Chapter 5 – The World Beyond
924 Words
Chapter 5 – The World Beyond
Warmth greeted her before sound. Not heat, but something gentle and unfamiliar—the quiet sensation of not being afraid. It wrapped around her like a whispered promise.
Then came the firelight. Crackling. Soft shadows on carved stone walls.
Seren stirred.
Her body ached, each limb heavy as if weighed by snow. Her eyes fluttered open. She was lying on a bed of furs, thick blankets tucked around her. A fireplace crackled to her left, illuminating what appeared to be a small stone room with an arched ceiling and walls covered in strange glyphs that glowed faintly.
For a moment, she didn’t move. Her mind reeled.
She remembered the wolves. The man. Kaelen. The glow on her wrist.
And then... darkness.
The door opened.
Seren flinched, instinctively drawing the blanket up. A woman entered. Her hair was braided tight along her scalp and her armor shimmered with silver etched runes. Her expression was unreadable.
"You're awake," the woman said.
Seren didn’t answer immediately.
"Where am I?"
"The Moonborne stronghold," the woman replied. "Kaelen brought you in two nights ago. You were unconscious. Fevered."
"Two nights?"
She nodded. "We didn’t think you'd last the first."
Seren looked around again. The room was small but not cruel. It didn’t feel like a prison. There were books stacked on a table in the corner. A basin of water. A narrow window through which starlight poured in.
"I'm Lyra," the woman added. "Beta to Kaelen. Second in command."
Seren shifted slightly. "Why am I here?"
Lyra walked to the fire, tossing in another log. "Because he didn't want you to die in the snow."
That didn’t sound like a comforting reason.
"You're human," Lyra continued. "You shouldn't be here. But you crossed the veil."
"I didn't mean to."
"Doesn't matter. The Hollowlands don’t care about intentions. They only care about blood."
Seren looked down at her wrist. The mark—a crescent cradling a star—was faint now, no longer glowing.
"What is this place?" Seren asked. "Where... am I?"
Lyra considered her. "You're in the northwestern ranges of the Hollowlands. Beyond the veil that separates your world from ours."
"So it is a different world?"
"Not entirely. It's more like... the forgotten parts of yours. Hidden. Bound by old magic and older rules. Humans lost access to it centuries ago, when the veils were sealed. Only those marked or cursed can cross."
Seren's heart pounded. "Then why me?"
Lyra stared at her. "That's the question, isn't it?"
---
Later that day, Lyra took her outside the stronghold.
Seren stepped out into a courtyard surrounded by snowy stone walls. Beyond them stretched a vast village embedded into the cliffs. Tents and stone dwellings nestled between pine trees and jagged rock formations. Wolves roamed freely, both in their beast and humanoid forms. Children played in the snow under watchful eyes, while warriors trained in rings of packed earth.
The air was colder than she’d ever known, but it felt alive. Crisp. Clean.
Seren pulled the hood of her borrowed cloak tighter.
Eyes followed her as she walked. Some curious. Some hostile. None welcoming.
"They don’t trust me," she murmured.
"You’re an outsider," Lyra replied. "And you glow with a mark tied to prophecy."
"What prophecy?"
Lyra didn’t answer.
They passed a shrine—a massive stone wolf carved into the side of the mountain. Runes glowed from its eyes, and offerings of bones, flowers, and blades lay at its paws.
"The Wolfmother," Lyra said. "Protector of our kind."
Seren felt a chill that had nothing to do with the wind.
Kaelen stood near the training ring, overseeing a group of warriors sparring with spears. His gaze found Seren instantly.
He dismissed the others with a grunt.
"She shouldn’t be walking yet," he said as they approached.
"She’s stronger than she looks," Lyra replied.
Kaelen’s golden eyes raked over Seren. "You shouldn’t be here."
Seren bristled. "I'm starting to get that."
He folded his arms. "You’re not just any human. The mark proves that. The veil doesn’t open for anyone."
"Then tell me what I am."
He paused. "I don’t know. Yet."
Seren looked away, her voice low. "I didn’t ask for this."
Kaelen exhaled. "Neither did we. But now you're here, and we need answers. Until then, you stay close. If the wrong ears hear of your presence, it won't just be wolves hunting you."
"What do you mean?"
Lyra answered. "There are things worse than us in the Hollowlands. Things that wear skin like masks."
Kaelen added, "And one of them already knows you're here."
Seren froze. "Who?"
He didn’t answer.
But his eyes darkened.
---
That night, Seren was given a small room in one of the higher towers. She lay awake beneath a heavy quilt, staring at the shadows dancing across the ceiling.
Every muscle ached, but her mind wouldn’t still.
Lucien. Gavin. The veil. The mark. The two moons in the sky.
Nothing made sense.
She got up and wandered toward the narrow balcony. The air was freezing, but she stepped into it anyway. Below, she could see the fires of the village still burning, warriors gathered in low conversation, sentries patrolling the cliffs.
Above, the full moon cast silver light across the pines.
She looked down at her wrist.
The mark shimmered faintly.
"Why me?" she whispered.
A gust of wind answered.
Far in the distance, something howled—a sound mournful and wild. It wasn’t from the pack.
It was something else.
And it was coming.
- Writer
