Ethan's pulse pounded in his ears as Selene's words echoed in the cold air.
You belong to the night now.
"No, this has to be a mistake! I'm not supposed to be here!" His voice echoed through the courtyard, but the silence that followed seemed to swallow the sound whole.
Selene's crimson gaze hardened. "Your protests are meaningless. The threshold does not open by chance. If you crossed into Umbra Noctis, then the night has claimed you."
Ethan took an unsteady step backward, but the stone beneath his feet seemed to pulse with invisible chains. A strange weight pressed against his chest, as though the very air sought to hold him captive.
Selene descended the final step, her presence imposing despite her slender frame. The air around her seemed to ripple faintly, charged with an unseen power that raised the hairs on Ethan's arms.
"You are bound by the laws of this realm now," she said, her voice cool and impassive. "Come."
Before Ethan could protest, she raised her hand—and shadows coiled from the air like living serpents. They wrapped around his wrists and ankles, cold as frost and unyielding as iron. Ethan gasped as the dark bonds pulled him forward, forcing him to follow as Selene turned and began walking through the arched gate.
"Wait! Please—just tell me what's happening!" Ethan struggled against the shadows, but they only tightened in response. Panic clawed at his chest as his feet moved against his will, dragging him deeper into the labyrinth of darkened streets.
Towering spires of black iron loomed on either side, their windows aglow with faint crimson light. The air smelled faintly of rain and distant fire, and strange whispers seemed to echo from unseen alleys—half-heard voices that faded as soon as Ethan tried to focus on them.
"Where are you taking me?" he demanded, his voice breaking the eerie silence.
"To the Hall of Judgement," Selene replied without turning. "The Night Court will decide your fate."
"Judgement? For what? I didn't do anything wrong!"
Selene paused at the mouth of a narrow bridge that stretched over a river of slow-moving shadows. She glanced back over her shoulder, her crimson eyes cold and unyielding.
"Mortals are forbidden to enter Umbra Noctis. Your presence is a violation of the ancient accords. Whether by choice or accident, you have broken a law older than your world itself."
Ethan's throat tightened. "But—I didn't mean to! I don't even know how I got here!"
"Intent is irrelevant." Selene's gaze lingered on him for a moment longer before she turned and continued across the bridge. "Come."
Ethan clenched his teeth, anger rising through his fear. "You're seriously just going to drag me off without even listening?"
"I am listening, mortal," she replied coolly. "And your words change nothing."
The bridge echoed beneath their footsteps, each step drawing them deeper into the heart of the city. As they crossed, Ethan caught glimpses of strange figures moving through the shadows—tall, pale forms with eyes like liquid silver or burning amber. Some watched in silence as Selene passed, while others vanished into the dark with fluid grace.
The bridge ended at the foot of a grand staircase carved from obsidian, leading up to a towering palace of black marble and silver-veined glass. The air here was colder, heavier, as though the very stones carried the weight of countless unspoken secrets.
Selene led Ethan up the steps, her movements as silent as falling snow. At the top, massive doors of dark iron stood closed, etched with symbols that seemed to shimmer faintly as Ethan approached. Before he could react, the shadows holding him vanished, releasing him so suddenly that he stumbled forward.
"Move," Selene ordered, her gaze like frost against his skin.
Ethan hesitated only a moment before stepping through the towering doors as they swung open soundlessly. The air inside the palace was colder still, heavy with the faint scent of ancient parchment, candle smoke, and something faintly metallic—like blood long since spilled.
The Hall of Judgement stretched before him, its vaulted ceiling lost in shadows high above. Rows of figures in dark robes lined the walls, their faces hidden beneath hoods of midnight velvet. At the far end of the hall, beneath a massive throne carved from polished obsidian, sat a figure whose presence seemed to weigh upon the air itself.
Tall and broad-shouldered, with hair as white as frost and eyes like liquid silver, the figure regarded Ethan with a gaze that seemed to pierce through flesh and bone to the soul beneath. His robes, trimmed in crimson and silver, marked him as royalty—though the air of power that clung to him needed no such adornment.
"Approach," the figure commanded, his voice deep as distant thunder.
Ethan swallowed hard, his pulse thudding in his ears as he stepped forward, Selene at his side. The eyes of the Night Court seemed to burn against his skin, though none of the hooded figures spoke.
"You stand before Lord Malphas Duskborne, sovereign of the Night Court," Selene announced. "This mortal has crossed the threshold into Umbra Noctis."
Lord Malphas's gaze did not waver. "Your name, mortal."
"E-Ethan Gray," he managed, his voice rough in the heavy silence.
"And how did you come to this realm?"
"I—I don't know! I was just walking home, and then... something pulled me through a wall. I didn't mean to come here—I swear!"
Lord Malphas's eyes narrowed slightly, though his expression remained unreadable. A faint murmur stirred among the robed figures, like distant whispers carried on a cold wind.
Selene stepped forward, her voice calm and impassive. "He claims ignorance, my lord. But no mortal crosses the threshold by chance. Either he carries the mark of a summoned soul, or something has broken the veil between worlds."
Ethan's breath caught. "Wait—what does that mean? I'm not marked—I'm just a normal guy! I don't belong here!"
Lord Malphas's gaze seemed to weigh the truth of his words, his silver eyes unblinking. For a moment, the silence in the hall was absolute.
Then, with a faint nod, he spoke. "His fate will be decided at the next moonfall. Until then, he is to remain within the palace grounds—under guard."
"What?" Ethan's voice rose in panic. "No—please, I have to go home! I can't stay here—"
"Silence," Malphas commanded, and the air itself seemed to press against Ethan's chest, stealing the breath from his lungs. "Your presence in this realm is a breach of ancient law. Whether by accident or design, you have crossed a threshold not meant to be crossed. Until your nature is determined, you will remain within the palace grounds—under the watch of Selene Duskborne."
Ethan's eyes widened as Selene stepped forward once more, her expression as cold and unreadable as ever.
"Take him to the East Wing," Malphas ordered. "See that he does not leave."
Selene bowed her head slightly. "As you command, Father."
Ethan's breath caught in his throat as realization crashed over him. Father?
He barely had time to process the thought before shadows coiled around his wrists once more, pulling him toward the hall's far exit.
"Wait—please! You can't just keep me here!"
But Selene said nothing as the doors closed behind them, the finality of their echo sealing Ethan's fate within the realm of shadows.