The shadows slithered along the temple walls like living ink, stretching and twisting in ways that defied logic. The jagged remains of the Rift pulsed one last time before the energy flickered out completely, leaving behind only a cold, unnatural silence.Lena’s breathing was ragged, her pulse hammering against her ribs. The mark on her wrist still burned, its glow faint but persistent. She could feel the connection, the invisible thread tying her to something beyond this world.Cassian tightened his grip on his sword, his stance rigid. “What the hell is happening?”Dorian exhaled sharply. “I’d love to say ‘nothing good’ just to be dramatic, but I think we’re way past that now.”Idris barely spared him a glance. His attention was locked on Lena. “Did you see anything else?”Lena swallowed, nodding. “A figure. In the void. It didn’t look human.”Idris’s expression darkened. “Then the Rift didn’t just mark you. It linked you to something.” He glanced at the shifting shadows. “And I’m gu
The creatures remained motionless, their twisted forms knelt before Lena as if she were something to be revered—or obeyed. The air around them pulsed, thick with an unseen force, as if the Rift itself was watching through their vacant, hollow eyes.Cassian took a step closer, his sword still raised. His voice was sharp, controlled. “Lena, what the hell just happened?”She couldn’t answer. The mark on her wrist burned hotter, the strange power curling through her veins like a whisper of something ancient.Idris was the first to move, cautious but curious. He tilted his head, observing the creatures as if trying to understand what they were. “They’re not just Rift-spawn,” he murmured. “They’re linked to you.”The words made her stomach churn. She already felt it—that invisible thread connecting her to them. The way they reacted to her voice. The way they had stopped when she spoke.Dorian let out a slow breath. “Alright. Just to confirm—do we have a new queen of shadow monsters, or shou
The journey back to the city was tense, the weight of what had just happened pressing down on them like an unseen force. The jungle remained eerily silent, the usual rustle of wind through leaves absent. Every step Lena took felt heavier, as if the Rift’s pull still lingered beneath her skin, a whisper just beneath her thoughts.Cassian stayed close to her, his body positioned slightly in front of hers, protective in a way that made her chest ache. Dorian walked beside them, his usual sarcasm subdued, while Idris led the way, his hands occasionally glowing as he checked for traces of Rift energy.Lena’s fingers brushed over the mark on her wrist, the skin still warm to the touch. She could feel it—an awareness of something vast and ancient pressing against her mind, waiting.Watching.They reached the outer edges of the city just before dawn. The once-bustling streets were quiet, the looming threat of the Rift’s influence keeping people behind locked doors. Even the lanterns that usua
Lena sat cross-legged on the cold stone floor of the war room, the flickering torchlight casting jagged shadows along the walls. The air was thick with tension, every breath measured, every movement deliberate.Cassian stood beside her, arms crossed, his golden eyes locked onto her with a fierce intensity. He hated this. She could see it in the way his fingers flexed against the hilt of his sword, in the rigid line of his shoulders.Idris knelt before her, hands hovering over the mark on her wrist. “I’m going to guide you in,” he said, voice steady but edged with warning. “I won’t be able to follow, but I’ll keep a tether on you. If things go south, I’ll pull you out.”Dorian, leaning casually against the wall, rolled his shoulders. “No offense, but let’s not count on that. Lena, if you feel like you’re getting lost in there, you force your way back. No hesitating.”Lena nodded, swallowing the lump in her throat. She was ready. She had to be.Idris exhaled, then pressed his fingertips
Lena spent the rest of the night in the war room, poring over Idris’s ancient texts while Cassian remained close, his presence steady and unwavering. Dorian, ever the reluctant ally, stayed long enough to grumble about the lack of good whiskey before disappearing.Idris worked tirelessly, flipping through brittle pages, his fingers glowing faintly as he traced old magic woven into the parchment. Every so often, he’d mutter something under his breath, but nothing useful emerged.Lena clenched her jaw, pushing aside her exhaustion. She wasn’t sure what she was searching for—an answer, a warning, a way out. But the more she read, the clearer it became.This wasn’t the first time the Rift had chosen someone.And each time, it ended the same way.They were taken.“Damn it,” she muttered, slamming one of the books shut. The noise echoed through the dimly lit room, breaking the silence. Cassian barely flinched, his arms crossed as he leaned against the far wall, watching her.Idris sighed. “
The journey stretched long, the silence between them filled only by the rhythmic clatter of hooves against dirt. The further they traveled from the capital, the more the air seemed to shift—thicker, charged with something Lena couldn’t quite name.She had grown up in these lands, but as they neared the village, an uneasy weight settled in her chest. Everything looked the same—the rolling fields, the dense tree lines, the familiar stone path winding toward her family estate—but it felt wrong.Like a place she no longer belonged to.Cassian rode closer, his golden eyes scanning the horizon. He was on edge, too. Whether it was from the Rift’s presence or something else entirely, she wasn’t sure.Idris broke the silence first. “Are we expecting trouble, or do I just always feel like we’re about to die when I’m with you?”Dorian chuckled from behind them. “Oh, I think that’s just her.”Lena ignored them, her focus narrowing as her childhood home came into view. The sprawling manor stood un
