Chapter 100: Into the fea realm

Chapter 100: Into the fea realm The air changed the moment they descended past the final step of the hidden staircase. What had been the warm, familiar atmosphere of the Moonlight Palace transmuted into something alien—thin and biting, carrying a chill that seeped through armor and settled into bone. Commander Lyra stood at the vanguard, her silver eyes scanning the vast expanse that stretched before them. Gone was the confined space of the stairwell, replaced by an impossibly wide courtyard blanketed in snow. Broken architecture loomed against a colorless sky—skeletal frameworks of what might once have been majestic structures, now reduced to haunting silhouettes. "Stay on guard," Lyra commanded, her voice carrying to the warriors behind her. Her water blades remained sheathed at her hips, but her hand never strayed far from their hilts. The lightweight armor she wore—silver plates over midnight blue leather—allowed for the fluid movement her water-wielding techniques required. "This place... it feels wrong." Queen Elena moved to stand beside her, earth-energy crackling subtly around her fingertips. The Thornvale queen had exchanged her formal attire for battle leathers of deep green, reinforced with thin plates of enchanted wood that could withstand blows better than steel. Her silver hair was braided tightly against her scalp, emphasizing the sharp angles of her face and the hard determination in her eyes. "The Fea realm exists between worlds," Elena murmured, her breath forming clouds in the frigid air. "Neither fully here nor there. Our elements may behave... unpredictably." Commander Maria advanced with measured steps, her more substantial blue-steel armor gleaming dully in the strange, diffuse light. Her weathered face betrayed nothing, but her eyes missed nothing, cataloging each shadow and structure with tactical precision. "Formation Alpha," she called, the command rippling through the ranks behind them. Immediately, the combined forces of Moonlight and Thornvale began to arrange themselves—water-wielders and earth-shapers intermingled in tight, defensive patterns, each warrior positioned to complement the abilities of those beside them. Queen Elysia stood slightly behind the command group, her silver and azure robes replaced by elegant battle attire that balanced protection with mobility. Unlike Elena, she had insisted on maintaining some symbols of her station—the crescent moon sigil of her house emblazoned across her breastplate in delicate silver filigree. "I don’t like this silence," she said quietly, her eyes narrowing as she surveyed the abandoned courtyard. "A realm this vast should not be this empty." "Perhaps they don’t know we’re here," Lieutenant Seril suggested, her form shimmering slightly as she maintained a thin veil of illusion around their immediate group—not enough to hide them completely, but enough to blur their outlines should distant eyes be watching. "Or perhaps they’re waiting for us," Captain Diana countered, her tone grim. She adjusted her silver gauntlets, the enchanted metal humming with stored energy. As captain of Moonlight’s elite guard, she had insisted on leading one of the forward scouting parties, her decades of experience making her invaluable in unknown territory. From the middle ranks, Princess Naia watched the exchange with a carefully neutral expression. Unlike the others, her armor was lighter—designed for speed rather than direct confrontation. As a secondary heir, her role was observation and tactical support, not front-line combat. A fact her mother had painfully reminded her of just before their departure. Elysia approached her daughter, moving with purpose through the assembled warriors. When she reached Naia, she placed a gentle hand on her shoulder, drawing her slightly aside from the others. "No matter how this unfolds," Elysia said softly, her voice pitched for Naia’s ears alone, "you are to remain behind the primary advance. Your safety is not negotiable." Naia’s expression tightened. "Mother, I am trained as any warrior—" "You are the future of our kingdom," Elysia interrupted, her tone gentle but brooking no argument. She signaled to two warriors who immediately stepped forward—elite guards whose sole purpose was clear in their attentive stance. "Soraya and Elema will remain with you at all times." The two guards bowed deeply, their matching silver armor marking them as members of the royal protection detail. Their expressions remained impassive, but their eyes held unwavering focus. "I can fight," Naia insisted, though she knew the battle was already lost. Elysia’s expression softened momentarily. "It is not about your ability, my daughter. It is about necessity. Should the worst happen, Moonlight must have its heir." She squeezed Naia’s arm once before turning away, ending the discussion with queenly finality. Naia watched her mother rejoin the command group, frustration evident in the tight set of her shoulders. She barely noticed when Mika approached, the Thornvale warrior’s distinctive armor—earth-brown leather accented with living vines that wound around the forearm guards—marking her as one of Elena’s elite fighters. "Mothers," Mika commented, following Naia’s gaze. "Always thinking they know what’s best." Her tone held a complexity that drew Naia’s attention. "I thought yours was..." Naia hesitated, realizing she knew little of Mika’s personal history despite their recent cooperation. "Still very much alive and still very much a pain in my side," Mika replied with a half-smile that didn’t reach her eyes. She adjusted her sword belt, checking the position of her twin earth-blades. "I sometimes think Queen Elena is easier to deal with than Commander Viera." Naia’s brow furrowed. "Commander Viera? Your mother commands Thornvale forces?" "The southeastern division," Mika confirmed, her tone deliberately casual. "Which makes every mistake I make not just a personal failure but a family disgrace." She scanned the advancing column, her expression shifting as her eyes locked on two warriors near the front. "Speaking of family disgraces..." Naia followed her gaze, focusing on a pair of elven women in Thornvale armor walking with the vanguard. Despite the distance, there was something familiar in their bearing, something that tugged at Naia’s memory. "Is that..." she began, uncertainty coloring her voice. "Captain Ester and Lieutenant Soren," Mika supplied, a complicated emotion flashing across her face. "Viva’s elder sisters." Naia’s eyes widened in surprise. "I didn’t know Viva had sisters in the Thornvale forces." "Most