The Psychic

Chapter 4

We stepped through the portal, and the world flipped. Literally. My body felt like it was spinning in slow motion, every cell unspooling and being rewound into something new. There was a rushing sound, like wind tangled with whispers, voices I couldn't understand whispering truths I wasn't ready to hear. Then, suddenly... silence.

And then I hit the ground.

I gasped as cold air smacked my face. The grass underneath me wasn't like the one back home; it shimmered faintly under a violet-hued sky, the blades bending toward us as though they were watching. Sarah landed beside me with a thud, groaning.

"You okay?" I asked, pushing myself upright.

"Define okay," she muttered, brushing dirt from her jeans.

Blessing appeared next, blinking in confusion. "Where are we?"

Jace came last, landing smoothly. Of course. He barely flinched as he took in our surroundings. I followed his gaze. We were standing in a wide meadow surrounded by dense silver trees that stretched toward the sky like fingers. Mist curled around their roots, and far in the distance, jagged mountains split the horizon. A large red moon- no, two hung low above us. The air tasted metallic and strange.

"Are we in his world?" Blessing asked, barely above a whisper.

"I think so," I said, heart racing. "It doesn't look like Earth. Nothing about this is Earth."

Jace frowned, voice low. "This... feels off. We need to move. Find shelter. The longer we linger, the more exposed we are."

"No, wait," I said, holding up the book we brought. "Before we do anything, we have to figure out exactly where we are. The prophecy said the prince's realm shifts constantly. We could be anywhere- and it might change while we're here."

"Shapeshifting terrain," Sarah muttered, pulling out the worn leather-bound book. "The land shifts like its ruler. If that's true, staying put could be dangerous."

"Right," I said, crouching beside her as she opened the book. The pages rustled like leaves in a storm, but the writing shimmered and adjusted itself in real time. As if it were alive.

The passage we'd seen earlier had grown. A new text had appeared:

"He will not show his face. Not until she finds the quiet within her mind. The prince walks among the people, cloaked in the skin of a beast, watching from afar, waiting for the moment her soul aligns with the stars. But beware: the stars fall fast when trust is misplaced. She must look inward to reach outward, for only through her gift will the veil be lifted."

My blood went cold.

"The skin of a beast," I whispered. "He's not human right now."

"A shapeshifter," Blessing said slowly. "So he could be anything. Anyone. How the hell are we supposed to find him?"

Jace crossed his arms, staring down at the page. "Doesn't add up. If he's dodging those who want to kill the prophecy, why wouldn't he avoid us as well?"

"He doesn't know we're not one of them," I said quietly. "We have to find a way to reach him... mentally. Psychically. The prophecy keeps pointing to my 'gift.' It's more than dreams."

"Wait," Sarah said, flipping back a few pages. "Here- 'The girl with sight must step through dreams. Only through the fracture of sleep shall she uncover the veiled path.' That sounds like you."

Everyone turned to look at me.

"Of course," I sighed, unable to stop wondering, if I was meant to be the Seer, to reach across realms, what else was I capable of? "I need to fall into another dream. That's how I'll know what's coming. What to do next."

"What exactly happened in your last dream, Ruby?" Blessing asked curiously.

I hesitated. "I haven't told you guys yet, but... last time, I was in a place called Lakehill Hospital. They put electrodes on my head and shocked me. It was like I was stuck in someone else's memory or maybe a test. It didn't feel like mine. And yet, I could feel that it was meant for me."

A heavy silence settled.

"I don't think I have a choice," I said. "Every time I try to sleep, something pulls me in. I think... something- or someone is trying to show me what's coming."

"But what if it's a trap?" Sarah asked. "What if it's not the prince? What if it's the people trying to stop the prophecy?"

"I'll be careful," I promised. "But we can't waste any more time. The Crimson Eclipse is coming. It was written in the margins: 'When the twin moons bleed, the door closes.' That means... what? Four days at most?"

Blessing's eyes widened. "Four days until what?"

"The door closes," I said. "The portal between realms. If we don't find the prince by then, the chance could be lost forever."

"We don't even know what happens when it closes," Blessing said. "Or what it opens into."

"That's what we have to figure out," I murmured. "Before it's too late."

Jace knelt beside me, voice low. "Shelter first. Somewhere safe. Then we take turns standing guard while you sleep."

Sarah rubbed her eyes, muttering, "I don't like this silence. Feels like the forest is holding its breath." Blessing nodded, scanning the shadows beyond the cave entrance.

We wandered into the woods, eventually finding a cave nestled into a hillside covered with moss and glowing blue vines. It wasn't much, but it was dry and hidden.

