When Nyx woke up she felt pain in her entire body.
"Don't move." Raziel said immediately. "The healers said you need to rest for at least a week."
Nyx looked around. She was in Raziel's den, surrounded by furs and fire. Raziel was sitting beside her, looking exhausted.
"How much… time has… passed?" She whispered.
"A whole day." He held a cup of water to her lips. "Drink slowly.."
She couldn't drink more than two sips. It was hurting. When she was done, she tried to sit up.
"I said don't move." Raziel gently touched her shoulder. "Your ribs are still broken. If you move the wrong way, it can harm your lung."
"Can't just… lie here."
"You can and you will." His voice left no room for argument. "Sylthis has agreed to delay the trail for a week after seeing your condition."
"Sylthis… agreed?" Nyx was suspicious. "Why?"
"Because even he isn't interested in watching you die from injuries before their trial begins. What's the fun in that?"
Nyx would have laughed if it wouldn't have killed her. Instead, she just closed her eyes.
"I need to tell you something." Raziel became more serious. "Kira wants me to send you away."
"Where?"
"To a neutral territory. Somewhere you can recover without political pressure." He paused. "She thinks keeping you here puts both of us at risk."
"She's probably right."
"I know she is but I'm not sending you away."
Nyx opened her eyes and looked at him.
"Why not?"
"Because the moment you step away from here, someone will try to kill you. Here, at least, I can keep you safe."
"Your people hate me. Half of them want me dead."
"Half of every kingdom wants you dead." Raziel smiled. "But the others are starting to wonder if we were wrong about humans. Korran using the mercy law is spreading everywhere. People are talking."
"About what?"
"About your courage, about a human who refused to quit even when death was in front of her and whether the old laws still make sense." He reached out and held her bandaged hand. "You're changing minds, Nyx."
"Great. I'll be less dead that way."
"Hopefully." He stood up. "I need to attend a council meeting. The other kings want updates about your health. Will you be alright alone for a few hours?"
"Of course."
"Kira will be nearby if you need anything."
After Raziel left, Nyx lay there staring at the ceiling. Her body hurt too much to sleep, but she was too exhausted to do anything else. She counted the stones above her, trying to distract herself from the pain.
Hours passed, she didn't know how many.
Then she heard something strange. A shadow moved near the wall.
"Hello?" Nyx tried to sit up. "Kira?"
There was no response. The shadow moved again.
"Guards!" Nyx tried to shout, but her voice was too weak. She tried again. "GUARDS!"
The shadow formed a huge dark shape with eyes that glowed like stars. Nyx had never seen anything like it.
The creature walked toward her. Nyx tried to grab a weapon but there was nothing nearby.
"Stay back." She said in a threatening voice despite being helpless. "The guards will…"
The creature laughed.
"Guards… cannot… hear you." The creature said. "Portal… is… soundproof."
Nyx looked around and saw the shimmering walls. She wasn't in Raziel's den anymore. She was somewhere else.
"What do you want?"
"You." The creature reached out. "The… one who… changes… fate."
"I don't understand…"
"You… will." The creature grabbed her. She screamed as her ribs exploded with pain. "Sleep… now."
Then darkness swallowed her.
AFTER FOUR HOURS
Raziel returned from the council meeting upset. The other kings had spent hours debating about Nyx's fate. Sylthis wanted to accelerate the next trial and Zephyr wanted to perform some tests on her for his research .
"Is she awake?" He asked the guards at the entrance.
"We haven't heard anything, my king. She's been quiet."
That was unusual. Nyx was never quiet when awake.
Raziel entered inside.
"Nyx, I'm back. The council was insufferable as always…" He stopped.
The den was empty. The furs where Nyx had been lying were empty. Her cup of water was exactly where he'd left it. But she was gone.
"GUARDS!" Raziel roared.
They rushed in immediately.
"Where is she?"
"We've been here the entire time. No one has entered or left. We would have seen…"
"Then where is she? She can barely walk. She couldn't have just disappeared."
One of the guards noticed something.
"My king, the shadow…"
Raziel turned and saw a strange shadow near the wall. He walked toward it.
"Portal magic." He said as he reached the wall. "Someone took her through a shadow portal."
"But who…"
"I don't care who. Just find her!" Raziel grabbed the nearest guard by his armor. "Alert every warrior in the Pride Lands. Search every cave, every hidden place. Send word to the other territories. I want every inch of this land searched before dawn."
"My king, if she escaped…"
"She didn't escape. She was taken and whoever took her has just started a war."
Soon after, all five kings gathered for an emergency session.
"The human is gone?" Sylthis said. "How unfortunate."
"She was taken." Raziel gripped the armrests of his throne. "Through shadow portal magic."
"Or she escaped and you're covering for her." Zephyr pointed out. "She's attempted escape before."
"She has broken ribs, a fractured ankle, and can barely stand. She didn't escape."
"Perhaps she had help." Sylthis said.
"She doesn't know anyone here who could help her escape." Raziel stood up. "Someone took her. Someone who is powerful enough to bypass my guards and penetrate my den."
