Court of Aether and Shadows (Crowned Monster Trilogy #1)

12. The Rift Between Our Realms

The Rift Between Our Realms

~AETHERON~

M y Queen is home.

I felt it the moment she crossed the veil.

Like a bolt of lightning through my very soul, a surge of power and recognition that left me breathless. The throne room around me, with its vaulted ceilings of living shadow and floors of polished obsidian, seemed to pulse in response. Tendrils of darkness writhed at my feet, kindled by the sudden spike in my emotions.

She’s here. She’s finally here!

After centuries of waiting, of careful planning and delicate maneuvering, my queen had finally come home.

For a moment, I allowed myself to savor the feeling.

The emptiness that had been my constant companion for so long was suddenly filled with a warmth I had almost forgotten. It was like seeing the first rays of dawn after an endless night, like the first breath of spring after a winter that had seemed eternal.

But with that joy came a surge of possessive urgency.

She was here, yes, but she was also vulnerable. New to this world, likely confused and frightened. Overwhelmed between who she was and who she once were. An imbalance that yearned for completion. She’d fall into madness if not embraced with a blanket of tranquility.

To be eased into this transition and welcomed into the world she once ruled so formidably. Then, there were others who would sense her arrival, others who would seek to claim her power for themselves.

We must prevent that at all cost. Make haste in the deliverance of utmost protection to my other half.

"Kaelon!" I called, my voice echoing through the obsidian halls of my palace. The very air seemed to tremble at the power in my voice, shadows deepening in response to my agitation.

My second in command appeared almost instantly, materializing from the shadows with a look of concern on his face. Kaelon had been with me for centuries, one of the few I trusted implicitly and he knew I never summoned him like this without urgent purpose.

His midnight blue skin seemed to absorb the light around him, and his eyes, swirling with galaxies, fixed on me with a mixture of curiosity and apprehension.

"My lord?" he asked, taking in my agitated state with a raised eyebrow. "What has happened?"

"She's here," I said, unable to keep the excitement from my voice. I saw understanding dawn in Kaelon's eyes, followed quickly by a mix of anticipation and worry. "The princess has returned to our realm. We must go to her at once."

Kaelon nodded, his expression turning serious.

"The prophecy is unfolding faster than we anticipated," he murmured, voicing the concern that had been growing in the back of my mind. "The other courts will sense her arrival as well."

I felt my lips curl into a snarl at the thought.

The other courts —Aether, Void, and Elemental— had been waiting for this moment just as eagerly as we had. Each believed that they were destined to claim the prophesied princess and use her power to tip the scales in the eternal balance of our world.

But they were wrong.

She was mine .

My queen, my mate, my other half.

And I would sooner tear the realms apart than let anyone else claim her.

Especially without her approval.

"Which is why we must reach her first," I growled, already striding towards the door. "Come, to the Portal Master."

We must make haste.

We moved through the twisting corridors of the palace, shadows writhing in our wake. Lesser Fae scrambled out of our path, bowing low as we passed.

I barely noticed them, my mind focused entirely on the task ahead.

The air seemed charged with anticipation as if the realm understood the magnitude of what was happening. Whispers followed us, carried on currents of shadow – has the princess returned? The prophecy unfolds. The world is changing…

As we walked, I found my mind drifting to memories of her.

Not the clear, sharp memories of our time together — those had been locked away, kept safe until she was ready to remember. No, these were impressions, fleeting glimpses of a soul I had known across lifetimes.

The curve of her smile, the fire in her eyes when she was determined, the gentle touch of her hand on my arm—the way she had looked at me, not with fear or awe but with an understanding and acceptance that had shaken me to my core.

I shook my head, forcing myself back to the present.

There would be time for memories later. For now, I needed to focus on finding her, on keeping her safe.

The Portal Master's chamber was located in the deepest part of the palace, a vast, circular room dominated by a swirling vortex of energy. Runes of power etched into the floor and walls pulsed with an otherworldly light, responding to the surges of magic that flowed through the realm.

