The border between Dominion and Eidolon, a shimmering, almost imperceptible divide where the rigid symmetry of Dominion fades into the chaotic, untamed beauty of Eidolon. The air is heavy with the strange hum of conflicting forces, and the ground shifts underfoot as if it, too, cannot decide which side it belongs to. The connective threads of Dominion's magic glowed faintly beneath Ami's boots, each step accompanied by a crisp, metallic chime. She tried to focus on the orderly sounds, the precision of her footfalls, but the air on this border—it shifted. It wasn't like the cool, disciplined air of Dominion, where one could predict the breeze by consulting the proper glyph charts. No, the air here... laughed.

  Ami swore she could hear it whispering, a playful little tease in her ear as if it was trying to pull strands of hair free from her tight braid. She tightened her grip on the strap of her pack and took another careful step forward.

  Behind her, Fayra bounded ahead, her fluffy fox tail wagging so enthusiastically Ami thought it might detach altogether.

  "Oh, Fireworks," Fayra called out, her grin as wide as a crescent moon. "Are you seriously tiptoeing? C'mon, step over already! The chaos won't bite. Well, it might nibble, but that's just for fun!"

  "I was trying to acclimate myself," Ami muttered, eyeing the invisible border. Each step closer felt like stepping out of a familiar painting and into one where the artist had upended their palette in frustration.

  "Focus." Velene's clipped tone sliced through Fayra's teasing. The Dominion enforcer walked with a meticulous grace that made her look like she was trying to supervise the border itself. Her black-and-gold armor caught the faint light of Dominion's magic, gleaming with what Fayra mockingly called "unimpressed authority."

  Velene stopped at Ami's side, her gaze set forward like a statue's. "This isn't a game. Chaos is unpredictable. It doesn't care how much you smile at it."

  "Oh, lighten up, 'General Gloom.' It's not like we're about to spontaneously combust. Probably."

  "Every step you've taken so far has been ill-advised," Velene retorted. "One of these days, you'll step onto something you can't joke your way out of, Fayra."

  "Then I'll figure it out mid-step," the foxgirl replied, her voice rich with mischief. Her ears perked as she darted forward, practically skipping across the divide. "Watch and learn, Dominion darlings!"

  Ami hesitated. The border was mere inches away now, but it may as well have been a chasm. Part of her—a small, annoyingly persistent part—wanted to follow Fayra's example. To stride forward and let the laughter echo through her hair. But no. Her mother's voice spiraled into her mind, heavy as Dominion's glyphs: Structure, Amarantha. Every spell, every action, must have intent. To step into chaos without preparation is to court disaster.

  scared, darling? you already belong there. maybe it's dominion making you hesitate.

  "I'm thinking, not hesitating," Ami hissed aloud, her fingers twitching against her side.

  "Talking to yourself again?" Fayra called, now perched on a jagged rock that looked like it shouldn't belong in either Dominion or Eidolon. "Don't worry, Fireworks, we can all see your internal drama from here."

  Ami narrowed her eyes. "You know, Fayra, one day my magic might work properly, and you'll regret giving me a reason to aim it at you."

  "Oh, Fireworks. I dream of that day."

  "Ami," Velene's voice brought her focus back, "Are you going to cross or stand there debating with your own reflection all day?"

  It was impossible to tell if she was more annoyed with Fayra's antics or Ami's hesitation—or if both grated on her equally—but Velene's gaze softened slightly as she added, "Chaos does not wait for anyone. Every moment we delay gives Kalyn more time to fortify her position. Step forward with intent. Or step back and let us handle this mission alone."

  The words struck a nerve. For all her mother's harsh lessons, for all the critiques aimed at her awkward use of magic, Dominion at least drilled one truth into her: If you step into a task, you see it through.

  Ami clenched her fists, tightened her jaw, and stepped forward.

  The air... it shifted. Not like a breeze or a gust, but like taking a step into a dream where directions didn't exist. The sensation clawed at her Dominion instincts, but something deep within steadied her—the sense that she wasn't stepping alone.

  "Oh, finally!" Fayra cheered, throwing her arms in the air like Ami had just conquered a mountain. "Welcome to the party, Fireworks!"

