EP5 - The Last Road Home

After choosing Viremoor over confinement, Lyra returns home to find neighbors repairing the broken ward while avoiding her glowing wings. Nessa offers back the whistle that started everything, but Lyra returns it and tells her to use it sooner next time. Her parents pack for the journey, hiding fear behind practical advice. A council escort carries the sealed transfer order as the damaged settlement disappears behind them. When academy bells reach the road and Viremoor’s towers rise beyond the trees, Lyra takes her mother’s hand—then releases it herself before the wardens can turn goodbye into something forced.