We settled in quietly, each of us taking a corner. Sarah and Blessing were already drifting off, exhaustion written in the sag of their shoulders. I curled up near the back wall, trying to still my mind.

But I couldn't sleep. My eyes kept darting to the book. I couldn't shake the feeling that we were being watched. That the land itself was aware of us. And the words: He walks among the people, cloaked in the skin of a beast.

What kind of beast?

I sighed, unable to stop wondering if I was meant to be the Seer, to reach across realms, what else was I capable of? It wasn't just dreams. Sometimes, I felt people's emotions before they spoke. Sensed lies in their eyes. Moments flashed in my mind seconds before they happened. That had to mean something.

Could I read minds? No, not exactly. But something close. What if I could push through that mental fog and connect with the prince directly? If I could send my thoughts out like a flare?

Jace's voice broke my spiral.

"Can't sleep?" he asked softly.

I looked over. He was leaning against the wall near me, arms resting over his knees, his face shadowed but calm.

"Not really," I said. "Too much going on in my head."

He nodded. "Same."

For a moment, we sat in silence, the kind that felt heavy but not awkward.

"I keep wondering," I said finally, voice catching, "why my parents didn't tell me. All these years. They knew the prophecy was about me, about this prince, about all of this. Why wait until the world is literally falling apart?" My hands clenched into fists. "It's like they thought I wasn't ready."

Jace looked at me, eyes soft. "Maybe they thought they were protecting you."

"Or maybe they didn't believe I could handle it," I said, my voice bitter. "Or didn't want to believe it themselves."

He shifted closer, his voice gentler. "I think they were scared. I mean, I'm scared. We're in a world where the sky has two moons, where the ground breathes, and our only hope is finding a prince who's turned himself into a beast to avoid being caught. If I were your parents... I might've tried to protect you from all this too."

I looked away, blinking fast. "It's not fair."

"No," he agreed. "But you're handling it better than anyone else could."

I met his eyes. He wasn't just saying it. He meant it.

"Thanks," I whispered.

His eyes dropped to the floor, then back up to me. "Ruby... when all this started, I didn't think we'd make it out of that gym class alive. But here we are. I'm still not sure what's going to happen... but I want you to know I'm not going anywhere."

My heart thudded harder than it should've. "Yeah?"

"Yeah."

A beat passed. I swallowed, nodding slowly. Then finally, I let my body relax. I closed my eyes.

And the dream pulled me under.

---

I was strapped to a chair again. But this wasn't Lakehill Hospital.

This time, I was in a forest made of blackened trees and glass leaves. The air shimmered like heat. Shadows whispered around me, but they weren't people, they were memories. Echoes.

"You're running out of time," a voice said.

I turned. A man stood there, faceless, his body constantly shifting: feathers, scales, fur, horns. His skin rippled like water. I couldn't make out a single detail that stayed the same.

"Who are you?" I demanded.

"You already know," he said, voice like gravel.

"The prince?"

He didn't answer.

Instead, he said, "They will come for you. The ones who fear the prophecy. The ones who think your gift is a curse. They are already watching."

"Where are you? Why are you hiding?"

"I am not hiding. I am preparing."

"For what?"

"For war."

Then he stepped forward, and for a flash, just a heartbeat- I saw it. A horse. Black as night, eyes burning violet. A dark horse standing alone on a battlefield.

Then I woke up.

---

My body jolted upright, breath catching.

Jace was still awake, his eyes instantly locking with mine.

"What did you see?" he asked quickly.

"I think I saw him," I whispered. "He... he was shifting constantly. I couldn't see his face. But I think... he's hiding as a dark horse."

"A horse?"

I nodded. "It was just a flash, but I felt it. That's how he's blending in. And there's something else... someone's watching us. They're already coming. People who want the prophecy to fail."

His jaw tightened. "Then we don't have time to waste."

"I don't even think I've unlocked everything I can do," I added, voice trembling. "I feel like there's more inside me, like I can feel people's emotions, sometimes hear their thoughts before they say anything. And maybe... maybe I can find him, if I learn how to control that part of me. If I stop fighting it."

Jace's eyes didn't waver. "Then we figure it out. Together."

I glanced at the others sleeping, then at the book, which had more words glowing on the page now. We were being guided. Watched. Maybe even tested.

As the book's words shimmered faintly, a new phrase flickered just out of clear sight, teasing a warning only I could almost grasp. Something was coming. Something worse than the chase. I swallowed hard, knowing the real fight was just beginning.

But one thing was clear.

This wasn't just about finding the prince.

It was about surviving long enough to help him return.

And we were already running out of time.