✨ Chapter 20 – The Portal Child
The western grounds of Elmwood Academy didn't feel like part of the school at all.
The trees grew crooked, leaning unnaturally.
The wind howled through broken greenhouse frames.
The air tasted stale, like it had been trapped for centuries.
Ariana shivered as the group stepped past the last functioning lantern.
"This place feels wrong," she whispered.
"It is wrong," Zane murmured.
His voice was unusually tense. "The magic here… it's twisted."
Rylan kicked a rock aside.
"That's an understatement. My flames don't even want to spark."
Calen held out a hand.
A thin layer of frost appeared—
then cracked.
Then melted.
He stared at his palm.
"…That's not supposed to happen."
Ariana felt her wolf curl into her chest, body low, ears pinned back.
She stopped walking.
Kai immediately stepped beside her.
"What is it?"
Ariana closed her eyes.
Her wolf whispered—
a sound like a quivering whine.
"Something is watching," she murmured. "Something angry."
Rylan's hand went to his sword.
"We got company?"
"Not vampires," Zane said. "Something else."
Calen nodded.
"Something… made."
Ariana swallowed hard.
"Like the lab?"
"No," Zane whispered. "Older. The land itself feels infected."
They pushed deeper into the abandoned settlement.
The structures were half-collapsed, roofs caved in, windows shattered.
Vines grew over stone walls like twisted veins.
Ariana's light orb flickered weakly.
Kai frowned.
"Your light doesn't last here?"
"It drains faster," Ariana whispered. "Something here eats magic."
Rylan muttered, "Great. We found the diet plan of nightmares."
---
## **The Heart of the Settlement**
When they reached the center, the land dipped into a sunken hollow.
An old fountain stood cracked in the middle, water long gone.
Runes glowed faintly at the base—
fading in and out like dying breaths.
Zane crouched beside them.
"These runes… they kept something sealed."
Ariana felt ice grip her chest.
"And now they're broken."
Kai scanned the perimeter.
"Everyone, stay close. Ariana—stay behind me."
She ignored the order—
and stepped forward.
"Ariana!" Kai hissed.
"My wolf is trying to show me something."
Calen groaned. "This is how horror stories start."
Ariana didn't answer.
She placed her hand on the cracked stone—
And a shock ran through her like electric venom.
"Ariana!" Kai grabbed her instantly as she stumbled.
"I'm fine," she gasped. "I saw something—years ago—this place was full of people. Students. Researchers. Until…"
Until something poisoned the ground.
Until the land turned on them.
Zane swallowed hard.
"They tried to contain it. They failed."
Rylan opened his mouth to answer—
but the ground shook violently.
A deep roar echoed through the hollow.
Ariana froze.
"What was that?"
"No," Kai breathed, pulling her close. "Not good."
A massive shape emerged from behind the ruined fountain.
Not vampire.
Not human.
Not animal.
A creature of twisted magic and rotting earth.
Its body was made of roots and sinew.
Its eyes glowed sickly green.
Its breath came out as fumes that burned the air.
Calen whispered:
"That's a Corrupted Guardian."
Ariana stared.
"A what?"
Zane answered grimly.
"A protector spirit that mutated after the settlement was poisoned. It was meant to guard people. Now it kills anything that moves."
The creature reared its head and roared—
a sound that shook Ariana's bones.
Rylan swore.
"Okay, THAT is decidedly worse than vampires."
Kai hissed, pulling Ariana behind him.
"Everyone, move! Formation!"
Calen shot ice.
Rylan blasted fire.
Zane struck with psychic force.
The creature stumbled backward—
shrieking—
then lunged again, faster this time.
Ariana's wolf screamed inside her.
**"RUN."**
"Ariana!" Kai grabbed her hand. "Move!"
They darted through fallen beams, half-collapsed houses, twisted trees—
But the creature followed, fast, relentless, enraged.
Zane yelled from behind:
"It's drawing power from the land! It won't stop!"
"We need a way out!" Calen shouted.
"There isn't one!" Rylan snapped.
Ariana gasped, stumbling as vines shot from the ground, wrapping around her ankles.
Kai slashed them away with glowing claws.
"Stay with me!" he yelled.
"I'm trying!" she cried.
The creature roared again—
right behind them.
They skidded to a halt.
A dead end.
Collapsed stone blocked the path.
Rylan cursed.
"We're trapped."
Zane's eyes darted.
"No. There has to be—"
The creature lunged.
Ariana screamed—
—and then the air *ripped open* in front of them.
A swirling portal appeared, shimmering with blue and gold energy.
A tiny voice piped:
"Hurry!"
A small hand shot out of the portal—
belonging to a girl.
A little girl.
Four years old.
Dark hair in curls.
Big violet eyes just like Kai's.
She stood barefoot in the center of the portal, dress glowing, magic swirling around her like a shield.
Ariana froze.
Kai went white.
"A—Aster?"
The little girl beamed.
"Kai-Kai!"
"What—WHAT are you doing here?!" Kai shouted, voice breaking with panic.
"HOW did you get here?! Who brought you?! WHO LET YOU—"
Ariana grabbed his arm sharply.
"Kai! She saved us!"
The creature lurched forward.
Aster stomped her tiny foot.
"BAD ROOT MONSTER!"
She clapped her hands—
And the portal widened.
Ariana felt herself pulled forward—
Kai grabbed Aster with one arm, Ariana with the other—
And the five of them tumbled through the portal just as the creature's claws reached the collapsing stone wall.
Everything went blinding white—
Then silent.
---
## **The Safe Clearing**
They landed in a grassy meadow on the eastern side of campus, far from danger.
Aster hopped up immediately, brushing dirt off her dress.
"Hi! I missed you."
Kai stared at her in horror.
"Aster Vesper—WHAT were you thinking?! You're not supposed to leave the safe wing! You're FOUR!"
She pouted.
"But you were in trouble."
"THAT DOESN'T MATTER—YOU CAN'T JUST—"
"HEY!" Ariana snapped, stepping between them.
Kai blinked at her.
Ariana knelt beside Aster gently.
"Aster," she said softly, "thank you. You saved all of us."
Aster's face lit up.
"You're pretty," the little girl whispered.
"Just like Kai said!"
Kai made a strangled sound.
"KAI SAID WHAT?" Rylan demanded.
"NOTHING—ASTER STOP TALKING."
Ariana hid a smile.
"Can you show me how your portal works?" she asked kindly.
Aster nodded eagerly.
"It's easy! I draw circles and think really hard about home."
Ariana stroked her hair softly.
"You were very brave. But next time, tell a grown-up, okay?"
Aster nodded solemnly.
"Okay. But you're safe now. So it's okay."
She hugged Ariana tightly.
Ariana hugged her back, heart melting.
Kai rubbed his forehead, exhausted.
"I'm going to age fifty years by the time she turns five…"
Ariana looked at him.
"You're not mad. You're scared."
Kai froze.
She smiled gently.
"It's okay, Kai. She did the right thing."
Kai's shoulders slumped.
"…Yeah. She did."
Aster grabbed Ariana's hand.
"Can you be my friend?"
Ariana smiled warmly.
"I'd love to."
A/n: This has got to be my favorite chapter written in this book. Aster is so cute. What do you guys think about her?