I took a step back, my eyes widening. “Your prison?” Gulping, I gnced around. This didn’t look like a prison. The master and I stood at the top of an open-air bell tower, overlooking a beautiful ndscape and starscape. More concerning, however, was the term he used, Infinite Twilight.

  A rather ominous name for a pce, I thought—are we even in Enora anymore?

  “I am sorry that the name of my home disturbs you, Luna Ashflow,” the cloaked man said, and I cringed.

  “O-Oh shit, sorry. Sorry. I didn’t mean any offense.” I gulped again.

  Crap, I forgot he could read my mind.

  “I indeed can.” He nodded.

  The figure began to walk, no, levitate around the giant, damaged bck bell, his cloak barely moving as he glided over the floor and came to me. I instinctively staggered back as his tall, thin form loomed above. His hooded face was somewhat shadowed, the glint of his eyes faint as he stared down at me, his plump lips twisting slightly in thought.

  “I-Is something wrong?” I asked.

  The man hummed and said, “No. I’m merely taking in your new appearance. Last time we spoke, you still possessed your old body. So, I’m curious to see how you came out.”

  My eye twitched. I gnced to my left and right and said, “R-Right… Yeah, st we spoke.”

  He nodded and straightened up. “Yes. You asked for me to give you a new form. One different from your old life.”

  My eyebrows rose. “So… you turned me into an elf girl? You’re the one who reincarnated me?”

  The being sighed and said, “No and yes. So many questions… I did not choose your sex or species; the Current is what decides that, and even I hold little power over its ebbs and flows. Though I did pluck you from your world and bring you here.”

  I clenched and unclenched my hands, my anxious heart beating once more. Am I standing in front of a god? Is this for real? Or am I dreaming?

  “Once again, Luna Ashflow, you are not dreaming,” he said as he began to levitate around me.

  “Wh-What are you?” I turned with him, following his unblinking gaze. “Are you a god?”

  “What I am is irrelevant to this conversation.” He came to a stop and gnced at the broken bell before us, then shifted his gaze back to me as if expecting another question.

  “Okay… well…” Suddenly I stepped back. The sound of static returned, and so did the incessant beep. My heart rate kicked up a couple of notches. I looked at the bell before looking at him. The sound was coming from here, from within the bell.

  “Why did you call this pce your prison?” I asked.

  “Because it is. I have been trapped here for over two thousand years. Yet it hasn’t stopped me from reaching beyond the Veil and influencing those outside.”

  “If you’re so powerful…” I backed away again; the noise was growing louder. “Why haven’t you gotten out? Why did you influence me to come here? Why did you even save me?”

  “So many questions; you mortals never cease asking questions.” He sighed deeply. “Me answering such questions will yield no results and simply stall for time as you ask more.”

  “Can you please just answer some of them? Why am I here?” I gestured to the bell. “Why do I keep hearing these scary sounds?”

  “You are here because I wish to speak to you, and you hear them because the bell is feeding off of your fears. Manifesting them in reality.”

  I blinked at it. “What?”

  “The Penumbra Bell,” he said with a huff, and pointed to it. “It feeds off mortals’ fears and anxieties, and once they feel satisfied, it makes those fears real. Your fear is that this newfound life of yours is fake, a ruse your mind is pying while, actually, you’re in a coma. You are fond of this new life.” I noticed a smile creeping on his lips.

  As I took deep breaths and my heartbeat calmed, the sounds of the static and beeping faded. While not gone completely, they were quieter. “I am,” I said. “Dying has been the best thing to ever happen to me. This world is pretty; my family is great; this new body of mine is fun; I love it.”

  The smile on the man’s face grew wider, his lips parted, and sharp canines peeked through.

  “Excellent, that is what I wanted to hear.” He turned to face me. “Come. There is something I wish to show you.” He levitated towards the piano.

  Nervous, I followed him. As we rounded the bell, I saw a rge gss cabinet along the far wall. The being stopped and produced a silver key from his robes, unlocking it.

