Prologue

The rain had begun to fall when he realized there was nowhere left to run.

The sound of the forest being torn apart was drawing closer. Trees crashed to the ground in the distance, one after another, each impact sending tremors through the earth beneath his feet.

He looked at the young woman beside him.

Her long red hair was soaked, clinging to her pale face and to the elongated ears that tapered into delicate points. Her navy-blue dress was drenched by the rain, and her frail body could barely remain standing as she struggled to catch her breath.

“Trust me,” he said.

She looked up at him.

“What are you going to do?”

Another crash. Closer this time.

He opened his hand.

A red gemstone rested in his palm, attached to a golden necklace. A thin crack ran across its surface.

He wasn't even sure it would work. But with the threat drawing closer, all he could do was trust the only idea that had come to mind.

He took the young woman's hand and placed it over the stone.

“I need your magic.”

She hesitated.

“I don't know if I can...”

“I just need you to trust me.”

For a few seconds, she remained still. Then she closed her eyes.

A faint light emerged between her fingers. The runes scattered across the tunnel walls began to respond, one after another, until dozens of them glowed around the two.

Light raced through the ancient inscriptions like fire following a trail of oil. The air grew heavy. The red stone began to pulse between their hands.

He felt her magic flow through him. Earth, water, fire, and air manifested simultaneously, coexisting within a single current as he struggled to control those forces and guide them toward a single purpose: protecting her.

It was all he could think about. The cost and the consequences meant little to him; in that moment, all he wanted was to protect her.

The stone cracked.

“Wait—”

A burst of light erupted before them, filling the tunnel with an intense glow. The energy coursed through the runes around them and, for an instant, it was as though it spread far beyond that place. The impact knocked them both to the ground, and for several seconds, all he could hear was a loud ringing in his ears.

Then, silence.

He opened his eyes.

“Did it work?” she asked.

He quickly got to his feet and ran outside. He looked around. The rain was still falling. The trees were still swaying.

Nothing had changed.

His heart sank.

“No...”

A crash cut him off. This time, far too close.

Darkness advanced between the trees. The young woman emerged behind him.

“He's here...”

The man stepped out from the shadows. Or what was left of him.

Black lightning coursed across his body, leaping from his arms to the surrounding trees. His eyes were consumed by the same energy that distorted the air around him.

The young woman took a step forward.

“Father...”

The creature raised its hand. The young man immediately stepped in front of her. There was nowhere left to run.

Dark energy gathered in the enemy's palm. For an instant, everything fell silent.

Then the attack came.

A thunderous impact shook the forest. The dark energy hung before them.

Motionless.

Stopped by something he couldn't see.

“What...?”

The enemy attacked again. The blow struck the same point.

The impact sent ripples through the air, briefly revealing the curve of a vast, translucent barrier.

The young woman slowly walked toward it.

“Wait!”

She didn't listen.

She reached out. Her fingers met the invisible surface before her. On the other side, the man consumed by darkness charged forward and slammed against the barrier.

“Father...”

He continued attacking, blow after blow, but none of them could break through.

The young man looked down at the stone in his hand and realized the crack had grown. Before his eyes, it split in two.

“Father!” the young woman cried.

Desperate, she tried to move toward him, but her body was stopped by the same invisible force. She pressed her hands against the barrier, trying to cross it while the man on the other side continued to strike it.

The young man stood motionless.

Slowly, the ripples caused by the attacks faded away, leaving nothing but the sky, the forest, and the rain once more. It was as though nothing were there.

But there was.

And for the first time, he realized that perhaps he had created more than protection...

A prison.