LYRRISE'S POV...
The morning after felt heavier than any battle I had ever fought. No bruises marked my skin, but my heart carried the weight of a secret no one could ever know. Every time Cyril's gaze landed on me, heat rushed to my cheeks, and my stomach twisted with the memory of last night.
I couldn't meet his eyes. Not after… that.
Whenever he shifted closer, whenever his hand brushed against mine, I snapped my head away, pretending to focus on anything else—the floor, the training dummies, the pattern on the walls. It didn't matter, as long as it wasn't him.
During combat drills, my grip on the wooden blade slipped, the memory of his hands tracing my skin distracting me far too much.
"Lyrrise?" Soryn's voice cut through my haze. She had stopped mid-swing, her sharp eyes narrowing at me. "You've been… off. Are you sure you're okay?"
I forced a smile, raising the blade again. "I'm fine. Really."
Soryn tilted her head, unconvinced, but she didn't push further. Instead, she smirked faintly and muttered, "If you say so."
But I could feel her gaze lingering, as though she already knew something was different.
And Cyril… I could feel his eyes burning into me from across the training hall.
I gritted my teeth, praying no one would notice how red my face was.
Because every time I remembered his voice, his touch, the way he whispered I was his—my body betrayed me all over again.
I was pacing in my room, trying to get my mind off Cyril and the heat still lingering on my skin from last night. The more I thought about it, the harder it was to breathe.
But then, out of nowhere, a faint shimmer of light split the air. My eyes widened as the glow spread open like a tear in space itself.
"Cerys?!" I gasped.
Sure enough, the little boy stumbled out of the portal with his messy hair and cheeky grin, brushing his cape off like he had done nothing out of the ordinary.
My heart skipped. "What are you doing here? You scared me half to death!"
Cerys blinked innocently. "Relax, sis. I just wanted to visit." His childish smile softened. "And… to tell you Rael and Lior are fine."
My breath hitched. "They're… fine?" Relief washed over me so suddenly my knees nearly gave out. "Are you sure? Where are they?"
Cerys's grin turned mischievous, and he puffed his chest. "You can visit them if you want."
I frowned. "What do you mean—"
Before I could even finish, he raised his tiny hand and the air shimmered again. A swirling portal opened right in front of us, glowing faintly under the dim lamplight of my dorm room.
My pulse quickened. My instincts screamed that this was reckless, that going through could mean walking into danger.
But the part of me that missed Rael and Lior—the part that had been worried sick for two years—was already leaning closer, desperate to step through.
"Cerys…" I whispered, torn between hesitation and longing. "Where does this lead?"
The boy's blue eyes sparkled with confidence. "Straight to them."
My foot hovered right above the glowing edge of the portal, my chest tight with anticipation. Just one step and I'd finally see them again.
But then I froze. My eyes narrowed at the little boy standing beside me, his cape brushing the floor, his expression far too calm for someone his age.
"Wait…" I whispered, pulling my leg back. "If you can make a portal, then why not just bring Rael and Lior back here?"
For the first time, Cerys's grin faltered. He looked down, shuffling his small feet. "I can't."
My heart sank. "What do you mean you can't?"
He fiddled with the edge of his sleeve, almost ashamed. "The cell they're in… it's not normal. Inside that place, they can't use their powers at all. Not Rael, not Lior… not even me if I go too deep. My portals can only reach outside the walls of the prison. Never inside."
I clenched my fists, the words digging into me like knives. "So they're trapped."
Cerys's little head bobbed once. "Yes. I can visit them when the guards aren't around, but I can't pull them out. I'm… not strong enough."
He finally lifted his gaze to me, his eyes glossy but determined. "That's why Rael told me to find you. He said only you could figure out how to save them."
My throat tightened. The weight of those words pressed on me like a stone. I looked back at the swirling portal, the glow illuminating my face, my mind a storm of emotions.
"They've been waiting… all this time…" I whispered.
And for the first time in a long while, I felt both the fire of rage toward Aralin and the heavy responsibility of being the only one who could break those chains.
Cerys tugged at my sleeve before I could step into the portal. His little face was serious in a way that didn't belong to a child.
"Sis… don't you think maybe Aralin is using Rael and Lior as bait? To pull you in?"
