Sold as the Alpha King's Breeder-Chapter 1570 - 12 : The Space Between Realms

*Briella*

It had been an entire year since I jumped realms. I enjoyed it the first time, feeling a rush of excitement as the warm tingling prickled all over my skin as Kai and I stepped into the light that fateful day.

We had no way of knowing how much our lives would change, or how much we would change because of coming to the Embervale Realm.

I was almost giddy with excitement to step through a portal again. I gasped at the familiar prickling on my skin and the rush of warmth that seemed to completely consume me. I completely ignored Kryzen and Roy as the weightlessness overtook me, carrying me between the two worlds I had come to know throughout my life.

Time seemed to not exist through the light tunnel that acted as the gateway between realms. I couldn’t even guess how long the journey would take. It appeared as if it had taken no time at all and also that it would last an entire lifetime.

I gasped as we arrived in the Light Realm, my eyes adjusting to the vastly different lighting. It looked like it was the middle of the day, the yellow sun high above the clouds. I blinked several times before glancing at Kryzen and Roy, who were also looking around owlishly, their eyes wide as they took in their surroundings.

“Are you two alright?” I asked suddenly.

Kryzen’s gray eyes focused on me. He blinked once as if to clear them. “Shouldn’t we be asking you that?” he asked.

I gave him an odd look. “Um... No,” I said, not bothering to hide my confusion. “I’m completely fine. Why wouldn’t I be?”

It was Roy who answered. “I believe he is puzzled as to how you can jump between realms with much more finesse than we can,” he said, eyeing me with his hazel orbs as if he expected me to drop at any moment. “We definitely didn’t feel like ourselves when jumping realms the first time.”

I laughed lightly as understanding dawned. “Kai and I have Embervalian blood flowing through us. This hasn’t been proven exactly by any means, but the elders and my parents have speculated that’s why we can jump realms more easily than those with parents solely from one realm.”

Roy looked fascinated while Kryzen looked slightly annoyed. “We should start moving,” he said, all business. His gray eyes scanned the area as if searching for danger. “We don’t know what awaits us in the city, but we shouldn’t linger out in the open for long.”

I wanted to argue, mainly because of his know-it-all tone, but I had to admit internally that he was right. We basically came there completely blind and without a real plan. We had to do whatever we could to keep ourselves from being vulnerable.

We had to get to the city and get an understanding of the situation.

We made our way down the dirt path leading toward the city. Above the trees, we could see the grand spiral towers of Celestial City in the distance. Despite the circumstances, I was excited to finally see the mystical community.

“May I ask you something?”

I looked at Roy in surprise. He was smiling a princely smile as he gazed at me expectantly.

I blinked at him. “Sure,” I said finally, curious but also a little concerned by the almost mysterious tone he used.

“Your grandmother...” Roy said. He seemed to hesitate as if wondering if it was a sore spot or something. “Forgive me, I was only curious about her background and how you came to be in Embervale. She was a priestess, correct?”

“Yes,” I said, unprepared for the topic. I assumed that since he knew about my grandmother, he at least knew part of the story. “Kai and I were asked to come and aid in the preservation of the various rituals and customs in the valley. My grandmother, Amara, was something of a benevolent leader to her people. The magic she possessed was especially potent. She actually started quite a few rituals in Celestial Valley.”

Roy’s eyes widened in awe. I could see the genuine respect in his expression. “I admire your bravery and devotion toward your grandmother’s people,” he said.

I felt my jaw drop slightly. I had assumed that the respect shining in his eyes had been directed toward my grandmother and not me. I felt heat begin to creep up my neck and had to avert my eyes.

“That’s very kind of you to say,” I said finally.

I made the mistake of looking over at Kryzen. I felt my eyebrows furrow at the odd expression on his face. He almost looked angry, the muscles in his jaw tight. When he noticed me staring, he put the careful mask back on.

“Something wrong?” he asked tersely.

“I should be asking you that,” I said, echoing him from earlier. “You looked troubled there, Stormfall.”

Kryzen simply offered me his signature smirk. “Just trying to wrap my mind around how you managed to have such a beloved and talented grandmother,” he said. “You must be adopted.”

Anger immediately began to simmer through me. I laughed, the sound flat to my ears. “Funny, I was actually thinking the same thing about you and Eva Stormfall. You were clearly found in some dumpster. There’s no way you are truly related to her.”

