Chapternoveldrama

243

The forest surrounding the cabin was no longer the serene refuge it had once been. Elyra walked the familiar paths, her golden eyes scanning the trees. Flickering lights appeared out of nowhere, dancing just beyond reach, while faint whispers carried on the wind, speaking words she couldn't understand. Shadowy figures moved at the edges of her vision, vanishing the moment she turned to look.

"Do you see that?" Elyra asked Dain as he walked a few paces behind her.

"I see it," he replied, his voice low and tense. His fiery eyes swept the area, catching glimpses of movement that vanished into the dark. "Something's changing."

They both knew what it meant. The barrier separating their world from the Lycan King's was breaking down, the cracks growing wider with every passing hour.

That night, as the cabin grew quiet and Matthew dozed off in his chair by the fire, a faint humming sound filled the air. Elyra sat up in her bed, her heart pounding. Dain burst into her room, his expression grim.

"Something's outside," he said.

They crept to the window and saw a rift shimmering in the clearing near the cabin. It emitted a faint, ominous glow, the air around it rippling unnaturally. Elyra's breath caught as she stepped closer, drawn to it by an inexplicable force. "Don't," Dain warned, his voice sharp, but Elyra couldn't stop herself. She reached out, her fingers brushing the edge of the rift.

A jolt of energy surged through her, and suddenly she was standing in a strange, shadowy landscape. The air was heavy, the sky a swirling mass of dark clouds. A primal part of her recognized it as her home world, the place she had been taken from. "Elyral

Dain's voice broke through the haze, and she felt his strong hand pulling her back. The vision vanished, and she stumbled into his arms, her breath ragged.

"We can't let this go any further," Dain said, his tone hard. "He's breaking through."

Elyra nodded, fear tightening her chest. The barrier was weakening, and they were running out of time.