Erlias was the name of this world, she discovered. Here, women were polyamorous because of the limited number of them. Even the most possessive of males would bow to his chosen's choice to keep her at his side. But what shocked her the most was not the lack of women, nor the men's willingness to do whatever their wife wanted.
It was the 'people' she thought were people. Catherine lifted her hand to her cheek and squeezed it until tears poured down her face. Monsters? Creatures of the Night? Demons? If this was a dream, she wanted to wake up, but no matter how hard she pinched, her reality did not change.
"Cathy! Please!" It was when Gunther's yell reached her, she finally brought her head up to look around herself. "Calm yourself!"
Pulsing around her was a glowing pink aura-like essence which seemed to flow from her body. The color drained from her face until firm, slightly cool arms wrapped around her. Over the shoulder of the person holding her, she could see Gunther and Zion pacing nervously outside the odd-flowing, like powder aura around her.
She felt him nuzzle her neck, the opposite side from the one Zion said his mark was. The cool touch of his lips on her nape blurred her vision and a loud moan parted her lips. Her fingers locked into the shoulders of his robes to steady herself, and she felt something massive pressing against her stomach. A groan from him made her cry out, her head falling back to expose more of her neck.
"You are safe, Love. No one would dare harm you under my watch." Silas growled, his lips ghosting across her skin. "They would die by my ice, I assure you."
A memory surfaced from the storage of things 'Cathy' locked away for Catherine to learn. Though Catherine did not understand the point of that if her life was in danger. Why not tell her husbands? As these powers slowly flowed back into her body, she bit her lip. She was a Fae. Fairy. This world was a world filled with the creatures from human imaginations. That was what it felt like to her, at least.
As much as she wanted to deny the very existence, three creatures stood in front of her. Zion was the Were-King/Alpha, as depicted by his wolf and intricate traditional tattoos. Gunther was a DragoShif, a type of earth-dragon; and the Prince of Dragons. Her eyes finally fell on Silas. Ebbing and flowing around him was an aura of pure darkness.
Mixed with the pink of her retreating powers, it looked like a starry night back home. Home. She would never see her friends and family again. Never see the bright lights of Tokyo, or the craftsmanship of Paris's buildings. How was she supposed to come to this unknown world and save it?
What attachment, besides those three monsters, did she have to this world? It did not matter, since someone clearly found her distress to be hilarious. Catherine leaned heavily against Silas as her eyes slipped closed. She was not comfortable with this, but she could no longer control her body. When a form from the sky landed nearby, her consciousness faded.
~~~~~
"Why me? There is nothing to this world I care for, so why would I save it?" Everything around her was white and she tried to shield her eyes from it.
"Because we link its fate to the fate of your world. If you don't save it, you damn the whole of your world." A voice replied, making her flinch. "You may not find this ideal, but that is the price you agreed to when you signed up for the app."
"What does that app…?"
"You will get answers near the end. Trust in us. We will break the lock on Queen Cathy's memories. The only thing we cannot give you is more answers."
~~~~~
"Explain why her Majesty fainted." A booming voice woke her from her slumber and her eyes fluttered open. "Have you ensured she has eaten while out on this brief trip?"
"Yes, but you see…"
"Zion. Let me answer that. I was excited to spend time with my husbands and slept little. It is my fault." Startled expressions rose to her, and she narrowed her eyes. "You can return to the Palace."
With a nod, he disappeared, and she sighed in relief. 'They' unlocked the fragments of memories Cathy left behind. Majyks this ancient, the 'spell' that brought her soul here, the other kingdoms forbid. In her last battle against her foe, Cathy's soul became infected with a disease that would leave her body degrading, despite her immortality.
And that would make her unable to fight. To break the curse and save her world, Cathy had no choice but to use the forbidden spell to find someone to take her place. What made little sense to her was how she was the one they picked. Though she knew now who all of them were, she did not trust them either. She was not their wife, or the woman they loved, so there were no guarantees they would not betray her.
