Aria's POV
Two moons.
I stared up at the impossible sky, my brain refusing to process what my eyes were seeing. One moon was silver-white, like Earth's moon. The other glowed with a soft purple light.
"Breathe, Aria," Finn's voice came from beside me. "You need to breathe."
I realized I was holding my breath. I sucked in air, but it didn't help. My chest felt too tight. My head spun.
"She's going into shock," Finn said urgently.
Strong hands gripped my shoulders. Kael knelt in front of me, his silver eyes level with mine. "Look at me. Just look at me. Focus on my voice."
I tried, but everything was swimming. "This isn't real. I'm dreaming. I hit my head on the bridge and I'm dreaming—"
"This is real." Kael's voice was firm but not unkind. "I know it's overwhelming. But I need you to stay with me. Can you do that?"
I forced myself to focus on his face. His eyes were so silver they almost glowed. But there was something steady about them. Something that made me feel like maybe, just maybe, I wouldn't completely fall apart.
"Good," Kael said when I nodded. "Now, slow breaths. In and out."
I breathed with him until my heart stopped racing quite so fast.
"Where are we?" I whispered.
"The Veil," Finn answered. "The realm between the human world and all the other supernatural dimensions. This is where most magical beings live."
"Magical beings." I laughed, but it came out slightly hysterical. "Of course. Because shadow monsters and talking cats weren't weird enough."
"I wasn't a talking cat," Finn protested. "I was a shapeshifter pretending to be a cat. Totally different."
Despite everything, I almost smiled. "You ate cat food."
"It wasn't that bad." Finn grinned, and for a second he looked exactly like the cat who'd kept me company for months—mischievous and warm. "Besides, it was worth it to protect you."
"Protect me from what?" I asked. "Why would I need protection?"
Kael stood and offered me his hand. I took it, and he pulled me to my feet. "Come. There's someone who can explain better than I can."
For the first time, I looked around at where we'd landed.
We stood in a courtyard made of white stone that seemed to glow softly in the moonlight. Gardens surrounded us—but the flowers were wrong. They bloomed in colors that shouldn't exist: silver roses, golden tulips, flowers that shifted from blue to purple as I watched.
Beyond the gardens rose a palace. At least, I thought it was a palace. It looked like something from a fairy tale, all towers and arched windows, built from the same glowing white stone as the courtyard.
"Is this your house?" I asked Kael.
"It's one of my residences." He said it so casually, like having multiple palaces was normal.
"Who are you?" I demanded. "Really?"
"I told you. I'm Kael Nightshade, Sovereign of—"
"What does that even mean?"
Kael exchanged a glance with Finn. "It means I'm the king here."
My legs went weak again. "King. You're a king."
"Don't freak out," Finn said quickly.
"Don't freak out?" My voice rose. "I just found out magic is real, I got attacked by shadow monsters, and now I'm standing in front of an actual KING in a place with TWO MOONS—"
A gentle voice interrupted my panic. "The child is frightened. Perhaps you could give her some space to process?"
I spun around.
A woman stood in the garden archway. She had the most unusual appearance I'd ever seen—her skin had a faint green tint, and her long hair seemed to be made of actual vines and flowers. Her eyes were the warm brown of tree bark, and when she smiled, I felt instantly calmer.
"Who—" I started.
"Lyra," the woman said, gliding forward. She moved like wind through leaves. "I'm a nature spirit. And I've been watching over you for a very long time, little seedling."
"Watching over me?" My heart raced again. "Like Finn?"
"Not quite." Lyra stopped a few feet away, as if sensing I needed space. "Finn could stay close to you in the human world. I could not. So I took refuge in your plants."
The memory hit me. "My windowsill plants. You were in my plants?"
"The rosemary, specifically. You have very gentle hands with growing things." Lyra's smile was warm. "It's one of your gifts."
"I don't have gifts," I said automatically. "I'm nobody. I'm just—"
"You are Aria Chen, daughter of Elena Chen, the most powerful Guardian in three hundred years." A new voice spoke, and I spun again.
An older woman emerged from the palace. She had silver-white hair pulled into a braid, dark skin, and eyes that looked ancient and wise. She wore flowing robes and carried herself like royalty.
"High Priestess Moira," Kael said with respect in his voice. "Thank you for coming."
"Of course." Moira studied me with those ancient eyes. "So this is Elena's daughter. I can see the resemblance."
"You knew my mother?" The words burst out of me.
"I trained her." Moira moved closer. "Just as I will train you, if you choose to accept."
"Train me to do what?"
"To be what you were born to be. A Guardian."
There was that word again. Guardian. Kael had said it. Malachar had said it. And now this priestess.
"I don't understand what that means," I said desperately. "Everyone keeps saying I'm a Guardian, but what IS that?"
Moira gestured to a stone bench. "Perhaps you should sit."
