LYRRISE'S POV;
I leaned forward on my bed, elbows resting on my knees, my eyes locked on Rael.
"Rael, I'm asking you one last time—where does Aralin live?"
He was quiet for a long while, his cat form flicking its tail in slow, restless motions. Finally, he shifted back into his human form, sitting cross-legged on the floor. His gaze was serious now.
"You're not going to like the answer," he muttered.
"I don't care. Just tell me."
Rael sighed, rubbing the back of his neck. "Fine… I'll tell you everything. But you'd better sit still, because this is going to be a long story."
I crossed my arms. "I'm listening."
---
"The truth," he began, "is that Aralin doesn't live anywhere on Earth anymore. He lives in what we call the Sky Fortress—an enormous city floating above the highest clouds, cloaked from human eyes. It's where he keeps the Riftborn experiments, the failed ones and the perfected ones. That's where he controls the spawning gates."
I felt my stomach twist, imagining a city in the sky crawling with creatures.
Rael's eyes flickered like he was remembering something far away. "When Aralin first began his experiments, Riftborns could only appear during the Blood Moon. Daylight burned them. But… when you were born, he saw an opportunity. He took your blood when you were a baby, and he found that it could make Eclipsed immune to sunlight."
My fists clenched.
"He experimented on me… when I was a baby?"
Rael nodded, his voice heavy. "Yeah. That's why he wanted you so badly. He doesn't just want to keep Riftborns spawning at night—he wants to bring them into the day. Imagine… no safe time for humans. No peace."
He looked down for a moment before continuing. "After I stole you, I kept moving you far from his eyes. I couldn't kill him—he's my brother, and… stronger than you think. But I hoped if I hid you long enough, he'd give up."
I shook my head. "Clearly, he didn't."
Rael gave a humorless laugh. "No. He never does. And now, I think he's running low on that blood he took from you years ago. He'll want more."
The words sat heavy in the air.
A month. That's what Aralin had told me. A month before he turned everyone into ashes.
Rael leaned back against the wall. "The Sky Fortress is dangerous, Lyrrise. I've been there before—once. Barely made it out. It's guarded by more than just Riftborns… Aralin's got his own loyal Eclipsed who'd die for him. You'd be walking into a death trap."
I stared down at my hands, my thoughts spiraling.
A death trap or not… if that was where my father lived, then that was where I had to go.
I stood up from the bed so quickly Rael flinched. My pulse was pounding in my ears.
"I'm going to the Sky Fortress."
Rael shot to his feet, eyes wide. "Have you lost your mind?! Did you not hear a single thing I just said?"
"I heard all of it," I snapped, "and that's why I have to go. If I don't, Aralin will come here. He'll kill everyone I care about. I'm not waiting for that to happen."
Before Rael could argue again, Lior—who had been lounging against the window frame—spoke up. "You're actually serious about walking into the lion's den?"
"I'm not walking in," I corrected. "I'm charging in."
Lior groaned, crossing her arms. "Do you even know how many guards Aralin has up there? Tens? Hundreds? You're strong, Lyrrise, but you're not invincible."
I met her gaze. "Then I'll just have to make myself invincible."
Rael stepped forward, frustration etched on his face. "You don't even know the way there! And even if you did, the Sky Fortress is in the upper layers of the Rift—gravity, air, everything is different. You'll collapse before you even see Aralin's gate."
"Then you'll take me there," I said simply.
That shut him up.
His jaw tightened. "No. Absolutely not."
"Rael—"
"No! I'm not leading you to my brother's doorstep so he can get exactly what he wants. You're not a weapon for him to use again!"
Lior tilted her head. "You're scared she'll actually win, or scared she won't?"
Rael shot her a glare, but she didn't look away.
I took a deep breath. "Look. I know you both are worried. But I'm not doing this for revenge. I'm doing this because if I don't, everyone we've been fighting to protect will die. And I'm… I'm done letting him control my life from a distance."
Silence.
Finally, Lior smirked faintly. "Well… if you die, I'm taking your bed."
