Chapter 1
Bailey’s POV
People often make the mistake of assuming ours is the only world that exists. They couldn’t be more wrong. There are countless other realms coexisting with our own — parallel universes that have yet to reveal themselves to us.
I had the luck, if you can call it that, to stumble into one of them. And, honestly, it was almost perfect for me — because I’d never been the “normal” type. My mind was always somewhere else, far away from the mundane world — lost in imaginary quests to save kingdoms from evil sorcerers, monsters, enchantresses, and things far worse.
Never in my wildest dreams did I imagine I’d actually be living one of those quests. And yet, here I was — on a mission to save the innocent.
Only… nothing about it was like I’d pictured.
Before I dive into the chaos, let me give you a little background.
I was the nerd of the family. Always. My younger brother, the baby of the family, needed constant supervision. My older brother? Already married with a baby on the way — bullet dodged.
Me? Being the responsible sister meant every household disaster landed on my shoulders.
Mama and Papa were mostly preoccupied with my grandfather’s failing health, spending their days in the countryside. So, naturally, the entire household — plus my incapable, annoying little brother — fell to me.
You can imagine the thrill I felt when I finally left for college. Freedom at last. Time for myself.
I wanted to reinvent myself. To fit in. But, of course, my weirdness beat me to it. I was, once again, a nerd. Still, I made a few friends, which was something.
One Halloween night, we went to a dorm party. Ugh. I hated it. Boredom seeped into my bones. But my girlfriends seemed to enjoy it, so I endured.
“Oh, come on, Bee! Cheer up! Have some fun!”
Chloe — the eternally optimistic one — never failed to cheer me up.
“Well, if we can’t make her, let her be. She’ll decide for herself,” said Ingrid, the confident, impossibly popular girl. I still don’t know how I ended up friends with them.
I decided to call it a night. I wasn’t in the mood for partying.
“I’m heading back to my room. You guys have fun. I’m… kind of tired,” I said, yawning.
“Well, now you’re just making excuses to leave!” Chloe snapped.
“No, seriously, I don’t feel like it.” Honestly, I was already dreaming of my bed.
“Well, if that’s how you feel, then go,” Chloe gave up.
Finally. Sleep. Sweet, peaceful sleep.
The streets of London, though, were a different story. Two a.m., deserted, shadows crawling along the walls. I took a shortcut — a dark, narrow alleyway where any number of killers could be lurking.
Mom had always warned me: “Don’t take shortcuts at night, Bailey. Strange things happen.”
I didn’t believe her. From experience, there were only drunks and cats.
And yet… there was something exhilarating about danger. Something that made my blood hum.
So there I was, tiptoeing through the shadows, when I heard it: voices. Arguing.
“Why did you bring me here, Tristan? There is nothing in this realm worth my time.”
I could barely make them out, but they seemed close to my age — twenty-five, maybe twenty-six. Two men. Saying strange things. I should’ve turned and walked away.
“I brought you here to help! The power is consuming you. Soon, you won’t be able to return!”
Yep. Probably another CEO gone insane. Start walking, Bailey.
“The power won’t consume me because I control it! Soon, I’ll have enough to kill the First Born!”
The First Born? My curiosity was piqued.
The taller man exuded authority, his voice cold and confident.
“The First Born thought so too. Look where he is now — utterly mad!” Tristan’s voice trembled with fear.
“Well, he lacked the strength. I am stronger, more powerful than he ever was. He may have created the power, but he never mastered it.”
Arrogance. It dripped from him. I could feel it. And it made my skin crawl.
“And neither will you! The power can’t be controlled! It has a mind of its own! It twists, corrupts, consumes. Eventually, it drives you mad! Please, Nathaniel, let me help you rid yourself of it!”
“Rid myself of it? Why would I want to do that when it serves me so well?”
The smirk alone made my teeth grit.
“Serves you? You slaughtered a battalion, destroyed a village over a petty thief, and killed him in front of the entire kingdom!”
Tristan’s fury ignited. And his boss — what a monster.
I crept closer, just enough to see without being seen.
“Is that what bothers you? Because I killed a few peasants? Ha! Stop worrying about trivial things… little brother.”
Interesting. They’re related.
“Those were innocent lives, Nathaniel! That was evil!”
I inched closer, trying to catch every word.
“I don’t care! If it helps me kill that bastard, so be it! Collateral damage is irrelevant. Afterward, this kingdom will rise as the most powerful in all realms!”
