Lyra Voss had, for most of her life, believed that she was pretty strong, pretty capable—at least enough to handle what the world might throw at her.But life in the last few years had shown her that just when she thought it couldn't get any worse, it became twice as bad.Sick relativesFamily issuesAn underpaying jobDebts... loads of debtAnd now this.Clutching her mom's hand with her plastic-covered ones, she couldn't help but break down in tears."I-I... I ca-n't, I can't—Mom... I'm so tired... I can't do this anymore," she stuttered out, her words a slobbering mess.Gently placing her shielded face against her mom's hands, she sobbed heavily, her voice echoing against the walls of the single room in time with the beeps from the cardiac monitor and the whirring of the ventilator.She couldn't help it. She was just about to drown in her problems.Turns out she wasn't as strong as she thought she was after all.---"Hey... sorry to disturb you, but I heard there was an opening, an

Dark...Everywhere was dark, and her head was ringing. It was loud, incessant, and annoying.Struggling to open her eyes, her gaze came into contact with the glare of the sun, causing dark spots to fill her vision.Stunned, she hastily sat up, the throbbing in her head reaching new heights as she tried to scan the area with her barely opened eyes."...Lyra... Don't..." Someone was talking to her, but she couldn't hear a thing."Ugh..." Slapping away in the direction of the sound, she struggled to stand up, the fog in her eyes clearing up a bit as the ringing in her head reduced, but she overestimated her body's strength as she fell back helplessly.She braced herself for the fall, but an arm stopped her from reaching the ground.Opening her eyes this time, she could see clearly, but the sunlight made her squint.She raised her hands to shield her eyes but stopped in place, her mouth opened wide in shock.Her hands were currently flickering, their shape distorting, flitting into a garb

Having already broken the city rules, Lyra knew that they had very little time left for their mission.Moving her gaze from the eye-catching commotion, she steadied herself, holding her side in pain. Turning to her partner, she smiled wryly."I never really got your name. How about we have a reintroduction... I'm Lyra Voss," she said, stretching out her hand.The young man raised an eyebrow at her sudden change in demeanour, his confusion evident. "Should we be doing this now? I mean, Mr. Rhett and the rest might be in trouble."Lyra's eyes locked onto Victor's, her gaze unwavering. She cracked a small, determined smile, and Victor's expression softened. He shook her hand, a hint of curiosity in his eyes. "Well, I'm Victor. Victor Payton."Noticing his doubts, Lyra smiled, but it looked a little sad. "I don't know what might happen after this... but I at least want to know the name of someone who saved me.""I've also had some stereotypes towards you before, and I'd like to apologize