Rael groaned, dragging a hand down his face. "Unbelievable. You're both insane."
"Maybe," I said, stepping toward the door. "But at least we're not cowards."
Rael muttered something under his breath, but I caught it anyway: "You're going to get us all killed…"
——
The academy was quiet that night. Too quiet.
Cyril had finally left my dorm after making sure I "wasn't overworking myself." If only he knew. The moment the door clicked shut, I swung my legs off the bed and quietly rummaged through my drawer. I pulled out the double katana I had made from my blood during the Skyclad Riftborn attack—it had faded back into me earlier, but with a quick bite to my finger, I willed it out again.
The crimson blades shimmered faintly under the moonlight pouring in from my window. My hands tightened around the hilts. "I'm not waiting for him to burn this place down…" I whispered to myself.
Lior was sitting cross-legged on my desk, idly sharpening one of her throwing knives. "You sure about doing this without telling your precious knight in shining armor?"
I glanced at her. "If Cyril knew, he'd chain me to my bed until Aralin burned through the gates."
Rael, curled up in his cat form on my pillow, snorted. "She's not wrong. He'd probably lock you in a broom closet if it meant keeping you here."
I ignored both of them and kept packing. I grabbed small pouches of dried food from my trunk, a canteen, my reinforced gloves, and the cloak I used for stealth missions. My heart raced at every creak of the floor, terrified Cyril would burst through the door and ask what I was doing.
"You're still forgetting something," Rael said lazily.
"What?" I asked without looking up.
"An actual plan."
I paused. "…That's tomorrow's problem."
Lior sighed and hopped off the desk. "Fine. If you're really going to do this, I'll come. Someone needs to keep you from getting skewered in the first ten minutes."
Rael stretched and morphed into his human form, tossing his mask on. "And someone needs to make sure she doesn't kill you first."
I slid my pack onto my shoulder. "You're both coming whether you like it or not."
And with that, I hid the bag under my bed, pulled the blanket over it, and laid back down—forcing myself to look like someone who was definitely not about to do something reckless.
I had just tucked the strap of my pack tighter under the bed when the sound hit me—slow, steady footsteps in the hallway.
Rael froze mid-step toward the window. Lior stopped twirling her knife and shoved it into her boot.
The door handle rattled.
I dove onto the bed, pulling the blanket up to my chin, trying to steady my breathing. Rael—thank the bloody moon—snapped back into his cat form and curled against my side like he'd been there all night. Lior leaned casually against the wall, pretending to be cleaning under her nails.
The door creaked open, and Cyril's tall frame filled the doorway. His eyes scanned the room, pausing just long enough to make my stomach knot.
"You're… still awake?" His voice was calm, but I caught the faint edge in it—the same tone he used when he knew something was off.
I forced a yawn. "Couldn't sleep. Just talking with Lior."
His gaze drifted to the bed, to Rael curled up like the picture of innocence. Then his eyes flicked toward my desk. My cloak was draped there—too neatly for it to look natural.
My heart thudded so loud I was sure he could hear it.
"Strange," Cyril said, stepping further inside, "you weren't at dinner tonight."
"I… wasn't hungry." I kept my voice flat, steady.
He studied me for a long, tense moment. Then, without warning, he crouched and glanced under the bed.
I nearly stopped breathing.
But my bag was gone. My eyes darted to the corner—Lior was holding it behind her leg, smirking faintly.
Cyril straightened, his expression unreadable. "Stay in tomorrow. You look pale."
And with that, he turned and left, the sound of his boots fading down the hall.
The second the door closed, I slumped back into my pillow. Lior tossed me the bag. "You're welcome."
Rael purred smugly. "That was close. Maybe *too* close."
I stared at the ceiling. "Yeah… too close."
———
The next morning, I knew something was wrong before I even left the dorm.
Cyril was leaning against the doorframe like he'd been there for hours, arms crossed, gaze sharp.
"Morning," I said, trying to keep my tone casual.