  Within, I could see tinctures, vases, and other bizarre artifacts. What he plucked out was a small, turquoise vase, no bigger than my palm. He turned to me. “What I have here,” he said, “will help us both on your quest.”

  My head cocked to the side like a confused dog’s. “What quest?” I asked.

  “The one you’re on currently. Do not be surprised that you don’t know what I’m talking about. This is deliberate.”

  Despite my fear, I couldn’t help but say, “Dude, you can’t just keep falling back on the ‘trust me, bro’ argument.” I bit my lip as I gred at the man.

  Yet instead of showing irritation or annoyance, he smirked. “Well, if this is what’ll get you to keep moving, so be it. You are to save the world, Luna Asfhlow.”

  “You’re kidding?” I crossed my arms. A chosen one? I guess this is like those animes. I smirked.

  The man in bck side-eyed me. “I am not joking. The world is on a tragic path, and the gods are either idly standing by or leaving.” He held out the tiny vase to me. “Yet you and I can stop this world’s destruction.”

  So, this is where the anime plot kicks in? I joked.

  “If you want to put it that way, sure,” the being responded.

  Crap, dammit. I keep forgetting. Damn mind reading…

  I took a shaky breath and said, “Okay, who or what wants to destroy the world?”

  “That is irrelevant to this conversation.”

  “Oh, fuck off with that! You can’t just say the world is going to die and not tell me who’s going to do it.” I stomped my foot on the floor.

  “Me telling you would be pointless anyway, as when you leave here, you’ll have no memory of this conversation.”

  I tensed up, blinked a couple of times, and looked at him. “Excuse me?”

  With the hand holding the vase still outstretched to me, he said, “When you leave my domain, your memories will be wiped clean. Instead, you’ll think that you walked off into the woods and were attacked; that you took shelter in the cave and awaited your family’s arrival.”

  “Whoa, whoa, whoa, why? Why do you want to wipe my memories?” I threw my arms out. “What’s the point of this, then?”

  “Secrecy is why. The gods would not be so keen to know that my influences stretch beyond their iron bars. If they find out and stifle me, our chances of saving Enora and even your old world are next to none.”

  “Wait, my old world is in danger?” I asked.

  “All of existence is in danger.” He said it bluntly.

  I blinked. “That sounds dire,” I said as I looked him up and down, trying to gauge if he was bullshitting me or not, yet I couldn’t tell. “You’re serious.”

  “Why would I lie?” he asked.

  “Well, you lied to me to get me to the cave by posing as my thoughts. You told me to call you the master; it sounds to me like you’re a maniputor. You have an evil bell that feeds off of fear; you live in a pce called the Infinite Twilight and you’re wearing dark robes like the grim reaper.” I gulped and ended shakily, “So forgive me for thinking you are sketchy.”

  “Said nearly as exactly as you did before.” He chuckled. “Except for your new body and voice this time. Nonetheless, you’re doing a lot of reaching—”

  “Tricking me into going to a cave and influencing my actions means it isn’t fucking reaching.”

  “—and judging me by my appearance, but I can assure you, Luna Ashflow, we are allies, or we could be.”

  He inched closer to me with the vase in hand. “In time, I will tell you everything. Whenever you return to my tower going forward, memories of our past experiences will return.”

  “Wait, return? I can come back here?” I asked.

  “Yes, but not to this exact point; only via pces near the magrite scars and pces of power can my tower be reached. I am the one who creates the entrances, but only for a very, very brief time. Long enough to allow any mortal through, but not myself.”

  “If you wipe my memories, how will I know to come here?”

  “The same way I brought you here the first time. Whenever you are near one of my Web Ways, you’ll sense the presence of the bell, and my mind will meld with yours.”

  “So, you’re going to possess me?” This made him chuckle.

  “Not entirely; I’ll form part of your conscience and guide you, but I can never fully take control. Not yet.”

  Yet?!

  “Not that I would want to,” he muttered. “Have I made myself clear, Luna Ashflow? I know this is much to take in, but trust me. Dark times are coming, and well… as cliché as this sounds, you are special.”

  He really… he really just said that…

  This really is a chosen one plot. This sounds like a joke.

