Chapter 111
Chapter 111
Elizabeth
“It’s opening because someone is already trying to open the prison from the other side.”
Silence.
The words settled over the street like a storm cloud.
For a moment, nobody moved.
Nobody spoke.
Even the crowd seemed quieter.
I stared at the stranger.
“What do you mean the other side?”
His expression darkened.
“The prison sits between two worlds.”
That much we already knew.
Arian had sealed the realms centuries ago.
The prison existed between them.
A lock.
A barrier.
A wall.
But the stranger wasn’t finished.
“Everyone keeps focusing on what might escape.”
My stomach tightened.
“Shouldn’t we?”
“Yes.”
His voice was sharp.
“But you’re forgetting something important.”
The church trembled.
Dust drifted from the stone walls.
The glowing symbol above the entrance pulsed once.
Then again.
The stranger looked directly at me.
“What if something isn’t trying to escape?”
Silence.
I felt cold suddenly.
Very cold.
“What if it’s trying to come home?”
Nobody spoke.
Because somehow that sounded worse.
Much worse.
Adam folded his arms.
“Who?”
The stranger’s gaze shifted toward the church.
Toward the darkness beyond it.
“That’s the problem.”
A pause.
“We don’t know.”
The church bell rang.
The sound seemed deeper now.
Older.
Like something waking up.
The civilians continued walking toward the building.
One after another.
Disappearing into stone.
Like sleepwalkers answering a call.
I hated watching it.
Every instinct screamed that it was wrong.
Damon stepped beside me.
Close enough that I could feel his presence.
Not touching.
Just there.
The strange thing was…
It helped.
A little.
The stranger noticed.
His golden eyes flicked between us briefly.
Then he looked away.
I didn’t know why that annoyed me.
The little girl suddenly grabbed my wrist.
I jumped.
Her face was pale.
“Listen.”
“What?”
She shook her head.
“No. Listen.”
Everyone fell silent.
At first, I heard nothing.
Just the distant sounds of the city.
The church bell.
The footsteps of the crowd.
Then—
A voice.
Faint.
Almost impossible to hear.
Coming from inside the church.
I froze.
The voice wasn’t speaking English.
Or French.
Or any language I recognized.
It sounded ancient.
Melodic.
Like a song.
The mark on my hand pulsed.
The voice grew louder.
And suddenly—
I understood it.
Not the words.
The meaning.
My breath caught.
“It’s calling.”
Adam looked at me.
“What?”
I stared at the church.
The voice echoed again.
Beautiful.
Sad.
Lonely.
“It’s calling people.”
The little girl nodded rapidly.
“Yes.”
The stranger swore.
Not dramatically.
Not casually.
Genuinely.
Like someone who had just realized things were worse than expected.
I looked at him.
“What?”
His jaw tightened.
“It shouldn’t be able to do that.”
“Why?”
Silence.
Then—
“Because that means part of it is awake.”
The church windows flashed gold.
The ground trembled.
And suddenly every civilian stopped moving.
At once.
The entire crowd froze.
A thousand tiny chills ran down my spine.
Nobody spoke.
The silence became unbearable.
Then—
Every person turned.
Not toward me.
Not toward Damon.
Toward the river.
My stomach dropped.
Slowly.
Very slowly.
The crowd began kneeling.
One by one.
Facing the same direction.
The Mississippi.
The church bell stopped ringing.
The city became completely silent.
Then something rose from the river.
Far in the distance.
At first, I thought it was fog.
A strange golden mist.
But it wasn’t.
The stranger saw it.
His face immediately lost color.
The little girl stepped backward.
Adam straightened.
Lucien stopped smiling.
Even Damon looked concerned.
And Damon rarely looked concerned.
“What is that?” I whispered.
Nobody answered.
The golden mist continued rising.
Higher.
Higher.
Higher.
Until it formed a shape.
A massive shape.
Visible even from miles away.
A doorway.
My heart stopped.
A giant golden doorway stood above the river.
Impossible.
Beautiful.
Terrifying.
The crowd lowered their heads.
The church windows exploded.
Glass shattered across the street.
The symbol above the entrance blazed brighter.
The voice inside the church grew louder.
And suddenly—
I recognized it.
Not the language.
The voice.
My stomach dropped.
“No.”
The word escaped before I could stop it.
Damon looked at me instantly.
“What?”
I couldn’t breathe.
The voice echoed again.
The same voice from my visions.
The same voice from the red door.
The one that had whispered my name.
The one that had said—
You remember.
The realization hit me like a punch.
Whatever was calling from the church…
Was the same thing behind the prison door.
“No.”
The word came out weaker this time.
The stranger looked at me.
And immediately knew.
“You recognize it.”
It wasn’t a question.
I swallowed.
My throat felt dry.
“Yes.”
Silence.
Nobody looked happy about that answer.
The golden doorway above the river continued growing.
The city lights beneath it seemed tiny.
Insignificant.
The whole thing felt wrong.
Like reality itself was bending.
The stranger stared at it.
Then slowly shook his head.
“This isn’t supposed to happen yet.”
I was getting tired of hearing that.
Because everything seemed to be happening earlier than it should.
The church shook violently.
Stone cracked.
A long fracture spread across the front wall.
The symbol above the entrance pulsed.
And then—
The key around my neck lifted.
On its own.
I gasped.
Everyone stared.
The silver key hovered above my chest.
Glowing.
The mark on my hand answered immediately.
Gold light raced across my skin.
The church voice grew louder.
Calling.
Calling.
Calling.
The key slowly turned.
Pointing.
Not at the church.
Past it.
Toward the river.
Toward the giant golden doorway.
My pulse thundered.
The stranger stared.
Then cursed.
Again.
“What now?” Lucien asked.
The stranger looked at the floating key.
Then at me.
Then at the distant doorway.
And for the first time all night—
He looked genuinely stunned.
“That’s impossible.”
I was starting to hate that phrase.
“What is?”
His golden eyes met mine.
“The key isn’t trying to take you to the prison.”
Silence.
The church trembled again.
The crowd remained kneeling.
The giant doorway glowed brighter.
The voice called my name.
And the stranger said the one thing nobody expected.
“The key is trying to take you home."