don’t," Mika replied, her voice hardening. "They prefer it that way. The great Commander Viera’s daughters—two of them exemplary warriors, and the third..." She left the sentence unfinished, but her meaning was clear. As they watched, the younger of the two sisters—Soren—turned to say something to a nearby warrior, her gestures sharp with barely contained aggression. In contrast, Captain Ester maintained a composed, almost rigid posture, her movements economical and precise. "I can’t believe we’re saving that loser for the second time," Soren’s voice carried back to them, louder than necessary. "If she can’t keep her clothes on long enough to defend herself, perhaps she deserves whatever she gets." Mika’s hands clenched into fists at her sides. "They’ve always been like this," she muttered to Naia. "Viera’s precious prodigies, looking down on their youngest sister because she doesn’t fit their mold of the perfect warrior." "I don’t understand," Naia said, confusion evident in her voice. "What did she mean about ’keeping her clothes on’?" A protective anger flashed in Mika’s eyes. "Viva has a... condition. A rare magical anomaly that causes her clothing to disintegrate at random moments, especially during intense combat. It’s entirely beyond her control, but they—" she jerked her head toward the sisters, "—treat it like some moral failing, as if she does it intentionally to embarrass the family name." Naia’s expression shifted from confusion to outrage. "That’s cruel. To mock something she cannot help—" "It’s worse than that," Mika interrupted, her voice low with suppressed fury. "Commander Viera once publicly declared that Viva’s ’indecent displays’ were proof she lacked the discipline to be a true warrior. She restricted Viva’s training, limited her advancement, all because of something beyond her control." "That’s why she became an illusion specialist," Naia realized, pieces falling into place. "To hide when it happens." Mika nodded grimly. "She trained herself, in secret, developing techniques no one had taught her—all to prove her worth despite her mother’s rejection." Pride softened her anger momentarily. "Viva is twice the warrior either of her sisters will ever be, with half the resources and none of the support." "And yet they’re here," Naia observed, studying the sisters with new understanding. "Despite everything, they joined the rescue mission." "Orders," Mika replied flatly. "Nothing more. Ester follows rules without question, and Soren follows Ester. Neither would be here if given a choice." Before Naia could respond, a commotion rippled through the front ranks. Commander Lyra raised her hand, signaling an immediate halt. The entire column froze, weapons half-drawn as they waited for further instruction. "Something’s wrong," Naia murmured, straining to see past the warriors ahead of her. Mika’s expression sharpened, her earth-sense extending beyond visual range. "There’s movement ahead," she whispered. "Too organized to be natural, too quiet to be friendly." Commander Maria’s voice cut through the tense silence, her command clear and precise: "Shield formation, now!" The advance guard immediately shifted, water-wielders and earth-shapers moving in practiced unison to create layered defensive positions. Queen Elena stepped forward, her palms pressed flat against the snow-covered ground. The earth beneath them trembled in response, ripples spreading outward like waves on a pond. "This is wrong," Elena said, her voice tight with concentration. "The ground here—it’s not responding properly. My earth-sense is... muted." Lyra unsheathed her water blades, the liquid metal flowing like quicksilver in her hands. "The same with the water in the air. It’s there, but distant somehow. As if there’s a veil between my power and the element itself." "The First Eternal," Queen Elysia breathed, understanding dawning in her eyes. "The texts spoke of this—her ability to thin the connections between wielders and their elements." A flicker of movement caught Naia’s attention—shadow against shadow, too deliberate to be imagination. "There!" she called, pointing toward what had appeared to be an empty stretch of ruins. Commander Lyra reacted instantly, sending a whip of water arcing toward the indicated position. The liquid blade sliced through empty air, meeting no resistance as it carved a glittering path through the space. "Nothing," Lyra murmured, confusion evident in her voice. "But I saw—" "We all saw it," Maria confirmed, her sword drawn and ready. "Stay alert. This place plays tricks on the senses." The advance continued, more cautiously now, each warrior hyperaware of the shadows around them. The ruins seemed to shift and change as they progressed, pathways appearing where none had been moments before, architectural features transforming subtly when viewed from different angles. Captain Diana, leading the rightmost scouting party, suddenly raised her closed fist—the signal to halt. "Commander," she called, her voice carrying despite its low volume. "Structure ahead." Where the path bent around a particularly large pile of rubble, a building had become visible—intact where others had crumbled, imposing in its stark symmetry. Unlike the partial ruins around them, this structure stood complete—a massive hall with towering columns and a façade of what appeared to be polished bone. "Is this it?" Naia whispered to Mika. "The center of the Fea realm?" Mika shook her head slowly, her expression troubled. "It can’t be this easy. We’ve encountered no resistance, no guards." "Perhaps they don’t know we’re here," Lieutenant Seril suggested, though her tone indicated she believed otherwise. Commander Lyra approached the massive doors that sealed the entrance to the structure, her water blades held ready. The carved surface depicted scenes of ancient battles—elven warriors locked in combat, their faces contorted in eternal agony. "Be ready for anything," Lyra commanded, her voice steady despite the tension evident in her stance. "Remember why we’re here. The Veilwalker. Viva. Our future." With a nod from Queen Elena, four earth-wielders stepped forward, placing their palms against the doors. The massive barriers began to move, grinding slowly inward to reveal the space beyond. Darkness greeted them—not the simple absence of light, but a living shadow that seemed to breathe and pulse with malevolent awareness. The combined forces of Moonlight and Thornvale hesitated, weapons raised against an enemy they could not yet see. "Stay alert," Lyra murmured, taking the first step across the threshold. "Whatever awaits us, we face it together."