  I could feel his eyes rolling. He said, “This is not a joke. I’m being serious. You are special, truly. Why else would I reincarnate you?”

  I bit my lip, nodded, and said, “I—I can’t argue with that.”

  “Good. Now, take this vase and breathe in its contents.” He handed the vase to me.

  “Wait, hold up, what?” I looked it over; it had some weight to it, and the contrasting colors looked intense. Is he trying to drug me?

  “No. Within that vase is some of my power. I wish to deepen the wells within you.”

  I swallowed. “You’re going to have to eborate.”

  “In yman’s terms, I wish to make you more susceptible to magic. Your soul is already bolder than many, but I know I can nurture it and make it stronger.”

  “I, uh… think I get what you mean.” I gnced at the vase and then back up at the being.

  He motioned for me to open it.

  “Do I have a choice in this?” I asked.

  His arms slunk back to his sides. “You do, but not partaking in this boon will be very detrimental.”

  “What exactly would the boon do? Is it going to have side effects?” My eyes flicked back and forth as I shifted from foot to foot, which was a mistake, as my damaged knee fred up.

  “Such information is irrelevant due to my telling you that you won’t remember anything. But if my answer will get you to consume it… Every being possesses a soul, and every soul contains a well. Within that well, ether is pooled. Ether is a byproduct of the soul that can be used to manipute the fundamentals of reality, i.e. do magic. There are many forms of magic, of which I do not have the time or patience to dive into.

  “But to chalk things up, everyone and everything, upon the creation of its soul, is granted a well. A well that sticks with you through all cycles of life, including rebirth. That doesn’t mean it cannot be changed; wells can be shrunk, deepened, or strengthened. Yet it takes time. Some mortal wizards spend their entire lives deepening their power by mere droplets, but even then, for a mortal, that is an amazing feat. Others, however, explore the darker sides of magic and choose the raw power of eviscerating their wells for vast exponential boosts of energy, thus damaging their total potential… and I could go on and on.” He smiled. “But hopefully that is enough to give you an idea.”

  “So, if I drink whatever is in here, this ‘well’ of mine will deepen?”

  “More than that, it will deepen and swell faster with ether. As mentioned, you already have vast potential, but this will allow you to become a great master of the arcane arts. Do not be too emboldened by this; there are still limitations. This is a small dose. I would like to study how well this works and, if it works, provide you with more in the future. Do not expect to walk out of here as a spell-slinging god. No. This is merely me paving the path for you; it’ll then be up to you to learn how to control and use it.”

  I gnced at the vase and licked my dry lips. Holy shit, this is… amazing. Then my dream of becoming a wizard like my mother could come true.

  “It very well may.” The man smiled widely, his fangs protruding from his lips.

  I shuddered at the sight. Despite what he said about me having a choice, I couldn’t help but feel that response was a trick. I could leave here without this, but he’d made me agree that would be a horrible idea. So, I decided to go with it.

  “Screw it,” I said, taking the top off the vase. A swirling purple and blue nebulous cloud soared out. I yelled and nearly dropped it as the cloud lunged at me and engulfed me.

  “Do not be afraid; this is merely part of the process,” the entity said as the swirling clouds forced their way into my very being. Roaring pain erupted within, and I howled with agony.

  Then everything went dark, and I colpsed.

  “Gyak!” I gasped awake and rolled onto my side, my back searing with pain and my body sore all over. As I shifted, blood and flesh peeled off my back, having dried on the stone floor.

  I panted and groaned. Damn, I passed out… shit. I gnced at the entrance. I couldn’t see or hear the wolves. Yet I wondered if they were still out there.

  They’re probably watching me from the tree line, waiting for me to get out. I couldn’t believe I escaped. That was close—too close.

  Sniffing, I wiped my eyes. “I’m going to die here, aren’t I?” I asked myself. “I’m such a fucking fool; why did I come here? What did I hope to find?” I pounded the floor as the hot tears streamed down my cheeks.

  I only used one arm; the other was still throbbing heavily, and I could barely move it.

  “No use crying, Luna… We need a pn,” I said. “Maybe there’s a back exit. Or something, anything!”

