He hurried down the hall, bursting into the forbidden section.

“Nyra! Princess! Where are you?” he called.

“Over here, Your Highness,” Valerie replied. “But we have… a situation you might want to see.”

Eldric approached quickly and froze. Nyra had turned back into a Lioness.

“How did this happen?” Eldric muttered.

He then stepped out of the forbidden section. “Rachelle! We need your assistance!”

“Yes, Your Highness,” Rachelle said, hurrying over.

“Nyra turned back into a lioness as soon as I touched her,” Valerie explained.

Rachelle walked over and rested her hand on Nyra’s back.

“That’s not what happened!” Nyra blurted loudly.

Rachelle put her hand to her temple, wincing as Nyra’s words echoed through her head, as she helped Nyra communicate with Eldric and Valerie.

“Oops, sorry,” Nyra said, quieting her voice. “I think something strange is in this section.”

Nyra explained how her legs had weakened suddenly as she entered the Forbidden section, and Valerie tried to help her up, but the transformation had suddenly accelerated.

“That’s strange,” Eldric said, frowning. “But given what’s happened so far, we can’t dismiss anything. We need to get to the bottom of this before something happens to Elena.

They regrouped at the main table.

“What did you find?” Eldric asked.

“Nothing that stands out,” Valen sighed.

“Let me have a look,” Rachelle said, flipping through the green book.

Her eyes skimmed the text. “There’s a section on water magic… something about amplifying crystals, invisible potions… something about teleportation, Wind mag—"

“Wait!” Mirael interrupted. “Go back. If Her Majesty disappeared without warning, what if the book itself carried a spell?”

“Right!” Valerie said, leaning in. “Maybe it activates depending on who touches it.”

“That could be true,” Percival admitted. “I’ve read this book before, years ago, when another nation sought to pressure Lornyth. I thought it was only a theoretical, never an actual spell.”

They all gathered closer. The page was written exactly as Valerie had guessed: This book can't fall into the wrong hands, for only a mage who wields teleportation magic can awaken it. The spell will activate upon contact, transporting the mage to where teleportation originated.

“Ugh, more research,” Nyra groaned. “Now we need to find the magic's origin.”

“Then we’ll need to look within the forbidden library again,” Eldric said firmly. “But be careful, we don’t know what else lies within.”

Percival stayed behind, and the rest followed Eldric down the long corridor until they reached the lioness door once more. The torches remained lit as the door opened with a gust of wind slipping through, sending another chill down Mirael’s spine.

As Mirael stepped inside, her body wavered. A dizzy spell swept over her, her stomach fluttering. She gripped a bookshelf to steady herself.

Nyra noticed and hurried to her side.

“I’m okay. Thanks, Nyra,” Mirael whispered.

She forced herself upright, though Nyra lingered near as the others searched the shelves.

“Guys! I found a book on teleportation!” Valerie called.

They rushed to her side, where she sat at a dusty old table, carefully turning the crackling pages.

“The origins of fast travel, now called teleportation, began in Solkara, the desert lands of beastkind. The first mages drew power from the shifting sands to cross vast distances in an instant. According to this, if someone capable of wielding teleportation magic touches the spell, they’re transported to Solkara itself, where the magic was first born,” she read. “That must be where Queen Elena is.”

“Where is Solkara?” Rachelle asked.

The group fell silent. The name was unfamiliar, but the answer was clear—Elena was far beyond their reach.

Valerie skimmed through the pages until she found a passage worth noting.

“It says this land was once reachable... but as magic died out, its location was lost”

“Damn it!” Valerie slammed the page in frustration.

The others stared at her, taken aback by the sudden outburst. Valerie cleared her throat, cheeks flushing.

“Ahem—pardon my language.”

“It’s alright,” Valen said with a faint smirk. “Better to let your frustration out than hide it behind your perfect image.”

Valerie glared. “You could’ve just said ‘it’s alright’.”

Nyra gave a small, rumbling sound that almost passed for a laugh.

