The first thing Aria felt was weightlessness—a kind of drifting, as if her body had been unstitched from the world she knew. Cold wind tore past her, carrying whispers in languages no mortal tongue could shape. Her pulse pounded in her ears, each beat becoming slower than the last, as if her heart were learning a new rhythm against its own will.
Then suddenly—
Her feet slammed into solid ground.
Aria staggered forward, gasping. A sharp ache shot through her knees. She blinked rapidly, trying to steady her vision. The world around her slowly came into focus, and her breath caught in her throat.
This wasn't Nyvorne.
The sky above her churned with storm clouds that glowed from within, streaks of silver lightning cutting silently through the darkness. A massive crescent moon hung low, far larger than any moon she'd ever seen— it was so close it felt like she could climb a mountain and brush it with her hand.
The ground beneath her was black stone, cracked with glowing veins of pale blue light. Strange plants grew in jagged spirals along the edges of the path, their leaves shifting from one color to another like living flames. They pulsed softly, as though breathing.
A realm of shadows.
A realm of impossible beauty.
A realm that felt… alive.
Khaldorian stepped out of the darkness behind her, his presence sharp as a blade drawn across skin. The shadows curled around him like obedient pets, clinging to his coat and hair before dissipating.
He looked utterly at home here.
She, on the other hand, felt like a trespasser in a god's forbidden garden.
Aria's voice wavered. "Where… where have you taken me?"
"To my realm," Khaldorian said, walking past her with fluid grace. "The Veiled Sanctum."
Sanctum.
The word should have felt safe.
It didn't.
Aria wrapped her arms around herself as a chill swept through the air. "Is this the Shadow Realm?"
Khaldorian didn't stop walking, but his voice drifted back to her like a whisper carried on wind. "A corner of it. My dominion. My rules."
She swallowed hard. "You said I belonged to you now. Is this what you meant—bringing me here?"
He glanced over his shoulder, eyes glinting. "If I wanted to imprison you, you would not be standing."
Aria's skin prickled. "So… why am I here?"
"Because your existence is a problem." He turned fully, facing her. "And I intend to discover why you survived blood-magic when every mortal before you has died."
Her pulse spiked. "I told you—I don't know."
"And I told you," he said, stepping closer, "that ignorance is useless."
Aria stepped back instinctively. Something about the way he looked at her—like she was a puzzle piece that shouldn't exist—made her stomach knot.
He continued forward. She backed up again.
"I… wait… hold on," she stammered. "You expect me to just… let you experiment on me?"
A hint of amusement flickered across his face. "Experiment? No. Observe? Yes."
"That's not comforting."
"It wasn't meant to be."
He stopped only when she reached the edge of the path. Beyond it, a vast abyss stretched endlessly downward. Cold wind surged upward from the depths, howling like a thousand distant voices.
Aria's breath hitched as she stared into the darkness.
If she fell, she would never reach the bottom.
Khaldorian studied her reaction with unblinking attention. "Tell me what you feel."
"Terrified," she snapped. "What do you think?"
"No, not fear." His eyes narrowed. "The magic."
Aria closed her hands into fists. In truth… something was happening inside her. A quiet thrum beneath her skin. A pull toward the abyss, like something inside her recognized it. Wanted it.
She swallowed. "It's… warm."
That caught his attention.
Warm.
Shadow magic wasn't warm.
Khaldorian stepped closer, his silver eyes darkening with interest. "Show me your hand."
She hesitated.
"Aria," he said softly, "I am giving you a choice far kinder than the alternative."
She lifted her hand slowly.
He took it—not roughly, but firmly. His skin was cold as ice, contrasting sharply with the growing heat in her palm. A strange hum passed between them, resonating deep in her bones.
Khaldorian's gaze locked onto her hand.
The warmth intensified.
A faint red glow began to swirl beneath her skin, twisting like smoke. Aria sucked in a breath, startled. The light pulsed once, then again, brighter each time.
His voice lowered, almost a whisper. "Blood-magic."
Aria's heart stopped.