  I pushed myself to my feet and winced at the entrance. “Maybe I can scream. Scream for help.” I coughed; my mouth was so dry. I should’ve brought a canteen with me.

  Yet if I scream, maybe they’ll come to me. I bit my lip. But they couldn’t get in before. They were too big.

  I took a deep breath. Before I go to the entrance, I should listen. For all I know, something could be waiting. I nodded, closed my eyes, and trained my ears.

  Yet nothing. I heard nothing. Just the soothing howl of the wind and rustling kefner trees. There were no monsters that I could hear. No weird TV noises either. Maybe I was just imagining those. I sighed. Why the hell do I feel bummed about that?!

  I shook my head. Maybe I should wait till morning, yet my wounds… I feel weak, and it hurts. What if I get infected? What if Momma and Papa can’t find me? I wrapped my arms around myself and began to tremble. I’m going to die here. I’m going to die. Maybe I should scream? Isa would probably hear me. She has really good ears, a-and if they heard my screaming earlier, wouldn’t they be here by now? How long was I out?

  My heart began to race in panic. Screw it! I don’t want to die here; I’m doing it! Those wooden bastards can’t get in here!

  As a precaution, I listened once more. Nothing was at the entrance, at least I hoped not. I shifted a bit closer to it before bringing one hand to my mouth and screaming.

  “Mother! Father! Isa! Heeelp!” I stepped back coughing heavily, my throat burning, and screamed for water.

  “Dammit!” I straightened up and screamed once more, “Mother! Father! Isa! Help me! I’m up here!” My voice wavered and echoed, yet further ahead at the tree line, I saw movement.

  Oh, you gotta be kidding me… you’re dumbass, Luna! A fucking dumbass!

  For some reason, at that very moment, my memory drifted back to the old Jurassic Park 3 film. Specifically, the scene where Amanda Kirby was screaming into the megaphone for her son…

  Maybe that was a bad idea, I thought as out from the tree line came a massive, hulking construct of wood, vines, and pnt matter.

  A beast much rger than the three that chased me. A lupine monstrosity with branches extending from its head like antlers. Its stake-like teeth parted as the monster’s vine tongue pped over them.

  Oh, thank God, he’s too big. He can’t get in here. I sighed as I stepped away from the entrance. Yet the fear of what my mother and father might encounter unnerved me.

  As I moved away, the monstrosity snarled at me. From behind it, a smaller pup came out, and my heart sank to the floor.

  A pup that was small enough to fit in this cave.

  “Oh shit, oh shit, oh shit!” My heart thumped. “No! No!” I turned and began to limp to the back of the cave, tears streaming down my cheeks.

  Outside, the alpha howled, its tone ced with snapping wood and scraping bark, as the pup yipped and rushed to the entrance.

  A shadow loomed behind me. I screamed as I limped to a decline and shrieked as my foot gave out below me.

  My back impacted the ground. I gasped as the wound fred and metallic cnging echoed to my right. Yet just as I opened my eyes and moved to get up, I froze. Atop the incline, sickly green eyes stared down at me.

  A wooden timberwolf pup pped at its jaws before snarling and descending. The wood on its body snapped and popped as the bark splintered and rose like the bristling fur on a dog. I whimpered and cried out, kicking away from the creature.

  “No, no, please! I don’t want to die!” My good hand frantically patted around for a weapon, a rock, anything.

  The wolf opened its sharp-toothed maw and howled before lunging down off the incline. My hand grasped something cold. Curling my fingers around it, I thrust it and myself forwards.

  The weight of the construct rammed into me, smming my back and head into the wall and exposing my neck. Its teeth, however, stopped around my jugur when the cold thing sank in. The creature reared back, howling with agony as it squirmed on top of me.

  Sticky, foul-smelling liquid spilled over my hand as the timberwolf pup threw itself off and flopped onto the stone floor kicking and thrashing. Whatever I’d grabbed was still jammed in its chest. Despite my aching head bleeding from the impact, I pushed myself across the floor and away from the creature. I gnced up at the ramp leading out; there was no way I could run away if it got back up. Frantic, I grabbed a big rock and grunted as I hoisted it up with one hand, then flung it at the monster’s head.

