Aamon, Alexia, and Yue stood quietly beneath the twisted canopy of ancient trees. The forest around them felt older than time itself, silent in a way that made even the wind seem afraid to stir. Despite the strange aura of the realm, the surroundings were vividly real—no illusion or construct.
They had truly been pulled 750 years into the past.
Aamon closed his eyes and entered the Awakening Legacy Library—a space only he could access through the resonance of his legacy. The library appeared in his mind's eye, a vast space of floating tomes and shifting lights. He approached the glowing obelisk that served as a historical anchor, fingers brushing its surface.
"750 years," he muttered. "We're on the edge of the second Demon Incursion."
When his eyes snapped open again, a system prompt flickered in front of all three of them.
[Mission Received]
[Objective: Save the Elf Princess Estelle and ensure her safe return to the Elf Kingdom]
[Time Limit: None]
[Consequence of Failure: Permanent entrapment in the past.]
[Consequence of Death: True death.]
Aamon's expression darkened instantly.
"No time limit," he said slowly. "That means we're not going back until we complete this."
Alexia glanced at him sharply. "So if we fail…"
"We're stuck here. Forever," Yue finished, folding her arms.
Silence settled between the three of them for a long beat. The weight of the mission, the implications of failure, and the uncertainty of navigating a past they barely understood pressed on their shoulders like a mountain.
Aamon exhaled deeply and cracked his knuckles. "No use whining. Let's find that damn princess. For all we know, she could already be dead by the time we reach wherever she's supposed to be."
Alexia's gaze sharpened, and she adjusted her blood-forged twin daggers. "Then we better move fast."
Yue summoned a gentle swirl of wind around her fingertips. "I'll try to use the forest's memory to see if we can track recent movement."
"Before that—" Aamon's eyes glinted. "Let me check something."
He reached inward, focusing on the space that belonged solely to him—the pocket realm of his Territory. A familiar pulse responded. The Territory was still accessible.
Good.
At least they had a safe base to retreat to. He filed the thought away.
Yue kneeled by a gnarled root and pressed her palm against the moss-covered bark. Spirit energy flowed gently through her veins as she whispered in an ancient tongue. The forest responded.
"The trees say someone fled through here… a few hours ago. Running. Injured. Multiple pursuers."
"How many?" Aamon asked.
Yue's expression darkened. "More than a dozen. Fast. Not human."
"Beastkin? Demons?" Alexia guessed.
Yue shook her head. "The trees don't know. But the direction is northeast. Toward the riverside cliffs."
Aamon's body tensed as he glanced up at the dimly lit sky. Even if time was stuck for the outside world, it didn't mean danger waited politely.
They sprinted through the forest, their movements swift and practiced. Aamon took point, weaving between roots and low branches like a phantom. Alexia and Yue followed closely behind, their senses sharp.
Minutes later, a scream cut through the air.
They burst into a clearing.
Smoke coiled above a shattered carriage. Elven guards lay dead in pools of crimson, their silver armor crushed and torn. At the center of the wreckage was a young elven girl—barely older than sixteen, by human reckoning. She was bloodied, her green robes torn, a broken staff clutched in her shaking hands.
Twelve masked figures in jagged bone armor circled her like predators. Their blades gleamed with fresh blood, and their red eyes glowed beneath bone-carved masks.
"She's not the princess," Yue whispered.
"No," Aamon confirmed, narrowing his eyes. "A servant, maybe. But she knows something."
Without waiting, he dashed forward.
The nearest attacker didn't even react before Aamon's foot slammed into his chest, sending him crashing through a tree with a sickening crunch.
"Take them down!" Aamon roared.
Alexia was already moving, a blur of silver and crimson. Her twin daggers found the weak points in the armor—joints, necks, spines. Three fell in the blink of an eye.
Yue raised her hands and summoned a storm of slicing wind. The blades tore through the battlefield, forcing two enemies to their knees.
Aamon ducked a swipe from one warrior and retaliated with a brutal uppercut. The masked enemy's jaw shattered beneath his fist, body flipping backward before crashing into the ground.
The elf girl screamed again as two enemies charged at her.
Yue intercepted with a gust of wind that sent them tumbling. Alexia followed up, severing their spines with surgical precision.
Within five minutes, the attackers lay dead or dying. Black ichor pooled in the grass.
Aamon approached the trembling girl. "You're not Estelle."
She shook her head violently, tears streaking down her cheeks. "I—no, I serve her. I was sent to find help. They… they took her! She's being held! I barely escaped… I don't know how far they've taken her—"
"Where was she captured?" Aamon asked, crouching to her level.
"A day's ride east. The Ravener's Gorge. There's a cave system… they were waiting. They knew she'd be there."
"Who?" Alexia asked.
"I don't know," she sobbed. "They wore the same masks. Not elves. Not humans either. Something else."
"Can you walk?" Yue asked gently.
The girl nodded.
Aamon turned to the others. "Let's bring her into the Territory. Let her rest. We'll move at dawn."
He opened a portal to his Territory. The shift of light and space formed a rippling gate before them. Inside was their base, suspended in a void outside the bounds of normal time.
The girl hesitated before stepping inside, but the warmth and security of the Territory's atmosphere settled her quickly.
Inside, Alexia treated the girl's wounds while Yue scouted the perimeter.
Aamon stood in silence at the edge of the portal.
A nested gate—something no one had ever documented. That meant the world wanted this mission fulfilled badly enough to bend its own rules.
"Why Princess Estelle?" he murmured.
The elf girl's voice broke through his thoughts. "She's the last heir… to the Verdant Lineage. If she dies, the Elf Kingdom will fall."
Aamon's eyes narrowed. "Then we can't afford to fail."