C7 **CHAPTER 7 — The Realm That Remembered Her**

The cathedral felt smaller the moment Lucian announced it was time to leave. The air thickened, pressing against Aria’s ribs as if the stone walls were listening intently.

Mara leaned weakly against a column, still shaking from whatever horror she had escaped. Lucian cast her only a brief glance before turning fully to Aria.

“We need to move now,” he said. “Before the hunters reach the outskirts.”

Aria’s heart raced. “But Mara—she's injured. We can’t just abandon her.”

“She’ll slow us down,” Lucian replied sharply.

Instinctively, Aria stepped in front of Mara. “Then I’ll help her.”

Just her name—uttered with such weight and warning—that Mara flinched even though it wasn’t aimed at her.

Aria lifted her chin defiantly. “I won’t leave her here to die.”

Lucian stared at her with an unreadable expression, anger and fear twisting beneath the surface. His jaw clenched, then slowly relaxed.

Finally, he let out a breath. “Fine. She comes with us. But you stay close to me. No exceptions.”

Aria nodded in agreement.

Lucian didn’t move.

His gaze remained fixed on her for a long, tense moment, as if trying to memorize every detail of her face, convincing himself that she was still there.

Then he turned toward the far end of the cathedral.

A massive stone archway once led to the western hall, but it was now choked with vines and fallen debris. It looked less like a doorway and more like a dead end.

Aria frowned. “Where are you taking us? That’s—” Lucian raised his hand. The mark on Aria’s palm pulsed in response, as if reacting to something unseen. She gasped, feeling warmth coil beneath her skin once more.

“It responds to the gate,” Lucian said softly. “As it should.”

He stepped closer to the ruined archway.

Mara whispered, “A gate? But… that doesn’t look like.”

Lucian pressed his palm against one of the cracked stones.

For a heartbeat, nothing happened.

Then, a deep tremor rolled through the cathedral. Dust cascaded from the rafters while the vines recoiled like burned rope. Light—faint at first—began seeping through the cracks in the stone.

Aria stepped back, shielding her eyes.

The ruined archway shimmered.

Then split open.

Not like a door.

More like reality itself peeled away, unveiling a swirling mass of pale light and shifting shadows. The air hummed and vibrated through Aria’s bones.

Mara gasped. “That’s—what is that?”

Lucian didn’t answer her.

He answered Aira.

“‘A passage to the Forgotten Realm,’ he said. ‘A realm that your blood can unlock.’

Aria felt her throat constrict. ‘But why me? Why can I open it?’

Lucian turned slightly, allowing the light from the gateway to cast a silver outline of his figure.

‘Because the curse didn’t begin with you,’ he replied softly. ‘It started with your bloodline. And the realm remembers every soul connected to it.’

Aria took an involuntary step back. ‘Lucian… what do you mean?’

‘That this place will only open for you,’ he said. ‘Only for you.’

Mara looked at Aria with wide eyes. ‘What kind of bloodline do you have?’

Aria was at a loss for words. She wasn’t even sure who she was anymore.

Lucian extended his hand toward her—not making contact, but close enough that she could feel its warmth.

‘Come,’ he urged. ‘We don’t have much time.’

Mara clutched Aria’s sleeve. ‘Is it safe?’

Lucian’s tone was straightforward. ‘No. But staying here is worse.’

Aria hesitated only briefly before helping Mara to her feet. Together, they moved towards the glowing rift in reality.

As Aria approached, the symbol on her hand pulsed more intensely—fast, hot, almost painful. She instinctively curled her fingers.

‘Lucian… It’s burning.’

‘It’s responding to what’s on the other side,’ he explained. ‘Don’t resist it. The realm recognizes you.’

Aria swallowed hard and took another step closer.

The moment her foot crossed the threshold, everything shifted.

The cold air of the cathedral disappeared, replaced by a warm embrace that wrapped around her like a gentle breath. The ground beneath her feet transformed from stone to something softer—almost like grass, yet weightless.

Mara stumbled behind her with a gasp.

Aria instinctively turned around—just in time to see Lucian step through last.

The gateway sealed shut behind him with a soft, final hum.

The Forgotten Realm revealed itself before them.

It was hauntingly beautiful.

Skies painted with lavender and blue stretched overhead. Floating pieces of land drifted like silent islands in a sea of glowing mist. Trees adorned with silver leaves swayed gently. Rivers of light flowed upward instead of downwards. Soft sparks—like fireflies made of moonlight—drifted through the air.

Mara whispered, ‘This… this isn’t real.’

‘It is real,’ Lucian said firmly. ‘More real than the world you came from.’

Aria stepped forward slowly, entranced by the scene before her.

Everything in this realm seemed to gaze back at her.

The wind caressed her cheek like an old friend’s touch.

The ground steadied beneath her as if it were welcoming her presence.

And then,

A low hum filled the air.

Lucian stiffened. “It’s sensing her.”

“Sensing me?” Aria whispered.

He nodded once. “The realm knows who you are.”

Aria felt a shiver crawl up her spine. “But I don’t even know who I am.”

Lucian’s eyes softened—if only for a moment, just for her.

“You will,” he murmured. “Soon.”

Mara tightened her grip on Aria’s arm. “Lucian… I feel like something is watching us.”

Lucian scanned the glowing forest ahead. “Something is.”

Aria tensed.

Lucian stepped closer—too close—his voice dropping to a low tone that made her heart race painfully. “Get behind me.”

Aria obeyed instinctively.

Lucian raised his hand, and shadows shifted around him, curling like smoke ready to strike. The entire realm seemed to hold its breath.

The humming grew louder, resonating through Aria’s bones.

Mara whispered, trembling, “What is that sound?”

Lucian’s eyes narrowed. “The realm’s guardians. They’re coming.”

Aria grabbed his sleeve. “Guardians? Are they dangerous?”

Lucian spoke without looking at her. “Everything in this realm is dangerous to someone who doesn’t belong.”

Aria swallowed hard. “Do you belong here?”

Lucian hesitated—just for a fraction of a second—but Aria noticed.

“No,” he finally replied, “but you do.”

The hum snapped upward into a sharp ringing.

Shapes emerged between the silver trees—glowing figures with hollow faces and faint, shifting forms, drifting toward them silently.

Mara stumbled back in fear. “Oh no—oh no—Lucian—”

Lucian’s shadows surged like a living shield. “Stay behind me.”

Aria grasped his arm again. “Lucian, what do they want?” His voice was grim.

“They want the one with the mark.”

Aria froze.

Mara gasped, “Aria—run!”

Aria couldn’t move.

Lucian stepped fully in front of her, blocking the guardians’ view. His voice dropped into something darker—sharper—burning with an intense obsession he tried to conceal.

“I won’t let anything touch her,” he said firmly. “Not in this realm or any other.”

The glowing guardians let out a low, haunting howl.

Lucian didn’t flinch.

He moved forward, shadows blooming around his hands like black flames.

Aria whispered, “Lucian… please be careful.”

He didn’t turn around.

But his voice softened dangerously.

“I don’t need to be careful,” he said.

“I just need to keep you safe.”

The guardians surged toward them—

And the realm itself seemed to tremble with anticipation.