His words struck, but I shook my head. "Even if that's true, I don't care. If he thinks I'll just sit here while they suffer, then he doesn't know me at all. I'll confront him again if I have to."
Before Cerys could argue, the ground beneath us quaked violently. Dust trickled from the ceiling. My heart skipped a beat.
Not again…
The shaking grew sharper, the rumble like claws dragging across the earth itself. My memories flashed back to the last time—the abyssal Riftborns.
"No…" I gasped, sprinting toward the window.
The academy's alarm bells rang out, their harsh clang piercing through the halls. I threw the door open and the courtyard burst into chaos. Students scrambled in every direction, grabbing weapons, shouting orders. Soryn barked commands to the trackers, her voice cutting through the panic. Deyon was already at the front line, sword strapped across his back, his face grim. Kaelenna gathered her staff, calling for healers.
I pushed past them, heart racing, until I made it outside the academy gates. And then I saw it.
The walls of the city—once towering, unbreakable—were crumbling like sand kicked over by a giant. Stones fell, dust clouded the streets, and screams filled the air. People were panicking, pushing past each other, trying to escape the destruction.
And beyond the walls… I felt it. That same suffocating hunger, that crawling darkness. The abyssal Riftborns were back.
My blood ran cold.
This wasn't just an attack. This was war.
"Lyrrise!"
I turned to see Cyril rushing toward me, blade drawn, his blue eyes narrowed at the chaos unraveling before us. Behind him, Kaelenna, Deyon, and Soryn lined up without hesitation. My team. My family.
The ground split again, cracks opening wide enough to swallow carts and houses whole. From the jagged shadows rose the abyssal Riftborns—grotesque, hungry shapes with endless teeth and eyes glowing faintly red.
Screams erupted as they lunged for the fleeing citizens.
"Formation!" Soryn shouted, already climbing the rubble for a vantage point. Deyon slammed his shield into the ground, drawing the Riftborns' attention, while Kaelenna raised her staff, light blooming in her palms.
Cyril stepped beside me, close enough that I could feel the heat of his presence. His voice was low. "Don't lose control this time. We fight together."
I drew my blood-forged katana, its edge gleaming with a crimson hue. "I know."
We clashed. The Riftborns roared, clawing against Deyon's shield, but Cyril and I moved as one. I darted past him, slicing into a Riftborn's chest, while Cyril's blade found another's throat in the same breath. The rhythm of battle was almost intoxicating, like a dance.
But amidst the frenzy, I froze.
Above the collapsing walls, perched on what was left of a crumbled tower, stood a figure cloaked in white. His mask gleamed even from afar, his long hair the same shade as mine, his eyes burning red.
Aralin.
My stomach dropped.
He didn't move. He didn't need to. The Riftborns were his puppets, tearing the city apart under his command. And though the chaos roared all around us, I could feel his gaze locked on me.
"Aralin…" I whispered, my grip tightening on my katana until my knuckles turned white.
"Lyrrise!" Cyril's voice snapped me back as a Riftborn lunged at my side. I slashed it down, blood spraying across the dirt.
But my mind wasn't on the fight anymore. Not fully. Not with him watching.
This wasn't just another battle. This was his message.
He was daring me to come for him.
Screams echoed across the city, each one tugging at me like chains. Kaelenna's light flashed from behind, Deyon's shield clanged against monstrous claws, and Soryn's arrows whistled through the air. Cyril's voice rose above it all, sharp and commanding.
But my eyes were only on him.
Aralin.
He stood untouched on the tower's ruin, watching as if the destruction below were nothing more than a theater performance meant for his amusement. His mask glimmered faintly in the blood-red sky, his crimson gaze locked directly onto me.
My instincts screamed to stay with my team—to protect civilians, to save who I could—but another part of me whispered the brutal truth: If I don't stop him, none of this will ever end. No wall will ever be strong enough, no army big enough. The Riftborn will keep coming until he's gone.
"Dammit," I muttered under my breath, tightening my grip on my blood-forged katana. My body moved before my mind caught up, sprinting up the broken debris toward him. No one noticed. Or maybe they did, but by the time they realized, it was too late.
