Ashen Threads & Diamond Tears

Before Carter’s men could take a single step into the room, I raised my hand.

The newly woven phoenix threads hovering in the air didn't just hang there; they responded to the emotional frequency of the room. Sensing the threat, the golden metallic fibers whipped forward like razor-sharp whips, wrapping around the sledgehammers and yanking them out of the men's hands with terrifying force.

The hammers clattered against the concrete floor.

"What the hell is this?!" one of the thugs yelled, frantically trying to untangle his wrist from a glowing strand of silk that was tightening around his arm like steel wire.

"You brought sledgehammers to a needle fight, Carter," I said coldly, walking slowly toward him as the threads swirled around my shoulders like an invisible shield.

Carter backed away, his face turning pale as he stared at the glowing, impossible fabric moving around him. "You're... you're a monster, Lyra! What kind of black magic is this?!"

"It’s not magic, Carter," I said, stepping right up to his face. "It’s craftsmanship. Something your family has been trying to steal from mine for three generations."

Julian stepped forward, slamming Carter against the brick wall and securing his hands with heavy zip-ties. The other three thugs were already tangled in the metallic web, unable to move a single muscle without the threads cutting into their tactical gear.

I picked up Carter’s dropped radio from the floor and pressed the talk button.

"Chloe," I said into the microphone. "Your cleanup crew failed. Send better men next time... or better yet, come down here and face me yourself."

The radio crackled with static before Chloe’s shrill, panicked voice cut through. "Lyra! You can't do this! I'll destroy you! I'll tell the board you're using illegal technology!"