"Who could do that?" Korran asked in a concerned voice.
"Portal magic is ancient, nearly extinct. Only the oldest bloodlines still possess it." Darius replied.
"Or something older than the bloodlines." Zephyr added. "The Shadowlands have some creatures we don't really understand."
"You think something from the Shadowlands took her?" Raziel turned to Zephyr. "Why?"
"I'm not sure. But the magic you described sounds like void-touched energy. That's what the Shadowlands are known for."
Sylthis laughed.
"So the human survives two impossible trials only to be eaten by a Shadowlands monster. How ironic."
Raziel walked so fast that no one could see him. He held Sylthis by the neck and lifted them out of their seat.
"Careful, Lion King." Sylthis hissed. "Attacking another king is grounds for execution."
"So is kidnapping a trial participant." Raziel roared. "If I find out you had anything to do with this…"
"I didn't." Sylthis cut him off. "I wanted her alive for my trial. Dead humans are boring. Besides, I don't use shadow magic."
Raziel released them and stepped back.
"Then help me find her."
"Why would I do that?"
"Because she's the most interesting thing to happen in centuries and because you're curious about what she'll do next. And deep down, you want to see if she can actually change things." Raziel looked at all of them. "That's why you let her live this long."
Everyone fell silent. Finally, Darius stood up after a minute.
"I'll help you search."
Everyone turned to stare at him.
"You?" Sylthis said. "The king who hates humans more than anyone?"
"She survived my hunt through cleverness and will and earned my respect." Darius walked toward Raziel. "And I agree with Razeil, she didn't escape. If she wanted to leave, she'd have told us to our face and dared us to stop her."
"Thank you." Razeil said.
Korran stood up as well.
"My warriors are at your disposal. The Bear Clan will help in the search. The human showed courage in my arena. I'll help you find her."
Raziel looked at Darius and Korran and, then at Sylthis and Zephyr.
"I'll scout from the air." Zephyr said. "My scouts can see more from the air."
"I'll use my intelligence networks. If anyone in my territory knows anything about shadow portals or Shadowlands creatures with kidnapping tendencies, I'll find out." Sylthis said.
"We search until we find her." Razeil announced. "We'll search every territory, every hidden place, every shadow. Understood?"
"Understood." The other kings agreed.
SHADOWLANDS
Nyx woke up to darkness surrounding her. She tried to move but couldn't due to her injuries .
"Awake." Someone said. "Good."
"Where am I?" Nyx tried to sound calm.
"Between. Neither… here… nor… there. Safe… from… kings."
"I don't need to be safe from them."
"Liar. You… fear… them. You… hate… them. You… want… freedom."
"Not like this."
"Then… how?" The creature appeared in front of her, still in shadow. "You… survive… trials… then… what? You… think… they… let you… go?"
"That is the deal."
"Deals… mean… nothing… to… kings. I can… offer… a better… deal."
"I'm not making deals with shadow monsters."
"Intelligent. But… I am… no… monster." The creature's form changed to an almost human. "I am… Umbra. First… King… of… Beastworld."
"The First King?"
Umbra's form solidified more. Now, Nyx could see his sharp, and beautiful features.
"I… was… king… before… Five… Clans. Before… humans. Before… everything."
"What happened to you?"
"Betrayed….cursed… and forgotten. The… Five… Kings… you… know… are… invadors. They… stole… my… throne… broke…my… crown and cast… me… into… theshadow."
"Why are you telling me all this?"
"Because… you… are…the key." Umbra walked closer. "You… are… the…bridge… between… human… and… beast. You… are… the…weapon… I… need."
"I'm not anyone's weapon."
"No." Umbra smiled. "You… are… not. That… is… why… I… choose… you."
"I don't understand."
"You… will." Umbra reached out, and touched her gently. "Rest… now. Heal. When… you… are… ready… I…will…explain… everything."
"Raziel will come for me."
"I… know. I… hope… he… does." Umbra's smile widened. "That… is… part… of… the…plan."
"What plan?"
"The… plan… to… break… kingdoms.The… plan… that… begins… with… you… Nyx… Keller."
Nyx wanted to argue, to fight, to escape but her body had reached its limit. She was losing consciousness again. The last thing she heard was Umbra's voice.
"Sleep, little catalyst. Your revolution is just beginning."
SYSTEM ANALYSIS - EMERGENCY UPDATE
SUBJECT STATUS: UNKNOWN
LAST KNOWN LOCATION: Lion King's Den
CURRENT LOCATION: SIGNAL LOST
VITAL SIGNS: NOT DETECTED
MONITORING CHIP: OFFLINE
POSSIBLE EXPLANATIONS:
1. Subject deceased
2. Subject in area blocking signal
3. Chip damaged/disabled
RECOMMENDATION: Continue observation. If subject is dead, retrieve the body and chip for analysis.
RESEARCH NOTES-
DIRECTOR ZHAO-
Either Nyx Keller is dead, which would be a devastating loss to the research, or she's been taken somewhere our technology can't track. Neither option is acceptable.
END TRANSMISSION