What the hell are these guys doing? Rehearsing for a fantasy convention?
Their clothes were medieval — strange, out of place. Yet… the alley suggested they weren’t cosplaying.
“Then you give me no choice, big brother.”
Tristan lunged. His fist collided with Nathaniel’s chest — and he ripped it open.
Holy crap. My legs froze. He was actually killing him.
“Tr… Tristan?! What are you doing?!”
Nathaniel gasped, chest glowing an eerie blue.
“I’m sorry, brother. This is the only way to save you… and the kingdom. Forgive me!”
He yanked something from Nathaniel’s chest — black and glowing.
My heart thundered. I stumbled back, stepping on a can. It clattered loudly. Tristan’s head whipped toward me.
“Who’s there?! Show yourself!”
I ran. My lungs burned. But when I dared to look back, he was right in front of me.
Tristan. Fuming.
“Who are you?”
Here it comes.
“Who? Me? Nobody! Just passing by! Didn’t see anything! Definitely not… you know, murdering your brother!”
Brilliant, Bailey. You’ve doomed yourself.
“How much did you hear?”
Don’t talk. Just don’t talk.
“I… nothing! I mean, not everything. I heard some things… like your brother killing people, wanting power to kill someone… and I saw you rip his chest open. It was scary. Really scary. Okay, fine, I saw everything!”
Perfect. You’re dead.
“You talk a lot, don’t you?”
“He-he, only when I’m terrified out of my mind… like now.”
I forced a grin. Maybe he’d spare me.
“Don’t worry. I’m not my brother. You’ll forget this. Just let me erase your memories.”
Erase my memories?
He placed a hand on my head and closed his eyes — then gasped.
“What? You have…”
Before he could finish, he was thrown into a wall. Nathaniel, alive, stood opposite, clutching his chest.
“Tristan! Why?! Give it back! You had no right!”
He was alive?! My head spun.
“I have every right — especially after what you were about to do!”
Tristan’s hand still clutched the black glowing object. My stomach dropped. It looked like… a heart.
I covered my mouth in horror.
“You ripped his heart out! How is he still alive?!”
“Move, human! I’ll deal with you later!” Nathaniel roared.
He charged. I ran — straight into a dead end.
“Ugh… crap.”
“It’s no use running.” Tristan’s voice was calm, terrifying.
“Oh man, really? What do you want? Even if I called the police, they’d think I’m insane!”
“Quiet. Stand still.”
I shut my eyes tight, expecting death.
Instead, he plunged his own hand into his chest.
“What the hell are you doing? You’ll die! You people are insane!” I screamed.
“It’s not a real heart,” he said. “It’s power.”
Latin whispered from his lips.
“Exolvo!”
The heart shattered into sparks of light and merged with the black one. Tristan’s face turned pale.
Then: “Manifesto!”
My chest flared. I could see my own heart — beating like a drum inside a glass vessel. The pulse was deafening.
“What… what are you doing?!”
“I’m preparing my brother’s heart for a new host.”
New host? No, no, no!
“You have a heart capable of wielding power,” Tristan explained. “This realm was denied such gifts eons ago. But you… you have it. Pure. Pure enough for me to use.”
I tried to move. I couldn’t. My body froze.
“I’m sorry. You must stay still for the next step.”
The black heart hovered inches from my chest — pulsing, alive, hungry.
Its glow painted the alley in streaks of shadow and fire.
“No! You don’t have to do this! Please!” I screamed.
My voice shattered against the walls, but Tristan didn’t flinch. His face was pale, determined.
“This is the only way to save him,” he whispered. “Forgive me.”
The world went silent. Then — impact.
Pain detonated through me like lightning tearing the sky apart. I felt it burn through my veins, clawing into my heart, rewriting something deep inside. My knees buckled. My scream never made it out.
The alley blurred into streaks of light. My pulse thundered louder, faster, until it wasn’t mine anymore.
Somewhere beyond the haze, I heard Nathaniel roar, his voice ragged and furious.
“Tristan! What have you done?!”
Tristan fell to his knees, blood dripping from his mouth. “Saved you… both…” His eyes met mine, glassy and full of sorrow.
Then darkness swallowed him whole.
The black heart inside me throbbed once more — a violent, living beat — and suddenly, I could feel Nathaniel’s power pulsing through my body. His rage. His grief. His darkness.
And in that moment, I knew.
Whatever world I’d stumbled into…
It wasn’t going to let me go.