Then Mirael clutched her head as her vision blurred, heat rushing to her face. As she stood, her knees wobbled as she clutched the table, fighting against the sickening spin of the room.

“Mirael?” Valerie rose at once.

“I—"

Mirael’s words caught in her throat as the shelves swayed in her sight, books blurring into smears of brown and gold.

She braced herself against the wall, her body struggling to steady itself against the disorienting scene.

Nyra padded closer, tail low. She growled softly, her tone urgent.

“What’s that!” Valen said, startled, his hand going to his sword hilt.

“No, wait!” Rachelle rushed forward, pressing her hand against Nyra’s shoulder. “It’s Nyra. She’s worried about Mirael!”

Everyone froze. The words rang clear, echoing through Rachelle as Nyra huffed urgently.

“We need to get you out of here, Mirael,” Nyra said.

Eldric stepped around the table, noticing Mirael had collapsed near the spot where Elena had vanished. Her body trembled, struggling against the invisible weight pressing down on her.

“Back away from there!” Eldric ordered. He knelt beside Mirael, supporting her. “What do you feel?”

“I don’t know, it's just so heavy,” Mirael whispered, her voice raw. “It’s difficult to breathe.”

“Princess, bring the book. We’re leaving—now,” Eldric said urgently.

With Nyra’s help, Mirael managed to stand, and together they hurried out of the library.

“Percival, lock the forbidden section,” Eldric ordered. “And find an ex-mage immediately,”

“Yes, sir,” Percival bowed.

***

They returned to Nyra’s room and laid Mirael on the bed.

“Nyra has a bed?” Valen asked.

“Of course she does,” Eldric said sharply. “All the animals do. They’re the protectors of Lornyth, not wild beasts.”

“Right… sorry, Your Highness,” Valen muttered.

Later that night, Mirael stirred. Nyra was asleep beside her.

“What happened to me?” Mirael wondered.

She slipped quietly from the bed and wandered the halls until she reached the castle gardens.

Mirael stepped softly along the moonlit path. The night was cool, the chaos of the library a distant echo in her mind. She sat on a stone bench, the scent of jasmine thick in the air. For the first time in hours, she let herself breathe deeply, feeling the tension in her shoulders ease.

The gentle rustling of leaves and chirping of crickets filled the silence. She trailed her fingers over the smooth surface of the bench, tracing the worn patterns, her thoughts drifting to Elena, Valerie, the green leather book… none of it seemed so heavy here.

A breeze rippled the fountain nearby, scattering white petals across the water. Mirael knelt by its edge, watching her reflection shimmer beneath the moonlight.

Nyra’s brief absence was noticeable. Mirael knew Nyra was nearby, vigilant even as she allowed herself this quiet moment. And soon, as if sensing her need, a soft paw pressed against her hand. Mirael looked down to see Nyra sitting beside her, her amber eyes gleaming in the moonlight, calm and steady. Mirael smiled faintly, stroking the fur along Nyra’s neck.

“Thank you,” she said, letting her fingers trail along Nyra’s back.

For a moment, the world felt still. Safe. Tomorrow would bring questions—but tonight, the garden was her sanctuary.

Even though Mirael had some rest, she still felt exhausted, and Nyra allowed Mirael to lean against her. Mirael closed her eyes for a moment and listened to the rhythmic breathing of Nyra beside her.  

When they returned to the room, Rachelle was waiting by the door, breathless.

“You look much better,” she said quickly. “Sorry to come here so late, but everyone else is asleep—and I just remembered something from the end of the book I didn’t want to read aloud earlier.”

She pulled the copy of the green book and opened it. Taking a steadying breath, she read:
“Those who are taken to Solkara are tested. Few return unchanged.”

“What do you mean by that?”

All three turned toward the voice.

“Your Highness!” Rachelle gasped.

Eldric stood in the hallway, his expression unreadable.

“Answer me,” he said quietly.

Rachelle swallowed. “The last page says Her Majesty will face trials alone. She can only return once it’s complete… and she will not return the same.”