The Shattered Kingdom

The first sign that something was wrong came as Maya and Ash approached the valley's edge. The air shimmered unnaturally, as if they were looking through a warped lens. The melody, ever-present in Maya’s mind, shifted into a strange, dissonant tune that set her teeth on edge.

“Do you feel that?” Maya asked, clutching her arms as a chill crept over her.

Ash nodded, scanning their surroundings. “It’s like the air is alive.”

They pushed forward cautiously, stepping into a landscape unlike anything they had encountered before. Jagged ruins of what might once have been castles and towers rose from the cracked ground, their stones glowing faintly with veins of blue light. Pieces of buildings floated in midair, defying gravity, and shadows danced on their surfaces, flickering like restless memories.

“This place...” Maya began, trailing off as a sudden realization struck her. “It’s broken. Like it’s caught between worlds.”

“Or between times,” Ash added.

As if to confirm his words, a soft gust of wind carried whispers that seemed to come from nowhere and everywhere at once. The voices overlapped, fragmented and indecipherable, yet tinged with an unmistakable sorrow.

Maya shivered. “What happened here?”

“I don’t know,” Ash said, his hand tightening around the hilt of his knife. “But stay close. This place doesn’t feel safe.”

They made their way through the ruins, careful not to disturb the strange relics scattered across the ground. Time itself seemed distorted here. In one moment, a crumbling tower appeared ancient and covered in moss; in the next, it shimmered back into its original state, only to dissolve into rubble again.

As they rounded a corner, they came face to face with someone—or something.

A young woman stood atop a pile of broken stone, her figure silhouetted against the eerie blue light. She wore a patchwork cloak that seemed to blend with the shadows, and her eyes gleamed with an otherworldly intensity.

“Travelers,” the woman said, her voice a melodic blend of curiosity and amusement. “It’s been a long time since anyone dared to enter the Shattered Kingdom.”

Ash stepped forward cautiously, keeping himself between Maya and the stranger. “Who are you?”

The woman smirked, leaping gracefully from the stones to land a few feet in front of them. “Arin. And who might you be, trespassers?”

“We’re not trespassing,” Maya said quickly. “We’re following the melody. It brought us here.”

At the mention of the melody, Arin’s expression darkened, her playful demeanor replaced by something colder. “The melody,” she murmured, almost to herself. “So, it’s still weaving its web.”

“You know about it?” Maya pressed, her curiosity overriding her caution.

Arin tilted her head, studying Maya with sharp eyes. “I know enough. But the question is, do you?”

Before Maya could respond, a low rumble shook the ground. The ruins seemed to groan in protest as a massive crack split the earth nearby. From the fissure emerged a twisted creature, all claws and shadows, its body crackling with the same strange energy that permeated the realm.

“Not again,” Maya muttered, already raising her hands in anticipation of summoning her newfound power.

Arin, however, stepped forward casually, her hand outstretched. With a flick of her wrist, a wave of shimmering light erupted from her palm, striking the creature and reducing it to ash.

Maya stared, stunned. “You have magic too?”

Arin turned to her with a wry smile. “Magic, power, curses—call it what you will. But yes, I can defend myself. You’ll need to learn quickly if you plan to survive here.”

Ash frowned. “Why are you helping us?”

Arin’s smile widened, though it didn’t reach her eyes. “Because you’re interesting. And because, for now, your path aligns with mine.”

“Which means?” Maya asked warily.

Arin gestured to the surrounding ruins. “This kingdom once thrived, its people tied to the melody, just as you are now. But they succumbed to it, let it consume them. I don’t intend to let that happen again.”

Maya exchanged a glance with Ash. There was no denying Arin’s power—or the fact that she knew more about the melody and the realm than they did. But her cryptic words and enigmatic demeanor made her impossible to trust.

Despite their reservations, they followed Arin deeper into the kingdom. She moved with the confidence of someone who had walked these paths many times before, weaving through the ruins with ease.

“Why is this place called the Shattered Kingdom?” Maya asked, breaking the silence.

“Because it’s broken,” Arin said simply, her gaze fixed ahead. “Time, space, reality—none of it works the way it should here. It’s a scar left by the melody’s power.”

“Is it dangerous?” Ash asked.

“Very,” Arin replied, flashing him a quick grin. “But that’s what makes it fun, isn’t it?”

Maya rolled her eyes. “You have a strange idea of fun.”

As they walked, the ruins began to change again. The air grew colder, and the once-glowing stones dimmed, replaced by jagged shards of crystal jutting from the ground. The melody grew louder in Maya’s mind, its tune more urgent and insistent.

“We’re close,” Arin said, her tone unusually serious.

“Close to what?” Maya asked.

Arin stopped and turned to face them, her expression unreadable. “To the heart of the Shattered Kingdom. If you truly want answers about the melody, you’ll find them there. But be warned—what you learn may change everything.”

Maya swallowed hard, a knot of fear and anticipation tightening in her chest. “We have to know,” she said, her voice firm.

Ash nodded in agreement. “Whatever’s waiting for us, we’ll face it.”

Arin’s lips curved into a faint smile. “Brave words. Let’s hope you can live up to them.”

With that, she led them toward the looming shadows of the kingdom’s heart, the melody guiding their every step.

***Download NovelToon to enjoy a better reading experience!***