LOGINElara barely slept that night.
The room assigned to her at the roadside inn was small but comfortable, with a narrow bed, a wooden wardrobe, and a single window overlooking the Blackwood Forest.
Moonlight spilled across the floor.
She remained awake beside the window, staring at the trees.
Someone had watched her.
She was certain of it.
The voice had been calm, almost amused.
Interesting.
Two words.
Yet they had been enough to make the hairs on her arms rise.
Elara pulled the curtains shut.
Maybe she had imagined it.
Maybe exhaustion had made her paranoid.
After all, she had died, awakened inside a novel, discovered she was an SSS-rank Guide, and nearly been eaten by a magical wolf within three days.
Paranoia was probably reasonable.
She climbed into bed.
But sleep refused to come.
Every time she closed her eyes, she remembered the Moonfang.
Its pain.
Its fear.
And the strange warmth that had flowed through her when she touched it.
That hadn't happened in the novel.
Guides could stabilize Sentinels, but they weren't supposed to heal magical beasts.
At least, not according to anything she remembered.
Elara stared at the ceiling.
"Who am I?"
The question escaped her lips before she could stop it.
She remembered being herself.
Her old life.
Her family.
Her apartment.
The city.
The novel.
The accident.
Everything.
Yet beneath those memories was something else.
Something buried.
Something she couldn't reach.
Her eyes slowly closed.
And this time, she dreamed.
She was standing in a field covered with white flowers.
The sky above her was crimson.
Five moons hung in the distance.
Elara looked down.
She wasn't alone.
A little girl stood several feet away.
The child had long black hair.
Silver eyes.
And the same face Elara had seen in the mirror.
Elara's breath caught.
"Who are you?"
The girl didn't answer.
Instead, she raised her hand.
A silver thread stretched from her palm into the darkness behind Elara.
Elara turned.
Five shadows stood beneath the crimson sky.
She couldn't see their faces.
But she knew them.
Adrian.
Lucien.
Kael.
Zayn.
Elias.
Her heart began pounding.
The little girl spoke.
Her voice was soft.
"You promised."
Elara turned back.
"What did I promise?"
The girl's eyes filled with tears.
"You promised you'd come back."
The world shattered.
Elara woke with a gasp.
Morning sunlight filled the room.
Her heart pounded violently.
She sat upright.
For several moments, she couldn't breathe.
The dream remained painfully vivid.
Five shadows.
A little girl.
A promise.
She touched her forehead.
"What was that?"
A knock sounded at the door.
"My lady?"
Elara quickly composed herself.
"Come in."
Her maid entered carrying breakfast.
"We'll depart in half an hour."
Elara nodded.
She didn't mention the dream.
She didn't mention the voice.
She didn't mention anything.
The journey resumed shortly after sunrise.
This time, Elara kept the curtains open.
The road wound through hills covered with purple flowers. Birds with translucent wings flew above the trees, occasionally disappearing into clouds of sparkling dust.
It should have been peaceful.
Instead, Elara felt watched.
She wasn't sure whether it was because of the previous night or because the dream had unsettled her.
Around noon, the carriage suddenly slowed.
Her father opened the door.
"We're stopping."
"Why?"
"The road ahead is blocked."
Elara stepped outside.
Several guards stood around a fallen tree.
Beyond it, the forest was silent.
Too silent.
Her instincts immediately screamed.
Something was wrong.
Then she noticed the blood.
Dark red stains covered the road.
Her expression changed.
"Father."
Cedric followed her gaze.
His face hardened.
"Everyone, stay alert."
The guards drew their weapons.
A low growl echoed from the trees.
Then another.
Elara's fingers tightened around her cloak.
Dozens of golden eyes appeared between the branches.
Not Moonfangs.
Shadow Wolves.
And there were at least twenty of them.
One of the guards cursed.
"That's impossible. They're supposed to stay deep within the forest."
The wolves emerged.
