Aria's POV
I woke up screaming.
The nightmare was still vivid—Ryan's possessed red eyes, Kael's blood on my hands, that terrible prophecy: save all the realms or destroy them.
"Whoa, whoa, easy!" Finn's voice cut through my panic. "You're safe. You're in the palace. Nobody's attacking."
I sucked in desperate breaths, my heart hammering. Slowly, my surroundings came into focus.
I was lying in the most incredible bed I'd ever seen—so soft it felt like sleeping on a cloud. Silk curtains hung from the ceiling in colors that shifted from silver to blue. The walls seemed to shimmer with their own light, like someone had captured starlight and used it to paint.
"This isn't real," I whispered. "None of this is real."
"It's real." Finn sat on the edge of the bed, back in his human form. He wore elegant clothes now—a fitted shirt and pants that looked expensive. "How are you feeling?"
"Like I got hit by a truck." My whole body ached. "What happened? After I healed Kael, everything went black."
"You passed out from using too much power. Kael carried you here, and you've been sleeping for six hours." Finn grinned. "By the way, you talk in your sleep. Something about a cat eating all the tuna?"
Despite everything, I almost smiled. "That was you. You knocked over an entire can last month."
"Worth it. That tuna was delicious." His expression turned serious. "Aria, we need to talk about what happened tonight. About what you did."
"I don't even know what I did." I sat up slowly, noticing I was wearing different clothes—a soft nightgown that definitely wasn't mine. "Who changed me?"
"Lyra. Don't worry, she was very respectful." Finn shifted to face me fully. "Listen, what you did—purging shadow poison from someone—that's advanced magic. Most Guardians train for years before they can do that. You did it on pure instinct."
"I just knew I couldn't let him die." The memory of Kael's blood made my stomach twist. "He took that hit for me. He barely knows me, and he was willing to die."
"That's Kael." Finn's voice held respect. "Once he makes a promise, he keeps it. No matter what."
"You've known him a long time?"
"Three hundred years, give or take." At my shocked expression, Finn laughed. "Supernatural beings live a lot longer than humans. I'm 247 years old."
"You're WHAT?" I stared at him. "But you look twenty-five!"
"I'll take that as a compliment." He winked. "But yeah, in the supernatural world, I'm basically still a kid. Kael's considered young for a Sovereign too, even at 327."
My head spun. "This is insane. Yesterday I was making lattes and worrying about rent. Now I'm in a magical realm talking to a 247-year-old shapeshifter about healing a 327-year-old king."
"Life comes at you fast." Finn stood and walked to the window, pulling back the curtains. "Come look at this."
I climbed out of bed carefully and joined him. Through the window, I saw an impossible landscape—mountains that seemed to float in the air, forests with trees that glowed softly, and that sky with two moons.
"It's beautiful," I breathed.
"This is The Veil. Your new home, if you want it to be."
I turned to look at him. "What if I don't want it? What if I just want to go back to my normal life?"
Finn's expression was sympathetic. "Aria, you don't have a normal life to go back to. Your family framed you. Your boyfriend betrayed you. And now Malachar knows you exist—he'll never stop hunting you."
The truth hit me like a punch. He was right. I had nothing left in the human world.
"Besides," Finn continued, "you're a Guardian. That's not something you can just ignore. The power inside you—it's part of who you are now. Maybe part of who you've always been."
Before I could respond, a knock sounded at the door.
"Come in," Finn called.
The door opened, and Kael walked in.
In the soft morning light, he looked different than he had during the battle. Less terrifying, more... human. His dark hair was slightly messy, and he wore simple clothes—a black shirt and pants. But those silver eyes were the same, intense and focused.
On me.
"You're awake." His voice was softer than I expected. "How do you feel?"
"Tired. Confused. Scared." I decided to be honest. "But alive, thanks to you."
"I should be thanking you." Kael touched his chest where the wound had been. "You saved my life. No one's ever done that before."
"You saved mine first. Multiple times." Our eyes met, and I felt that strange flutter in my chest again. "I guess we're even now?"
"Not even close," Kael said quietly. "You didn't have to help me. You could have run, protected yourself. But you stayed and risked your own life to heal me." He paused. "That takes courage."
"Or stupidity," I muttered.
"Courage," Kael repeated firmly. "Which is exactly what a Guardian needs."
I looked away, uncomfortable with the praise. "About that... everyone keeps calling me a Guardian. But I don't feel special. I don't feel powerful. I feel like I'm drowning and everyone expects me to swim."
"Then we'll teach you to swim." Kael moved closer. "That's why I brought you here. Not just to keep you safe, but to help you understand what you are. What you can become."
"And what if I can't? What if I'm not strong enough?" The fear I'd been holding back spilled out. "What if that prophecy Moira mentioned comes true, and I'm the one who destroys everything?"
Kael's expression darkened. "You heard that."
