The vortex screamed.
Green and red light spun around them like a wild storm. It roared so loud it hurt Elara's ears. The air twisted. Time itself felt broken.
Elara grabbed Kaelen's hand with all her strength. She was scared she would be torn away. The pull was strong—too strong. Her body felt light, then heavy, then wrong, like she was being stretched.
Don't let go. Don't let go.
Her eyes burned as strange images flashed before her. Forests rising and falling. Towers being built, then breaking. Faces she didn't know. Faces that felt familiar.
Not the past she expected.
It was chaos.
"Hold tight!" Kaelen shouted. His voice sounded far away, almost torn apart by the storm. "The portal is unstable! It's trying to break us apart!"
Lyra growled loudly. Her claws dug into the ground that didn't exist. "It feels like someone is pulling my teeth out! And then putting them back wrong!"
Even in fear, Elara almost laughed. Almost.
Oberon stood still, floating slightly above the ground. His silver hair moved with the storm, but his face stayed calm. His eyes were closed as he spoke in an old, soft language. Fae words. Magic words.
"The magic is strong," Oberon said. "Too strong. Focus, Elara! The chest! Use it to anchor us!"
Elara nodded, even though her head felt dizzy. She focused hard.
The glowing chest.
The strange symbols carved on it.
The Echo Stone—whole, unbroken.
She imagined Havenwood before it fell. Before darkness touched it. Before the King.
The locket in her hand grew warm. Then hot. It pulsed with light, matching the chest. Power rushed into it, wild and sharp.
The vortex screamed louder.
Then—
Everything stopped.
The storm faded into soft light.
They dropped.
Elara hit the ground gently, like landing on grass after a jump. Cool air filled her lungs. Fresh. Clean.
She opened her eyes slowly.
Tall trees surrounded them. Ancient trees. Their bark shimmered silver in the light. Sunlight slipped through the leaves, painting the ground with soft shadows.
No crystals. No dark towers.
In the distance, rolling hills met a calm blue sea. The wind smelled of pine and salt.
Havenwood.
But not the broken Havenwood they knew.
"This…" Lyra whispered. Her golden eyes widened. "This is Havenwood. But it's clean. Alive."
Kaelen stood beside Elara, his sword still in hand. His shoulders relaxed just a little. "We made it," he said. "Before everything went wrong."
He looked at Elara, pride clear in his eyes. "You did this."
Elara smiled, but her heart raced. "When are we?" she asked. "How far back?"
Oberon knelt and touched a glowing flower near his feet. Its petals shimmered like moonlight.
"Moonpetal orchid," he said softly. "Extinct in your time."
He stood and smiled. "Five hundred years ago. Before the Great War. Before the King's shadow spread."
Elara's breath caught.
Five hundred years.
This was the world of her ancestors. Before sacrifice. Before loss.
Lyra crossed her arms. "So we find the Echo Stone," she said. "And stop the King before he ever touches it."
"Not just that," Kaelen replied. His voice turned serious. "The Dark Echo. The King's essence. It's sealed within the Stone. We stop the release. We stop everything."
Before Elara could answer, the locket in her hand began to hum.
Soft. Low.
Her chest tightened.
She turned toward the deeper forest.
"I feel it," she whispered. "The Echo Stone is close."
Then she froze.
"But… there's something wrong."
Kaelen frowned. "What do you mean?"
"There's a shadow," Elara said. "Small, but there. Inside the Stone."
Lyra's ears flattened. "Already?"
"That shouldn't be possible," Kaelen said sharply. "The King wasn't active yet."
Oberon sighed. "Darkness doesn't always wait. Sometimes it sleeps. Sometimes it grows quietly."
The forest rustled.
Weapons snapped into place.
Figures stepped out from between the trees.
Fae.
They wore green and brown cloaks. Their faces were calm but alert. Bows were raised. Staffs glowed faintly with magic.
At their center stood a woman.
Tall. Strong. Beautiful.
Her hair shone like moonlight. Her eyes were deep emerald green.
Elara's heart skipped.
I've seen her before…
Lyra muttered, "Well. This just got fun."
The woman stepped forward. Her gaze locked on Elara's locket.
Her voice was firm. Ancient.
"You do not belong to this time," she said. "And the power you carry speaks of a future filled with blood."
She lifted her chin. "Tell us who you are."
Her eyes narrowed.
"And why you have come to Havenwood."
The woman's eyes did not leave Elara.
Not even for a second.
Elara felt it then. A sharp pull in her chest. Like something deep inside her had woken up.