The air here was thick with power, making it difficult to breathe for anyone not accustomed to such concentrated magic.

Even Kaelon, powerful as he was, seemed to struggle for a moment before adapting, but I sped right in, ready to be united with my Queen.

The Portal Master himself stood before the vortex, his form constantly shifting and changing. One moment he appeared as an ancient man, bent with the weight of eons. The next, he was a being of pure energy, barely contained within a humanoid shape.

This was a rare powerful trait, normally only passed down or gifted to one destined to be a Portal Master. It was a vital job in our world, one that was also taxing on the individual.

I commended ours for he was loyal; more so to my Queen than to me. I’d come to that conclusion seeing as he enjoys sending me to places that request unnecessary turbulence for what mundanes would label “shits and giggles”.

His eyes, when they settled into a recognizable form, were swirling pools of silver that seemed to contain entire universes.

He bowed low as we entered, his voice like the whisper of wind through forgotten tombs.

"My Lord Aetheron," he intoned, the words seeming to echo from everywhere and nowhere at once. "I sense the disturbance in the fabric of our reality. The lost princess has returned."

"Yes," I said, impatience coloring my tone. Every moment we delayed was a moment she was alone, possibly in danger. "Can you locate her precise position?"

The Portal Master closed his eyes, his form seeming to blur and shift even more than usual as he stretched his senses across the realm. The vortex behind him pulsed and swirled, responding to his silent commands. After what felt like an eternity, but was likely only moments, his eyes snapped open.

"She has emerged near the Lake of Whispers," he said, his voice resonating with the weight of his discovery. "The veil between worlds is thin there, a place of great power and greater danger."

I nodded, familiar with the location.

The Lake of Whispers was one of the most ancient and mystical places in our realm, a nexus of energy that connected the Shadow Court to the other realms in ways even I didn't fully understand.

"I can open a portal for you," the Portal Master continued, "but I must warn you – her arrival has caused ripples in the very fabric of our world. The boundaries between realms are... unstable. Travel may be more dangerous than usual."

Which is exactly why I need to stop wasting valuable time and be by her side.

I felt a growl build in my throat, my patience wearing thin.

"That is of no consequence. Open the portal. Now."

Rarely did I let my power slip in my tone with the Portal Master, but he surely understood what was at stake right now.

The Portal Master nodded, raising his hands. The vortex in the center of the room pulsed and shifted, coalescing into a shimmering doorway. Through it, I could see the silvery shores of the Lake of Whispers, its waters reflecting a sky filled with impossible constellations.

"My Lord," the Portal Master said as we prepared to step through, his voice taking on a tone of urgency. "You should know – the arrival of the princess will not go unnoticed. The courts will be summoned. The prophecy is in motion."

His warning made me want to laugh in mockery. Anyone foolish enough to challenge me, especially in my Court, deserved to be among the dead and forgotten.

I turned back to him, my eyes blazing with golden fire.

The shadows around us deepened, responding to the surge of power and emotion that coursed through me.

"Let them come," I said, my voice low and dangerous. "I have waited centuries for this moment. Nothing will keep me from my queen."

With my bold declaration, Kaelon and I stepped through the portal.

The sensation of travel was disorienting, even for beings as powerful as ourselves. For a moment, we were everywhere and nowhere, our essence stretched across realities. I felt the pull of other worlds and glimpsed flashes of realms both familiar and utterly alien.

Then, with a rush of energy that left even me momentarily breathless, we emerged on the shores of the Lake of Whispers.

The air was thick with magic, crackling with the residual energy of my queen's arrival. Her scent, an intoxicating blend of starlight and shadow, filled my senses, nearly overwhelming in its intensity.

I closed my eyes for a moment, drinking it in.

It had been so long – so impossibly, agonizingly long – since I had last breathed in that scent.