"I don't want to sit!" My voice cracked. "I want answers! My whole life just fell apart. My family betrayed me, my boyfriend cheated on me, I got attacked by monsters, and now I'm in some magical realm with TWO MOONS and everyone's acting like I'm supposed to understand what's happening!"
Tears streamed down my face. I couldn't stop them.
Lyra moved forward and gently touched my arm. Immediately, I felt calmer—not artificially calm, but like someone had given me the strength to hold myself together.
"Thank you," Lyra said softly. "For watering me all those months. For talking to me about your day. For being kind even when you were hurting. That's why you'll make a great Guardian, Aria. Not because of your power—because of your heart."
Something about her words broke through my panic. I wiped my eyes and forced myself to breathe.
"Okay," I said shakily. "Okay. Tell me. What's a Guardian?"
Moira sat on the bench and patted the space beside her. This time, I sat.
"Long ago," Moira began, "when the human world and supernatural realms were first separated, a problem arose. The barrier between worlds was unstable. Darkness leaked through. Monsters crossed over. Humans and supernatural beings fought each other."
I listened, trying to process.
"The Moon Goddess—the being who created supernatural creatures—saw the suffering. So she created Guardians. Humans born with a piece of her own divine power. Guardians can sense when the barriers weaken. They can heal the rifts. They can communicate with both humans and supernatural beings. They maintain the balance."
"But I can't do any of that," I protested.
"Not yet," Moira agreed. "Your mother sealed your powers when you were five. She knew that people would try to use you, hurt you, or worse. The seal was meant to keep you safe until you were old enough and strong enough to protect yourself."
"It breaks at eighteen," I whispered, remembering what Kael had said.
"Exactly. Your power has been waking up all week, actually. Haven't you noticed strange things happening?"
I thought back. "The flowers at the coffee shop bloomed even though it's October. Mrs. Chen said it was a miracle."
"You made them bloom," Lyra said gently. "Your power reaching out to living things."
"And that stray dog that was hurt in the alley," Finn added. "You touched it, and it healed. You thought it was just getting better on its own."
My head spun. "But if my mother sealed my power, why did it break now? Why tonight?"
Moira's expression grew sad. "Because seals aren't perfect. They erode over time. And strong emotions can shatter them faster. Tonight, when you experienced such deep betrayal, such pain—your seal cracked completely."
"That's why Malachar's creatures could find you," Kael said quietly. "They've been searching for the next Guardian for thirteen years. The moment your power awakened, they sensed it."
"Who is Malachar?" I asked. "Why does he want me?"
"Malachar is an ancient entity," Moira explained. "He feeds on chaos and darkness. A Guardian's power is the opposite—we bring balance and light. If he could capture you, corrupt your power, he could tear down the barriers between realms entirely. The human world would be flooded with monsters and darkness."
I felt sick. "So because of me—"
"Because of people like Malachar," Kael corrected firmly. "None of this is your fault, Aria."
"But I don't know how to fight him! I don't know how to do anything!"
"That's why you'll train," Moira said. "That's why you have us. Kael will protect you. Finn will guard you. Lyra will teach you to connect with nature and your inner power. And I will help you understand what it means to be a Guardian."
"And if I say no?" My voice was small. "What if I don't want to be a Guardian?"
Silence fell over the courtyard.
Finally, Kael spoke. "Then I'll still protect you. I'll find somewhere safe for you to hide. Somewhere Malachar can't reach. You can live a quiet life away from all of this."
"But the barriers would keep weakening," Moira added softly. "Without a Guardian to maintain them, darkness would slowly leak into both realms. Not all at once. Not dramatically. But people would suffer. Monsters would slip through. The balance would crumble."
"So I don't really have a choice." Bitterness crept into my voice.
"You always have a choice," Kael said. "But yes—both paths have consequences."
I looked at each of them. Kael with his serious silver eyes. Finn grinning supportively. Lyra radiating gentle encouragement. Moira watching me with patient understanding.
These strangers had more faith in me than my own family ever did.
"I'm scared," I admitted.
"Good," Finn said. "Smart people are scared. It's the idiots who think they're invincible that get killed first."
Despite everything, I laughed weakly.
"You don't have to decide everything tonight," Kael said. "For now, you're safe here. Rest. Process. Tomorrow, we can—"
He stopped mid-sentence, his head snapping toward the palace gates.
Finn tensed. "What is it?"
"Visitors." Kael's voice went cold and hard. "Three of them. They just breached the outer defenses."
"That's impossible," Moira said, standing. "No one can breach your defenses unless—"
"Unless they have something of the Guardian's," Kael finished grimly.
My stomach dropped. "The papers. The ones I signed. They have my signature."
"Your signature carries your power," Lyra breathed. "It's like a tracking beacon."
The palace gates exploded inward with a blast of dark magic.
Through the smoke walked three figures I recognized immediately.
Victoria. Marcus. And Ryan.
But they looked wrong. Their eyes glowed red, and shadows writhed around them like living things.
"Hello, Aria," Victoria said, her voice layered with something inhuman. "Did you really think you could run from family?"