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The air beyond the stone arch shimmered, rippling like the surface of a lake disturbed by a single drop of rain. A soft hum pulsed from within, neither inviting nor threatening—just waiting.
Lena hesitated.
The figure in the green cloak stood motionless beside the archway, their face hidden in the deep shadows of their hood. Their words still echoed in her mind.
"You were never meant to stay in Eldermere."
The weight of those words pressed against her chest. Hadn't she always felt that? The restless pull, the quiet yearning for something beyond her small village? And yet, stepping forward meant leaving behind everything she had ever known.
"Where does it lead?" she asked, her voice quieter than she intended.
"To Evermere," the figure replied, as if the name alone should answer everything.
Lena swallowed hard. "And if I go through… can I come back?"
A pause. "Not as you were."
Her fingers curled into fists. That wasn't an answer. Or maybe it was, just not the one she wanted.
The mist around her ankles thickened, swirling toward the arch like a tide being pulled into the unknown. The hum within the stone deepened, vibrating through her bones.
She turned, casting one last glance toward Eldermere. From here, she could barely make out the rooftops of the village, the warm glow of lanterns flickering in the distance. It looked so… small.
She thought of the baker's shop, where she had spent mornings kneading dough before sunrise. The well in the center of town, where she and her friends once played as children. The tiny home she shared with her aunt, the only family she had left.
But none of it called to her the way the archway did.
Lena took a breath. Then, before she could change her mind, she stepped forward.
Through the Veil
The moment her foot crossed the threshold, the world twisted. A rush of air swallowed her whole, a cold wind pressing against her skin from all directions. It wasn't like stepping through a door—it was like being pulled through existence itself.
Colors swirled—deep blues, shimmering silvers, streaks of gold. She tried to scream, but the sound was swallowed before it left her lips.
For a moment, there was nothing.
Then, with a gasp, she stumbled forward.
The ground beneath her was no longer dirt but smooth, silver-streaked stone. The air smelled different—crisp, like rain just before a storm. She blinked, disoriented, taking in her surroundings.
She stood on a vast stone platform stretching over an endless abyss, as if the land itself had been carved from the sky. The stars above weren't the familiar constellations of Eldermere but bright, swirling clusters of light that moved like living things.
And ahead of her, at the far end of the platform, stood a great gate—much larger than the one she had passed through. It was shaped like an enormous arch of woven silver and glass, glowing with the same faint blue light.
And beyond it… a world she had never seen before.
Towering spires of crystal and stone stretched into the sky, their surfaces shimmering in hues of violet and blue. Bridges of light arched over rivers that glowed like liquid silver. Floating lanterns bobbed through the air, carrying trails of stardust behind them. It was beautiful, strange, and utterly impossible.
Lena's breath caught.
Evermere.
She had expected a dense forest or a dark, ancient ruin. Instead, she had stepped into something straight out of a dream.
A voice pulled her from her awe.
"You made it."
She turned sharply. The cloaked figure had stepped through behind her, though the gateway had vanished the moment they crossed. They pulled back their hood, revealing a face that was… oddly familiar.
The woman had dark, wavy hair pulled back into a loose braid, and sharp, intelligent eyes the color of storm clouds. A thin scar ran along her jawline, but it did nothing to dull her striking features. She looked… like Lena. Not exactly, but close enough that it sent a shiver down her spine.
Lena took a cautious step back. "Who are you?"
The woman studied her for a moment before answering.
"I am Selene. And whether you realize it or not, we are bound by the same fate."
Lena's pulse quickened. "What does that mean?"
Selene didn't answer right away. Instead, she turned toward the vast city beyond the great silver gate.
"Evermere is dying," she said, voice low. "And you, Lena, are the only one who can save it."
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