The Edge of Two Worlds

Chapter 23: The Edge of Two Worlds

The wind tore through the trees like a chorus of warnings as Selene reappeared in the heart of the Weeping Pines, miles from the Coven's chamber. Her knees hit the damp earth, breath ragged, the remnants of searing magic still trailing in her veins. Her skin burned where the sigils had tried to unbind her, but the bond pulsed stronger than ever, a silver thread linking her soul to Kael's.

She pressed her hand against her chest, feeling the echo of his presence—distant but fierce, like a heartbeat that wasn't hers. He was safe. Bruised, perhaps, but alive. And he had felt her pain. That thought, strangely, grounded her.

She couldn't go back to the Coven. Not now. Not ever.

"Outcast," she muttered, brushing leaves from her dress. "Again."

Branches shifted above her, and she spun, hand glowing with flame. But it wasn't a threat that emerged from the trees—it was a figure in tattered grey robes, half-shadowed by the mist.

"You shouldn't be here, girl," the figure rasped.

Selene didn't lower her hand. "Neither should you."

The stranger stepped closer, revealing a face partially marked with ancient runes. "The bond has awakened the Hollow Path. The forest stirs because the balance has been disturbed."

Selene narrowed her eyes. "Who are you?"

"A Seer. A keeper of the Old Flame. I watched your trial in the scrying pools."

She frowned. "Then you know what they tried to do."

"I know they failed," the Seer said. "But power like that doesn't awaken quietly. Others have seen the flare. Hunters. Shades. Even the Godless. You and your wolf are exposed."

Selene hesitated. "Then what do I do?"

The Seer reached into their robes and pulled out a pendant shaped like a crescent entwined with thorns. "Find the Rootgate. It lies beneath the Silver Hollow. Only there will you understand the full shape of the curse—and the gift—you've inherited."

Selene took the pendant, heat radiating from the metal. "And Kael?"

"Bring him. The gate will only open to both of you."

Before she could ask more, the Seer vanished into smoke.

Kael stood at the edge of a cliff overlooking a river gorge. The silver mark on his chest burned faintly, a reminder that Selene had survived—but the ache in his bones told him she was still in danger. His pack had gathered behind him, uncertain.

"You shouldn't have come back," said Riven, his second-in-command. "The Council's furious. They say the bond is war."

"It may be," Kael replied. "But I won't let them touch her."

A young scout emerged from the trees, panting. "Alpha! Word from the northern ridge—there's movement. Witchfire. But… it's not like before. It's darker."

Kael's jaw clenched. "We ride now. Prepare the others."

The pack scattered into motion, howls ringing through the gorge. Kael remained still for a moment longer, eyes on the moonlit valley below. He knew Selene was out there. He could feel her. The bond tugged at his soul like a magnet, pulling him west.

He shifted into his wolf form, fur rippling silver beneath the moonlight, and leapt into the night.

Selene moved through the forest, the pendant around her neck pulsing with growing heat. The Rootgate. The name felt etched into her bones, like a memory she hadn't lived yet. Her thoughts returned to Kael—his voice, his eyes, the warmth that lingered even in silence.

She had to find him. Not just for the gate. For herself. For whatever they were becoming.

The deeper she moved into the Hollow, the stranger the world became. The trees grew wider, ancient. Their bark shimmered faintly, whispering in languages no longer spoken. The roots pulsed beneath her feet, veins of silver light weaving through the earth. Her magic responded, flaring in her fingertips.

She reached the edge of the Silver Hollow just as the sun dipped below the horizon. The forest fell eerily silent. A circle of trees curved into an ancient arch, glowing with pale moss and faint moonlight. The pendant flared, and her magic surged in response.

A humming began. Low. Resounding. As though the forest itself recognized her.

She stepped into the circle.

The air thickened instantly, and her vision blurred. Light spiraled around her, turning the world upside down. Voices—old and sorrowful—whispered from the shadows.

Then… silence.

She stood inside a vast underground glade lit by bioluminescent vines. In the center rose a stone gate, shaped like two wolves howling into the sky, entwined with thorns and crescent moons. The Rootgate.

But something was wrong. A flicker of movement at the base of the gate caught her attention. Hooded figures—three of them—cloaked in black and bearing marks not of witches or wolves. Outsiders.

The Godless.

They turned in unison. One raised a blade etched with runes. "You are not welcome here, bondborn."

Selene raised her hands. Fire coiled at her palms.

A howl echoed—Kael.

The fight had just begun.