Lena barely slept that night.The presence in the forest had vanished, but its whispers still clung to her mind. You are not ready. But you will be. It wasn’t a warning. It was a promise.By the time dawn broke over the horizon, painting the sky in soft hues of pink and gold, she had made a decision.She couldn’t keep running from this.She had to face the Rift—on her terms.The camp was already stirring when she rose to her feet. Cassian was standing near the fire, sharpening his sword, while Dorian sat on a fallen log, rubbing sleep from his eyes. Idris was the only one still motionless, his gaze fixed on the forest’s edge as if he could still sense whatever had been watching them last night.Lena took a breath and stepped forward. “I need to go back.”Three heads snapped toward her.Cassian was the first to speak. “Back where?”“To the Rift,” Lena said, her voice steady. “I can’t ignore it anymore. I need answers.”Cassian immediately shook his head. “Absolutely not.”Dorian groane
The journey through the forest was eerily quiet.Lena could hear the others moving behind her—Cassian’s steady, purposeful steps, Dorian’s occasional grumbles, Idris’s near-silent movements—but the world around them felt wrong. The further they went, the more the air thickened, charged with an energy that made her skin prickle.The Rift was close.She could feel it now, its presence curling around her like invisible tendrils, whispering at the edges of her mind.You are not ready. But you will be.Lena clenched her jaw and pushed forward.The trees thinned, and suddenly, the landscape opened into a vast, rocky expanse.A jagged tear split the earth ahead, shimmering with an unnatural glow. The Rift.It wasn’t just a portal—it was a wound in reality itself.Dorian let out a low whistle. “Yep. That looks like a really bad idea.”Cassian ignored him, his eyes locked onto the Rift. His grip tightened around his sword. “Are you sure about this, Lena?”She swallowed hard. “No. But I have to
Lena's body tumbled through the void, weightless and helpless against the pull of forces beyond her comprehension. The Rift was neither light nor dark—just endless, shifting energy that coiled around her, threatening to consume her whole.Her breath came in ragged gasps, her pulse hammering. The last thing she remembered was Cassian’s voice—his presence breaking through the Rift’s grasp like a distant beacon. But now, she was alone again, suspended in nothingness.Until she wasn’t.With a violent pull, the world around her shifted.Lena slammed onto solid ground, pain shooting through her limbs as the impact knocked the air from her lungs. She groaned, blinking rapidly as her vision adjusted to the dim surroundings.This wasn’t the forest.She was somewhere else.The air was thick, buzzing with an energy so strong it made her skin prickle. Strange symbols pulsed faintly across the walls, shifting and rearranging themselves as if they were alive. The ground beneath her was smooth, almo
The journey to find the Oracle was not one Lena had been prepared for.Because finding her wasn’t an option.She had to call her.And the Oracle did not answer unless she deemed the caller worthy.Lena stood in the center of the ancient clearing, the air thick with an unnatural stillness. The ground beneath her feet pulsed faintly, like a heartbeat deep within the earth. Dark, jagged stones surrounded them, each one carved with symbols Lena didn’t recognize.This was the place.“The last time someone called on the Oracle,” Idris murmured, “they were never the same again.”Dorian scoffed. “Well, that’s not ominous at all.”Cassian’s expression was unreadable, but Lena could feel the tension radiating from him. He hadn’t spoken much since they agreed to seek the Oracle. He didn’t have to. She could see his worry in the way his jaw tightened, in the way he stayed just close enough to reach her if something went wrong.And something would go wrong.Lena took a steady breath. “How do I sta
Silence stretched between them after Lena’s declaration. The weight of her words lingered, heavy and unshakable.Cassian’s hands were still on her arms, steadying her, grounding her. But he didn’t speak. He just watched her, his storm-gray eyes searching hers, as if trying to find the girl he had known before.The girl who wasn’t this.The girl who hadn’t just claimed something unnatural as her own.Lena felt the absence in her mind like an open wound. A memory stolen, a piece of her past erased. But in its place, something else had taken root—something vast, something boundless.The Rift wasn’t just inside her.She was inside it.Dorian shifted uneasily, his fingers drumming against the hilt of his dagger. “So, uh… anyone else want to acknowledge how terrifying that was? No? Just me?”Idris crossed his arms, his sharp gaze fixed on Lena. “What do you mean, you are the Rift?”Lena swallowed hard. “It’s not just a force. It’s alive. It doesn’t just take—it creates. It doesn’t just dest
The air was thick with tension. The echoes of the Rift still pulsed beneath Lena’s skin, a phantom sensation she couldn’t shake. Cassian’s grip on her shoulders was firm, grounding her, but even his presence couldn’t erase what she had seen.Herself.Or rather, a twisted version of herself—one who had already embraced the Rift’s power.Lena exhaled shakily and pushed herself upright. The others were watching her closely. Dorian looked skeptical, Idris unreadable, but it was Cassian’s expression that made her chest tighten. Concern. Worry. And something deeper—something she wasn’t sure she was ready to name.“What happened?” Cassian asked again, softer this time.Lena swallowed, her throat dry. “I—” She hesitated. How was she supposed to explain that she had just met a version of herself who claimed she was destined to become something else? Something not entirely human?Dorian crossed his arms. “You disappeared into the Rift, and for a solid minute, we thought you were dead. Then boom
The forest was eerily silent, the air thick with an unspoken tension as Lena steadied herself. The weight of what she had seen still pressed against her ribs, but she forced herself to focus. She wasn’t that version of herself. Not yet. Not ever.Cassian remained close, his presence a grounding force as the group regrouped. Dorian was the first to break the silence.“So, we’re just going to ignore the fact that Lena basically had a one-on-one with her evil twin?” He ran a hand through his hair, eyes sharp with something between concern and curiosity. “Because, personally, I think we should be panicking a little more.”Lena shot him a dry look. “You panicking isn’t exactly new, Dorian.”He pressed a hand to his chest in mock offense. “Excuse you, my panic is usually justified.”Cassian exhaled, crossing his arms. “Enough. We need a plan.” He turned to Lena. “You said you saw a future. One where you’d embraced the Rift’s power. Do you think it was a vision of what will happen, or just w
Lena’s pulse thundered in her ears as she sat up, her breath shallow. The forest was the same, yet everything felt different. The Rift’s energy still clung to her skin, cold and electric, like a whisper that refused to fade.Cassian’s grip on her arm was tight, his expression a storm of worry and restrained panic. “Lena, talk to me. What happened?”She swallowed, her throat dry. “I—I saw something.” Her own voice felt foreign, like it belonged to someone else. “A future. A throne. The world at my feet.”Dorian let out a sharp breath. “So, y’know, just the usual apocalyptic nightmare?”Lena ignored him, turning to Cassian. “It felt real. Like a memory that hasn’t happened yet.”Idris knelt beside her, his sharp eyes scanning her face. “And the other you?”Lena shuddered. “She’s waiting. Watching.” She exhaled shakily. “And she thinks I’ll choose to become her.”Silence settled over them, thick and suffocating.Cassian ran a hand through his hair, his jaw clenching. “That’s not going to
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