Aria had seen strange things in Carfein, but nothing — nothing — compared to this.
The floor had swallowed itself alive. Walls that had been plain stone melted into glass. Threads of light wove themselves into the air like silver veins. The moment the earth had settled and the dust stopped spinning, she found herself staring into a place that shouldn't exist.
The Room of Shadows.
It wasn't dark, as she'd expected. Instead, it shimmered faintly with blue and gold, the light rising from crystal veins that ran under the floor. Shelves stood in strange circles, carved with runes that pulsed every few seconds. Tables overflowed with maps, papers, blades, and tiny glowing stones that floated an inch above their surface.
Aria turned slowly, unable to stop herself from whispering,
> "This looks like a secret library made by a lunatic and a god."
James grinned. "You're not entirely wrong. The lunatic part fits Nico."
The green-skinned man shot him a glare, folding his massive arms. "Careful, horn-boy. I can use you as fertilizer."
"Try me, spinach," James said with a smirk, sticking his tongue out.
Nina sighed, already rubbing her temples. "Children. You're both older than she is."
Aria almost laughed. It was the first time she'd seen something in this place that didn't make her want to crawl out of her own skin.
But her attention snapped back when Xyren stepped forward. He didn't smile, didn't soften — just fixed her with those storm-colored eyes that gave nothing away.
> "You'll work with us," he said simply. "We need someone Lirien can't trace. That's you."
Aria blinked. "Work with you? You mean—" she gestured around "—in this creepy underground book fair?"
Nina hid a chuckle behind her hand. James, however, looked ready to applaud.
Xyren didn't flinch. "You can call it what you want. But this room — the Shadows — is where we plan to stop whatever Lirien's doing. You're the only one who can walk in her path without her knowing."
Aria crossed her arms. "And why would I do that? You dragged me here. You people spy, sneak, and crawl under the castle like ghosts. Sounds like a good way to die early."
James raised a hand. "Well, we prefer 'mysterious guardians of truth,' but yeah, ghosts work."
"Shut it," Xyren said flatly.
Then he looked at her again. "We'll reward you. Anything you want — gold, comfort—"
She interrupted. "I want to go home. To Earth."
The air went dead still.
Even the blue light from the crystals seemed to dim.
Finally, Xyren said quietly, "No."
Her fingers curled. "Why not? You can pull light from the ground, make magic appear out of thin air, but you can't send someone home?"
Nina stepped forward gently. "It's not that simple, Aria. Worlds are like roots. Once torn apart, they don't mend easily."
"Then make them mend," Aria shot back. "You're all supposed to be powerful—"
"Enough," Xyren's voice cut across her words. "We're not gods. And your home isn't just another place—it's another existence. You want freedom? Earn it. Help us. Then we'll talk."
Aria stared at him for a long moment, chest tight with anger and something else — fear, maybe, or the exhaustion of always being trapped.
"Fine," she said finally, glaring. "But if I help you, you answer my questions. Every one of them. And you fulfill my wishes."
James muttered, "Oof, someone's got negotiation skills."
"Shut it, James," Nina said, elbowing him in the ribs.
Xyren didn't move for several seconds. Then, very slowly, he nodded.
> "Agreed. Ask."
Her mind flashed back to the diary, to the name that had haunted her through every page.
> "Yougen," she said. "Who was he?"
For a moment, none of them spoke. Then, to her surprise, it was Nico who answered.
> "He was the first king of Carfein. Over two thousand years ago."
"But he wasn't just a king," Xyren added, stepping forward. The soft blue glow lit his face from below, making his expression seem carved from shadow and moonlight. "He was my grandfather."
Aria's breath caught. "Your— what?"
Xyren nodded. "Yougen found the Tree of Life. He built the first walls of this castle. Before him, Skyria was chaos — beasts, tribes, no law. He united them under the tree's light."
Aria frowned. "So the tree was here before everything?"
"Before us," Nike said softly. His deep, airy voice almost echoed, as if the words themselves came from wind. His blue wings shivered faintly behind him. "The tree is older than time. Yougen didn't create life — he awakened it."
James hopped onto a desk, balancing a glowing orb in one hand. "And then, naturally, people started worshiping him like some miracle gardener."
Aria couldn't help but ask, "And you? You're his… what? Descendants? Guardians?"
"We are his oath," Xyren said. His gaze didn't waver. "The Guardians of the Shadows. The people who protect truth — even from kings."
"That's why you spy on Lirien?" she said.
Nina nodded. "Lirien and the crown are hiding something. The king grows weaker, the tree grows stranger, and—"
"—and Lirien's been doing things that make my horns curl," James added. "Not in a good way."
Aria blinked. "What things?"
Xyren's voice hardened. "Circles. Magic not meant for mortals. He's experimenting — same as the man from your diary. We think he's trying to make another tree."
Aria froze. Her heart stuttered.
She saw again the words she'd read — about soil, growth, roots, and creation.
> "That's… impossible," she whispered.
Xyren's eyes met hers. "So was the first one."
They stood there for a long while, the quiet hum of the room filling the silence.
Then James, bless him, broke it with a loud yawn.
> "Alright, now that we've officially terrified the human girl, can we eat something? Shadows or not, I'm starving."
Nico grunted. "You're always starving."
"Because I'm still growing!" James said defensively.
"You're two hundred years old."
"Emotionally growing," James corrected, puffing out his chest. "Big difference."
Nina chuckled, brushing past him. "Ignore them, Aria. You'll get used to this chaos soon."
"I doubt it," Aria muttered, but a small smile tugged at her lips anyway.
Then Xyren turned toward her, his tone returning to that commanding calm that always made her bristle.
> "Enough talk. We need to go upstairs. Lirien's coming."
Aria blinked. "Wait, what? Here?"
He didn't answer — just raised his hand. A ripple of light ran across the room. For an instant, everything blurred — colors twisted, the air folded, and the next heartbeat she was standing inside the same underground chamber she'd first entered, the glow now dim and quiet.
Her stomach lurched. "You could've warned me!"
James snorted. "Oh, you get used to the nausea. After the fifth or sixth time."
Aria groaned. "I'll pass."
Then Xyren's head snapped up. The air changed — heavy, tense. Even the crystals flickered like candle flames in a draft.
Footsteps echoed from the staircase above. Calm, slow, deliberate.
Aria didn't need anyone to tell her who it was.
Lirien.
Xyren lifts his left hand then in a wave room changes as before .
Xyren's jaw tightened. He gave her a sharp look — a silent command to stay quiet — just as the first trace of white light spilled down the stairway.
The silver-robed figure descended, calm and graceful as ever, his eyes like shards of ice.
> "Ah," Lirien said softly, his voice smooth but carrying an edge. "I wondered where you had gone, Xyren. And our guest seems awake as well."
Aria's breath caught. The warmth that had filled the hidden room was gone, replaced by something sharp, something dangerous.
Xyren bowed slightly — the gesture formal but his eyes cold.
> "We were discussing the preparations for the king's feast."
Lirien's gaze flicked between them. A smile touched his lips — a smile that didn't reach his eyes.
> "Good. Then I assume everything is… under control."
For a heartbeat, no one spoke. Then Xyren said,
> "Always."