We chose this spot carefully—an old ley-crossing long forgotten by most Aurathions. When portal travel briefly flickered back to life with my return, I’d felt it—a pulse through the ley lines like a heartbeat. And just as quickly, Aurathia sealed it again, unless it was for the DF to enter and leave this world at will.
But we weren’t alone.
“Are you ready?”I sent the thought to Pantar.
“Always.”His mental growl rumbled low.“Signal him.”
I closed my eyes, reaching across the void—far beyond the clearing, beyond the sealed skies—to the unbonded Fellat who had answered our silent call. No one in Aurathia knew this connection existed; we’d buried our presence deep, threading our minds through cracks in the wards too small for any watcher to notice.
The reply came faint but sure.“I’m here. Quickly. Before we are discovered.”
He would disappear after we accomplished our goal, but I wouldn’t expect him to stay.
Pantar thrust his claws into the ground, with tentacles extending downward like deep roots. The earth responded, glowing with silver-blue lines that spread out to reveal ancient sigils. I echoed his gesture, and our combined power intensified, pushing against the unseen barrier Aurathia had created.
The air quivered. A thin slit of light appeared—a crack no wider than a hand-span. Right away, the wards pushed back, sensing pressure but not what was causing it.
“They can’t sense where the breach is.”I hissed, breathless with effort.
“Then let’s keep it that way,”Pantar growled back.
We operated in perfect sync; a rhythm refined through months of shared hunts. The unbonded Fellat on the other side poured energy into the breach, carefully threading it to avoid triggering the ward alarms. The fissure widened stubbornly, inch by inch, edges sparking like hot metal.
Pantar’s tentacle split, spilling deep red blood, but he didn’t falter. My claws gouged furrows in the dirt as I held the portal’s edges with raw determination.
The portal suddenly opened with a sound resembling a gasp dragged through broken glass.
It was unstable, jagged, thrumming with stolen energy—but it was open. And no one on the Aurathion side had the slightest idea.
The portal wasn’t meant to exist.
It hissed and crackled at the edges like fragmented lightning, struggling to collapse even as Pantar and I held it open with claw, tentacle, and sheer willpower. The clearing thrummed with unstable energy, silver-blue light tracing ghostly patterns across the grass.
Oliver stood just beyond the glowing sigils, his jaw tight and hands clenched at his sides. I was sure he’d seen portals before, but this? This looked more like a wound than a true portal.
“Is it supposed to look like that?” Deshawn asked, voice low.
Chloe gave a short, humorless laugh. “Does it matter? It’s our only way to Reverie.” Her curls whipped around her face in the magic-heavy wind, eyes darting between the portal and him.
Pantar’s growl rolled through the ground like distant thunder.“Hurry.”The word wasn’t spoken, but it filled our heads, dark and resonant.
My tentacles were braced against the portal’s edges like living anchors, my muscles shaking with the effort of keeping the rift stable.“I can’t hold this forever,”I ground out, sending the urgency I felt to them all.
The three Aurathions exchanged a quick look—no hesitation, just shared determination. Reverie was trapped in Aurathia. No one else knew this breach existed. If they didn’t act now, there might not be another chance.
Oliver’s face showed grim determination. Deshawn flanked him, restless energy emanating from him in waves, not feeling the same urgency as the other two since he wasn’t Aegisworn—yet. Chloe held her ground beside them—face pale in the eerie light but eyes sharp and steady.
The cub of my bonded had chosen well for her Aegisseal.
Pantar moved up behind them, his presence like a silent storm. The massive Fellat’s fur shimmered like liquid shadow, amber eyes blazing as he slowly withdrew his tentacles from the ley lines. When he finally pulled free, I bore the full weight of the breach alone. I let out a low, guttural snarl but didn’t falter. I would sacrifice everything to bring Adelaide’s cub back, even my own life.
“Go now,”I sent my voice ripping through their minds, taut with strain.“All at once.”
Oliver inhaled and nodded to the others. Deshawn cracked a grin that was more malicious than amused. Chloe exhaled through her nose, steadying herself. And Pantar stepped forward, muscles tensing like a spring.
They moved as one.
Oliver was the first to step through the rift, his silhouette shining against the light. Chloe and Deshawn followed closely,swallowed by swirling energy that smelled of ozone and ancient origins. Pantar thundered after them, launching his massive body through the unstable opening with a smooth, flowing leap. The ground trembled beneath him as he vanished into the breach, amber eyes being the last to disappear.