  A heavy crunch, followed by canine cries, filled the cave as the stone smashed across its face, one of its eyes popping from the impact. A green, glowing liquid gushed down its face. The hound continued to kick. I crawled over to it and snatched the rock.

  “Fuck you!” I screamed as I brought the rock down onto its face again. Another sickening crunch, its second eye exploding, the green gore spurting across the floor. With its teeth splintering, I hoisted the rock and smmed down again.

  “Fuck you!” I cried, yet the hound continued to move. I shifted myself onto the creature, my knee ramming against the object I’d stabbed into it. Hesitating, I gnced down and saw what I impaled it with.

  The cold iron.

  “It’s the one thing that can sy a fae.” Isa’s words echoed in my mind.

  Grasping the sticky, sap-covered metal, I grunted as I tried to yank it out of the injured monster. The wolf howled as I tugged once, then twice, and finally, by the third pull, I ripped the gore-covered metal out.

  Yet that was a mistake.

  The wolf jerked violently and threw me to the ground. I screamed and rolled as my grip on the iron came loose and it skittered across the floor. The now-blinded wolf got to its feet; half of its face was smashed and bleeding. It gurgled and snarled as it began to charge around, searching for me.

  Panting, I looked around for the iron, spotting it at the base of the incline. I dove for it. The wolf screamed as the sound of my movement whipped into a frenzy, charging in my direction. I was too slow. Its mangled maw cmped around my right ankle, and I screamed with agony as its teeth sank into my soft flesh.

  I pawed for the iron as the wolf whipped its head, tearing flesh and bone. My vision blurred as I continued to cry out. Yet my desperate reaching paid off. My fingers gripped the metal bar just as the wolf yanked its head back. Lifting my body off the ground, it threw me into the back wall.

  The wind flew out of my lungs. I crumpled to the floor, thankfully with the iron still in hand. I heaved for air as the battered pup limped towards me. Even though my ankle was ruined, I could stand shakily on my other foot. With primal fury, I roared and threw myself at the wolf.

  It tried to dodge, yet the injuries I inflicted were enough to slow it, and I tackled the beast to the floor, getting on top of it. The wolf shed out with its cws, striking my chest, tearing a deep gash down my torso, and sshing my face and cheek. I screamed as its mouth tched onto my left wrist and sank into my flesh, blood pouring down its maw. Yet I smmed the cold iron in my right hand downwards, puncturing the beast’s neck.

  The pup screamed around my bloodied hand and thrashed beneath me. Removing the piece of iron from its neck, I then smmed down once more, again and again and again. The gory sap that shot from its throat spttered across my face and body as I stabbed. I lost count of how many times. Yet, after what felt like an eternity, the creature fell still.

  “Fuck you… fuck you…” I sobbed as I ripped my twisted left hand from its mouth. “Fuck you!” Tears streamed down my face. “Mother! Father!” I slipped off the beast, colpsing onto the cave floor.

  I’m going to die, I thought, even if I took that bastard with me… I’m going to bleed to death. Yet as I y there on the floor crying, I hiccuped at a familiar sound.

  Distant bangs were echoing from outside. They were gunshots—my father’s gun. Suddenly, a deep, ear-piercing bang rocked the caves, and from atop the incline, a bright red light pierced the darkness. A wave of hot air rushed down towards me as an explosion erupted outside, followed by more gunshots and timberwolves roaring.

  They’re here; they actually came! My tears of sorrow, now tears of joy, streamed down my cheeks as I weakly pushed myself to my knees and began to crawl up the incline. Panting and moaning, I scurried as fast as I could to the top, but then a shadow appeared. Before I could react, something grabbed me by the scruff of my neck, and I screamed.

  “There you are!” Father shouted as he picked me up and dropped me behind a nearby rock. “Stay there! Don’t move!” He hoisted his rifle up and cranked the lever, chambering a round before taking aim. “Cailynn, your left!” he shouted, and my ears rang as he fired what looked like a fming bullet down the cave.

