In the dark forest near the ruined cottage, I saw a child sleeping peacefully. Her face… was a blur, like smoke in a mirror. But something felt wrong. My eyes shifted — someone cloaked was circling her, murmuring a chant in a low, bone-chilling voice. I couldn't see her face, but the child was lying motionless inside a glowing red circle, symbols carved into the ground.
And then it hit me.Black magic.They were performing black magic on the child.I tried to move. To run. To stop them. But my body felt paralyzed, like I was shackled by invisible chains. My heart thundered in my ears as I struggled, desperately trying to scream — and then…The cloaked figure stopped chanting.She slowly turned her head.And stared.Right at me.
A jolt surged through me — and I woke up with a gasp.
"My lady!""Lady Elaris, please open your eyes!"
Two panicked voices echoed in my ears. My lashes fluttered open. Everything was bright, too bright, and my limbs felt heavy. I blinked a few times, the world slowly coming into focus — Liora and Kael were hovering over me, their faces pale with terror.
My breath hitched as I whispered, "Where… am I?"
Liora lowered her head, trembling. She couldn't meet my eyes."M-My lady… we're in an inn… you collapsed," she said in a quivering voice. "You weren't waking up, and we… we were scared. We brought you here and called a doctor to check on you. You were—"Her voice cracked. "You were sweating so much… did you see a nightmare?"
"Yeah…" I murmured, voice hoarse. "It was… horrible."
I looked around again, feeling the wooden bed beneath me, the cracked inn ceiling above, the faint smell of herbs from the medicine tray nearby."We're not in the illusion anymore, right?" I asked carefully.
Kael, silent until now, gave a firm nod. "No, my lady. It's over."
A shaky breath left my lips. Relief washed over me like a tide. But then… I turned to Liora. Her face was pale, her hands clenched tightly in her lap. She was crying silently, her shoulders trembling.
She was still haunted by what she had done in there.
"Kael," I said softly. "Please take Liora to rest. Calm her down. You both need sleep… we all do."
Kael nodded and gently helped Liora up. She didn't speak, just leaned into him like a ghost, still crying quietly. The door closed behind them.
And I was alone with my thoughts.
I sat up slowly, staring at the pendant around my neck. Everything came crashing back. The twisted nightmare. The black magic circle. The illusion realm. The man. His pale blue eyes…
Why was all of this happening to me? Who was behind it?
Was it the Empress?
Or… someone worse?
And then it hit me — I never killed anyone to break the illusion.I couldn't. I was about to — when I saw him.The man who had been following us.Our eyes met — and then the illusion shattered.
How?That wasn't how it was supposed to work. Kael had said the only way out was to kill.So how did I get out?
The pendant suddenly pulsed against my chest. Then, a voice echoed in my mind — soft, smug, almost amused.
"Well… that's because you saw someone from the outside world."
"What?!" I shouted aloud, clutching the pendant. "If that was possible, why didn't you tell me sooner?!"
"Because," the pendant replied, unfazed, "the one you saw earlier was part of the illusion. But the one you saw this time — he was real. His physical self somehow slipped through. And I had certain… restrictions. Couldn't tell you unless triggered. Plus… I didn't think he'd be stupid enough to show his real self."
I froze. Real… self?
"But… I've seen that guy so many times before. Why didn't the illusion break then?"
"Because those times were illusions. This time, the real him entered the illusion space. That's why it broke."
My head spun.
The stalker.His eyes.They were almost white this time…
Almost—
"I was wondering about his eyes," I whispered. "They were… different. Paler."
The pendant responded, a little too proudly, "Exactly. His eye color shifts with the strength of the illusion. The stronger the illusion he's maintaining, the paler his eyes get. A side effect of the magic."
I clutched the pendant, anger bubbling inside me.
"You could've told me!" I yelled. "If I'd known, we wouldn't have had to kill anyone! Those people— Liora, Kael— they wouldn't have gone through that trauma! And the people inside the illusion— are they even real?! Are they dead now?!"
Panic surged through me.
"Please… tell me they're not dead!" I whispered, voice breaking.
The room went cold.
"They're alive… physically," the pendant replied with a heavy silence. "But their souls… they're either damaged, stolen, or completely gone."
My heart shattered.
"No. No, please, there has to be something we can do! Please!" I said, my voice cracking with panic.
"There's nothing we can do," the pendant whispered.
I broke.
Everything inside me just crumbled like ash in the wind.Tears poured down uncontrollably. My breaths turned shallow and sharp."I'm not strong enough for this," I sobbed. "I thought I could handle it. But this… this is too much. How can I carry so much death?"
"You have to stay calm, Elaris," the pendant said gently. "You have a long road ahead. This… this is just the beginning."
"I didn't ask for this," I whispered.
"But you were chosen for this. I will help you. I'll stay by your side."
"I just wanted revenge…" I muttered. "But if I stay this fragile, I'll never win. I won't survive. The Empress will break me like glass."
I wiped my tears roughly, forcing myself to breathe.
"It's okay. It's all okay. I have to move forward. Focus. Regroup. Survive. Win."
I stood up, cleaned my face, and went to find Liora and Kael.
They were both half-asleep in the hallway outside my room. I cleared my throat, and they jolted awake.
"We're leaving," I said, voice steady now. "Get ready. Our next destination is the Ethernelle Forest."
Kael blinked. "Already?"
Liora looked surprised but didn't argue.
"Yes," I said. "I've taken everything I needed from Virelia. We move forward. No more delays."
As we stepped outside the inn and made our way toward the road leading to Ethernelle Forest, I felt a strange pull again.
And then—I saw someone.
A girl.
She looked about our age, standing calmly at the edge of the trail with a soft smile on her face. No weapon, no fear, just—there. Like she was waiting.
None of us spoke at first. Liora stiffened beside me. Kael's hand hovered near his sword, just in case.
But the girl tilted her head and said, casually, "Took you long enough."
I stared at her. I didn't recognize her face.But something about her… felt oddly familiar.
Her face—it sparked something. A flicker of recognition that I couldn't explain.
Where had I seen her before?
Inside the Empress's chamber, silence reigned… but not for long.
The man was thrown to the floor like trash, his cheek bruised, blood dripping from his mouth. He dared not lift his eyes.
The Empress stood in front of him, draped in shadow, her presence cold and suffocating.
"She escaped," she said, her voice eerily calm. "After everything… you let her escape."
The man coughed, tried to speak, but she raised her hand—one motion, and a black mist choked the words right out of him.
"You had one job," she hissed, stepping closer. Her heels clicked against the marble, each step a death sentence. "You were supposed to watch her. Contain her. And now she's out there—with them."
A flicker of something passed through her blue eyes—rage, maybe fear—but it vanished as fast as it came.
"And now… she's ruined everything."
The man gasped, choking on blood and smoke. "I-I can still fix this, please, I swear—"
She cut him off with a snap of her fingers.
In an instant, shadows surged around him like a tidal wave. One scream—and he was gone. Erased.
The Empress stood still for a moment. Silent. Then turned toward the window.
"...She wasn't supposed to awaken this soon."
Her voice was barely above a whisper, but the venom in it lingered like poison in the air.