"I didn't mean to—"
"You should be dead." Khaldorian's grip tightened just enough to keep her from pulling away. "Blood-magic is forbidden because mortals cannot contain it. It burns them from the inside. Yet you…"
He lifted her palm closer, studying the crimson glow.
"You adapt."
Aria's voice cracked. "Is that bad?"
"For me?" He leaned in, his breath cool against her skin. "Very."
She flinched. "What does that mean?"
"It means," he said slowly, "your existence changes things."
He let go.
Aria staggered backward, clutching her hand, trying to calm the heat still thrumming inside it.
Khaldorian straightened, his expression unreadable. "You will not survive in this realm alone. Your magic is unstable. It will either devour you or draw creatures far older and hungrier than you can imagine."
Aria's chest tightened. "So what am I supposed to do? Stay with you?". Her voice shaking.
He considered her for a long, silent moment. The storm-lit sky swirled above him, a god framed by chaos.
"Yes," he said finally. "You will stay in my protection. For now."
For now.
She didn't miss the implication.
"And what happens after 'for now'?" she asked, voice trembling.
"That depends," he said, taking a step closer, "on whether you become an ally…"
His gaze sharpened.
"…or a threat."
A shiver ran through her.
"Come," he said, turning. "I will show you where you will stay."
Aria hesitated before following him down the glowing stone path. The realm stretched far into the distance—floating structures made of black crystal, bridges suspended over endless voids, forests of shimmering trees that whispered as they swayed.
Everything felt both beautiful and deadly.
Khaldorian walked with silent confidence, the shadows parting before him like water. Aria rushed to keep up, her mind racing.
"What… what are you exactly?" she finally asked.
"A Shadowborne."
"Yes, but what does that mean? Are you immortal?"
"Mostly."
"Are you a god?"
"No."
"Are you… evil?"
He stopped walking.
Aria nearly bumped into him.
He turned his head slightly, his voice low. "If I were evil, Aria Vale, you would know."
A chill slid down her spine. She said nothing more.
They crossed a long stone archway leading toward a towering structure. It rose like a spire carved from midnight, its surface shifting as if alive. Pale blue lights flowed beneath the stone, mapping patterns that changed with every blink.
Khaldorian gestured to an upper balcony. "You will stay there. The rooms adjust to the guest."
"Adjust?" Aria repeated.
"They sense your needs. And your fears."
"That's… great," she said weakly. "What if I'm afraid of the entire realm?"
He almost smiled.
Almost.
"That will make things interesting."
They reached a doorway that opened on its own, swirling into a new shape as if studying her. Aria stiffened but entered cautiously.
The room was stunning—and unnerving. The bed was dark silver, the sheets shimmering like moonlit water. The walls shifted colors, responding to her breathing. A small fire burned in a floating sphere, casting a gentle warmth.
It wasn't a prison.
But it wasn't freedom either.
Khaldorian stood at the threshold. "Rest. Your body needs to stabilize."
She turned. "What if the magic inside me gets worse?"
His expression softened strangely—barely, but enough for her to notice. "Then I will feel it."
"Feel it?"
"I am bound to you now."
Aria froze. "Bound? How? I didn't agree to anything."
"You touched my realm," he said simply. "It marked you. And you took my hand. That sealed it."
Her stomach dropped. "So I can't leave?"
"You can try," he said. "But the realm will not let you die before I understand what you are."
Before he understood her.
Not before he protected her.
Not before he helped her.
Before he understood her.
"Sleep," Khaldorian said, stepping back into the shadows. "Tomorrow, we begin."
"Begin what?"
His eyes glowed faintly.
"Testing your limits."
The door closed on its own.
Aria stood frozen, heart hammering. Magic pulsed beneath her skin, warm and unfamiliar. The realm hummed around her like a living thing.
She sat slowly on the bed, staring at her glowing hand.
She had escaped the Night Guards only to fall into the hands of something far more terrifying.
And for the first time, it dawned on her—
She wasn't sure if she wanted to escape.