I know her.
Her breath caught.
The moonlight-haired Fae leader stepped closer. Power rolled off her in quiet waves. Not loud. Not cruel. But heavy.
Old.
Elara's hands trembled around the locket.
She looks like me… no. Like who I will become.
The truth hit her like a blade.
This woman was a Thorne.
Not just any Thorne.
Her ancestor.
Her great-grandmother.
The one from the stories.
The one who would one day give her life to seal the King.
Elara's knees almost gave out.
She's alive. She's standing right in front of me.
Kaelen noticed. He moved closer without thinking, his hand brushing Elara's arm. Warm. Steady.
"You're shaking," he murmured.
That simple touch grounded her.
For a moment, the world narrowed to him. His sharp eyes. The quiet concern he never showed anyone else.
Why does he always know?
The Fae leader's gaze flicked to Kaelen's hand.
Something unreadable flashed in her emerald eyes.
"Step back," the woman said calmly.
But it wasn't a request.
Kaelen stiffened. He didn't move.
"She's under my protection," he replied, voice low.
Lyra let out a soft growl. "Careful, pretty lady. We didn't crawl through time to get arrested by tree royalty."
Several Fae raised their bows.
Oberon sighed. "Ah. Yes. This part always goes poorly."
The air grew tense. Magic hummed. One wrong move—
"Enough," the Fae leader said.
Silence fell.
She studied Elara again. Slowly. Deeply.
"You carry the Echo's call," she said. "And the shadow tied to it."
Her gaze hardened. "That alone makes you dangerous."
Elara swallowed.
"I don't want to harm Havenwood," she said. Her voice shook, but she didn't stop. "I came to save it."
The woman's brow lifted slightly. "From what?"
Elara hesitated.
If I tell her… I erase everything. Or worse—change it.
Kaelen leaned closer, his voice barely audible. "Elara. Choose carefully."
She nodded.
"The King," Elara said. "He will rise. Not now. But he will."
A ripple passed through the Fae group.
The leader's jaw tightened. "That name is forbidden."
"He destroys everything," Elara whispered. "Including you."
The woman froze.
Just for a heartbeat.
Then she laughed. Soft. Cold.
"Many have tried to frighten us with visions of doom," she said. "None succeeded."
Elara stepped forward before fear could stop her.
"You sacrifice yourself," she said, tears burning her eyes. "You seal him away. You save the world."
The forest went deadly quiet.
Kaelen's breath hitched.
Lyra stared at Elara. "You just dropped that?"
The Fae leader stared back, eyes sharp as blades.
"Tell me your name," she demanded.
"Elara Thorne."
A breath sucked in.
The woman's face paled.
"Impossible," she whispered. "That name belongs to my bloodline."
Say it. Say it now.
"You are my great-grandmother," Elara said. "And I came here because your sacrifice wasn't enough."
The words shattered the moment.
Anger flared in those emerald eyes.
"You dare speak of my death?" the woman snapped. "Guards—"
Kaelen stepped in front of Elara instantly, sword half drawn.
"You'll have to go through me."
Their eyes met.
A spark flashed.
Challenge. Respect. Something darker.
The Fae leader smiled slowly.
"Bold," she said. "And reckless."
Her gaze slid past him… back to Elara.
"You feel it too, don't you?" the woman said softly. "The shadow in the Echo Stone."
Elara nodded. "It's already corrupted."
The woman closed her eyes.
When she opened them again, the anger was gone.
Only fear remained.
"If this is true," she said, "then Havenwood is already doomed."
"No," Elara said quickly. "Not if we change it."
The woman studied her. Long. Hard.
"You would change time," she said. "Erase lives. Futures."
Elara's chest ached.
Including mine.
"I know," she whispered. "But I can't let you die."
The Fae leader stepped close. So close Elara could feel her power.
"So you would steal my fate."
Tears slipped down Elara's cheeks.
"Yes."
Silence stretched.
Then—
"We will talk," the woman said. "But not here."
She turned, robes flowing. "Bind no one. Lower your weapons."
The Fae obeyed instantly.
Before following, she looked back once more.
"At dawn," she said. "We decide whether you are our salvation… or our end."
Her gaze lingered on Kaelen's hand still curled protectively around Elara's.
"And whether love," she added quietly, "will be your weakness."
The forest swallowed them whole.
Elara exhaled shakily.
Kaelen looked down at her. His voice was rough. "You okay?"
She nodded.
No. But I will be.
Because the past had a face now.
And destiny was no longer a story.
It was watching her breathe.