Chapter Seven – I want to go back.

"Glowing eyes… shadow-like body… a beast growing larger the more you scream and run?" Elara’s voice trembled slightly as she spoke.

Taliya’s breath hitched. She nodded, her heart hammering in her chest.

Elara’s eyes widened in horror. "Oh my god." She covered her mouth, glancing at her brother.

Javen’s jaw clenched. His entire body stiffened, his grip on the cup tightening until his knuckles turned white.

Taliya’s pulse quickened. "W-what… what is it?"

Elara’s gaze snapped back to her, her voice rising. "What were you doing in Kaidon’s territory?"

Taliya flinched at the sheer panic in Elara’s tone. "Kaidon?" she echoed, confusion swirling inside her. "Who the hell is that?"

"How did you get away?" Elara demanded, her hands gripping the table. "Those beasts in his territory don’t let their targets go. They kill."

Taliya swallowed hard. Her throat was dry, her mind racing. "I… I… actually, a man—someone—just appeared. He stopped the beast. Tore it apart. Ruthlessly."

Elara gasped, her face paling. "A… a man?"

Taliya nodded slowly, unease curling in her stomach. "Yeah. But I couldn’t see his face. He had it covered, kind of… but his eyes—" She shivered at the memory. "They were glowing red too."

A sharp silence fell over the room.

Javen spoke this time, his voice tight. "You’re sure you didn’t see his face?"

Taliya shook her head quickly. "No. I didn’t stick around long enough to find out what happened next. I just… ran."

"Kaidon," Elara whispered, and this time, the name sent a chill down Taliya’s spine.

Enough.

She pushed her plate aside, her patience running thin. "Who is Kaidon? What the hell is going on?"

Elara hesitated, exchanging a wary glance with her brother before looking back at Taliya.

"You don’t understand," Elara said, her voice barely above a whisper. "You are so lucky to have escaped. From both the beast… and Kaidon."

Taliya’s frown deepened. "What?"

Elara exhaled shakily. "Kaidon is a dangerous man, Taliya. More dangerous than you could ever imagine. He’s ruthless. A monster in human form. And if he let you go…"

She trailed off, shaking her head as if she couldn’t fathom the thought.

Javen’s voice was low, almost grim. "He never lets anyone go."

Taliya swallowed hard. Was she really lucky? The memory of that man—his glowing eyes, the way he tore through the beast like it was nothing—sent a cold shiver down her spine.

"W-well… I-I’m just glad I escaped," she muttered, rubbing her arms as if that could chase away the lingering fear.

"Yes, that’s good." Elara nodded but then tilted her head curiously. "But… which town are you from? Even the farthest villages know who Kaidon is."

Taliya hesitated. What the hell am I supposed to say? Would they even believe her if she told them the truth? That she wasn’t from this world?

"Hey, Taliya?" Elara’s voice broke through her frantic thoughts. "Are you okay?"

She blinked, realizing both siblings were watching her intently.

Taliya exhaled, deciding to just say it. "I… I’m not from this place." Her voice was barely above a whisper as she searched their faces for any sign of disbelief.

Elara frowned but then let out a small chuckle. "Well, yeah, that’s obvious. So which town, then? Narob? Or maybe somewhere past the Southern Ridge?"

Taliya’s breath hitched. No, that’s not what I meant. She shook her head. "No. I mean… I’m not from anywhere here. I…" She hesitated, gripping the edge of the table. "You might not believe me, but I came from—"

"A different world," Javen finished for her.

Taliya’s eyes widened. Elara’s face paled.

"What?" Elara whispered, turning to her brother in shock.

Taliya barely found her voice. "Um… yeah."

Elara snapped her gaze back to her. "What?"

Taliya nodded slowly, still baffled by Javen’s reaction. She turned to him. "How did you know?"

"And how long have you known?" Elara demanded, her voice rising.

Javen’s jaw tensed. His eyes darkened as he stared at Taliya, his gaze drifting over her features before he clenched his fists at his sides.

"Because no female in this world has your kind of skin," he said quietly. His voice was firm, but there was something else there—something restrained.

He swallowed thickly, then abruptly stood up from his chair.

"I’m full." His voice was curt as he grabbed his dishes and walked away without another word.

Elara watched her brother disappear down the hall, then turned back to Taliya, her expression unreadable.

"So… you’re really not from this world?" she asked softly.

Taliya nodded, gripping her hands together.

"But how?" Elara’s brows knitted together. "How did you get here?"

Taliya exhaled, trying to steady herself. "I don’t know." Her voice was laced with frustration and exhaustion. "The last thing I remember, I was at the beach with my friends and my boyfriend. I went to use the restroom, and then… there was this black hole. It just appeared out of nowhere. I touched it, and the next thing I knew, I felt—" she shuddered at the memory. "Weird. Like I was being pulled apart and put back together."

Elara listened intently, her face serious.

"When I woke up, I was in some strange place," Taliya continued. "And not long after, that thing—the shadow beast—started chasing me. Then came the whole incident with Kaidon or whatever his name is." She ran a hand down her face, her voice breaking slightly. "I just… I need to go back. I have a life back home. My family, my friends… I don’t belong here."

Elara sucked in a breath, her eyes widening. "A black hole?" she whispered, then she shook her head. "That’s magic. That’s powerful ancient magic. If it appeared before you, that means someone—someone—deliberately pulled you into this world."

Taliya felt the ground beneath her sway.

"No," she whispered, her voice shaking. She shot up from her seat, her heart pounding. "No, no, no—I don’t want to be here! I never asked for this! I don’t care who did it—I have to get back! I can’t just—just stay in some strange world where I don’t even know the rules! What if I die here? What if I can’t even survive in this place?"

Her breathing grew erratic, panic clawing at her chest.

Elara watched her with sympathy, then slowly stood up.

"I’ll talk to my brother," she said gently.

Taliya barely registered her words as she fought the rising terror inside her.

Elara picked up both of their dishes and, without another word, walked away, leaving Taliya alone with her unraveling thoughts.