Caitlyn stood at the edge of the hidden realm, her breath catching as the air around her pulsed with energy. The realm itself had changed since her return. It wasn’t just darker—darker than it had ever been—but it was alive, responding to her emotions, to her inner turmoil. Every time she felt anger rise within her, storms would rage across the sky, dark clouds swirling violently above. Every time her grief surged, the ground beneath her feet would shift, the very earth warping like a reflection in a broken mirror.

She could feel it now—the realm reacting to the ache in her chest. Every crack in the world seemed to...