The night air was thick with an unsettling stillness as Levi walked deeper into the heart of the university's hidden underground labyrinth. The normal buzz of student life was replaced by an eerie quiet, as if the entire campus had gone to sleep, but Levi knew better. The city was alive, and so was the ancient magic she was beginning to awaken. Tonight, her steps led her to a place far older than the university itself—a place that had been buried beneath the weight of time and secrecy.
Her fingers traced the cool stone of the wall as she moved, the faintest impression of symbols pulsing beneath her touch. She had always felt it—the pull, the hum of something forgotten, buried. It wasn't until recently that she realized what it was. Magic. Ancient, dangerous magic. Magic tied to her bloodline.
And now, she had found it.
Levi stepped into the low-lit chamber, her breath catching in her throat as her eyes adjusted to the darkness. The ruin stretched out before her, an untouched relic from another era, its stone walls adorned with carvings that seemed to shimmer faintly in the dim light of her candle. She moved cautiously, the weight of the air growing heavier with each step. There was a force here—something old and restless.
At the center of the room, half-covered in moss and vine, was a massive stone circle. It was not just any symbol—it was a gate. A tethered gate.
Her pulse quickened, instinctively knowing that this was the place. The tether gate was a relic of forbidden magic, a portal between realms, and it had been hidden for centuries. The air around it shimmered with an otherworldly energy, the faintest crackling sound filling the silence like the faintest whisper from another world. Levi could feel the pull, the temptation to reach out, to activate it—but she resisted. This was too dangerous.
Her fingers hovered above the intricate carvings that decorated the stone. They were symbols she recognized from her dreams—the same sigil she had seen on her palm, the same one from Eloria's blood-soaked vision. The markings seemed to hum with life, as though they were waiting for her to take the next step.
Levi closed her eyes for a moment, inhaling deeply. Her connection to this magic had grown stronger each day, and yet, there was still so much she didn't understand. She knew this gate was significant—its very existence was a key to something much larger. It was no accident that she had found it.
"Levi," a voice suddenly whispered in the shadows behind her.
She spun around, her heart racing. Rue stood at the entrance to the chamber, his dark eyes narrowed, his expression unreadable. His presence, always commanding, filled the space with an unspoken tension.
"You shouldn't be here," he said quietly, his voice low, almost like a warning.
Levi swallowed hard, trying to steady her breath. "I had to come. I—" She shook her head, frustration evident in her features. "This place… it's pulling me in. I can't ignore it anymore."
Rue stepped closer, his gaze flicking to the tether gate with a mix of awe and concern. "It's dangerous," he said, his voice dropping to a near whisper, as if speaking too loudly might awaken something sleeping beneath the surface. "The tether gate is one of the oldest and most powerful conduits in existence. It's not just a portal—it's a link between worlds, between time and space. The last time it was activated…"
He trailed off, his jaw tightening. Levi didn't need to hear the rest. The last time the gate had been activated, chaos had followed. She could feel it in the weight of the air around her, the palpable sense of ancient power that hung in the ruins like a threat waiting to be unleashed.
"Why is it here?" Levi asked, her voice strained. "Why is it under the campus?"
Rue's eyes darkened as he stepped closer to her, his gaze never leaving the gate. "The council hid it. It's connected to your bloodline, Levi. To the prophecy. The tether gate is a means of crossing boundaries—between realms, between time itself. And right now, it's tethered to you."
Her breath hitched in her throat as the weight of his words sank in. "To me?"
Rue nodded grimly. "You were born to unlock it. Just as the prophecy foretold. This gate was meant to be opened, but you're not ready for what's on the other side."
Levi's heart pounded in her chest as she stepped closer to the gate, her eyes fixed on the runes that shimmered in the dim light. She could almost hear them calling to her, urging her to activate the magic. To take the next step.
"No," Rue said sharply, stepping forward and grabbing her wrist. "Levi, don't. You don't understand what you're dealing with."
Levi yanked her arm free, her eyes blazing with determination. "I'm not afraid of what's on the other side. I need answers, Rue. This… this is the key to everything. The key to my past. To Eloria."
Rue hesitated, his face conflicted. He knew what she was about to do. He knew the consequences, and he also knew that if she went through with it, she would be stepping into a world she might never return from.
"You're not alone in this," Rue said, his voice low and intense. "I will help you, but not like this. Not if you're rushing into it without understanding the consequences. The tether gate isn't just a way to cross realms—it's a weapon. And it can tear apart everything you know."
Levi's eyes softened, but her resolve didn't waver. She had to know what lay beyond, what answers the gate held. She wasn't going to let fear dictate her actions anymore.
"I'll take the risk," she said quietly. "I have to."
As she reached out, her fingers brushing the runes on the gate's surface, the magic responded to her touch. The stone groaned as if waking from a long slumber, and the air crackled with energy, swirling around them both. Rue's expression twisted with concern as the ground beneath them began to tremble, the first sign of the gate coming alive.
But before Levi could step forward, the ground beneath them shattered.
The gate was opening.
Levi's fingers barely grazed the runes on the stone gate when a sudden pulse shot through her chest—raw, electric, and ancient. A gust of air whipped through the ruin, stirring dust and leaves as the tether gate began to glow with an ominous amber light. Her breath caught in her throat, and her hand snapped back on instinct, but it was too late. The gate had awakened.
