The city never truly slept. Even in the dead of night, its heartbeat pulsed through every flickering light, every passing car, and every whisper carried on the wind. But within Elira's chest, something else pulsed—something deeper, more ancient, and far more dangerous.
She stood by her window, the moonlight streaking across her face. Her fingers brushed against the delicate silver chain around her neck—where the pendant Kael had given her now lay cool and silent. A gift, he had said. But gifts from strangers often carried hidden meanings… especially when that stranger wasn't from this world.
Her heart thudded. Not from fear—but from a strange echoing sensation deep within her. A sensation that hadn't left her since the dream... or whatever it was. That memory of the red sky, of chains breaking, of her father's voice calling her name. It felt more real than her own reflection.
"Elira…"
The voice startled her.
She spun around—but no one was there.
Only silence. The apartment was empty, her roommate was still gone for the weekend, and Kael hadn't texted since their coffee meet-up that ended with more questions than answers.
"Elira," the voice came again, softer this time, like a whisper floating on air.
It wasn't from the room.
It was from inside her.
Her hand instinctively flew to her chest. The pulse beneath her ribs had changed. It wasn't her heartbeat—it was something else, something… foreign. A second rhythm.
The pendant around her neck shimmered faintly.
It's happening again, she thought, breath catching. Something inside me is waking up.
She stumbled back and sat on the bed, closing her eyes. Her breathing came shallow and quick, but her mind was racing faster.
In the stillness, she let herself slip into the sensation. And that's when it happened.
The room fell away.
The air around her thickened like mist. She opened her eyes—not to her apartment, but to a dreamlike realm, vast and glowing with red and silver hues. It looked like a corridor of stars with no floor beneath her feet, only endless light swirling around her.
In the center of it stood a figure.
Tall. Cloaked. Familiar.
"Father?" she whispered.
The figure turned slowly. It was him. The man from her dreams. The man from the photo she kept hidden in her journal. The father she had never met—but always felt.
"Elira," he said again, voice laced with sorrow and strength. "They're coming for you."
Tears welled in her eyes. "Who? Why?"
"The ones I ran from. The ones who believe power belongs only to the chosen bloodlines. I stole the Heart to protect it. But in doing so, I placed it… within you."
The Crystal Heart.
She didn't fully understand what it meant. But she knew, from the way her father said it, that it wasn't just an object.
It was alive.
It was hers.
And it was wanted.
"I don't want it," she said shakily. "Take it back."
He looked at her sadly. "I can't. The moment you were born, it chose you. And now... it's awakened."
Suddenly, the dream shifted.
Red skies. Screaming voices. Chains clashing. A door—a massive, blood-colored gate—splitting open between two realms.
And Kael.
Fighting. Bleeding. Standing between her and something monstrous.
"Elira!" he called out in the vision. "Run!"
Then it all faded.
The silence returned.
And she was back in her room, heart hammering, the pendant burning hot against her skin.
---
Across the city, Kael stood atop a rooftop, his eyes fixed on the moonlit skyline.
"She's waking up," he murmured.
Another figure emerged from the shadows behind him. "The Council is growing impatient. They want her found. Now."
Kael clenched his fists. "She's not a threat."
"She's the Crystal Heart," the man said coldly. "She doesn't need to be a threat to become one."
Kael didn't respond. He couldn't. He was already torn.
Duty told him to bring her in. To return her to the magical realm, to let the Council decide her fate. But his heart—foolish, traitorous thing—told him to protect her. To shield her from the truth. To shield her from them.
"She's innocent," he said, more to himself than to the other man.
"No one carrying the Crystal Heart is innocent," came the reply.
..
Back in her apartment, Elira couldn't sleep. Not after what she'd seen.
The door between the worlds was opening again. And she was standing right at the threshold.
She grabbed her bag, stuffed the pendant inside, and reached for the photo of her father. She needed answers. And she couldn't wait for them to come to her.
She was going to find them.
Before they found her.