CHAPTER FIVE: THE FIRST CROSSING

Those words from the Order of Silver Knights the words couldn't leave his head long after Karl stopped speaking.

Silence became dominant in the room, none of us spoke to each other.

The treehouse suddenly felt too small for both of us. The warmth from the lantern couldn't stop the fear from creeping over my skin like a cold hand. Every old map spread across the table,every newspaper hanging on the walls,every strange artifact scattered across the room seemed to be staring at me.

I decided to speak.

"So... everything you've told me is real?"

Karl adjusted his chair and folded his arms. There wasn't even the slightest hint of a smile on his face that showed doubt.

"I wish its not true."

"You expect me to believe there's another entirely different world thats next to ours? Also your family have been guardians, protecting the realm for generations and people are hunting you because of who you are?"

"Liam I understand if you can't believe it,never expected you to believe though," he replied quietly. "I only expect you to remember what you saw in the locker room that night."

My pulse quickened.

No matter how hard I tried to stop myself, I couldn't erase that image from my head.

His fiery eyes that dark night.

His bones twisted in an abnormal form.

The steel locker crushed beneath his hands.

No human could do that.

"I've spent my whole life in the shadows pretending to live a normal life," Karl continued. "Every competition I make sure I swim. Every friend I make. Every conversation I have..." He looked down at the mark on his forearm. "It's all been built on lies."

I was lost of words to say.

For the first time since meeting him one on one, was this really the golden boy of blackwood university,everyone was envious of..? Everyone admired his confidence. He wasn't standing in front of me. Instead, I saw someone who looked... drained.

Someone who had been carrying a secret all alone for a long time.

"Why are you telling me all this?" I asked

"You had a choice."

"What do you mean?"

"You could've run to the University. The Police or even Coach. Anyone."

"Well I hate to break it to you, I almost did."

"I know but you didn't."

"I changed my mind.”

Karl nodded slowly.

"Exactly."

He walked toward one of the old shelves and carefully removed a small wooden box covered in old Celtic carving. He blew the dust off the box,it followed through the air as he opened it.

Inside lay a smooth silver gem stone.It glittered .

"What is this?" I asked.

“My Ancestors called it a Moon Nightengale gem"

"It looks expensive."

"We don't value it because of the worth but what it can do,Liam"

He looked at me.

Karl placed the stone carefully on top of the map spread across the table.

The glowing lines I had noticed earlier immediately became more even.

They pulsed like veins beneath the paper.

I took a quiet step backward to observe.

"How did you do that?"

"No I didn't do anything."

"Then who did besides you here,karl?"

"You."

My eyes widened immediately.

“How?"

"The map reacted to your energy."

"I didn't even hold it so what do you mean."

"You dont have to."

 My nerves were racking.I laughed.

"Okay... now you're definitely joking to much.”

"I'm not."

He stepped aside.

"Come here see."

My instinct told me not to.

But curiosity won over as usual,that's what got me here in the first place.

I slowly approached for the table.

The closer I got, the brighter the silver lines became.

My heartbeat became faster,my pulse quickened . My eyes became strain.

The room suddenly felt colder.

"Karl..."

"I know."

"Why is it reacting like that."

He didn't answer.

Instead, he pointed toward the center of the map.

"Place your hand there to see why."

"I don't think that's a good idea though.”

"I wouldn't ask if it wasn't important."

I hesitated for a second.

Then I reached forward to it.

Everything stopped immediately my finger tips touched it.The lantern flame went off.The wind outside stoppped,even the birds chirping had gone silent.

"What..."

The map beneath my hand began glowing with soft silver light.

The wooden floor trembled.

A low sound filled the room.

His facial expression changed instantly.

"Liam? What did you do?"

"Take your hand off now."

"I can't."

Panic ran through me.

The map refused to move it felt glued to my skin.

The light spread even wider across the room before climbing my neck like water flowing down a drain.

"Karl help me.”

He reached out for my waist,I felt his breath all over my neck.Thr moment he grabbed my waist the treehouse disappeared.The treehouse didn't vanish immediately but slowly,the walls became blurry the faded slowly.Next it was the floor dissolving to the ground, I almost slipped but he caught me.Then it was the ceiling gone.

The treehouse was gone.

I was trying to catch my breath this was all too much.

Huge trees were stretching towards the sky like as if they were alive like humans, never in my life have I seen such.Their branch shimmered silver sand,the leaves on these trees were not green but dark blue that emitted a glow,like the moon lived in the tree. It was beautiful to watch but felt very abnormal to see and experience.

The air here was different.

Cleaner I'll say.

Up ahead,was a river that flowed with blue clear waters like a liquid glass below a giant moon hanging so close overheard.

"Is this?” I whispered.

He stared at me.

"... This is the Moon Realm."

I couldn't utter a single word.

Every direction revealed something impossible for my eyes.

Flowers glowing, opening and close like they were breathing like us.

Little creatures in the air dropping silver sparkles like pixie dust.

Ancestral stones ruins peeked through the trees, covered in strong vines that glowed with silver lights.

It was beautiful and scary at the same time.

"This place exist in this world we live in?," I breathed.

Karl nodded.

"It has always did."

"How has nobody found out about it on news?"

"They have."

I looked at him in shock.

"They just never came back the same way they came."

A cold shiver ran through my spine.

We heard a sound deep from the forest, something cracked deep.

Karl's head snapped toward the sound.

His face changed immediately.

"Liam we need to leave right now."

"Why? We just got here ."

"Yes but no questions,let's go."

Another crack echoed,the trees suddenly changed to red.

Closer this time.

The beautiful silence disappeared.

The forest felt different.

The little creatures scattered hiding on different branches.

Leaves rustled without wind.

Karl grabbed my wrist.

"Run."

"Why?"

"They found us, run liam"

"Who?"

Before he could answer...

A howl echoed through the thick forest.

It wasn't a wolf ,this sounded deeper and deeper .

Almost... human.

The sound got closer and closer. My bones started to ache.

We began to run.

Silver branches whipped against my arms as we pushed deeper between the glowing trees.

My stomach clenched even more.

"What are we running from?"

Karl didn't reply but we kept running 

Then...

Everything became silent again.

He stopped so suddenly I nearly crashed into him.

Standing between two of the ancient trees was a strange creature unlike anything I have ever seen.

It had the body of a massive wolf, but black antlers that curled from its skull like the branches of a dead tree.From every branch fell silver dust, scattering into the air like tiny stars.Its silver eyes glowed without pupils in it.

Strangest things that amazed me it had no mouth.

Yet a voice filled my mind.

You should not be here.

My heart dropped in my stomach.

The creature slowly turned its head towards me.

Its glowing eyes narrowed.

Karl stepped in front of me.

"Don't look into its eyes," he whispered.

The creature ignored him.

It continued staring directly at me.

Then the voice returned.

This time it sounded… so confusing.

Impossible...

Karl stiffened.

"What did you say?"

The creature took one slow step closer.

Its eyes never went off mine.

The Lost Heir...

The forest shook.

...has returned.