Cassian’s body went cold the instant he let go. The world around him vanished, and the weight of reality slipped away.He wasn’t falling.He wasn’t moving.He just was.A breath—if he could call it that—echoed around him, soft and slow, like the Rift itself was breathing him in.Then—Lena’s scream.The sound shattered the silence, raw and desperate. It didn’t come from in front of him, or behind. It came from everywhere.Cassian forced himself forward, even though there was no direction, no path. He followed the pull of his instincts, the tether that bound him to Lena, and the shadows twisted around him, shifting and writhing like something alive.Then he saw her.She was on her knees before the dark throne, her body trembling, her hands clutching at her head. She looked smaller than he had ever seen her. Vulnerable. Trapped.And standing over her—Her shadow.The other Lena.Cassian didn’t hesitate. He stepped forward, fire surging through his veins. “Get away from her.”The shadow
The mark burned.Not in a way that seared flesh or caused pain—but in a way that felt wrong. Like something foreign had slipped beneath Lena’s skin and taken root.She clenched her fingers against the sensation, willing it to stop, but it pulsed again—slow, rhythmic, like a second heartbeat.Like a claim.Cassian’s gaze hadn’t left her chest, his expression carved from stone. “We need answers.”Dorian scoffed. “Oh, you mean beyond ‘Lena’s cursed, the Rift is a manipulative bastard, and we’re all about to die in a horrifyingly poetic way’? Because I think we’ve covered that.”Idris ignored him, stepping closer. “That mark…” He didn’t touch it, but his fingers hovered near her skin, his magic stirring in the air. His eyes narrowed. “It’s layered.”Lena swallowed. “What does that mean?”“It’s not just Rift energy. There’s something else—something alive.”Cassian went rigid. “Alive?”Idris nodded. “Like a binding spell… but more intimate. As if the Rift isn’t just connected to her—it’s wa
The cavern felt wrong.Even though the Riftgate had disappeared, something lingered in the air—an unnatural stillness, thick with expectation. The Riftfire still simmered inside Lena, coiled like a beast waiting for permission to strike. But it wasn’t just hers anymore.It belonged to her.And she belonged to it.A cold shiver crawled up her spine, but she forced her body to move. One step. Then another.Behind her, Cassian exhaled sharply, shaking his head as he slid his daggers back into their holsters. “Alright. I have questions. Many, many questions.” His voice was light, but his eyes were sharp as they flicked toward her. “Starting with what the hell just happened?”Lena flexed her fingers, watching the faint traces of violet fire dance along her skin before flickering out. The Riftfire wasn’t resisting her anymore. It wasn’t raging. It was waiting.The realization made her stomach twist.“I don’t know,” she admitted, her voice quieter than she meant it to be. “I—I felt it. The R
Lena’s pulse roared in her ears. You were meant to open it. The King’s words curled around her mind like smoke, insidious and inescapable. She wanted to deny them, to cast them away like a lie. But the Riftfire inside her didn’t reject them. It recognized them. She staggered back, breath ragged. “You’re wrong.” The King only watched her, his golden eyes steady, unreadable. “Am I?” Lena clenched her fists, nails biting into her palms. “I came to close this gate, not—” A sharp pulse of power cut through her words. The Rift trembled. And suddenly, she wasn’t alone. Not just with the King. But with the echoes of something long buried. The vision struck like a lightning bolt to the skull. A battlefield. The air thick with Riftfire, burning violet against the endless night. Creatures—monstrosities—crawling from the gate, their shrieks tearing through the void. And at the center of it all— Her. Or rather— The woman who wasn’t her. The woman who was. A w
The pull tightened around Lena like invisible chains, wrapping around her ribs, her spine, her mind. It wasn’t violent. It wasn’t forceful. It was patient. A silent whisper, a presence at the edges of her thoughts, waiting. "Lena?" Ronan’s voice cut through the haze, grounding her. She blinked. The tunnel stretched before her, Cassian and Ronan already a few steps ahead, both watching her now—Cassian with wary confusion, Ronan with something closer to understanding. She forced herself to move. One step, then another, until the pull loosened its grip. It didn’t leave. But it let her go. For now. She exhaled slowly and followed them into the narrowing passageway. The tunnel walls pressed in, rough stone scraping against her arms. The air smelled of damp earth and something older—something untouched by time. Their footsteps echoed, the sound swallowed too quickly, as if the Rift itself was listening. No one spoke. Cassian led the way, navigating the uneven terrain wi