"Mm." He didn't move, just scanned me from head to toe. "I'll walk you to training."
It wasn't a suggestion.
The entire day was like that. Wherever I went—mess hall, training yard, even the library—Cyril was a shadow at my shoulder. He didn't speak much, but I could feel the weight of his watchfulness, the way his eyes never quite left me.
By midday, Lior and Rael were already restless. Lior passed me a note during combat drills: "Your bodyguard's getting annoying."
Rael, curled up on the bench beside me in cat form, flicked his tail. "This is going to ruin everything," he whispered when Cyril stepped away to speak with an instructor.
"I know," I whispered back. "He's onto something. I can feel it."
When night fell, I thought maybe—just maybe—Cyril would ease up. But as I headed toward my dorm, I heard his footsteps behind me.
"I'll stay outside your room tonight," he said matter-of-factly.
I stopped in my tracks. "Why?"
His eyes locked with mine, cool and unwavering. "Because something's not right. And until I figure out what… I'm not leaving you alone."
A chill slid down my spine. If he kept this up, there was no way I could slip away to search for Aralin without him noticing.
Rael's voice drifted softly from my bag. "Looks like your hero act just got a lot harder."
The call came just after midnight.
The academy's alarm shattered the quiet, red lights flashing across the walls, and the announcement echoed through the halls:
>|| "All active combat units — Riftborn sighted beyond the western perimeter. Prepare for night hunt."
I was halfway into my boots when Cyril appeared at my door again, already armed.
"You're with me," he said, tossing me a sidearm.
Of course I was. He wasn't letting me out of his sight.
We regrouped in the courtyard with my team. The air was thick with tension, the kind that meant this wasn't just a routine patrol. Lior and Rael were already there, disguised — Lior with her bow, Rael still a black cat on her shoulder. Cyril's eyes flicked to Rael, narrowing, but he said nothing.
Eric, our commanding officer, laid it out quick:
"Three Riftborn, possibly more. Western ridge. They're fast — and they're organized."
The moment we crossed the western gates, the night swallowed us. Blood moonlight cast everything in a sharp, silver-red glow. The sound of the forest was wrong — too still, too heavy, like even the wind didn't dare move.
We found the first Riftborn within minutes — a skyclad type. It dove at us, claws extended, but the Red Shield tanked the hit with his shield-katana, the impact rattling through the ground. The rest of us closed in, fighting as one.
And that's when I saw it — a break in the chaos. Cyril was engaged with another Riftborn, his attention fixed.
Rael's voice murmured from my shoulder, low and sly,
"This is it. If you want to get to the Sky Fortress without him breathing down your neck… move now."
My grip tightened on my weapon. The pull between duty and my own mission burned inside me. Every second I hesitated was a second closer to Aralin's deadline.
The fight was loud — steel clashing, magic cracking through the air, Riftborn screeching.
Perfect cover.
Cyril had no time to look at me — not when a skyclad Riftborn was locked on him, its wings slicing the air like blades. The rest of my team was spread out, their attention fixed on their own targets.
I stepped backward, one quiet step at a time, until the shadows of the forest swallowed me.
No one noticed. Not yet.
Rael slipped down from my shoulder, shifting back into his masked form the moment the trees hid us from sight. His voice was a hushed urgency.
"West ridge. Beyond the deadwood line. From there, we take the ascent route."
The deadwood forest loomed ahead — gnarled black trees with no leaves, branches reaching like claws toward the blood moon. Every step we took made the air colder. The sounds of battle grew fainter, replaced by the distant hum of something unnatural.
"You're really doing this," Rael said, glancing at me from behind his mask.
"I don't have time to wait," I muttered. My katana's hilt felt warm in my palm — not from the weapon itself, but from my blood running through it.
A branch snapped behind us.
I froze, hand tightening on the blade. Rael raised his head like a wolf catching a scent.
"…That's not a Riftborn," he said. "Someone's following."
I didn't dare look back — not yet. If it was Cyril, this escape would be over before it began.