The second portal was rougher than the first.
This time, instead of being pulled or dragged, I felt like I was shoved straight through a wall made of electricity. My muscles tightened involuntarily, breath trapped in my lungs, ears ringing so loud it felt like my skull was splitting.
Then everything went black.
Not unconsciousness—just black.
Black like the world had folded in on itself.
I stumbled forward, gasping as the ground reappeared beneath me. I barely caught myself before face-planting into glowing moss.
Somewhere near me, Gerrin exhaled sharply. "Kanah?"
"Still alive," I wheezed. "Barely."
Before he could answer, the world slammed back into place with a burst of blinding white light.
Then the ground stopped shaking. The ringing eased. My stomach settled.
And I realized—
We weren't in the forest anymore.
We were standing in a wide, circular courtyard made of white stone. Thin vines of glowing blue mana crawled across the tiles like cracks filled with living light. Tall, silver trees rose in spirals around us, their leaves shimmering like frostlit metal.
And above us—
A massive archway twisted overhead, formed of stone and light woven together. Elven architecture. Beautiful and terrifying.
I blinked. "Where are we?"
"Sylvarin High Court," Gerrin said quietly. "The central hall."
"Your court," I repeated. "Where the elves rule."
"Yes."
"So this place is supposed to be safe?"
He hesitated. "…Relatively."
"Awesome. Love that word."
"Kanah—"
"No, it's fine," I muttered. "Being kidnapped through space twice is normal in this world."
He sighed. "I didn't kidnap you. I extracted you from a volatile situation."
"We call that kidnapping where I'm from."
Gerrin rubbed the bridge of his nose. "Your world has… strange terminology."
"Yeah? Well, your world has dragons and wolves and elves fighting to kill each other over my scent, so we're even."
His lips twitched, like he was fighting a smile. Or a headache.
Before he could respond, voices echoed around the courtyard—sharp, cold, impatient.
Two elves stood several feet away.
One older, markings carved deep into his skin like tree rings. He wore a cloak woven from silver threads and mana-laced fabric. His eyes glowed a pale white-blue, frosted and unblinking.
The other was younger, similar to Gerrin but with darker hair tied tightly behind his head.
The older one stepped forward first. Gaze fixed on me. Unsettling. Clinical. Heavy enough that I took a step back.
Gerrin immediately positioned himself slightly in front of me.
"Lord Sylas," he said, bowing slightly. "Darian acted without the Council's approval. I moved her here to—"
"Silence," Lord Sylas said, voice calm but sharp enough to cut glass. "We felt destabilization from two realms away. You brought her into our Court? Without shield or permission?"
Gerrin stiffened. "I had no choice."
Lord Sylas studied me again. "Human," he said, as if naming a dangerous artifact. "You are… brighter than expected."
"Brighter?" I repeated. "As in glowing?"
"As in disruptive."
Fantastic.
The younger elf circled me, stopping at my left side. His eyes scanned me like he was measuring something invisible.
"The rune is active," he murmured.
Lord Sylas's brows lowered. "Impossible."
"No," Gerrin said. "It woke when Darian teleported her."
Darian stepped out of the shadows behind us as if he'd been there the whole time. He crossed his arms, unimpressed.
"I told you," Darian said. "She must be contained."
"That word again," I muttered. "Does anyone here own a thesaurus?"
Gerrin shot me a look—half-amused, half please-stop-provoking-them.
Lord Sylas raised one elegant hand. "Human," he said, "approach."
"No," Gerrin snapped instantly.
Darian scoffed. "You defend her too easily, Gerrin."
"And you endanger her too quickly," Gerrin shot back.
Lord Sylas ignored both and took two steps closer.
I backed up. "What are you going to do to me?"
"Examine," Sylas said. "Observe. Understand."
"That sounds like a fancy way of saying experiment on me."
"Humans have always exaggerated," Darian muttered.
"Stop calling her 'human,'" Gerrin snapped. "She has a name."
Sylas's cold eyes slid to Gerrin. "Names give things power."
"And she deserves one," Gerrin said firmly.
Lord Sylas returned his gaze to me. "What is your name?"
I swallowed. "Kanah."
He repeated it slowly. "Kanah."
When he stepped closer, something shifted inside me—like a spark igniting in my chest.
I gasped, hand flying to my sternum.
Heat pulsed under my skin—sharp, sudden, electric. Not painful, but overwhelming. Like something inside me woke up.
Gerrin's eyes widened. "It's happening again."
"What's happening?" I asked, voice tight.
Darian raised his hand. "She's destabilizing the field. She's—"
I felt it before he finished.
A burning line crawled across my skin beneath my shirt, just over my heart. A shape. A symbol. Something carving itself from the inside out.
"Oh god—" I gasped. "It's—something's—burning—!"
The elves all leaned forward slightly. Of course, they did. Science mode activated.
Gerrin moved instantly, grabbing my arms. "Listen to me. Breathe with me. Slowly."
"How?!" I gasped. "I'm—lighting up?!"
"Because your rune is waking," he said.
I didn't know what that meant. I didn't have time to ask.
A flash of white-blue light erupted from my chest—bright enough to blind all of us.
The mana threads in the courtyard flickered like faulty neon. The stone tiles cracked. The air hummed.