The cavern still hummed with the remnants of Lena’s power, the air thick with the scent of scorched flesh and magic. The Riftfire coiled around her fingers like a living thing—no longer wild, no longer resisting. It had chosen her. Lena’s breath came in ragged pulls, her heart hammering against her ribs. She wasn’t just standing in the aftermath of battle; she was standing at the edge of something irreversible. She could feel it. The Rift’s presence, no longer just a force that haunted her, but a part of her. Her. Cassian took a hesitant step forward, his daggers still in hand, though his grip had loosened. “Lena… what the hell was that?” Lena swallowed hard, but the words tangled in her throat. She didn’t know how to answer. Because she didn’t fully understand it herself. Ronan was watching her closely, his jaw clenched. His sword was sheathed, but his stance hadn’t relaxed. “Your fire—” He cut himself off, then exhaled sharply. “It’s different.” Lena flexed her fingers, st
The ground trembled beneath Lena’s feet. Not with violence, but with recognition. The Rift knew her now. And it wanted her back. Lena’s breath came in sharp, uneven pulls as the air around her thickened, reality bending at the edges. She could feel the Rift pulling, not with brute force, but with something far worse—familiarity. She was sinking into it. Becoming part of it. No. Lena clenched her fists, summoning every ounce of willpower to push back against the weight pressing on her chest. Riftfire surged at her fingertips, flickering wildly, caught between obedience and rebellion. The King watched her struggle, his burning gaze unreadable. “You still resist.” Lena swallowed against the rising panic. “I don’t belong to this place.” The King tilted his head slightly. “No,” he agreed. “But it belongs to you.” The words struck something deep inside her, something she wasn’t ready to face. Because part of her felt it. The Riftfire inside her wasn’t just reacting
The cavern trembled as the Rift’s energy expanded outward, swallowing the air, pressing against Lena’s skin with a force so dense it was almost suffocating.The King stepped forward.He wasn’t like the mindless creatures that had come before. He wasn’t grotesque or malformed.He was whole.His form was cloaked in shadows that moved like living smoke, shifting around him in slow, deliberate waves. Beneath the darkness, glimpses of something ancient and inhuman flickered—jagged obsidian armor, silvered veins pulsing with Rift energy, a face that was too sharp, too perfect, too unnatural to belong to anything mortal.His eyes—twin voids of fire and stars—settled on Lena, and the cavern dimmed, as if the very world was bracing for what came next.A voice, low and endless, rumbled through the chamber."You are the one."Lena’s pulse pounded in her ears. Her Riftfire reacted violently to his presence, rising in defense or recognition—she wasn’t sure which.But she forced herself to stand he
The world tilted.Lena’s breath caught in her throat as the weight of realization slammed into her. The Rift’s power thrummed beneath her skin, but it was nothing compared to the force radiating from the woman standing before her.Her mother.No. That couldn’t be right. Her mother had died when she was a child. She had no memories beyond fleeting warmth and a lullaby whispered in the dark.And yet—The woman’s presence felt familiar.Ronan shifted closer, tension coiled in his frame. “Lena…?”Cassian didn’t speak, but his fingers tightened around the hilt of his blade.Lena swallowed hard. “Who—who are you?”The woman smiled, stepping forward. The edges of her form flickered, like she existed between realms. “You already know, child. You’ve always known.”Lena’s pulse roared in her ears. “That’s not possible.”“And yet, here I stand.”The Riftfire in Lena’s veins surged, responding to the woman’s presence like a long-lost tether being pulled taut.“No.” Lena shook her head. “You can’t
Lena exhaled, steadying herself as the cavern pulsed with anticipation. The Herald stood motionless, hand still outstretched, its offer tangible in the air. The Rift’s power thrummed beneath her skin, no longer just a whisper but a steady, insistent call.This was the moment.She reached forward—then clenched her fist, drawing her hand back. “No,” she said, her voice stronger than she expected.The Herald’s expression didn’t falter, but the cavern trembled in response. “You refuse?” it asked, tilting its head.Ronan let out a breath he hadn’t realized he was holding, but his stance remained guarded. Cassian edged closer, his eyes never leaving the Herald.Lena swallowed hard. “I’m not a pawn in whatever game the Rift is playing.”The Herald regarded her with something that almost resembled amusement. “A pawn? No, Riftborn. You were never a mere piece. You were meant to be the one who shapes the board.”The cavern walls pulsed again, and the Rift’s energy surged forward like a wave.Le
Darkness swallowed them whole.Lena’s breath caught in her throat as the air rushed past her, cold and unrelenting. The abyss stretched endlessly below, an empty void that felt like falling through time itself.Ronan’s grip on her wrist was iron-tight. He refused to let go.Cassian was just ahead, his body twisting midair, trying to prepare for whatever awaited them below.But there was no ground.No end.Just falling.The Rift’s presence coiled around Lena’s mind, whispering in a voice that sounded so much like her own.You are home.You were never meant to run.The air shimmered.Lena gasped as reality split apart.For a single, horrifying second, she saw it—the Rift in its true form. A world between worlds. A chasm of shifting energy, pulsing with life and death, beginning and end.And at the center—a throne.A throne waiting for her.Her blood burned. The mark on her skin pulsed in time with the Rift’s heartbeat.It was trying to pull her in.No. No, I won’t—“Lena!”Ronan’s voice