The moment I landed on the crumbled tower, dust kicking around my boots, Aralin turned to face me. He didn't raise his weapon. He didn't even posture. Instead, he extended a hand, his voice smooth and unsettlingly warm.
"Do you truly wish to fight me, daughter?" His red eyes gleamed through the mask. "If so… you must come with me."
Behind him, a portal rippled to life, swirling with black and crimson energy. Its pull was faint, but my skin prickled at the sheer power radiating from it.
"Choose carefully, Lyrrise," he said, his smile hidden but his tone mocking. "Stay here, keep playing soldier, and watch them all die. Or come with me… and take control of your destiny."
My heart pounded. My blood screamed no. My body screamed yes.
I closed my eyes for just a moment, hearing Amelia's voice, Aelric's steady warmth, Cyril's stubbornness, Deyon's laughter, Kaelenna's teasing, Soryn's calm presence—everything I'd built here.
And then I remembered the screams of civilians, the crumbling walls, the endless Riftborn.
This wasn't about me anymore.
"…For my people," I whispered.
I nodded.
Aralin's smile widened as his hand closed around mine, cold and unyielding. Together, we stepped into the portal.
The last thing I saw before the world swallowed me was Cyril's figure sprinting across the battlefield, his mouth open in a scream I couldn't hear.
And then, nothing but darkness.
The pull of the portal was unbearable, like every nerve in my body was being unspooled and dragged into a void. I kept my focus locked on Aralin's hand—cold, steady, suffocating—when suddenly, a weight slammed against my side.
"What the—?!"
Before I could even look, the world swallowed us whole.
When I opened my eyes again, I wasn't in the city. The sky above was an endless swirl of black clouds streaked with red lightning, and the ground beneath me felt like cracked glass, sharp and unstable. It wasn't Aralin's lab. It wasn't even Earth.
Groaning beside me, brushing dirt from her ridiculous pink hair, was the last person I wanted to see.
"Ugh… my head. Where—where the hell are we?" Selendra's shrill voice cracked through the silence.
I sat up instantly, glaring daggers. "You've got to be kidding me. You?!"
Selendra blinked at me, wide-eyed, before scowling back. "Don't sound so thrilled, Lyrrise. It's not like I wanted to be dragged into this freakshow with you. I was just—ugh—trying to follow Cyril and—"
My blood boiled. "So you were following us? Are you insane?! Do you realize what you've done?!" I jabbed a finger at her. "I was about to face Aralin, and now—now we're stuck here, wherever here even is!"
Selendra flipped her pink hair back like she always did when trying to act superior, even though her hands trembled. "Don't you dare pin this on me. You think you're the only one who knows how dangerous he is?"
I narrowed my eyes. "What's that supposed to mean?"
Her lips pressed together, her gaze darting away. For once, Selendra—Selendra of all people—looked… unsure.
"You—" she started, then stopped. Her fists clenched at her sides. "Forget it. Just know I know your little secret, Lyrrise."
A chill ran down my spine. My grip on my katana tightened. "What secret?"
She bit her lip hard, almost drawing blood. But she didn't answer. She couldn't.
"Tch." I rolled my eyes and stood, brushing dust off my legs. "Of course. You make a big scene and then don't even have the guts to back it up. Typical Selendra."
She glared but said nothing, her silence more telling than words.
I turned my back on her, scanning the endless cracked landscape. No doors, no paths—just void. "Great. Now I'm stuck babysitting you while figuring out how to get us out of here."
Selendra muttered under her breath, "Don't act like I need your help."
I ignored her, though my chest was tight with unease. Whatever "secret" she thought she knew—whatever words she couldn't bring herself to say—I wasn't sure I wanted to hear them here, in this place where escape felt impossible.
The only thing I knew for sure was that Aralin hadn't made a mistake. He'd meant for this.
Which meant this wasn't just a trap.
It was a test.
I kept my eyes sharp, scanning every corner of this cracked wasteland, trying to piece together a way out. A rift, a portal, anything. But behind me, Selendra's voice grated like nails against glass.
"Ugh, this is ridiculous. My hair's ruined, there's dirt under my nails—dirt—and don't even get me started on my signal. No service. Like, at all. How do people even survive without comms?"
