The sanctuary's gates had not opened in years.
At least, that's what Auren told Lianna as the heavy stone doors groaned, spilling pale light into the chamber. Dust sifted down from the ceiling, the sound like bones grinding.
Lianna's heart thudded against her ribs. For days, she had known only the rune-carved walls of the sanctuary, Kael's cold shadows, Auren's quiet warmth. Now, as the gates creaked wider, the world beyond revealed itself—an endless horizon wrapped in gray mist.
"This is it?" she whispered, stepping closer.
The air that rushed in was different—heavier, raw, carrying the metallic tang of rain. Beyond the threshold, the ground stretched in uneven plains, cracked stone threaded with roots of blackened trees. The sky above was not blue but a swirling mix of ash and cloud, pierced occasionally by streaks of eerie light.
It was nothing like the city she had grown up in.
Auren glanced at her, his hand hovering near her elbow as though he feared she might collapse again. "The sanctuary hides itself from the world. Outside… things are different."
"Different?" Lianna repeated, her voice unsteady.
Kael strode forward, his cloak of shadows trailing like smoke. "Ruined."
The weight of his word made her throat tighten.
Still, she stepped past the threshold, her wrist burning faintly as the mark responded to the outside air. She pressed a hand to it, her breath catching.
The world seemed to notice her.
The mist stirred around her ankles. The cracked earth beneath her feet hummed faintly. Even the dead trees leaned, their branches rattling as though whispering secrets.
"What's happening?" she whispered.
Auren's expression softened, but his voice carried unease. "Your bond is a beacon. Out here, everything reacts to it. You can't hide what you are."
Lianna's stomach twisted. "So everyone… everything… will know?"
Kael glanced over his shoulder, storm-gray eyes sharp. "They already do."
A shiver crawled down her spine.
---
They walked across the plains in tense silence, Auren staying close, Kael always a few steps ahead. The mist parted reluctantly as Kael's shadows cut through it, creating a narrow path.
Lianna hugged herself, her eyes darting to the twisted horizon. "Were there always monsters out here?"
"Not monsters," Kael said flatly. "Shadows."
"They're the same thing," she muttered.
"Not the same." His tone sharpened. "Monsters are born. Shadows are made. They were once human—like you."
Lianna froze mid-step. "…What?"
Auren's gaze lowered. "When a soul breaks under the weight of its fate, it corrodes. The shadows consume what's left."
Her breath hitched. "You mean… those things we fought—"
"Were people," Kael said coldly, his eyes fixed on the horizon. "People who lost."
The ground tilted under her feet. Nausea rose, thick and bitter. She remembered the hollow-eyed creatures shrieking as they dissolved, her power burning them away.
She had killed them.
"No…" Her knees weakened. "No, no, no—"
Auren caught her arm quickly, steadying her. "Lianna—listen to me. It wasn't your fault. You didn't create them. You freed them."
Her chest heaved, guilt tearing through her ribs like knives. "Freed them? I destroyed them!"
"Sometimes mercy looks like destruction," Auren said softly. "You gave them release."
Kael didn't slow his steps. "Don't waste pity on the shadows. They would have torn you apart without hesitation. Survival doesn't allow guilt."
His indifference stung sharper than her guilt.
Lianna wanted to scream at him, to throw her pain into his storm-gray eyes—but before she could, the ground beneath them trembled.
Kael stopped instantly. "They're here."
A low hiss rolled through the mist, followed by the scrape of claws. From the cracks in the earth, black smoke slithered upward, forming into shapes—half-formed bodies, twisted limbs, faces with empty sockets.
Her blood turned to ice.
Auren stepped in front of her, his palm glowing with light. "Stay behind us."
Kael's shadows coiled like whips, his stance lethal. "Don't interfere unless you can control it."
Lianna's wrist pulsed, her power begging to surge—but fear knotted her stomach. She couldn't control it. Not here, not with the truth of what these shadows really were.
The creatures lunged.
Kael struck first, his shadows slicing through two in a single motion. The mist shrieked, recoiling. Auren's light flared in answer, a barrier bursting outward to push back the swarm.
Lianna's heart pounded as she watched them fight—Kael like a blade, ruthless and merciless, every movement honed to kill. Auren like a shield, his strikes precise but protective, always keeping himself between her and the creatures.
The contrast twisted inside her.
Her wrist burned hotter, the mark's glow swelling against her skin. Energy surged in her veins, demanding release.
She staggered back, clutching her arm. "Not now, not—"
But the power wouldn't listen. It exploded outward in a violent shockwave.
Light blasted across the battlefield, vaporizing half the shadows instantly. The others hissed and recoiled, but the force was wild, uncontrolled—slamming into Auren's barrier, cracking it, and even shoving Kael back a step.
Lianna collapsed to her knees, her scream tearing through the mist.
Kael's shadows rushed toward her, forming a shield as another wave of creatures lunged. His voice was sharp, commanding. "Breathe, Lianna! Anchor it, or it will consume you!"
But Auren was beside her, kneeling, his voice desperate and soft. "Don't fight it. Let it flow through you. I'll hold you steady—trust me!"
Their voices clashed, ripping her apart. Her mark burned brighter, veins glowing with fire.
Her choice teetered on the edge of breaking her.
Then—suddenly—the world shifted.
The mist thinned, the battlefield dissolving. Lianna gasped as her vision warped, pulling her somewhere else entirely.
She stood in a ruined hall again, light spilling from broken pillars. And at the far end, the silhouette of the crowned figure waited.
Closer this time. His head tilted, as if he felt her.
Her chest seized with recognition she didn't understand.
"Who are you?" she whispered.
The figure turned slightly. She caught the faintest glimpse of his eyes—burning gold—before the vision shattered, dragging her back into the battlefield with a violent snap.
She collapsed into Auren's arms, trembling, her skin slick with sweat.
Both men stared at her—Kael with storm-gray fury, Auren with silver-eyed worry—as the mist pulled back and silence reclaimed the plains.
The mark on her wrist glowed brighter than ever, a beacon neither of them could ignore.
And Lianna knew—whoever the man in the crown was, he was waiting for her.
But the world wasn't going to let her reach him easily.
---