  Ami stopped, glancing down at her boots. The shift was immediate—the gold-threaded glow of Dominion's magic faded. Instead, the ground beneath her boots was alive, a riot of color and energy that hummed faintly in time with her pulse.

  how does it feel, darling? the air knows you. the chaos does too. i'm part of it, after all.

  Ami took a slow, steady breath and looked ahead. The border was behind her. She was in Eidolon now. And the air, the laughter—it welcomed her.

  "Don't get too comfortable." Velene's steps brought her to Ami's side, her presence sharp and steady as always. "This is still an unknown territory, and Kalyn hasn't been idle."

  Ahead, the faint, distant sound of a magical explosion shattered the eerie balance of the border. The sky flashed crimson, rippling outward like the sound wave of a scream.

  "Now that's an invitation!" Fayra practically sparkled with excitement. Her tail swished wildly. "Shall we, ladies?"

  Velene rolled her eyes, drawing her weapon—a blade etched with Dominion's precise glyphs. "Stay sharp," she said.

  Ami took another step forward, the chaos beneath her boots rippling gently, almost approvingly.

  welcome home, darling. now, let's see what trouble we can find.

  You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.

  And with the magical explosion lighting their path like an ominous flare, they ventured deeper into Eidolon.

  The explosion had been brilliant—too brilliant, Ami thought as she blinked away the dancing afterimages of crimson and gold. The shockwave had left her boots vibrating, the echoes bouncing across the jagged trees that didn't so much grow as insist themselves upon the landscape. She could still feel the pulse of Eidolon's energy under her feet, like a second heartbeat that refused to settle.

  "Well." Fayra's voice cut through the charged silence. The foxgirl was crouched atop a moss-covered boulder that had suspiciously not been there a moment ago. She tapped her chin theatrically, her tail swishing in quick, amused loops behind her. "That's one way to say 'welcome to Eidolon.' Do you think they meant 'welcome' welcome, or more like, 'we're going to fling more magical explosions at your face' welcome? Because I love surprises, but even I have my limits."

  Velene, as usual, did not rise to the bait. She adjusted her gauntlets, their Dominion glyphs still faintly glowing with order and discipline, and scanned the horizon with a gaze so sharp it could have sliced through the chaotic energy swirling around them. "We're not here for sightseeing, Fayra. Focus. That wasn't a welcome. That was a warning."

  "Pfft." Fayra bounced off the boulder, landing lightly beside Ami, and gestured broadly at the forest around them—a riot of colors and shapes that seemed to change the moment you looked away. The trees were twisted like they had grown mid-laugh, their branches arching impossibly in every direction. The air itself shimmered, alive with motes of dancing light that drifted like curious fireflies. "You Dominion types always think everything's a threat. Maybe it's just the way Eidolon says hello!" She leaned closer to Ami, her grin sharpening. "What do you think, Fireworks? Feel like the place is rolling out the red carpet just for you?"

  Ami winced and adjusted the strap of her pack. Despite the chaos of the scene—or perhaps because of it—she felt an undeniable pull, like her very bones were resonating with the energy of the place. It was dizzying in its beauty and more than a little terrifying. And yet...

  "It's..." She struggled for the word. "Alive."

  "Alive?" Velene raised an eyebrow, her voice heavy with skepticism. "It's unstable. Dangerous."

  "Dangerous is alive," Fayra shot back, her ears swiveling toward Velene as she swished her tail in mock indignation. "I mean, what's life without a little unpredictability? You Dominion folks wouldn't recognize fun if it wrapped itself in a bow and danced on your meticulously polished streets."

  "Enough." Velene's voice was quiet but firm, cutting through the bickering as sharply as one of her blade-like Dominion constructs. "Both of you. We don't have time for this."

  oh, darling, they're adorable. the warrior poet and the chaos kit. too bad you're the only star of this little play. though i must say, i could watch them squabble all day.

  "Not now," Ami muttered under her breath.

  "What was that?" Velene's gaze snapped to her, sharp and probing.

  "Nothing," Ami said quickly, flushing under the weight of Velene's scrutiny.

  Fayra, of course, leaned in with a foxlike grin. "Was that your inner voice, Fireworks? Because if it's anything like you, I bet it's a real edge-of-your-seat conversationalist."