Behind her, the grimoire—Eloria's grimoire—floated into the air from Levi's satchel, pages flipping furiously as if caught in a phantom wind. Its spine cracked open to a page that shimmered unnaturally, ink glowing red like molten lava. Runes crawled across its surface like living things, pulsing with a rhythm that mirrored Levi's own heartbeat. The grimoire was responding to the gate.
Rue's eyes widened. "Levi! The book—it's syncing with the gate!"
A sudden arc of fiery energy leapt from the grimoire to the tether gate's center, searing through the stone and creating a vertical ripple in the fabric of space. The air trembled. A high-pitched whine pierced the chamber, forcing Levi to her knees. Behind the ripple, something was forming—a breach.
Not just a portal, but a tear in reality.
She gritted her teeth as the pressure built. Every molecule of her body felt like it was being stretched between centuries. The ripple widened into a jagged oval of darkness, and then—just for a moment—Levi saw something through it: a burning forest, a twisted version of her campus in ruin, fire pouring from the sky, black moons bleeding light.
And someone watching from the other side. A woman, cloaked in shadows, her eyes the same crimson as Eloria's blood.
"She sees me…" Levi whispered, unable to tear her gaze away.
Rue cursed in Infernal, grabbing her by the shoulders and trying to pull her back. "That's not just a vision—it's a mirror through time! That thing's looking back!"
But the grimoire wasn't done. Its pages twisted violently, and the air above it cracked open with a thunderous sound like splintering bone. Shadows poured from the breach and spiraled through the ruin, carving scorch marks into the stone floor. One of them brushed against Rue's cheek, burning his skin like acid.
"I can't shut it down!" Levi screamed. Her hands, glowing with sigil-light, trembled as she reached for the grimoire. "It's choosing! It's choosing to open!"
Rue's hands flared with dark magic as he cast a protective ward, shielding them from the spiraling debris. "Then we make it choose you."
At his words, Levi pressed her palm—marked with the sigil—onto the center of the grimoire. Her blood seeped into the page, and with a final, bone-rattling howl, the breach surged wide.
And then everything went still.
A ring of smoldering runes burned into the ground. The tether gate stood humming, now dormant. The breach had not closed—it had anchored. Not fully open, not fully shut. Suspended.
Levi slumped to her knees, drenched in sweat, her skin pale.
Rue knelt beside her, his voice hoarse. "You didn't just open a door, Levi… You invited something through."
And high above them, in the shadows of the ruin's cracked ceiling, a pair of glowing eyes blinked awake.
The air in the upper city buzzed with tension as Prairie stumbled out of the ancient archives, clutching the fragments of parchment she had stolen from the Council of Shadows' private chamber. Her breath came in ragged bursts, eyes wide as the pieces began to make sense—about Eloria's execution, about the tether gate, about Levi. She had to warn them. She had to reach them now.
But her steps faltered when a cold presence swept into the alleyway behind her. Footsteps—slow, deliberate, familiar.
"Going somewhere, Miss Smith?"The voice was smooth. Laced with venom.
Prairie froze. "Selene…"
The witch-hunter emerged from the darkness like a blade unsheathed, all leather and pale fury. Her silver eyes locked onto Prairie's, and her hand hovered over the obsidian dagger strapped at her thigh. "You've been sniffing around where you shouldn't. Traitorous little thing."
"I'm not part of your war," Prairie snapped, stepping back. "I just want to understand what's happening."
"That's the problem," Selene hissed. "Curiosity killed more than cats. Witches, humans—makes no difference. You poke around long enough, and something bites back."
Prairie turned to run—but Selene was faster.
In a blur, the witch-hunter slammed her against the wall, one hand on her throat, the other drawing the dagger. Runes glowed along its hilt, humming with witch-killing energy. Prairie choked, clawing at Selene's grip.
"Levi Rose is an abomination," Selene growled. "You think you're helping her? You're feeding the flame that'll burn us all."
Prairie's fingers found the edge of a broken brick. She swung it blindly, catching Selene's cheek—just enough to throw her off. She gasped and twisted away, trying to flee again.
Selene snarled. "Wrong answer."
She lunged—
And was slammed into the opposite wall by a shadowy blur.
Scout Cromwell materialized from the night like a specter, his eyes glowing faintly, fangs barely visible as he pinned Selene's arm to the brickwork. "Didn't anyone ever teach you manners, Graves?" he said coolly.
Selene spat blood, struggling against his iron grip. "Vampire filth."
"And yet I still have more humanity than you."
Prairie coughed, scrambling upright. "Scout… I didn't—how did you find me?"
"You light up like a signal flare when you're scared." He didn't take his eyes off Selene. "She was going to gut you."
Selene twisted her wrist—her dagger nicked Scout's side, but he didn't flinch. "You think you're the only monster who cares about the girl?" she sneered. "Levi's waking something worse than any of us. When she burns this city to ash, remember this moment."
He shoved her back, hard, then turned to Prairie. "Come on."
Prairie hesitated, looking down at Selene. "She won't stop."
"No," Scout said, grabbing her hand. "But we don't have time to play executioner. Levi just opened a gate. We need to get to her before they do."
As they vanished into the shadows, Selene rose slowly from the alley floor, blood trailing down her face, and whispered into the night:
"Let the witch burn. Let her all burn."