I pinched the bridge of my nose, exhaling slowly. "You do realize we're in another dimension, right? You're lucky you're still breathing, Selendra."
She groaned dramatically. "And my legs hurt. I'm not used to walking this much. Can't you, like, carry me or something? You're stronger than me anyway."
I stopped dead in my tracks and spun on her. "Do I look like your servant?!"
Before she could retort, she suddenly shrieked. "Oh my god!"
She jumped forward, clutching my arm so hard I nearly lost my balance. We stumbled back together, and I barely managed to steady us before glaring at her.
"What now?!"
She was pointing at the ground, her pink nails trembling. I followed her gaze—and froze.
Beneath her heel was the shattered remains of a skull. Its jawbone cracked in two, teeth scattered like dice across the dirt. And it wasn't alone.
I stepped past her, brushing her off my arm. All around us, half-buried in the cracked earth, were more bones. Ribcages collapsed into dust. Arm bones splintered. Skulls with hollow sockets staring up at us like warnings.
Selendra clung to her own arms, shivering. "W-What is this place?"
I rolled my eyes at her dramatics, though my stomach twisted. "A graveyard. Looks like we're not the first ones Aralin dragged here."
But then something caught my eye.
Past the sea of bones, against the far wall of this desolate space, stood a throne. Its towering frame was carved from obsidian-like stone, its sharp edges jagged like blades. Dust coated every inch of it, muting its dark shimmer.
For a moment, I thought it was just another ruin. But then the air shifted, heavy and suffocating. My chest clenched.
This wasn't just a throne.
It was a seat of power.
And whoever once sat there… left behind nothing but corpses.
I tightened my grip on my katana, my voice low. "Stay behind me, Selendra. This place isn't empty."
For once, she didn't argue.
I crouched by the shattered bones, my mind working fast. There was something about that throne—it wasn't just a ruin, it was waiting. Waiting for something. Maybe for whoever these bones once belonged to.
I grabbed the skull, turning it over in my hand. "If this place is built like a puzzle, then maybe…"
Behind me, Selendra gasped. "Wait, what are you doing?! Don't touch that! It's cursed, it's obviously cursed!"
"Do you want to leave here or not?" I snapped, shoving the skull into place with the ribcage. "Help me piece this together."
Selendra backed up like I had asked her to drink poison. "With my hands? Do you know how expensive these nails are? And what if the bones—ugh—get into my hair?"
I groaned. "Then use your glue. The shoe glue."
Her eyes went wide in horror. "Excuse me? That glue is sacred. What if my heel breaks? Do you know how hard it is to fight in broken heels?!"
I turned slowly, narrowing my glowing eyes at her. "Do you want to die here whining about shoes, or maybe have a chance to get out of this cursed pit?"
Selendra shut her mouth. She clutched her tiny glue bottle like it was her child, muttering dramatically about how she was making the "biggest sacrifice in fashion history," before finally handing it over.
Together—after much bickering, sighing, and Selendra gagging every time she touched a bone—we managed to put the skeleton back together, joint by joint. At last, we leaned it onto the dusty throne.
The moment it settled into the seat, the air shifted.
The skeleton's head tilted upward. Its sockets glowed a deep, molten red.
Selendra screamed, clutching my arm. "We're gonna die young! I knew I should've stayed in the cafeteria today!"
I rolled my eyes, though my grip tightened on my katana. "Shut up, Barbie, and let me handle this."
Then the impossible happened.
The skeleton spoke. Its jaw creaked open, and a deep, gravelly voice echoed through the chamber.
"...Who dares disturb my slumber?"
Both of us froze. Selendra's legs shook so badly I thought she'd collapse. My instincts flared—I yanked my katana free and stepped forward. With one sharp motion, I poked the skeleton's arm, testing it.
The damn thing winced.
"Ow!" the skeleton barked, sounding almost insulted.
Selendra screamed again, clutching me tighter. "It feels pain! We're done for, Lyrrise, done for! I'm too pretty to die!"
I kept my katana ready, heart pounding. Whatever this was, it wasn't just a pile of bones anymore.
The skeleton's glowing eyes narrowed, locking on me like hot coals. Its jaw rattled as it growled, the sound deep enough to vibrate in my chest.
