Lily froze. The air suddenly heavier, charged with something she couldn't name.
"You're here," a voice murmured, smooth and knowing.
She turned.
A woman stood before her in a flowing red gown, her white hair falling in soft waves around her face. A rose tucked behind each ear, deep red like her lips. Her dark eyes held Lily in a steady, unreadable gaze, as if deciding what to do with her.
Lily took a step back, gripping the book tighter. "Who are you?".
The woman smiled, slow and amused. "The Red Queen." Her gaze flicked to the book in Lily's hands.
Lily's pulse quickened. "Can you help me? I want to go home."
"You want to go back?" she asked, her voice quiet. "To a mother who looks away? To a man who leaves bruises where no one can see?".
Lily's grip tightened on the book. "How do you know that?".
The queen stepped closer. "I know you, Lily. I know why you ran. And I know part of you is afraid to go back."
Lily swallowed. "I just want to go home."
The queen's lips curved, not unkindly. "Then show me."
Lily's hands trembled around the book. She wanted to say the queen was wrong, but she wasn't.
She was afraid. Afraid of the nights her mother wasn't home. Afraid of the footsteps outside her door. Afraid of what almost happened the last time—when he was too close, his breath hot on her skin, his hands reaching—
She swallowed hard, forcing the memory down.
"I have to go back," she whispered.
The queen's gaze didn't waver. "Why?".
Lily opened her mouth, but no words came.
The queen stepped closer. "Nothing will change," she said. "Your mother won't protect you. He won't stop. And you'll keep telling yourself you can survive it."
Lily's chest tightened. "I don't have a choice."
The queen's fingers brushed the book's cover, her voice softer now. "You do," she said. "But it's not the one you think."
Lily clutched the book. "What are you saying?".
The Red Queen met her eyes. "I can give you a way out—not back, but forward."
"Forward to what?".
"The Land of Dreams is falling apart," the queen said. "It needs someone who knows fear but won't be ruled by it. Someone like you."
Lily's stomach twisted. "And if I say no?".
"Then I send you home," the queen said simply. "Back to him." She tilted her head. "But here, at least, you have a chance to fight."
Lily looked down at the book, the weight of her old life pressing in on her. Could she really go back? Pretend nothing had changed?
She swallowed hard and met the queen's gaze. "And if I stay?".
The queen's lips curved. "Then you wake up."
Lily's chest tightened. "What does that mean?".
The Red Queen held out her hand. "It means you stop running. You choose to fight."
Lily swallowed hard. "And if I can't?".
The queen's gaze didn't waver. "Then you were never meant to survive—here or there."
Lily thought of home. Of the locked door. Of him. She thought of all the times she told herself to just endure it, to wait for a way out. But this was a way out.
Her fingers loosened. The book slipped from her hands, hitting the ground with a soft thud.
She looked at the queen one last time—then took her hand.
The moment Lily took the queen's hand, the world vanished. A rush of wind, a pull deep in her chest—then light.
She gasped, stumbling onto soft grass. The air smelled different, crisp and unfamiliar. Above her, the sky burned red, and there are rivers darkened like the night of December.
Beside her, the Red Queen watched. "Welcome to the Land of Dreams."
Lily swallowed hard. "What happened here?".
The queen's gaze swept over the broken world before them. "Doom."
She turned to Lily, her voice quieter.
Lily's fingers dug into the grass. "How do I help?".
The Red Queen gestured to the land before them. "Dreamland is falling apart. Shadows are creeping in, twisting it into something dark. You know fear—you understand what it means to be trapped. That's why you're here."
Lily's chest tightened. "I didn't ask for this."
"No one does," the queen said. "But you have a choice—stay and fight, or go back and suffer."
Lily looked out at the broken world. It felt alive, waiting. And for the first time, she felt the same.
She exhaled. "Where do we start?".
The queen's lips curved slightly.
"Follow me," she said. "And don't look back."