Despite their 'mark' of marriage and the odd connection she seems to have to their touch, she could trust no one if she was to take the position of Queen of Queens. As if sensing the shift in her mood, Zion stepped between her and the other two with a sour expression on his face. Not used to seeing that, she stepped back to find another stranger appearing near Gunther and Silas.
"It is hard to court your Majesty when you disappear so suddenly." A chill slid down her spine at the vicious voice of the stranger. "You agreed to see me, then darted away. What other reason could you have but to want me to give chase?"
It was another shock. A Satyr existed in this world? What else was there? The pointed horns on his head curled around human-like ears. Though he wore no clothes, his fur concealed his nudity, and even under all the dark hair, she could tell he was fit. Green eyes peeked through windblown black hair and her heart pounded hard in her chest.
Why was this world so strange to her? What else was going to happen? Though these questions came in a speed quick enough to make her waver where she stood, Zion shocked her to silence. With one hand, he grabbed her arm and threw her into the air. When she landed hard on something brown and furry, her eyes opened, mouth opening to let out a squeak of fear.
Zion was massive in human form, she realized, gripping the thick strands of his fur as he stood. But that was nothing compared to the form he took on now. From his back, the nearest mountain looked smaller, to the point she could see the land beyond it. Something snapped into place in her head and her eyes widened in amazement as a familiar voice flowed through.
'I can finally speak to you like this. Strange, it did not link sooner. Perhaps your soul did not adjust to your new body right away. Majyk is odd like that.' It was the deep tenor of Zion speaking into her head, and she craned her neck to look up at his head. 'Let us protect you until you are familiar with your Majyk.'
She looked around their clearing to find Silas already in the middle of a battle with the stranger, and Gunther transforming. When a massive red dragon appeared where Gunther was, Catherine froze. Logically, she understood what they were. These shifting creatures only heard about in myth in her world.
But seeing them in person was enough to drive anyone mad. She instinctively gripped Zion's fur tighter, and he jumped into the air, his four legs kicking into a run. With one last glance over her shoulder at the black aura of Silas and the earthy red wings on Gunther's spine, she let Zion carry her away to an unknown fate.
The sound of water dripping met her ears, and she curled into herself tighter, feeling cold. Her eyes opened drowsily, and she blinked before they widened in shock. Zion was asleep next to her, his heavy arms wrapped around her body. Silas was on her other side, his back to her, but close enough she could feel his slight warmth.
Gunther sat near the exit to the sparkling walls of the cave, his eyes focused on a dark sky. Catherine silently removed herself from between the two men and walked over to where Gunther sat with ease. If he noticed her presence, he did not say a word. She looked out over the treetops and realized the cave was high up the side of a cliff face.
In the distance, she could see bright lights, the kind that could only come from intelligent creatures, and hope filled her heart. Maybe if she went there, she could find out how to get back to her world. Then she remembered what those voice said and sighed. If she wanted to go back, she needed to figure out how to save this one first. And even then, there was no guarantee she could go home. It was enough to make anyone lose hope.
"Will Cathy ever come back?" Gunther's weakened voice wondered, his red eyes still distant. "How can I stay married to a woman I do not know?"
"She said she was soul poisoned. That's why she used the forbidden Majyk to transfer our souls." Catherine countered with a frustrated sigh. "I could say the same thing. I never expected to have one husband, much less three."
Silence fell over the pair, and Catherine gazed out at the darkened sky until the clouds parted and her eyes widened. One, two, three, four moons?! One was a crescent, one half, the other a quarter, and the final was a full moon. It was so beautiful; she felt mesmerized. A hand touched her shoulder, and she turned to find Gunther staring at her with an annoyed expression on his face.
She winced, but there was a gentleness in his eyes that startled her a little. When his hand lifted to cup her face, her eyes widened again, and she swallowed, wondering if he would go for his mark the way the other two did. She did not even know where it was.
"You look just like her. Sometimes you act like her, too. When you were gazing at the moons, your eyes sparkled just like hers." Gunther's voice was gentle as he spoke. "Sorry, I'm a little… I'm not good at talking. Cathy always knew what I was trying to say. You must be just as unfamiliar with all of this as we are."