The following morning, we sailed under gray skies. We were searching for the energy signature Nathaniel had mentioned, and Nikolai was the first to find it a faint pulse flickering across the sea's surface.
Through the fog, a small island emerged.
It was a jagged mass of rock covered in strange glowing moss, barely visible on any map. A natural tunnel cut through its side, black as pitch. The boat rocked gently as we approached the shore. Waves lapped softly against the rocks, strangely calm despite the heavy sky.
Doesn't look like much, Damon muttered.
It's never the ones that look like much, Zuriel replied.
Eris narrowed her eyes at the terrain. Everyone off. Weapons ready. Nikolai, keep scanning for fluctuations.
We got off the boat, our boots crunching against the rocky shore. I paused, looking toward the entrance of the tunnel.
A strange hum throbbed at the edge of my hearing. Lucien stepped closer, gripping his strap in his bag.
This place feels wrong, he whispered. Like it's watching us.
We moved cautiously toward the center of the island. Every few steps, Nikolai paused to trace glowing symbols in the air, watching them flicker and distort.
There's definitely a rift nearby, he confirmed quietly. We're close to something.
Eris activated her crystal like communicator. Master Nathaniel, we found--
The line crackled. Nothing. She frowned and tapped it again. Nathaniel, do you read me?
Silence. Zuriel's eyes narrowed. That's not interference. That's a ward. Something is blocking magic.
Eris looked back toward the boat. We'll pull back and regroup. Everyone, return to---
The boat's gone, Lucien's voice cut her off.
We all turned. Where the boat had been anchored, there was only empty ocean.
It didn't drift, Nikolai said, walking slowly to the edge of the shore. It vanished.
We're being pulled in, Damon muttered, his fists clenching.
Eris exhaled slowly, her expression grim. We have no other way out. Everyone inside. Stay close.
We entered the tunnel. It opened into an impossible forest.
Everything shimmered. Trees grew tall like crystal pillars, and vines glittered with droplets that glowed in shifting colors. The air itself felt alive, humming with energy.
Lucien stared in awe. This place… it's alive.
Zuriel scanned the strange landscape carefully. We crossed a threshold, he said. This isn't just a forest. This is one of the inner realms the world of the elementos from the stories.
Eris drew her rapier. And that means creatures could be coming from here into our world.
A deep voice echoed from between the glowing trees. You crossed as well?
We turned. A towering figure stood nearby. His skin looked like rough bark, and his eyes glowed a deep ruby red. A kapre.
Our worlds are merging, he said calmly. The Convergence is thinning the barriers. Your sea, our roots. All becoming one.
Zuriel stepped forward cautiously. Is there a safer place to cross? A stable portal?
The kapre nodded slowly. There is. But it lies within a Nephilim domain. They do not take kindly to outsiders.
I flinched.
The book inside the bag at my hip started to glow. It was soft at first, but then it began to pulse.
I collapsed.
Gehan! Zuriel rushed to my side.
The world went quiet.
I stood in a place of white fog and drifting stars. A man stepped forward from the mist. He was slender, with pale skin and long red hair that fell past his shoulders. His eyes were dark, the color of fresh blood.
Hi, Gehan, he said gently. I've been waiting for us to connect.
My heart pounded. Who are you?
This world has more mana than yours, he replied with a small smile. It's easier to reach you here. He tilted his head slightly. You're special. That's why I lent you my spell.
My breath caught. You… you're Malekai.
He watched me carefully. Don't be afraid, he said softly.
Technically, I can't hurt you.
He paused. I don't have to.
His voice lowered.
You've done that to yourself, haven't you?
I stepped back. Why should I believe anything you say? You deceive people. Even your own kind. My voice trembled.
You're Nephilim, aren't you??
I forced myself to keep talking. Why did you give me the power to take life? To get energy?
Malekai just watched me. My knees were shaking. Then why give me the spell at all?
He stepped closer, and his voice got quiet.
Because you made a deal.
Not everything came from me it started with you.
His eyes got a little darker.And you'll need to remember it before it's too late...
The world pulsed.
I woke to the sound of voices shouting my name. Zuriel and Nikolai were kneeling beside me. Lucien hovered nearby, his hands raised helplessly.
She just fainted. I don't have a spell for this.
Eris pulled Zuriel back slightly. Don't shake her too hard. She's breathing.
I opened my eyes slowly. Malekai's final words echoed in my mind.
Remember it before it's too late...
I sat up slowly, my breathing uneven. I looked around at the circle of faces staring down at me.
Zuriel. Nikolai. Lucien. Damon. Eris. Each of them looked alarmed.
I didn't speak right away. Then my voice cracked softly. I saw him.
I met Malekai.
The name fell into the silence like a stone into water.
That's impossible, Zuriel reacted first.
Eris's expression tightened. Malekai hasn't spoken in decades. Not since the last mage who bonded with that book lost control.
Lucien's face turned pale. He's dangerous. Every folklore warns about him.
He was one of the Nephilim, but they cast him out. They said he tried to make himself a god.
He told me I made a deal, I murmured, pressing my fingers to my temple.
I don't remember it. But he said I'll need to... remember before it's too late.
What did I do? The question felt like it was burning a hole in my mind, but I couldn't say it out loud. Instead, I just kept thinking what would he get out of lying to me?
