The moment Elara and Kael crossed the portal's threshold, a wave of silence engulfed them. Not the peaceful kind—but one so thick it rang in their ears. The colors of the realm shifted and pulsed, unfamiliar hues dancing across the sky as if the heavens themselves were alive. Trees twisted in impossible shapes, and the very ground hummed with ancient power.
Elara stumbled as her feet hit the ground on the other side. Kael steadied her, his eyes wide with awe and suspicion. "This place... it feels alive."
"It is," Elara whispered, pressing a palm to the grass beneath her. "It's watching us."
They stood on the edge of what appeared to be a long-abandoned city. Towering structures carved from crystal and stone loomed in silence, their once-grand spires shattered and weeping moss. Time had forgotten this place, but magic hadn't. It lingered in the air like perfume—sweet, sharp, and ever-present.
Kael unsheathed his blade. "Let's keep moving. We don't know what lurks here."
Elara led the way, her instincts stronger than ever. She could feel a pull deep in her chest, like a compass spinning toward some buried truth. Each step drew her closer to something she couldn't name—but her soul recognized it.
They entered what looked like a central courtyard. At its center was a dais with a pedestal, atop which sat a book—unmarked, unweathered, glowing faintly. Runes floated in the air around it.
"Elara..." Kael stepped back, eyes wide. "That book... it knows you."
She approached cautiously. As she drew near, the runes rearranged into words in a language she had never seen—but could somehow read.
"Daughter of Light, Keeper of Silence, Seeker of Truth."
Her fingers brushed the cover. The book burst open, pages fluttering with a gust of wind that carried voices—echoes of the past.
A vision overtook her.
She stood in a great hall lit with golden fire. Her mother stood before her, younger and radiant, her hands glowing as she cast a protective spell over a cradle. Elara tried to move, to speak—but she was a mere observer.
Then came the shadows—shrieking beasts of smoke, led by a figure cloaked in red. The moment her mother turned to fight, the vision fractured into pain.
"Elara!" Kael's voice brought her back.
She gasped, stumbling back from the book. "They were after me... from the beginning. She hid me here. In the human realm."
Kael's expression hardened. "Then they'll come again. We need to leave. Or prepare."
Suddenly, a low growl echoed from the shattered archways. Figures emerged—cloaked, eyeless, their mouths sewn shut.
"Guardians," Elara said. "Left to protect the book. Or punish the unworthy."
Kael drew his blade and stepped in front of her. "We need a plan."
Elara's voice was calm. "No. We need to remember who I am."
She raised her hands. Light erupted from her fingertips, forming a barrier between them and the creatures. The Guardians hissed but didn't cross. They bowed, and then, silently, retreated into the shadows.
Kael looked at her in awe. "What did you do?"
"I proved I belong here." She turned to the book, now closed. "We're not just visitors, Kael. We're part of this realm's story. And it's only just beginning."
In the distance, a bell tolled—deep and resonant. From the high tower at the city's edge, a light ignited.
"Someone knows we're here," Kael said grimly.
Elara nodded. "Then we better start finding allies. Fast."