Chapter 98: The Fae Court’s Interest

Words : 1461 Updated : Sep 12th, 2025

Chapter 98: The Fae Court’s Interest Prince Ash POV The portal ripped open beneath my feet without notice, and I fell through three different dimensions before crashing into a tree at Silver Peak. Pain shot through my shoulder as bark scraped my skin, but I rolled to my feet anyway. Being a Fae prince meant I had to look graceful even when reality was actually falling apart. "Ash!" my sister Willow called out as she fell through the portal after me. "The barriers are collapsing faster than we thought!" More Fae warriors spilled through the dimensional tear, their wings fluttering furiously as they tried to stay airborne. I could see the fear in their eyes - something that rarely happened to my people. We Fae were supposed to be above mortal worries like fear. But the Void Walkers weren’t a mortal worry. They were everyone’s fear. "Status report," I ordered, helping Willow stand up. "Seven more reality tears opened in the past hour," she said excitedly. "The Void Walkers are growing faster than we calculated. If we don’t stop them here, they’ll reach the Fae realm within days." I nodded grimly. That’s why the High Court had sent me - their youngest prince, but also their best hunter. If anyone could find the source of this chaos, it would be me. The sounds of fighting echoed through the forest. I could hear vampires hissing, werewolves howling, and witches screaming spells. The supernatural world was tearing itself apart while the real enemy got stronger. "There," I said, pointing toward a huge crack in the ground where silver light poured out like liquid starlight. "That’s where they’re coming from." We ran toward the open, and I nearly stopped in shock at what I saw. Every magical species I’d ever heard of was here, fighting each other instead of the dark creatures climbing out of the reality tear. Vampires fought witches while stone giants threw rocks at flying Fae. It was complete chaos. But that wasn’t what made my Fae magic tingle with excitement. In the middle of it all stood a young werewolf woman with silver light blazing from her hands. The light looked familiar - like the magic that flowed between worlds in the Fae realm. But that was impossible. Werewolves couldn’t touch between-world magic. Could they? "Willow," I whispered, "do you see what I see?" My sister’s eyes widened. "She’s channeling interdimensional energy. But she’s not Fae. How is that possible?" I watched the werewolf woman more carefully. Every time she used her power, the silver light seemed to bend reality around her. Space twisted and time hiccupped. She was doing things that should have taken centuries of Fae training. "We need to get closer," I decided. "Ash, no," Willow grabbed my arm. "The High Court’s orders were clear - watch and report. Don’t get involved." I shook her off. "The High Court’s rules were written before we knew someone could bridge worlds without being Fae. This changes everything." Before Willow could stop me, I spread my wings and flew toward the monster woman. A vampire tried to intercept me, but I twisted through the air and landed elegantly beside her just as she stumbled from exhaustion. "Careful," I said, catching her arm. "Using interdimensional magic without proper training can tear you apart from the inside." She looked up at me with surprised silver eyes. "Who are you?" "Prince Ash of the Winter Court," I answered, then added more gently, "And you’re Lily Carter, the one who’s been bending reality without knowing it." A werewolf man stepped protectively in front of her. "Stay away from her, Fae." I held up my hands calmly. "I’m not here to hurt anyone. I’m here because what she’s doing is impossible, and impossible things tend to interest my people." Another Void Walker crawled out of the ground crack, this one bigger than the others. When it saw me, it laughed with a sound like breaking wind chimes. "A Fae prince," it hissed. "How wonderful. Your magic will taste so much sweeter than these crude mortal skills." I pulled out my crystal blade, its edge glowing with winter stars. "Sorry, but I’m not on the menu today." The Void Walker lunged at me, but I danced away from its claws. Fighting these creatures was like fighting shadows - they could absorb most magical attacks and use them to grow stronger. But I’d studied them for months, and I knew their weakness. "Lily," I called out while dodging another swipe, "your between-world magic - it’s the only thing that can actually hurt them!" "I don’t know what you’re talking about," she answered, but her silver light pulsed brighter. "Yes, you do," I insisted, turning away from the Void Walker’s grabbing arms. "You’ve been feeling it, haven’t you? The way reality changes when you’re emotional? The way you can feel things that aren’t quite there?" Her eyes widened with recognition. "How did you know?" "Because I’ve spent my whole life studying the spaces between worlds," I said. "And you, Lily Carter, are the first non-Fae I’ve ever seen who can touch them." The Void Walker roared in anger and turned toward Lily instead. "Enough talking. Time to feed." I threw myself between them, my crystal blade slicing through the creature’s arm. It shrieked and stumbled backward, but I knew the cut wouldn’t last long. These things healed too fast. "Listen to me," I said quickly to Lily. "The Fae Court sent me here because our seers promised someone would emerge who could bridge dimensions. Someone who could help us seal the barriers forever." "You want to use her," the werewolf man growled. "I want to save everyone," I amended. "Including her. Because if the Void Walkers reach the Fae realm, they’ll have access to infinite magical energy. After that, no world will be safe." Lily looked between me and the rising number of Void Walkers. "What would I have to do?" "Come with me to the Fae realm," I said. "Let our masters teach you to control your between-world powers. In return, we’ll help you seal all the reality tears." "And if I refuse?" I met her eyes honestly. "Then we’ll all die, starting with the people you love most." The ground shook as another reality tear opened nearby. This one was different - instead of silver light, it poured out golden fire that made everything around it start to melt. "That’s not possible," I breathed, recognizing the magical signal. "That’s Summer Court magic." Willow landed beside me, her face pale with fear. "Ash, we need to leave. Now." "Why? What’s happening?" "The Summer Court isn’t just sending observers," she said hurriedly. "They’re sending an army. They think the Winter Court is behind the Void Walker attacks." My blood turned to ice. "But that’s crazy. Why would we destroy reality?" "Because," came a familiar voice from the golden fire, "someone has been using Winter Court magic to tear open the barriers." Prince Ember of the Summer Court stepped through the flames, his fire sword already drawn. Behind him marched a hundred Summer fighters, their weapons blazing with heat that made the air shimmer. "Hello, brother," Ember said with a wicked smile. "Ready to answer for your crimes?" I stared at him in shock. Ember was my cousin, not my brother. We’d been raised together, trained together, even fought side by side against shared enemies. But the way he was looking at me now... like I was a stranger. Like I was an enemy. "Ember, what are you talking about?" I asked. He held up a crystal shard that pulsed with familiar winter power. "We found this embedded in every reality tear in Fae land. Winter Court magic, Ash. Your magic." The crystal shard glowed with the exact same energy signature as my blade. The same energy that had been pouring out of me every time I used my skills. "That’s impossible," I whispered. "I’ve been fighting the Void Walkers, not helping them." "Have you?" Ember asked. "Or have you been weakening the barriers every time you used your magic in the mortal world?" The horrible truth hit me like a physical blow. Every time I’d used my interdimensional abilities to move between worlds, every time I’d drawn power from the between-spaces, I’d been making tiny tears in reality. And the Void Walkers had been following those tears like clues back to their source. "You led them here," Lily said, her voice filled with hatred. "You brought them to Silver Peak." I looked around at all the damage, all the fighting, all the fear. And I realized she was right. I hadn’t come here to save anyone. I had come here because I was the one ruining everything.

Chapter 98: The Fae Court’s Interest

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