Everyone exchanged quick glances. Six seconds seemed impossible.
A faint hum travelled through the air, almost drowned out by the wind. I could feel the vibration beneath my feet.
My eyes settled on Cody.
He was staring at the barrier, his expression unreadable.
Deep down, I knew he could pull it off.
"I don't think it's possible, Cody."
Iris dropped into a squat, hugging her knees with her fingers buried in her dark brown hair.
"Why are you always so pessimistic?" Jace turned towards her, his face twisted in annoyance.
She slowly lifted her head to meet his gaze. The air between them seemed to grow heavier.
"I'm being realistic, Jace." Her eyebrows knitted together.
"Realistically, it's possible."
"How?!" She sprang to her feet.
"Look at everything we've survived just to get here!" Jace retorted. "I don't see why this should be any harder than the things we've already faced. Can you show some optimism for once?"
His words cut through the air like a blade.
Zayn let out a low whistle.
Our heads snapped towards him, but he merely shrugged.
Iris stared at Jace, her jaw tightening.
Jace raised an eyebrow, then shook his head and pinched the bridge of his nose.
"That's enough. It doesn't matter who's being pessimistic or realistic. What matters is that Cody needs our trust, and we're going to give it to him."
I gestured towards Cody.
Iris lowered her head, her shoulders sinking.
"Iris..." I gave her a small smile. "Just have a little faith."
She hesitated before nodding.
Cody stepped forward.
"I've already prepared a landing point."
He opened a portal to our right.
"Running into it would waste precious seconds. Once I shut down the dimensional side of the barrier, the portal will move us through automatically. That should give me enough time to restore it before the barrier reacts."
Six seconds.
I stared at Cody's hand as he placed it against the barrier.
It didn't sound like enough time.
The low hum grew stronger, the vibration travelling through the stone beneath our feet.
Six seconds to get inside.
Six seconds before the barrier reacted.
Somehow, I knew Cody could do it.
I just hoped I was right.
"NOW!"
Cody moved his hand, and the portal responded.
One.
The portal swallowed us.
Two.
The world blurred around me.
Three.
We emerged on the other side.
Four.
Cody closed the exit.
Five.
He snapped his fingers, restoring the barrier.
Six.
We held our breath.
Nothing happened.
No alarm. No sudden reaction. No sign that the barrier had detected our intrusion.
I leaned against the wall behind me, releasing a breath I hadn't realised I'd been holding.
Around me, the others did the same.
"You actually pulled it off..." Zayn nudged Cody gently. "I didn't trust you for a second."
A little laughter rippled through the group.
Even Iris managed a small smile.
We had reappeared in a narrow back alley. I stood between a towering stone building and the wall beside me, staring up at the structure.
Its architecture felt familiar, yet different from the buildings in Elton. The stonework was intricate, with patterns carved into the surface that I couldn't quite make out from where I stood.
The wall against my back was cold and rough. I pushed myself away from it, brushing the dust from my clothes.
Voices drifted through the narrow passage ahead.
Footsteps followed, dozens of them, accompanied by the occasional burst of laughter.
Somewhere nearby, I caught the scent of smoke and freshly baked bread.
For a while, we stood in silence, watching the narrow passage that led towards the light.
Finally, Tyra moved.
One after another, the others followed her.
I didn't.
My feet remained rooted to the ground.
The uncertainty of whatever lay beyond that light suddenly terrified me.
I had spent so long trying to reach this point that I hadn't stopped to consider what it would feel like to finally arrive.
Now that I was here, the future I'd been trying to reach seemed far more frightening than it had from a distance.With every step forward, the future I had to confront drew nearer, and my fears began having faces.
What would my father think if he could see me now, hesitating at the very beginning of the path I'd been destined to walk?
Would my mother, who had once been so proud of me, still be proud?
Sooner or later, I would tread the very grounds they had ruled.
And I wasn't sure I was ready.
"Hunter?"
Amanda's voice pulled me out of my thoughts.
I blinked, returning to the present.
Everyone was watching me, their expressions ranging from concern to confusion.
"Are you coming?" Jace asked.
Then he smiled.
"It'll be fine."
I hadn't realised how badly I needed to hear those words until he said them.
I took my first step.
That's right.
It was going to be fine because I wasn't facing this alone.
I had my team.
My friends.
My family.
I took another step towards the light.
Whatever awaited us beyond it, we weren't going to turn back.
We were bringing something this realm desperately needed.
Liberation.
***
My boots met the cobblestone streets beyond the towering walls.
The settlement stretched before us, alive with activity.
Children played in the corners of the street, chasing a kite that struggled against the wind. One of them lifted a hand, sending a gentle gust beneath it. The kite soared higher, and their delighted laughter followed.
Across the road, an open-air market bustled with people carrying baskets and examining goods. Salesmen and women called out to passing customers, occasionally raising their voices at one another over some disagreement.
A banner hung above a bakery, its lettering reading *Hilda and Matilda's*. Through the glass windows, freshly baked bread sat neatly arranged on wooden shelves.
Cabs moved along the street as young people hurried to flag them down. An old woman walked her dog past a fruit stall, barely sparing the commotion around her a glance.
I wasn't sure what I'd expected to find here, but it certainly wasn't this.
Everything seemed so... ordinary.
People went about their lives as though there were no barriers surrounding their settlement, no reason to hide behind towering walls.
It made me wonder what the rest of this realm looked like.
Then something caught my attention.
Guards.
