stood, her heartbeat quickening. The shard pulsed faintly, like a heartbeat echoing from afar.

Rael...?

Suddenly, the temple bells rang. An urgent chime.

A scout burst through the chamber doors, panting. "High Priestess! There's been a breach at the lower sanctum. Divine barriers are failing!"

Lyra's eyes darkened. "By what?"

"We don't know. There's no visible enemy. Just... a black mist and a signature we can't identify."

She closed her hand around the shard.

It's him. It has to be.

Without another word, Lyra rushed down the marble stairs, her robes flowing behind her. She ignored the panicked clergy, the screaming sensors, the flickering runes.

When she reached the sanctum—she stopped.

There was nothing.

Just silence.

And at the center of the broken altar... a single black feather, resting where the goddess' symbol once stood.

She picked it up. No blood. No sign of intrusion. But the message was clear.

He had come here. He had seen her.

And he had left without a word.

Tears welled in her eyes—not out of fear, or sadness.

But hope.

He's alive.

And now, her heart was no longer still.

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