The pink blossoms swayed in the soft breeze, casting dancing shadows across the shimmering grass. Yun Lan sat silently on the black horse with white streaks in its mane, her fingers gently buried in its thick fur. The air here was different. Sweet, heavy with magic, and whispering secrets she couldn't understand.
Birds with golden feathers flitted from branch to branch, and the sky shimmered with two suns faintly visible through the mist. This was not the world she knew.
She slid off the horse and took a cautious step forward. Her boots barely made a sound on the mossy ground. The trees here were unlike anything she'd seen before—tall, silver-barked, and pulsing faintly like they were alive. She reached out a hand and touched one. Warmth spread through her palm as if the tree had acknowledged her.
"Welcome, Yun Lan," a voice said.
Startled, she turned and found an old woman standing beneath one of the trees. Her hair was silver, her robe long and flowing, and her eyes—pure white, like moonlight. "You've finally arrived."
Yun Lan took a step back, uncertain. "Do I know you?"
The woman smiled gently. "No. But I know you. You are the one who survived the mirror. Only those with a fractured soul and an unshaken will can pass through it. You've been chosen."
"Chosen for what?" Yun Lan asked, heart racing.
"To restore the balance."
Before Yun Lan could ask more, a loud rustle behind her broke the moment. The horse neighed nervously, stomping its hooves. A dark shadow passed through the trees—something not of this enchanted world. Yun Lan turned and glimpsed a figure with glowing red eyes slithering between the trees. The woman raised her hand, and a barrier of light shimmered into existence, pushing the darkness away.
"It's begun," the woman whispered. "The corruption has found a crack. Come, there's little time."
She led Yun Lan through the forest. They walked in silence, and Yun Lan's mind spun with questions. Every step felt more dreamlike, more disconnected from the reality she had fled. Was this a punishment for lying to Leon? Was it her destiny all along?
After a while, they reached a stone path that cut through a hill. Yun Lan's eyes widened as a massive gate emerged from the earth. Two enormous statues flanked the gate—beings with wings and swords, carved from gleaming marble. The gates opened without a sound.
Behind them stretched a city that took Yun Lan's breath away.
Towers floated in midair, connected by light bridges. People with cloaks of stardust walked alongside crystal fountains that flowed with glowing water. The sky above shimmered in hues of violet and gold.
"This... is incredible," she whispered.
"This is Alderyan," the woman said. "And here you will learn who you are."
Meanwhile, back in the world Yun Lan left behind, Leon's boots slammed against the marble floor of the estate. He stormed up the stairs two at a time, his eyes dark with fury.
Because he didn't find her anywhere and he decides to talk to her grandmother again.
Leon turned on his heel and stormed toward the main hall. His grandmother was waiting, sipping tea calmly.
"Where is she? What did she find out here?" he demanded.
The old woman's gaze didn't flinch. "You wouldn't understand."
"Try me."
She sighed. "Yun Lan found the mirror she found the cave wasn't just a passage. It was her calling."
"What mirror?"
The grandmother finally stood. "Come. I'll show you."
In Alderyan, Yun Lan stood atop a hill, overlooking the city. The woman beside her extended her arm.
"Your veins burn, don't they? Your blood glows blue when the magic calls. That is the mark of a Walker—a traveler between realms."
Yun Lan nodded slowly. "I thought I was just running away."
"You were running toward something. Toward your truth."
Suddenly, her vision blurred. A pulse of energy surged through her, and she fell to her knees. Images flooded her mind—fire, a great beast made of smoke, a sword buried in stone, and Leon—standing alone, screaming her name into darkness.
She gasped, tears leaking from her eyes. "Leon..."
"He is coming," the woman said calmly. "Love as strong as his breaks the bounds of reality. He will follow."
"No, he can't. He'll get hurt. This place... it's dangerous."
"Which is why you must complete your mission before he arrives. The balance must be restored. The portal between the worlds is breaking. You must seal it."
Yun Lan stood, shaky but resolute. "Then show me how."
Back in the forest tunnel, Leon stood before the shattered mirror.
"So this is where she went," he whispered.
The old woman nodded. "You won't be the same when you come back."
Leon didn't hesitate. He stepped forward.
The glass shimmered, then swallowed him whole.
In Alderyan, the winds picked up. Yun Lan looked up from her perch on the hill. A ripple formed in the sky, and from it... someone fell.
He landed hard in the grass below.
Yun Lan's heart stopped.
She ran. Down the slope, feet flying, voice caught in her throat. "Leon!"
He groaned, lifted his head—and their eyes met.
"Took me long enough," he rasped.
She dropped to her knees beside him, tears streaming down her cheeks. "Why did you follow me? You're not supposed to be here. It's dangerous."
He sat up slowly, cupping her face in his hands. "You think I'd let you disappear into another world without me? I told you—you're mine. Even if I have to tear through dimensions to find you."
Yun Lan smiled through her tears.
Behind them, the black horse waited at the edge of the trees, watching silently, while the pink blossoms fell gently around the reunited lovers.
But neither of them noticed the dark figure watching from the edge of the city, eyes glowing red.
The battle had only just begun.
To be continued...
What do you think that will happen in chapter 32?
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