"You dare… assemble me only to strike me down?" it thundered, the very stones trembling at his voice.
Selendra yelped, pressing herself against me like a terrified child. "Lyrrise, do something! He's mad—he's mad! We're doomed!"
I lifted my chin, refusing to flinch under the heat of his glare. "If it weren't for us," I said firmly, "you'd still be lying in pieces on the floor, forgotten. You should be thanking us instead of growling."
For a tense heartbeat, the skeleton's eyes blazed brighter. Then—unexpectedly—it chuckled. A hollow, echoing laugh that bounced off the ruined walls.
"You have fire," it rumbled. "And a sharp tongue. Very well. Forgive me. I have not spoken to a living soul in centuries."
Selendra blinked, still shaking. "D-Did he just… apologize?"
Ignoring her, I lowered my blade slightly. "Who are you?"
The skeleton straightened in his throne, bone joints creaking like old wood. "I was once the ruler of this kingdom. The king. Long before it became a wasteland of bones." His voice carried both pride and sorrow.
He gestured with a bony hand to the scattered remains littering the chamber. "All you see around you were once my people. Flesh and blood, like yourselves. Farmers, healers, warriors… families. We lived beneath the sun, in peace. Until the day the sky tore open."
My pulse quickened. "The sky… tore open?"
The king's eyes dimmed with memory. "A rift. Black clouds swallowed the light. Something came from above—something not of this world. Its presence cursed us all. One moment we lived… the next, we woke as husks of bone. The sun has not touched this land since."
Selendra's lips parted, finally too stunned to whine about her nails or hair. "So you're saying… everyone here is a skeleton because of some creepy sky-thing?"
The king's skull inclined slowly. "Yes. Our curse has no end. We are bound to this place, neither alive nor truly dead. I am the last of my line, the first to awaken with memory intact. I remain only as king of ruins."
My grip tightened on my katana. A cursed land, swallowed by darkness, stripped of its people's humanity. It sounded far too familiar. Too much like what Aralin's riftborn could cause.
The king's gaze locked with mine again, heavy and ancient. "Now tell me… why do you walk in my forsaken kingdom, child of the living?"
I kept my katana steady at my side, eyes never leaving the glowing sockets staring down at me from the throne. "If you're a king, then you must have a name."
The skeleton tilted his skull, amused. "A name? Few ask for it. They only fear me. But since you have courage… I was once called King Veythar."
"Veythar," I repeated firmly, etching it into my memory. "My name is Lyrrise."
Beside me, Selendra smoothed her hair despite her trembling. "And I'm Selendra. In case you're wondering."
Veythar's jaw rattled in what sounded like another laugh. "So bold introductions from mortals. How… refreshing."
I didn't waste time. "Tell me, Veythar—can this curse be lifted? Can your people ever be freed?"
The hollow sockets dimmed for a moment, and he nodded slowly. "There is a way. Many have sought it. None have returned. Their bones join the rest you see scattered here."
Selendra gasped softly. "So… anyone who tried just—just died?"
I ignored her, my chest swelling with determination. "Where?"
Both of them turned to me—Selendra with wide, horrified eyes, and Veythar with what felt like disbelief.
"You… truly wish to seek it?" the king asked, voice echoing low.
"Yes," I said without hesitation. "If it means ending this curse, I'll do it. Tell me where."
Selendra tugged at my sleeve. "Lyrrise, are you insane? We don't even know what's waiting there! If you're so eager to die, fine—but don't drag me into this!"
I turned to her sharply. "Then stay here. No one's forcing you to come."
Her mouth opened and closed, torn between fear and pride.
I stepped forward, lifting my chin toward Veythar's throne. "I'll make you a deal. If I succeed in lifting the curse, you'll show us the exit out of this dimension."
The throne room fell silent. Then the king leaned forward, his bones creaking, as his glowing eyes burned brighter.
"You are either brave or foolish, child of the living. Perhaps both. Very well… I accept your deal."
Selendra groaned, covering her face with both hands. "Oh gods, we're going to die here. All because of you."
But my chest felt steady, fire burning in my veins. I was ready to prove him wrong.