Their
Chapter Fifty-Five — The Daughter of the First WorldThe sky had become an enormous eye.Elara stood frozen beneath it, her hand still wrapped around Lyra's. The silver symbol on her chest pulsed with every beat of her heart, sending waves of unfamiliar energy through her body. Around them, the academy had fallen completely silent. Even the wind seemed afraid to move. Above the clouds, the gigantic silver eye watched them without blinking.Then the voice came again.“Bring me my daughter.”Lyra trembled.Elara tightened her grip around the little girl's hand.“No.”The woman standing before them smiled.“You misunderstand. I wasn't asking.”Adrian stepped forward.“You're not taking her anywhere.”The woman glanced at him.“You have no authority here.”“Neither do you.”For the first time, her expression became cold.“You are nothing but a discarded weapon.”Adrian's eyes narrowed.“Maybe.”He raised his sword.“But I'm a weapon that chooses where to point itself.”Lucien moved beside
Chapter Fifty-Four — The Second CreatorThe falling star struck the horizon.There was no explosion.No sound.Instead, the entire world went silent.Elara stood frozen on the tower with Elias beside her, watching the silver light spread across the distant sky. It moved like liquid, crawling over the clouds until the entire horizon became bright enough to hurt her eyes.Lyra squeezed her hand.“That isn't supposed to happen.”Elara looked down at her.“You said there were four creators.”“I thought there were.”“You're not sure?”Lyra shook her head.“I was too young to understand everything.”Elias stared at the horizon.“But I remember.”Everyone turned toward him.“What do you remember?” Elara asked.Elias remained silent for a moment.Then he spoke.“Before this world existed, there were four separate realities.”Lucien frowned.“Four?”“Yes.”“Created by four different beings.”Elias nodded.“They were called the First Four.”Elara's eyes narrowed.“And Lyra was one of them?”“No
Chapter Fifty-Three — The Man I Refused to Lose“Hello, creator.”Elara's blood ran cold.She stared into Elias's black eyes, unable to understand what she was seeing. Only moments ago, he had been beside her, exhausted but still himself. Now the man standing before her wore his face, his voice, and his body, but something inside him felt terribly wrong.“Elia…?”He smiled.“That name still means something to you.”Adrian immediately stepped between them.“Get away from her.”Elias tilted his head.“Adrian.”The way he said the name made everyone tense.“You've always been the protective one.”Adrian's fists tightened.“You aren't Elias.”The thing wearing Elias's face smiled wider.“Very observant.”Elara pushed past Adrian.“Let him go.”“Don't.”Adrian grabbed her arm.“Elara, you don't know what that thing will do.”“I know.”She looked at Elias.“But I know him.”The black-eyed Elias stared at her.“Do you?”Elara's heart twisted.“Yes.”“You know the man I replaced?”“I know the
Chapter Fifty-Two — The Choice That Was Never a ChoiceElara stared at Lyra.The little girl's words had barely left her mouth, yet they felt heavier than everything that had happened since she entered this world.One of them had to become the Door.One of them had to be sacrificed.Elara slowly looked at the five men.Adrian was still on one knee, breathing heavily. Zayn had one arm wrapped around him, trying to keep him upright. Lucien's usually calm expression was gone, replaced by pain. Caelan was struggling to remain standing, while Kael had planted his weapon into the ground to support himself.Elias alone remained standing.But even he was barely holding himself together.Elara's eyes burned.“No.”Lyra looked up at her.“Elara…”“No.”Her voice became firmer.“There won't be a sacrifice.”The Shadow laughed from above.“You cannot change the rules.”Elara looked at her.“Then I'll break them.”“You already tried.”“And I succeeded.”The Shadow's expression darkened.“You broke
Chapter Fifty-One — The Truth They Were Made to HideFor several seconds, Elara could not move.Elias's words echoed inside her mind.They were created to kill you.She looked at the men standing around her, searching their faces for some sign that he was lying. Adrian's jaw was tight. Lucien's eyes had fallen to the ground. Zayn, who usually had a joke ready for every situation, was completely silent. Caelan's expression was unreadable, while Kael stood with his arms crossed, staring at the shattered remains of the Door.No one denied it.That frightened her more than anything.“Tell me it's not true,” Elara whispered.Nobody answered.Her gaze settled on Adrian.“You first.”Adrian closed his eyes.When he opened them again, the warmth she had always known was still there, but something painful had appeared behind it.“It was true.”Elara's heart sank.“When?”“Before I met you.”“Then you knew?”“I knew what I had been created for.”Her lips parted.“And you still came after me?”“
Chapter Fifty — The Man Behind the VillainOrion stood at the bottom of the staircase with a smile that made Elara's blood run cold.For several seconds, nobody moved.The silver doorway behind Elara continued to tremble, a thin crack spreading across its surface like a wound that refused to close. The creature beyond it was gone, but the pressure it had left behind still filled the air.Orion looked completely unaffected.His black coat moved gently in the strange wind surrounding the tower. His silver eyes were fixed on Elara, but there was something different about them.He no longer looked like the man who had hunted her through countless cycles.He looked almost peaceful.“You're alive,” Elara whispered.Orion's smile widened.“You sound disappointed.”Adrian stepped in front of her.“Stay away from her.”Orion laughed softly.“You still think she's yours to protect?”Adrian's expression hardened.“She doesn't belong to anyone.”“Interesting.”Orion's gaze moved across the others