"Right before I passed out. She said the last Guardian would either save all the realms or destroy them." My voice shook. "What does that mean? What if I'm the destroy them option?"
"You're not." Kael's certainty surprised me.
"How can you know that?"
"Because I've seen how you treat others. You fed a stray cat for months. You talked to your plants. You worked three jobs to support a family that abused you, and you never complained." Kael's silver eyes blazed with conviction. "Evil people don't do those things, Aria. Darkness doesn't live in your heart."
Tears burned my eyes. "You don't know me."
"I know enough." He reached out slowly, giving me time to pull away, and gently wiped a tear from my cheek. His touch was warm despite the shadows that always seemed to surround him. "And I'm going to help you become strong enough that you never have to be afraid again."
The moment stretched between us, charged with something I didn't understand.
Finn cleared his throat loudly. "Okay, this is getting intense. Should I leave?"
I jumped back, blushing. Kael dropped his hand, but his eyes never left my face.
"Actually, I came to ask if Aria felt well enough for a tour," Kael said. "There's much she needs to see. People she should meet."
"I'm okay," I said, even though I still felt weak. "I want to understand this place. Understand what I'm supposed to be."
"Then come." Kael offered his hand. "Let me show you The Veil."
I hesitated only a second before taking his hand. His fingers wrapped around mine—strong, warm, steady.
We walked through hallways that seemed to shift and change, past rooms filled with supernatural beings who stopped and stared when they saw me. Some bowed. Others whispered to each other.
"Why are they looking at me like that?" I asked quietly.
"Because Guardians are rare," Kael explained. "There's only been one per generation for the past three thousand years. To most of them, Guardians are legends. Myths. And now they're seeing one in person."
"No pressure or anything," I muttered.
Kael squeezed my hand. "You'll get used to it."
We stepped out onto a balcony overlooking the palace gardens. In daylight, The Veil was even more incredible—creatures I'd only seen in storybooks flew through the air, flowers bloomed in impossible colors, and the two moons hung low on the horizon despite it being morning.
"It's so beautiful," I breathed.
"Yes," Kael agreed, but when I looked at him, he was watching me, not the view.
My cheeks heated. "You're staring."
"I apologize." But he didn't look away. "It's just... you remind me so much of your mother. Elena had the same kindness in her eyes. The same strength."
"Tell me about her." I turned to face him. "Please. My father never talked about her. I barely remember anything."
Kael's expression grew distant, remembering. "Elena was the most powerful Guardian in three hundred years. She could heal entire forests, calm storms, and see the truth in anyone's heart. But more than her power, it was her compassion that made her special. She believed everyone deserved a second chance."
"How did she save your life?"
"I was young—only thirty years old. Barely older than a child by our standards. A dark entity attacked, trying to kill me and take control of The Veil. Elena sensed the imbalance and came. She fought for three days straight, never resting, until she finally defeated the creature." Kael's voice dropped. "She almost died protecting me. A stranger's child."
"That sounds like her," I said softly. "Even in my few memories, she was always helping others."
"When she died protecting you, I was devastated. I'd sworn to repay her kindness, but I never got the chance." Kael turned to me. "Finding you, keeping you safe—it's not just a duty, Aria. It's personal."
The intensity in his eyes made my heart race. I opened my mouth to respond when—
A bell tolled. Deep, resonating, urgent.
Kael's entire body tensed. "No."
"What is it?" Finn appeared on the balcony, his expression grim.
"The barrier alarm." Kael's hand tightened on mine. "Something's breaching the realm's outer defenses."
Zane burst through the balcony doors, his ice-blue eyes wild. "Sovereign! You need to see this. Now."
We ran to the palace's highest tower. When we reached the top, Kael pulled out a crystal that showed a bird's-eye view of The Veil's borders.
What I saw made my blood run cold.
An army. Thousands of shadow creatures, all marching toward the palace in perfect formation. And leading them were three familiar figures with glowing red eyes.
"Your family," Finn breathed. "They brought an army."
But that wasn't the worst part.
Behind the army, a figure materialized—massive, made of pure shadow, with burning red eyes the size of houses.
"Malachar," Kael whispered. "He's here. In his true form."
The shadow giant's voice boomed across the realm, so loud it shook the tower we stood in:
"ARIA CHEN. LAST GUARDIAN. YOU HAVE ONE HOUR TO SURRENDER YOURSELF TO ME, OR I WILL TEAR DOWN EVERY BARRIER BETWEEN REALMS. THE HUMAN WORLD WILL BURN. EVERY SUPERNATURAL BEING WILL DIE. ALL OF IT—ON YOUR HEAD."
One hour. He was giving me one hour to save everyone or let them all die.
I looked at Kael, at Finn, at Zane. They all wore the same expression—determination mixed with fear.
"What do I do?" I whispered.
Kael's silver eyes met mine, and for the first time since I'd met him, I saw genuine terror in them.
"I don't know."