Hidden Wings

The true Loop

The damp, suffocating chill of the dungeons clung to my skin long after I pulled myself away from Ashton’s cell. Down there in the dark, the air had tasted like rust and old water, heavy enough to weigh down my lungs. My heart hammered against my ribs like a frantic, trapped bird, the rhythm erratic and terrifying. Even though I was climbing the winding, subterranean stone steps as fast as my trembling legs could carry me, Ashton's voice remained trapped inside my head. It drifted through my mind like a dark, intoxicating smoke, repeating the same terrifying refrain over and over again: They will drain you until there is nothing left. They want your power. My head spun violently. It wasn't just the residual sparks of the massive magic surge that still prickled and burned beneath my skin, making my veins feel like they were full of static electricity. It was the sudden, terrifying clarity of my situation. I had gone down into the dark stone belly of the eastern tower looking for a monster—looking for a spy who had lied to me at school—but instead, I had found the only person willing to look me in the eye and tell me the truth. Ashton was a captive, a changeling sent by the enemy and locked in heavy iron chains, yet his broken expression and desperate devotion felt infinitely safer than the gilded, perfect smiles of the royal court upstairs.

I needed to get back to my guest quarters before anyone noticed I was missing from my bed. The castle was an absolute maze of towering stone archways and heavy tapestries that seemed to whisper in the draft. Throwing the hood of my dark cloak over my head, I tried to make myself small, slipping through the vaulted corridors of the palace of Ivearona like a ghost. I didn't know the rules of this place. I didn't know who was watching. But as I neared the grand royal study, the heavy, synchronized click of polished boots and a familiar, smooth voice made me freeze mid-stride.

Elaris. My brother. The boy who had spent years acting like a normal human teenager on Earth while harboring a royal secret.

I melted into the deep shadows of the corridor, pressing my back flat against the cold stone wall just outside the heavy, cracked oak doors. I held my breath, my fingers digging into the masonry to anchor myself. The moment I touched the stone, a terrifying spark of heat flared in my palms. My elemental magic was reacting to my anxiety, completely bypassing my willpower. The stone beneath my fingertips grew uncomfortably warm, a faint green hum vibrating against my skin. I pulled my hands back into my cloak, terrified that the castle itself would give away my position.

Inside the room, Elaris stood beside Shay, the formidable leader of the Shadow Knights. I had only seen Shay from a distance, but the knight's reputation preceded them. As the absolute best military asset under both Queen Adele’s and Prince Elaris’s direct command, Shay’s presence usually signaled a matter of absolute military gravity. But today, even the hardened, shadow-cloaked knight looked visibly shaken as my brother unfolded a thick leather file of forbidden truths—truths that most of the realm's high council didn't even know existed.

"I continue where we left off," Elaris was saying. His tone was detached, cold, and clinical, though I could see his knuckles turning white where his hands gripped the edge of the heavy mahogany desk. "A few centuries ago, the Unseelie court began actively targeting our bloodline, hunting specifically for Ivy’s raw essence. Every single time they attack her with a Cuimilt blade, the catastrophic drain resets her magical core. Shay, she has been trapped in this cycle of death and entrapment by the Unseelie King hundreds of times across the centuries. She loses every single shred of her memory, her growth, and her heritage each time she dies. And with every single reset, the strain on Ivearona grows worse. If she undergoes another total drain, the entire planet’s core will fracture. There won't be enough life-force left to sustain the realm."

Shay looked over the staggering, ancient records of my constant deaths, a dark, dangerous fury shining in the knight's eyes. "So the Earth assignment... it wasn't just a hiding place. It was a desperate attempt to break the loop."

"Exactly," Elaris replied, his voice tightening with a defensive, frustrated edge. "We brought her back to Earth thinking she’d be completely off the Unseelie King's radar, letting her signature fade into the background noise of billions of humans so she could finally be safe. Her magic was supposed to have a full, peaceful year left before it completely blossomed. The timeline was carefully calibrated to let her power mature safely. But we were wrong. The Unseelie King didn't just stumble across her—he’s been playing a long game. He placed a whole network of eyes across that human city, and Ashton was the crown jewel of that operation. Because of Ashton and the Unseelie King's direct intervention, her magic has violently erupted a whole year ahead of schedule. She is completely uncalibrated, and the planet cannot handle the shockwaves."

Outside in the hall, my blood ran completely cold. The stone wall behind me felt like ice. I hadn't just been hidden on Earth because my family loved me; I had been a cosmic target dying over and over again for a world I didn't even remember choosing. My entire sense of identity was fracturing. My internal clock hadn't just been sped up; it had been shattered.

Before I could even process the crushing weight of the revelation, the heavy, royal rustle of silk and a commanding presence signaled the arrival of the matriarch. Queen Adele swept into the study, her royal aura radiating an effortless, terrifying authority that made the very air in the hallway turn to frost.

"You're all brooding," Queen Adele cooed, her sharp gaze sweeping over the files Elaris and Shay had gathered. A wicked, sharp smile touched the Queen's lips, devoid of any real warmth. "Shay, pack a bag. We are going on a trip to Earth. I know exactly which solitary Fae has been harboring the boy under our noses, and the toxic Earth air is doing no favors for my skin anyway."

The transition between realms happened so fast it made my stomach drop. Driven by a reckless, unyielding fury, I didn't stop to think. I didn't know how to cast a spell, but as the portal tore open in the study, I secretly latched onto the traveling wake of their magic, my unsuppressed, volatile power acting like a crude anchor. The crossing was a violent blur of folding shadows and pressure that nearly made me vomit.