Lily followed the Red Queen through the ruined land. Roads cracked, rivers darkened, the air thick with something wrong.
"What happened here?" Lily asked.
"The Twelve Evils," the queen said. "They came from the Underworld. Nightmares for those who live in the Land of Dreams. They're tearing Dreamland apart."
Lily swallowed hard. "How do we stop them?".
"We don't do it alone."
A sharp whistle cut through the silence. An arrow struck the ground before them, glowing green.
From the shadows, an elf stepped forward—a dark cloak, a bow across his back, emerald eyes sharp.
"The Greenarcher," the queen said.
He nodded. "If Twelve Evils are rising, we'll need more than words." His gaze flicked to Lily. "You're not what I expected."
Lily swallowed.
He smirked. "But let's find out."
He turned, leading them into the trees. The air shifted—softer, filled with whispers and distant music. Lights flickered through the branches, revealing wooden homes and bridges high above.
The Elf Village.
The elven leader stepped forward, her sharp blue eyes unreadable. Her silver hair, streaked with gold, flowed down her back. She wore dark green armor, light but strong, with a curved blade resting at her hip. A deep forest-colored cloak swept behind her as she moved.
She studied them for a moment before speaking. "You bring trouble, Red Queen. And a human."
The Red Queen met her gaze. "We bring war. And we need your help to win it."
The Red Queen didn't look away. "We need your help. The Twelve Evils are destroying Dreamland."
The elf's fingers rested on her blade. "They threaten us all. But the human—why is she here?".
Lily's chest tightened, but she lifted her chin. "I can help."
The elf studied her for a moment, then turned. "Come. The elders will decide."
They walked through the village, lanterns flickering in the trees. Silent eyes watched them from the shadows. At the center stood a massive tree, its trunk hollowed into a grand hall.
Inside, the elders sat in a circle, their faces lined with age and wisdom. The silver-haired elf spoke first. "The Queen asks for our alliance."
An elder's deep voice filled the space. "And the girl?".
Lily met his gaze. "I'll fight."
The silver-haired elf stepped closer, her blue eyes sharp.
"Then show us."
Lily's heart pounded. "How am I supposed to prove that?".
The silver-haired elf didn't blink. "Show us you're not a burden."
Lily's stomach twisted. Fight? Use magic? She didn't know how to do either. Her hands clenched, but what could she do with empty fists?
The elders waited. The Red Queen stayed silent.
"I don't know what you expect from me," Lily admitted, her voice tight.
The elf's gaze didn't soften. "Then why are you here?".
Heat rushed to Lily's face. She had spent her whole life surviving, but this—this was something else.
An elf stumbled into the hall, blood dripping from his side. His breath was ragged.
"The Witchlack—they attacked the eastern border," he gasped. "We have wounded."
The silver-haired elf grabbed his arm, steadying him. "How many?".
"Too many."
The Greenarcher swore under his breath. The Red Queen's face darkened.
Lily's pulse pounded. She barely knew how to hold a weapon, and now she was supposed to fight witches?
But suddenly she dropped to her knees beside the wounded elf. Before she could think, her hands moved on their own.
A soft glow spread from her fingertips. White petals appeared out of nowhere, drifting onto his wound. The bleeding stopped. His breathing steadied.
"The Heal of White Roses—" The silver-haired elf's gaze sharpened. "How did you do that?".
Lily's chest tightened. "I… I don't know."
The Red Queen watched in silence. The Greenarcher stepped closer, eyes on the fading petals.
The wounded elf touched his side, disbelief in his voice. "She healed me."
Lily stared at her hands, trembling. What just happened?
The silver-haired elf didn't hesitate. "You're coming with us."
A scream tore through the village. Then another.
The Greenarcher grabbed his bow. "They're here."
A cold wind swept through the trees. Shadows moved in the mist—red cloaks, glowing eyes.
The Witchlack had come.