Kryzen’s gray eyes narrowed. I knew what I said wasn’t true at all. Those eyes definitely resembled his grandmother Eva’s.

I obviously wasn’t going to tell him that though.

“Maybe we should refrain from flirting,” Roy said, his eyes trained on the path ahead of us. “We’ve nearly arrived.”

My face flamed at the word “flirting,” but I looked up at the huge gate before us and shook my head hard. We had arrived. I hadn’t even noticed because I was too caught up in the conversation we had been having.

I felt nervousness stir in me as we approached the thick gate, which looked like a wall that stretched toward the sky. I could just make out the tips of the spires from where we stood at the base. A couple of burly guards stood on either side, the swords on their belts glinting threateningly.

Kryzen eyed the two as if he was sizing them up, but then he looked at Roy. “They’ll be unlikely to allow us in due to the circumstances. We may have to play the royalty card.”

Roy nodded seriously and squared his shoulders, taking the lead as we stepped up to the guards.

“State your business,” barked one of the men.

Kryzen stepped forward, putting himself between me and the guards. “We are here on an important assignment carried out by the king.”

The guards glanced at one another. “Have you any proof?” the second guard asked.

Kryzen gestured to Roy, who pulled the collar of his jacket down slightly to reveal a pendant with some kind of swirling symbol on it and a flame in the center. “I am Prince Roy Crimson,” he said, his voice smooth and firm.

“They speak the truth,” the first guard said after inspecting the pendant closely. “This is the official crest of the royal family.”

The guards stepped aside, and the large rock gates began to rumble before parting. “Please allow us to escort you into the city, Your Highness,” one guard said, “as an apology for our inexcusable doubt.”

Roy put up a hand. “No escort will be necessary,” he said. “As for doubting me, you have only done your duty and completed it well. May the Goddess continue to guide you forward.”

“Thank you, Your Highness,” said the guard, bowing and stepping further away to allow us entry.

I still didn’t trust the guards, so I stepped closer to Kryzen and Roy as we turned our backs to them.

My apprehension melted away as soon as we were inside the gates and officially in Celestial City.

It was even more beautiful than I imagined. The tall buildings were made of glass and other translucent material that captured the light and threw glittering rainbows on the colorful pavement.

Much like Celestial Valley, the paths were made of marble, and gold fixtures decorated light posts and bridges. Crystal-clear canals ran through various streets.

I felt my eyes grow wide as they tried to take everything in. Before I knew what I was doing, I grabbed Roy and Kryzen by their arms and dragged them further into the town, looking at all the sights and taking in the sounds.

There was laughter flowing through the streets, the happy sound contagious as people shopped and went about their day. There were a lot of young families on outings or on their way to restaurants, and children racing each other to peer into the canals.

“Something’s wrong,” Kryzen said between his teeth, his voice low and deadly.

I tensed up, unsure what he meant but reacting to it anyway due to my military training. I noticed that Roy was tense as well, his hazel eyes darting back and forth.

“What is it?” I asked in a low voice, my hand going to my new dagger that I had secured to my thigh.

Kryzen looked to Roy, and they silently wandered beneath a bridge, away from the crowds and any prying eyes that would likely recognize us as outsiders.

“I figured that the guards allowed us entry because of your status,” Kryzen said to Roy.

It was then that I realized what triggered the two guys. “Perhaps they found a cure for the plague?” I suggested.

“It is suspicious that the streets are full of people after such a short amount of time,” Roy said. “Especially with the time difference between realms, there would have only been a few days since Kryzen and I were here. The city had been completely shut down then, void of any people.”

“It was a ghost town,” Kryzen said in a grave voice. “But what could it mean? Could it be possible that the disease just disappeared overnight?”

“I doubt it,” I said, but I honestly didn’t know. It still just didn’t seem possible. “What should we do?”

I looked at Kryzen automatically, knowing that while Roy was a prince, it was Kryzen who seemed to lead most of the time. He was more forward and tactical than the prince of Egoren.

Kryzen’ raised an eyebrow as if also surprised that I was looking at him. “Grandma Eva mentioned a dark aura over the city, something sinister. Maybe we should investigate further and see if we can catch any wind of it with our abilities.”

I nodded, more apprehensive than ever now. This was not how I expected this trip to start, but I was glad I hadn’t come alone.