  The streak of fire rippled through the air before making contact with the side of another timberwolf pup’s face, exploding its head into hundreds of pieces of charcoal. It knocked the beast to the ground before it could make contact with my mother, who stood just outside the entrance. Her grimoire was open in her left hand, and in her right, she held a wand with a red ruby on its tip.

  “Thanks!” she shouted. “Did you find her?”

  “Yes! Let me know when it’s clear!”

  Mother nodded. “Battles of rage, warriors of honor, rivers of blood. Lord Kraten, lend me your might! Bde of fury!” A circle of red energy bsted outwards from Mother as she twirled her wand. Out from the ruby tip burst a bde made of magical energy ignited into fire.

  I couldn’t see what she was facing, but something massive outside roared, and the ground rumbled. It’s the alpha, I thought, and Mother is going to fight it alone!

  “Father, Mother’s alone…” I murmured; my body felt so weak, and my eyes were drooping. I’m bleeding out.

  “Don’t worry about her,” Father hissed as he pulled out the healer’s kit. Yet it seemed he didn’t have a scroll, as he only pulled out bandages. “She can take care of herself. Just keep breathing. I’ll get you out.”

  “Slyran! Take her back to camp when you can! I’ll cover you!”

  “Roger that!” Father began hastily bandaging my wounds. “What the hell, Luna? What were you thinking?” he muttered under his breath. “Oi! Keep those eyes open!” Father lightly smacked my cheek, forcing me back to consciousness. “No sleeping.” He hoisted me up and bandaged my back as another explosion rocked the cave.

  I heard yipping and screaming wolves, along with Mother. “Stay the hells away from my daughter, you logs! Closer, and I’ll turn you kreks into charcoal!” She sounded nothing like the mother I knew, ughing as a smaller explosion went off and another timberwolf disintegrated into ash.

  “Alright, are you ready?” Father asked me, and I managed to nod. “Hold on tight, dear; we’re getting you out.” I cried out as my father lifted me off the ground and cradled me in his arms. “I’m sorry; I know it hurts. But you have to bear with me! Cailynn, we’re coming!”

  I reached my arms around his neck as Father jogged with me to the entrance. Ash and smoke caught in my nose as he cleared the entrance, and here I could see my mother standing within the clearing in more detail. Her bck and blue-striped hair was whipping around as if caught in a hurricane; her eyes were searing red, along with runic tattoos I had never seen before on her arms and neck. The ground around her was bright with an arcane crimson circle that burned its way into the earth.

  In her hand, she wielded the fming sword that was once her wand. Effortlessly she stoked the air, creating a bolt of fire that shot forth like a cannon towards a pack of wooden wolves. The monsters tried to dodge, yet it was no use; the explosion blew them apart along with the nearby tree line, which was already engulfed in fmes.

  “Run, Slyran!” She looked in our direction with her slitted eyes. I whimpered; this didn’t look like my mother at all.

  He nodded and dashed out into the open with me, and I yelped, holding on tight. Wolves came from the tree line and charged towards us, yet one by one, fming torrents of energy shed out, incinerating each one before they could touch us. Before we could escape, the ground rumbled as the alpha from earlier revealed itself.

  Father pnted his heels and skidded to a stop before the massive monstrosity. “Roots!” he cried. “Cailynn!”

  “On it!” Mother’s voice boomed. Like a rocket, a fming ball hurtled overhead, yet it wasn’t another one of her arcane cannons. It was Mother herself; she was flying!

  With a fming sword in hand, she plunged it into the creature’s face, sending both her and it howling into the tree line.

  “See why I love that woman?” Father joked as he tightened his grip around me and began to sprint once more into the woods.

  I whimpered and buried my face in his chest as howling and fire echoed not too far off. I could faintly hear ughter, which disturbed me the most.

  “We’re almost there, Luna; just hold on tight!” Father said as he leaped over logs and obstacles easily, never losing his grip on me as the sounds of battle grew ever more distant.

  My master will be pleased to hear this when I present what you’ve etched here. However, I have a question...