The forest no longer whispered. It moaned.
Branches clawed at Lira's arms as she raced blindly through the trees, boots slipping on moss-covered roots. The sky above was ink black, the moon hiding behind a veil of churning clouds. She didn't know how long she'd been running—minutes? Hours? Time felt meaningless since she stepped through that cursed stone archway.
A low growl rippled through the air behind her.
Not human.
Lira didn't look back. She didn't need to. Her lungs burned and her legs trembled, but adrenaline kept her moving. Something had been following her since the ruins. Something fast. And clever. The forest had felt wrong the moment she entered, but now it felt alive—watching her, twisting itself to confuse her path.
The trees seemed to bend closer, their branches forming unnatural arches like the portal she'd fallen through.
"Keep going," she whispered through gritted teeth, a mantra to stay sane.
She stumbled into a clearing and collapsed to her knees. Her cloak was shredded. Blood dripped from a cut on her cheek. Her pendant pulsed faintly beneath her shirt, the one her grandmother had given her—warm, comforting. Magic? She hadn't believed in that nonsense. Not until today.
Another growl.
This one closer. Right behind her.
Lira turned.
Eyes glowed in the darkness. Too many. A circle of creatures, hunched and covered in ash-gray fur, their jaws unhinged in impossible ways. Not wolves. Not anything from her world.
She rose, fists clenched. "Stay back!"
The creatures hissed. One lunged.
A blur of silver light tore through the air.
The creature shrieked, thrown backward by something invisible. It hit a tree with a sickening crunch and didn't move.
Silence.
The others scattered into the forest like smoke.
Lira's breath came in ragged gasps. She turned to the source of the light.
A man stood at the edge of the clearing. Tall, cloaked in black, his face half-shrouded beneath a hood. But his eyes glowed faintly—a soft, unnatural blue that shimmered like moonlight on water.
He lowered the sword in his hand—no, not a sword. A blade made of shimmering energy, humming faintly with a low, musical vibration.
"You're lucky," he said. His voice was deep, rough like stone dragged through snow. "They were playing with you."
She blinked. "Who... are you?"
He didn't answer right away. He studied her, gaze lingering on her pendant, which now glowed softly through the thin fabric of her tunic.
"That necklace doesn't belong here," he said quietly.
"I could say the same for me," she snapped, trying to sound braver than she felt. "What were those things?"
"They're called the Hollow." He stepped closer. His boots didn't crunch leaves or snap twigs—he moved like a shadow. "They devour light. And souls. You're lucky you weren't torn apart the moment you arrived."
Lira swallowed. "Am I... dead?"
"No," he said. "Not yet."
He offered a hand. She hesitated.
"I don't trust mysterious men in glowing cloaks," she said, narrowing her eyes.
A flicker of amusement passed over his face. "Smart. But you're bleeding. And the forest won't let you go alone."
Something about his tone—firm, but not cruel—made her heart calm slightly. She took his hand.
It was warm.
Stronger than it looked.
As he helped her up, she finally took a better look at him. The blade in his other hand vanished into a shimmer of air. His cloak bore strange silver runes that shifted when she blinked. He wasn't human. Not entirely.
"What are you?"
"I'm called Kael."
"That's not what I asked."
He looked down at her. "I'm the last Warden of the Crossroads."
"The what now?"
He motioned for her to follow and began walking toward a narrow path she hadn't noticed before. "This realm sits between many others. Portals, like the one you fell through, open sometimes. Usually by accident. My job is to find the ones who wander in before the Hollow do."
"You mean this has happened before? Others have come through?"
He didn't look back. "Not many survive."
Lira cursed under her breath but followed. Her body ached with every step, but questions burned hotter than exhaustion. "Why was I pulled in? The portal—it was buried, ancient. There was no light, no sound. Just… I touched it, and then…"
"Sometimes, the world chooses," Kael said. "And sometimes, someone else does."
She froze. "What do you mean?"
He turned. "Has anyone given you that pendant recently?"
She hesitated. "My grandmother. Before she died. She said it was a family heirloom."
Kael's jaw tightened. "She wasn't from your world, was she?"
Lira's eyes widened.
"She used to hum songs no one else knew. She spoke to the moon. I thought she was crazy."
Kael didn't smile. "She wasn't."
A silence fell between them, heavy with realization. They walked for what felt like hours. The trees thinned, the night sky returning. Stars above looked... wrong. Too many. Moving slowly, like drifting embers.
Eventually, they arrived at a stone house built into the side of a hill, nearly invisible from the outside. Vines curled around its windows, and faint light glowed from inside.
Kael opened the door and motioned for her to enter.
Inside was warmth. Firelight danced across shelves of ancient books, strange glowing stones, and scrolls tied with cords of vine. A creature that looked like a cross between a fox and a flame darted across the floor and curled up by the hearth.
"Sit," Kael said. "You need rest."
Lira lowered herself into a worn armchair. It felt sinfully soft.
He handed her a cup of warm liquid. It smelled like cinnamon and forest rain.
She took a sip. It warmed her from the inside, easing the tremble in her limbs. "So what now? You keep me locked here forever?"
Kael sat across from her. "No. But you can't return. Not yet."
Her heart sank. "My life is out there. My job, my friends—"
"If the Hollow followed you in, then someone wanted them to. You were bait. Which means they'll try again."
She stared into her cup. "You said this world chooses people. What if I don't want to be chosen?"
"Then you'll die," Kael said simply. "Or worse, become Hollow yourself."
The fire cracked. Silence stretched long.
Lira met his gaze. "So what do I do?"
Kael stood. His shadow stretched across the room like a cloak. "You train. You learn. You survive."
"And if I don't?"
"Then the next portal won't just pull you in—it'll consume your world."