This wasn’t like our plentiful dreams that clung to the scent based on my vast memories. This was real. So radiant and pure. It called to something primal within me, awakening instincts that had lain dormant for centuries.

"My Lord," Kaelon's voice broke through my reverie, tinged with concern. "The rift she created..." He gestured to a shimmering distortion in the air, a tear in the very fabric of reality. "It's unstable. We should close it before it attracts unwanted attention."

Truthfully, it was quite impressive. The level of distortion and how the ripple quaked with various shades of power.

I considered his words, my eyes fixed on the anomaly. It pulsed with raw power, a testament to the strength my queen possessed even in her untrained state. Part of me wanted to seal it immediately, to protect her and our realm from any threat that might exploit the weakness.

But another part — the tiny part that had spent centuries planning and maneuvering — saw an opportunity.

"No," I said finally, my decision made. "Leave it for now. It may yet serve a purpose."

Kaelon raised an eyebrow but didn't argue.

He knew me well enough to understand that I always had my reasons, even if they weren't immediately apparent.

And in this case, my reasons were twofold.

First, the rift could serve as a beacon to those who might help our cause – allies from other realms who had been waiting for this moment just as we had.

And second...

Well, there was a certain wolf who might find such a passage useful, when the time came.

As we approached the small cottage a short distance away, I felt a surge of emotions I hadn't experienced in centuries.

Anticipation, yes , but also a nervousness that was entirely foreign to me. What if she didn't remember? No. She wouldn’t remember so early in this stage. What if the human world had changed her too much? That’s expected…she’s lived a life completely different from our realms. What if the connection we had shared, the bond that had defied time and space and reality itself, had somehow been severed?

I didn’t want to think of the logical answer to that question.

Underneath it all was a sense of rightness, of pieces finally falling into place. The prophecy that had shaped our world for so long was coming to fruition. The barriers between realms were weakening, the first step towards the unification that had been foretold.

And at the center of it all was her.

My queen. My mate.

The other half of my soul that I had waited so long to reclaim.

As we reached the cottage door, I paused, taking a deep breath to center myself. I could sense her presence inside, along with others – familiar auras that I recognized as loyal subjects who had been tasked with watching over her in the human world.

"My Lord?" Kaelon questioned softly, his hand hovering over the door handle. "Are you ready?"

I had no choice but to be ready. This is what we’ve been waiting for. I couldn’t cower away now. Not when we’ve worked so hard to manifest this path into fruition.

I nodded, straightening to my full height. Whatever happened next would change everything.

The game board had been reset, the pieces were in motion, and the fate of all realms hung in the balance.

But in that moment, none of that mattered.

All that mattered was that she was here, finally within reach after so long.

My Lirael. My little Songbird. The Twilight Court Queen.

I reached past Kaelon and grasped the handle myself, deciding to take the lead in this next arc ahead.

The metal was cool beneath my touch, but I could feel the thrum of magic pulsing through it – protection spells, wards against evil, blessings for those who dwelled within. All of it parted before me like mist before the dawn, recognizing the touch of their true master.

I took one last steadying breath, steeling myself for whatever reaction might await me on the other side of this door. Joy, fear, confusion, anger – I had prepared myself for all possibilities.

Or so I thought.

But as I began to push the door open, I realized that no amount of preparation could have truly readied me for this moment.

For the first time in centuries, I, Aetheron, Lord of Shadows and ruler of the Twilight Court, felt a flicker of something dangerously close to fear.

Not fear of danger or defeat – those were constants I had long since learned to live with. No, this was the fear of hope. The fear that comes with knowing that everything you've ever wanted is finally within your grasp and that losing it now would utterly destroy you.

But I was not one to let fear, even fear born of love, control me.

Be strong. Resilient. Brave, like your Queen always encouraged.

With a final glance at Kaelon, who nodded in silent support, I pushed the door open fully.

The door swung open, revealing the interior of the cottage and the figures within.

And in that moment, as my eyes sought for what I had longed to see for centuries.

The prophecy had begun.