SIERRAEverything burned inside me. My bones felt like fire, like they were melting and rebuilding at the same time. I couldn’t breathe right. My chest tightened, and every beat of my heart felt like it might be the last.“Ahh!” I screamed as I dropped to my knees, the pain ripping through my body like lightning. “Zane!”“Sierra!” I heard his voice behind me, but it sounded so far away. Muffled. Like he was underwater and I was drowning somewhere deeper.My hands hit the ground, and I clawed at the cold, cracked stone beneath me. My fingernails scraped it, but I barely noticed. My breath came in short, panicked gasps. My skin started glowing, faint at first, then brighter and brighter, until silver light cracked out of me like I was made of glass and breaking apart.“Zane… something’s happening!” I cried, my voice trembling with fear.“I’m right here!” he shouted. “I’m not leaving you!”“It hurts!” I sobbed. “It hurts so much!”The pain was everywhere. My spine felt like it was splitt
ZANE“Sierra!” I shouted, running straight into her arms.She caught me without hesitation, wrapping me in the tightest embrace, like she was afraid I’d disappear again. Her face buried against my chest, and for a second, the world fell quiet, like everything horrible had paused to let us breathe.“I thought I lost you,” she whispered, her voice trembling.“I’m here,” I murmured, pressing my hand against her back. “I’m okay now. We’re together.”Her breath hitched, and I felt the wetness of her tears on my shirt. I didn’t care. I held her tighter, like I could protect her from everything, from the past, from the pain, from the nightmare we were standing in.But the moment didn’t last.A slow, deliberate clap echoed through the vast chamber.Clap.Clap.Clap.It was mocking. Cold. A sharp reminder that this wasn’t over.We pulled apart and turned toward the sound.Ariel stood on the steps leading to the dark throne, her crimson eyes glowing with amusement. She looked almost casual, arm
KANEThe veil split right down the middle with a loud crack.Light spilled out. Cold, blue light.Silva’s spell worked.“Kane! Let’s move!” Dane shouted beside me, gripping his blade tightly.I nodded, heart thudding, and we ran in together. My boots hit the ground hard as we crossed the threshold into the unknown.But it wasn’t what I expected.Everything twisted the second we entered.The sky, if you could call it that, was green. Not soft, forest green, but a sick, glowing green like something rotten. The trees bent at sharp angles, their branches reaching down instead of up, like claws ready to grab us. The air was thick and sharp, cutting into my lungs with every breath. It smelled like rust and fire.“Where the hell are we?” Dane muttered beside me, slowing his steps.“I don’t know,” I said, breathing hard. “But stay close.”He didn’t answer.I turned, he was gone.“Dane?” I called, spinning around in panic. “Dane!”No response.The wind howled, shrieking like a living thing. My
LILAThe cold metal bars dug into my back.“Sierra?” I whispered, voice rough.No answer.Just silence… until I heard it again. That soft, strange sound.“Lila...” a voice sang gently. “Lullaby… child of moonlight… child of song…”I froze.My breath caught in my throat as I slowly lifted my head. “Who’s there?”I looked around quickly. The room was still dark, pitch black, no walls, no corners, just a thick emptiness all around. A cage of shadows. The only thing real was the shimmering ropes that held me tight, glowing faintly against my skin. My arms throbbed. My shoulders were stiff. And the ropes… they burned. Not like fire, but like regret…slow, painful, deep.“Who’s there?” I asked again, voice trembling.No reply.Just that same melody. Soft. Sweet. Haunting. Like a lullaby from long ago. Like a mother missing her child. A song of longing and heartbreak.I pulled my knees to my chest and buried my face between them. My body ached. My heart ached more.“Let me out,” I whispered.
MAYAI pushed through thick branches and mud until I reached the clearing.The ancient seer was waiting.Her hair was long and white, her robes tattered. She stood before a circle of stones carved with runes. Smoke curled from a small brazier in the center.I paused. My heart pounded so hard I thought it would burst. But I didn’t hesitate.I stepped forward. “Seer.”She turned. Her eyes glowed faintly. “Maya.”“How do you know my name?” I asked.She gave a soft nod. “Names are power.”I swallowed hard. “I need you to open the veil.”The seer tilted her head slowly, her silver hair shifting with the wind. “The veil…” she repeated. “Opening it is forbidden.”“I have no choice,” I said, my voice trembling. “My children are missing. I need them back.”She looked into my eyes, long and hard. Her gaze felt like it reached deep inside me. “You know the cost.”“How bad could it be?” I asked, trying to sound brave. My hands shook.She didn’t answer right away. Then, from under her long, tatter
DANEI didn’t care about school. Not today. I couldn’t sit still in class. My hands twitched. My leg wouldn't stop shaking. Kane was the same.We couldn't just wait for Sierra, Zane, and Lila to come back. We had to do something.I whispered to Kane before class. “I’m going after her, man. To the source of magic. I don’t care if I get expelled.”Kane looked at me. “Me too. But where?”We’d heard whispers in the woods. About a witch. A rogue. Silva. Said she wasn’t friendly. But she had power. Real power.During lunch, we made our plan. “We head into the woods after school. Find Silva.”Kane nodded. “Even if she eats us alive.”We waited for the bell with our hearts pounding.Later, we slipped out of school without anyone really noticing. We moved quickly, keeping our heads down.“Think they’ll call Mom and dad?” Kane asked as we crossed the parking lot.“I don’t care,” I muttered. “Let them. We’ll be back before anyone figures it out.”We had told them we were going to a counseling se