Standing before the glowing portal, its swirling light pulsing like a heartbeat, Aera felt as if the very air was urging her forward—yet her feet froze. The portal gaped like a living thing, wide and shimmering, ready to swallow her whole.
She took a step back.
Turning around, her eyes swept over the familiar landscape—the dense forest that guarded the edges of her kingdom, the sky stretched wide above, and high upon the wind, the royal flag fluttered proudly. Woven into its fabric was the radiant emblem of the Sun—symbol of the Goddess Araiana, the eternal light of hope and protection.
Aera's throat tightened.
This land was her home. Every tree, every breeze carried a memory. Her papa's laughter echoing through the palace halls, her mumma's lullabies at twilight, and her brother's mischievous grins as they raced through the gardens. All of it—every heartbeat of her past—was here.
And she was leaving it behind.
Tears stung her eyes, and a soft sniffle escaped as she hugged those memories close, unsure when—or if—she would ever return.
But destiny waited.
And the portal shimmered… calling her name.
Suddenly, a faint buzzing stirred at her waist.
Startled, Aera reached into the small silk pouch tied to her belt—a gift from the temple priestess, sealed with a blessing and a warning. As her fingers brushed the cool fabric, the pouch trembled more violently, pulsing with strange energy.
She opened it.
A soft gasp left her lips as tiny stars—no larger than pearls—spilled into her palm. They floated above her skin, buzzing and flickering with a fluorescent glow that lit up the dusk around her. Their light shimmered like moonfire, casting dancing reflections across her face.
They had never done this before.
Why were they reacting now?
Her heartbeat quickened.
These weren't ordinary stars—they were celestial fragments, remnants of the Guardians.
The portal's hum grew louder behind her, and the stars vibrated with increasing urgency, as if trying to tell her something.
Aera's eyes widened.
As Aera turned, her breath caught in her throat.
The portal—once wide and pulsing with light—was shrinking, its edges folding inward like the petals of a dying flower. Panic flared in her chest, wiping away her tears. Whatever hesitation she had was gone in an instant.
No time to think. No time to question.
With a last glance at the fading flag of her palace, she clenched the glowing stars in her palm and ran. Her boots pounded against the ground, and just as the portal narrowed to a slit of light, she leapt.
The portal shuddered.
Sensing her presence, it roared to life, its core churning like a whirlpool of time and magic. It sucked her in violently, the wind ripping at her cloak, light flashing like a thousand storms. She was weightless, spinning, tossed like a leaf caught in a cosmic current.
And then—everything exploded in silence.
Aera's body hit solid ground with a thud, the stars scattering from her hand like fireflies.
She blinked up at an unfamiliar sky.
The air was thick with the scent of rain and ash.
She wasn't home anymore.
She had crossed into another realm.
Or...
Was it The Earth.