Ethan's Perspective
It was one of those nights where I should have gone to bed hours ago.
Instead, I was hunched over my desk, my face bathed in the glow of my monitor. Work deadlines? Ignored. Social plans? Nonexistent. My sole focus was the rabbit hole I had fallen into—an endless chain of obscure online books, the kind of thing nobody in their right mind would bother reading.
And then I found it.
A dusty-looking PDF with the title "Paths of the Magi." The name screamed either cheesy fantasy novel or low-budget tabletop RPG. I clicked it anyway. Curiosity, as usual, overrode common sense.
The text wasn't in any language I recognized. Strange, curling symbols shimmered faintly against the dark background. Mesmerized, I leaned closer, and that's when the words began to move. No, not move—flow. Like molten gold spilling across my screen.
My chest tightened. The symbols began to glow brighter, too bright. My hands shot to my eyes, but it didn't help—the light wasn't just in front of me anymore. It was everywhere. All at once, the floor dropped out from under me.
And I fell.
---
Kael's Perspective
The disruption was instant and unwelcome.
Magic rippled across my wards, sending an unmistakable signal: something foreign had entered my domain. I rose from my desk, irritation tightening my chest as I abandoned the spell I'd been working on. Whoever—or whatever—was responsible for this intrusion would regret it.
Stepping into the clearing outside my castle, I scanned the dark forest. My wards hummed faintly, guiding me to the source of the disturbance.
What I found stopped me in my tracks.
A man lay sprawled in the moss, dressed in the strangest clothing I had ever seen. Blonde hair fell haphazardly across his face, and when he groaned, rolling onto his back, I caught the glint of vivid green eyes. He looked utterly ordinary… except for the fact that he'd somehow bypassed magical defenses that should have been impenetrable.
"Who are you?" I demanded.
His head snapped up, his wide eyes locking on mine. "Oh crap," he said, his voice shaky. "Oh, no. No, no, no. Where am I? What's going on?"
---
Ethan's Perspective
The tall guy glared down at me like I'd interrupted something important—which, okay, maybe I had. He looked like some kind of medieval vampire with that sharp black suit and brooding purple eyes.
"Who are you?" he repeated, sharper this time.
"Ethan," I blurted. "Um, Ethan Wright. I, uh, don't really know what's happening right now, but I swear I didn't mean to… end up… wherever this is?" My words tumbled out in a rush, faster than my brain could keep up. "Is this a dream? It's probably a dream. God, I hope it's a dream because if it's not, then—oh my God, you're real, aren't you?"
The guy—tall, broody, and very much not a figment of my imagination—pinched the bridge of his nose. "Quiet."
"Right. Yep. Shutting up now." I clamped my mouth shut, though my heart was still racing and my mind was screaming. Shutting up was easier said than done.
"You're human," he said, more to himself than me. His eyes narrowed. "How did you get here?"
"Well, you see, that's the thing." The words spilled out before I could stop them. "I was just on my computer, y'know, minding my own business, reading this weird book—well, it wasn't a book exactly, it was a file. Like a digital file. Do you know what a computer is? Probably not, huh? Anyway, it started glowing, and—bam!—here I am, so if you could maybe point me to the nearest exit or—"
"Enough," he snapped, cutting me off. His voice was cold, commanding, and weirdly soothing at the same time.
I swallowed hard. "Right. Sorry."
---
Kael's Perspective
The man—Ethan—was unlike any intruder I had encountered before. He radiated no magic whatsoever, yet my wards had reacted to him as if he were a significant threat. The longer he rambled, the more obvious it became that he was not a threat, but an idiot.
And yet, something about him was… different. Unique. It was infuriating.
"You're coming with me," I said.
"Wait, what?" He scrambled to his feet, wobbling slightly. "Why? Where are we going?"
"You're an anomaly," I said simply. "Until I determine what you are and why you're here, you'll stay under my supervision."
"Supervision?" He blinked at me. "Like a… babysitter? Is that what you're saying?"
"Move," I ordered, turning sharply on my heel and heading toward the castle. He stumbled after me, muttering under his breath.
"Okay, cool, yeah, let's just follow the scary vampire guy into the creepy castle," he mumbled. "This seems like a great idea. Definitely won't end badly. Nope. Not at all."
I resisted the urge to sigh. This was going to be a long night.