"What is she?" the younger elf whispered, stepping back in awe.
Lord Sylas stared at me, unblinking. "A remnant of the first seal."
Gerrin tightened his grip on my arms. "Kanah, stay with me."
"I'm TRYING!" I yelled.
Another surge hit. My knees buckled.
Gerrin caught me.
His magic flared instinctively, trying to shield me—but instead of calming the rune, it reacted violently.
His mana sparked against mine like two magnets repelling each other.
The air snapped painfully.
Gerrin hissed in shock. "She's pushing my mana away."
"Unheard of," Darian whispered.
Lord Sylas murmured, "No. Not unheard of. Only seen in children of the Queen."
"What Queen?" I gasped.
"The First Human Queen," Gerrin said quietly. "The one who sealed your people away."
My heart stuttered.
"You're saying I'm related to royalty?!"
"Possibly," Sylas said.
"Definitely," Gerrin corrected.
Before I could process that insanity—
A violent gust of wind blasted into the courtyard.
Trees bent. Mana threads ripped apart. Stone cracked.
And then—
A roar.
A roar I recognized.
Owain.
Followed by—
A cyclone of frost slamming into the ground as Yllas landed in full dragon form.
Helion appeared next, stepping out from a distorted shadow beneath a silver tree.
Three Highborn males.
All furious.
All territorial.
All staring directly at me.
Darian swore. "How in all realms did they find her so fast—"
"They FELT her," Gerrin shot back. "Her rune pulsed. Of course they came."
The ground shook as Owain stormed across the courtyard, teeth bared, claws extended.
Yllas shifted into his humanoid form mid-stride—scales and frost dissolving from his skin as golden eyes burned with cold fury.
Helion walked with terrifying calm, hands in his pockets, like he was strolling to a meeting.
Owain's voice cracked like thunder.
"GET AWAY FROM HER."
Lord Sylas didn't move. "Wolf, you are trespassing—"
Owain didn't let him finish. He leapt, claws tearing across marble.
Yllas grabbed Owain's arm mid-lunge, ice exploding around them.
"Do not attack the elders," Yllas snarled.
"Don't tell me what to do!" Owain snapped back.
"Then stop behaving like a rabid pup."
Helion sighed. "Children."
Gerrin stepped between them, markings glowing. "Stay your claws," he ordered sharply. "This is Sylvarin territory."
Owain growled. "I don't give a damn where we are. She was taken."
Yllas's eyes flicked to my chest. "Her rune is active."
I froze.
Owain stopped. Helion stilled. Gerrin turned sharply.
They all looked at me.
At my chest.
At the faint glow beneath my shirt.
Gerrin stepped closer, voice low. "Kanah. The rune… it's marking you."
"Marking me for what?" I whispered.
Yllas answered.
"Fate."
Owain answered.
"Instinct."
Helion answered.
"Claim."
Darian added, "Danger."
Lord Sylas murmured, "Destiny."
They all spoke over each other.
I backed up, chest burning, breath shallow.
"STOP," I said. "All of you. Stop talking like you know what's happening."
Owain moved toward me, eyes glowing. "Kanah—"
"No," I said sharply. "Don't touch me."
He froze instantly.
My voice shook. "Nobody touch me. Nobody claim me. Nobody drag me anywhere."
The courtyard trembled.
Mana flared.
Light pulsed.
And the rune over my heart burned bright.
Yllas inhaled sharply. Gerrin's markings lit up. Helion stared with new interest. Owain's claws retracted slowly, confusion crossing his expression.
Then—
The rune burst outward.
Not physically. Not magically. But energetically.
A pulse rippled out from my chest like a shockwave—invisible but heavy—slamming into every creature nearby.
Owain staggered back. Yllas's eyes widened. Helion's pupils narrowed. Even the elves recoiled.
The shockwave faded as quickly as it had come.
I stood there, chest heaving, as silence swallowed the courtyard.
Lord Sylas inhaled slowly. "Kanah," he said quietly, "your rune… rejected them."
I blinked. "Rejected?"
Gerrin frowned. "Your aura pushed their instincts away."
Owain's expression was stunned. "You… told us no."
Yllas's brows lowered. "And the rune reinforced it."
Helion smiled faintly. "You have more power than you think."
My heart hammered so hard I couldn't breathe.
"What does that mean?" I whispered.
Gerrin's voice was soft but certain.
"It means you aren't prey. You aren't a prize. And you aren't forced to be theirs."
Yllas's jaw clenched, but he didn't deny it.
Owain looked conflicted. Helion looked amused.
Lord Sylas straightened. "It means she has the potential to decide her own fate. Something no human has ever done under the seal."
Darian glared at me. "A mistake."
Gerrin ignored him.
His voice lowered—gentle but firm.
"Kanah… your humanity is your power. And I suspect we haven't even seen the beginning of what you can do."
Before I could respond—
The rune pulsed again.
The courtyard lights flickered.
And something dark stirred in the distance—something older, heavier, colder.
The elves turned their heads sharply.
"What is that?" I whispered.
Gerrin answered without meeting my eyes.
"The seal," he said. "It felt you."
My pulse stopped.
"The Beast King," he finished quietly. "He knows you're here."