They wore identical blue uniforms and carried batons at their sides. So far, I'd counted six stationed along the street.
Six guards on a single stretch of road.
Perhaps they were there to maintain order or settle disputes, but something about their presence bothered me.
They remained at their assigned positions, watching the streets without appearing particularly interested in the people passing by.
The citizens didn't seem bothered by them.
Yet no one approached them, either.
I watched as a man walked past one of the guards without so much as a glance in his direction. A woman followed, pulling a small child along by the hand.
Neither of them looked afraid.
Still, neither acknowledged the guard.
I frowned.
Either there was more to this place than met the eye, or I was overthinking things again.
I hoped it was the latter.
***
"Woah... They look just like us!"
Zayn skipped excitedly to the front.
I blinked rapidly.
Was he serious?
I glanced around, hoping no one had heard him.
Fortunately, the people seemed more interested in their shopping than in Zayn's observations.
We continued down the street, taking in our surroundings. Somewhere in the distance, I noticed another beacon.
The midday sunlight made its glow faint, but I recognised it immediately. It reminded me of the emergency portal we'd used.
"It's so lively here," Annabeth said, watching a crowd of women gathered outside a jewelry shop, each hoping to be the first to purchase the latest gold collection.
Despite the occasional curious stare, we didn't seem too out of place. I wanted to believe the looks we received were mostly because of Zayn's complete lack of shame.
"Remind me again where we're headed? We've been walking for hours." Katara's shoulders slumped, her lips forming a pout.
"We'd better find somewhere to spend the night," Cody suggested, resting his hands behind his head.
"We don't have any money, though. We might have to sleep outside and take on odd jobs." Jace's eyes wandered across the street as he spoke.
"I think we need some kind of cover story, just in case anyone gets suspicious."
I glanced at the people around us.
The feeling of being watched hadn't entirely gone away.
I turned towards the others, trying to come up with a convincing lie.
"We can say we're foreigners from—"
"Hunter!"
Zayn suddenly yanked me to the side.
Before I could ask what was wrong, something—or someone—latched onto my clothes.
"Please protect me, mister!"
I looked down.
A young boy clutched my shirt so tightly that I could feel the fabric pulling beneath his fingers. He looked about ten, dressed in a loose brown shirt with sleeves that nearly reached his elbows and a pair of knee-length shorts.
One of his socks had slipped down around his ankle, while his dusty shoes looked as though they'd seen better days. His shirt was slightly rumpled, and a small tear near the hem suggested it had endured more than a few rough adventures.
His hair stuck out in several directions, damp strands clinging to his forehead.
Whatever he'd been doing, he'd clearly been running for a while.
"Whoa, hang on..." Tyra crouched beside him. "Who—or what—are you running from?"
The streets continued around us, seemingly unbothered by the commotion.
However, I caught a nearby guard watching us from the corner of his eye.
Before I could ask the boy another question, a voice rang out behind us.
"JAYDEN!"
I instinctively shifted, placing myself between the boy and whoever was approaching.
A girl hurried towards us, her eyes fixed on the child hiding behind me.
"Jayden! You come here this very minute!"
She looked around our age and carried a small woven basket in the crook of her arm.
Her blue gown fell neatly to her ankles, the fabric swaying with each hurried step. A white apron was tied securely around her waist, its edges slightly creased, as though she'd been busy with chores before this little chase began.
Her dark hair was braided over one shoulder, the plait resting against her chest. A few loose strands framed her oval face, brushing her cheeks whenever she moved.
Her eyebrows drew together as she stopped in front of us, but the expression didn't quite suit her cheerful features.
Jayden ducked further behind me.
"Never!"
The girl let out a long, weary sigh.
Then, as though she'd suddenly remembered something, her expression brightened.
She rummaged through her basket, moving aside a few items before pulling out a small bunny doll.
Jayden gasped.
His eyes widened so much that I briefly wondered whether they might pop out of their sockets.
"Mr. Ted here wants some company..." she said sadly, turning the doll towards him.
She examined its floppy ears before looking back at her brother.
"But since there's nobody to play with him, perhaps I'll have to give him a little haircut."
Jayden's expression changed instantly.
"You wouldn't dare!"
"Oh, wouldn't I?"
Her smile widened as she reached into her basket again.
This time, she produced a small pair of scissors.
Jayden stared at them in horror.
"WAIT! WAIT! I'M COMING!"
He scrambled out from behind me so quickly that I barely had time to react.
The girl immediately tucked the scissors away, looking far too pleased with herself.
"That's what I thought."
"You're so mean!" Jayden protested, snatching Mr. Ted from her hands.
"And you're a little troublemaker."
She reached over and ruffled his already messy hair.
He ducked away, attempting to smooth it down with one hand while clutching his bunny with the other.
The girl sighed before turning towards us.
"I'm so sorry about that. My little brother has a talent for causing trouble wherever he goes."
"I'm standing right here!" Jayden complained.
"Oh, really? I hadn't noticed."
She rolled her eyes.
A few of the others chuckled.
I couldn't help smiling myself. Whatever we'd interrupted, it certainly didn't seem unusual for these two.
The girl adjusted the basket on her arm before giving us a warm, apologetic smile.
"My name is Laelynn, by the way. And this little menace is Jayden."
"I'm not a menace!"
"Of course not, sweetheart."
She said it so sweetly that I almost laughed again.
Then her gaze moved over our group, lingering briefly on our unfamiliar faces and travel-worn clothes.
"Are you new here?"