whispers of the stars

*chapter 10_she can't escape now

***author's pov***

Dephlia’s voice grew low and rhythmic as she chanted ancient spells, the air around her thickening with dark energy. Her hands moved in fluid motions, tracing symbols in the air as the words of the incantation reverberated throughout Zyrian’s chamber. Slowly, the space before her began to shift, bending and warping until a glowing portal opened in the air.

Through the swirling mist, the outline of a small room on a distant planet became clear—Sia’s room.

Zyrian watched from the shadows, his eyes narrowed with anticipation as Dephlia stepped through the portal. She emerged silently in Sia’s room, the young girl still unaware as she danced in her own world. Dephlia moved with practiced ease, her presence undetectable as she approached the small wooden drawer beside Sia’s bed.

From the folds of her dark robes, Dephlia retrieved a delicate glass ring. The ring shimmered faintly with an ethereal glow, enchanted with a powerful spell. She carefully placed it on the corner of the drawer, ensuring it would be the first thing Sia saw when she returned to the room. Its magic would subtly influence Sia’s thoughts, pulling her toward the fate that awaited her in the Eryndor dynasty.

Before departing, Dephlia glanced at the girl, a knowing smile tugging at her lips. Sia had no idea of the cosmic forces that were now playing with her fate, but soon, she would.

Dephlia stepped back through the portal, leaving the room as undisturbed as when she had arrived. The portal closed behind her with a soft whisper, vanishing into the air like a dream. Back in the Eryndor palace, she turned to Zyrian, her task complete.

"The ring is in place," Dephlia said, her voice low but confident. "She will be drawn to it, and through it, to us. It won’t be long now, Zyrian. Soon, she’ll cross into our world."

Zyrian’s amber eyes gleamed with satisfaction, a dark smile forming on his lips. “Good,” he replied. “Let the game begin.”

And somewhere, in a quiet room light-years away, the faint glow of a glass ring waited for Sia to discover it, unaware that her life was about to be irrevocably changed.

That night, after dinner, Sia returned to her room, the quiet settling in around her as the sounds of her family faded into the background. The warmth from the meal still lingered, but her mind was elsewhere, floating through the little moments of the day. She was eager to relax, maybe scroll through her phone a bit before going to bed.

As she stepped into her room, something caught her eye—a faint, unfamiliar glow coming from her drawer. Frowning slightly, she approached, her curiosity piqued.

Sia reached out and picked up the object, her fingers closing around a delicate glass ring she didn’t remember placing there. The ring shimmered with a subtle, almost hypnotic light, its surface cold and smooth to the touch. She turned it over in her hand, her eyes tracing the intricate designs carved into the glass.

"Where did this come from?" she mumbled to herself, confused. She couldn’t recall owning anything like this. But there was something strangely familiar about it, like it was meant to be there, waiting for her.

Without thinking, she slipped the ring onto her finger, and the moment it settled, a soft hum vibrated through her body. The air around her seemed to shift, as if the room had grown smaller, closer, somehow. A distant pull tugged at her mind, a gentle yet insistent force urging her toward something she couldn’t yet understand.

Sia stared at her reflection in the mirror, absently running her fingers over the ring. She couldn’t explain it, but she felt... different. As if something had changed the moment she put the ring on.

“What is this?” she whispered, her thoughts suddenly feeling scattered, like they were drifting away from her.

She tried to shake the strange feeling off, but as she looked at her reflection again, she noticed her eyes seemed darker, her face almost... unfamiliar. The same, yet not. A shiver ran down her spine.

Somewhere far away, across galaxies, Zyrian's amber eyes gleamed in the night, sensing that the first part of his plan had fallen into place. Soon, she would be his.

Sia gulped, her fingers trembling slightly as she tried to pull the ring off. The cool glass felt oddly heavier now, like it had somehow fused with her skin. She tugged at it gently, but it wouldn’t budge. A small flicker of panic crossed her mind, but she quickly dismissed it, telling herself it was just her imagination playing tricks on her.

"It’s probably nothing," she whispered, trying to calm herself. "Just a tight fit."

Still, the eerie glow around the ring hadn’t faded, and the strange hum in the air persisted, as if the ring was alive with its own quiet energy.

Exhaustion soon crept in, dulling the edges of her anxiety. She decided it wasn’t worth obsessing over tonight—she would figure it out tomorrow. Maybe she was just tired.

With a sigh, she slipped under her blankets, her eyes lingering on the ring one last time before they fluttered shut. Sleep pulled her in quickly, and soon the soft sounds of her breathing filled the room.

But as Sia drifted into sleep, the ring’s faint glow intensified, casting subtle waves of light across her room. The air felt different, heavier, as if the very fabric of reality was shifting ever so slightly around her. And while Sia slept peacefully, far away in the Oracle galaxy, Zyrian sat in his chamber, his eyes closed, a satisfied smirk playing on his lips.

Through the invisible connection, he could feel her presence now, closer than ever. The ring had done its job. Soon, Sia would begin to see visions, and those visions would pull her further into his world.

“She can’t escape now,” Zyrian whispered into the darkness of his chamber. "Soon, she will be mine."

And so, the night carried on, but for Sia, her journey had already begun, even as she slept, unaware of the forces at play.