  "oh, don't flatter yourself. you know she won't hear me. but i'd fluff her tail just to see the look on velene's face."

  Ami shook her head and started walking, hoping the others would take the hint and follow. The forest seemed to shift around her, as if eager to meet her halfway. The ground beneath her boots wasn't quite solid—it had the texture of packed earth but the elasticity of a trampoline. Every step felt like a question: Where do you want to go? What do you want to find?

  And that was the problem. She didn't know.

  The sky above, an ever-changing riot of colors, flickered with another burst of chaotic magic in the distance. This time, the explosion was less violent, more... musical. The sound rippled through the air like the chords of an unearthly symphony, and Ami felt it more than heard it—a vibration that thrummed in her chest.

  Fayra lifted her head, her ears perking as she sniffed the air. "Oh, that's new. Musical explosions? I didn't know chaos could jam. What do you think, Vel? Want to join the band?"

  Velene ignored her, her focus entirely on the distant flashes of magic. "We're getting close. Stay alert."

  "Stay alert," Fayra mimicked in a mockingly deep voice, then winked at Ami. "You'd think she gets paid by the word."

  Ami didn't reply. She couldn't shake the feeling that the forest was... watching them. Not with malice, exactly, but with the keen interest of something ancient and unknowable. The air buzzed faintly, carrying whispers that she couldn't quite catch. Couldn't—or didn't want to.

  careful, darling. the wilds like you. maybe a little too much. they don't care if you're ready—they'll take you anyway.

  The path before them split, the fork so sudden and sharp it might as well have appeared out of nowhere. One route twisted into a dark tunnel of overgrown branches and shadow, while the other blazed with golden light, as if the sun itself had decided to lay down and stretch across the ground.

  Velene came to a stop, her expression tightening. "We go left," she said firmly, her hand resting on the hilt of her blade.

  "Oh, come on!" Fayra groaned. "Why do we always pick the spooky route? Look at the right path—it's probably where they keep the treasure! Or at least the snacks."

  Velene shot her a glare. "The light is a trap. Eidolon thrives on illusion. Shadows are safer."

  "Spoken like someone who's never met a good snack table," Fayra muttered, but she fell into step behind Velene as the group veered left.

  Ami hesitated at the fork, her gaze lingering on the golden path. She couldn't explain it, but something about it felt... familiar. Like she'd walked it before, in a dream—or maybe a memory that didn't belong to her.

  you want to go right, Anna teased, her voice practically a purr. but you're too scared she'll judge you for it. or worse, that you'll like it too much.

  "Shut up," Ami whispered, clenching her fists as she hurried to catch up with the others.

  The shadows closed in around them, the air growing cooler and heavier with each step. The trees above twisted together in a canopy so dense it was impossible to tell whether it was night or day. The only light came from faint, flickering streaks of magic that danced like fireflies in the distance.

  Velene, ever vigilant, scanned their surroundings with sharp eyes. Fayra, on the other hand, seemed entirely unbothered, skipping along as if they were on a leisurely stroll through a park.

  "So," Fayra said, her voice bright and breezy, "who do you think is throwing all these magical fireworks? Do you think they'll share their secrets? Or their snacks?"

  "Enough with the snacks," Velene snapped.

  "Well, somebody needs to lighten the mood," Fayra said, tossing her hair. "If you keep scowling like that, your face might freeze that way. Oh, wait, you'd probably consider that an improvement."

  Before Velene could reply, the air around them shifted. The forest fell silent. Utterly, impossibly silent—a silence so deep it seemed to swallow sound itself.

  Ami stopped, her heart pounding. The motes of magic that had been floating lazily ahead coalesced into a shape—a figure, draped in chaotic light, their form blurring at the edges as if they weren't fully real.

  "Well," Fayra whispered, her ears flattening against her head. "Looks like they heard us coming."

  Velene's blade was in her hand in an instant, the glyphs along its edge flaring to life. She stepped in front of Ami, her stance radiating tension.

  Ami stared at the figure, her breath catching. The light shifted, and for a moment, she thought she glimpsed a face—a face that seemed to know her.

  oh, darling, Anna murmured, her voice trembling with something like excitement. this is going to be fun.

  And then the light exploded.