Zuriel spoke again, though his voice carried a faint tremble beneath his usual fire. Even if he did appear… why you? That book has bonded with mages before. None of them saw him like this.
Lucien nodded slowly. He's the first soul fragment to appear. According to Nathaniel's records, the book contains pieces of everyone who ever used it.
And the one who appears first, Eris added quietly, is the one most connected to the current wielder.
Everyone looked at me. As if they were seeing something new.
Only Nikolai broke the silence.
I believe you, he said firmly. His voice was steady. You're not like him, Gehan. You feel too much. You care. He held my gaze.
That's something Malekai never did.
I blinked, grateful for the support. But deep down, I wasn't sure he was right.
-------(•‿•)-------
A rustle in the crystalline trees drew our attention back to the forest path. The kapre returned, holding out a scroll woven from bark and enchanted thread.
You seek a safe path, he said. This map leads to one.
Eris took it and unrolled the material carefully. Elegant symbols spiraled across the surface like living ink.
This says we're in the territory of… House Skyrneth.
The Wind-Blooded, the kapre confirmed. Their roots lie high in the mountains. They are the most approachable of the Nephilim clans. They share this land with our kind. His gaze sharpened slightly. But still… tread carefully.
Zuriel raised a brow. Why? Are they hostile?
They are secretive, the kapre replied. And wary of those who carry corrupted relics.
No one spoke, but every glance shifted toward me. Damon broke the tension by staring up at the glowing sky.
So bright, he muttered. But there's no sun here.
Lucien adjusted his glasses thoughtfully. There's no night either. I read about this.
Creatures that dwell in eternal daylight live above ground. Those that fear light burrow deep into underground tunnels. He smiled faintly. Never thought I'd see it with my own eyes.
Focus, Eris said, folding the map with a snap. We're not here to explore. The Convergence is escalating, and we're needed back.
For now, we keep moving. Let's find the portal point. Then we call Sir Nathaniel.
We moved deeper into the forest. Slowly, the glowing woods began to change. Buildings started to appear between the trees.
Slender towers twisted upward like living vines, with lights floating around them. Bridges made of wind-woven wood stretched between platforms high in the air.
The further we walked, the more crowded it got. We passed elves with silver eyes, orcs wearing armor carved with runes, and dwarves carrying glowing runestones. The city felt incredibly advanced clean and organized, but it looked like it had been grown out of the earth rather than built by hand.
Zuriel stared. Modern… but magical?
Looks like technology and enchantment evolved together, Lucien said, awe in his voice.
Ahead, a large platform came into view. Hovering trains rested above curved rails made of twisted branches. Lucien pointed toward one of the lines.
That train goes straight to the Skyrneth citadel in the mountains.
Eris gave a tight smile. At least we won't have to walk.
Damon tilted his head. Is this place free?
Public transportation here is powered by elemental balance, the kapre explained. So yes. It's free.
We boarded the train. The crystal carriage hummed softly as it lifted off the rails. Outside, the glowing forest blurred into streaks of light and mist.
No one spoke. No one mentioned Malekai. The silence between us was thick and uneasy. The forest felt like it was listening, but it didn't give any answers.
The train slowed down with a soft hiss. It glided toward a station that looked like glass carved from moonlight. Beyond the platform, archways made of twisting branches and carved stone opened up into the city.
I stepped off the train. Immediately, I felt it. The air itself was watching us.
It didn't just move it listened.
The station looked out over a massive skyline of floating bridges, crystal towers shaped like feathers, and stairs that spiraled all the way up into the clouds. Huge birds with glowing feathers circled through the sky.
This wasn't a human city. This was Skyrneth.
For a moment, I wasn't sure if I was breathing or dreaming. Eris stepped forward first, one hand resting on the hilt of her sword.
The air shifted. It wasn't footsteps, but the wind folding inward. Five tall figures appeared out of a gust of silver air, their bodies turning solid as the wind gathered together. They wore pale armor that looked like pressed clouds, and each one carried a long spear.
The leader was huge at least eleven feet tall. Long, platinum hair flowed down his back, and his skin shined like polished moonstone. His eyes glowed with faint blue lightning. As he walked closer, his massive body shimmered and shrank until he was closer to a human height. Even then, he still towered over the rest of us.
You are not of this world, he said. His voice was calm, but it rolled through the air like distant thunder. Surface-born travelers bearing metal and human things. You do not belong in Skyrneth.
Lucien stepped forward slowly, raising his hands. We just need to pass through your portal back to our world, he said carefully. It's more stable than the one we came through.
The Nephilim's gaze swept across the group. Then it stopped on me. The air grew still.
You, he said quietly. You carry the Hollow Book.
My breath caught. I… yes, I admitted.
It chose me.
Then your presence is not neutral, he replied, his eyes narrowing. You carry what once belonged to him.
Zuriel stepped beside me immediately. She's not your enemy. The book came to her. She didn't take it.
That may be true, the Nephilim said. But neither are you friends. His voice hardened. Not until the skies say otherwise.
He raised a hand. The wind behind him shimmered as more guards stepped forward. One of them muttered something in an ancient tongue. I caught only two words
Curse. Echo.
The captain turned back toward us. You will remain here, he said. You will not pass.
Then a voice cut through the wind. Clear. Authoritative.
They may pass.