The River of Shadows

The river ran backwards on the day the Queen vanished. It churned and foamed against the natural order, flowing upstream as if trying to reclaim something lost. The people of Eldoren had never seen anything like it. The normally placid waters of the Verisca River, which had always nourished the fertile fields and kept the village alive, now defied the laws of nature. And with this strange occurrence came an even greater terror—Queen Elara, the light of the kingdom, had vanished without a trace.

The sky over Eldoren had darkened, not with clouds but with the thick, oppressive feeling of something unseen hovering above. The once vibrant marketplace was deserted as whispers spread like wildfire. Merchants spoke in hushed tones, and mothers clutched their children close. No one dared to approach the castle, where the Queen's court now stood paralyzed by fear and uncertainty. The walls, once adorned with banners and golden crests, seemed to close in as the sun dimmed, casting an eerie twilight over the kingdom.

Among those affected by the strange events was Aric, a young scholar and the Queen’s favored apprentice in the magical arts. He stood by the riverbank, his keen blue eyes narrowed in confusion as he watched the waters move in reverse. The pages of his ancient tome flapped in the wind, and though the text he had studied for years mentioned omens and prophecies, nothing prepared him for this. The land’s magic felt…broken.

Behind him, the sound of footsteps startled him from his thoughts. He turned to see Lysandra, the captain of the Queen’s guard, her armor clinking softly as she approached. Her dark hair was braided tightly, her face grim and shadowed by the strange light. She had been searching for the Queen since the moment she disappeared, with no success.

"Aric," she said, her voice firm but laced with worry. "You’ve studied the old texts. What is this madness? What does it mean?"

Aric shook his head, his hands trembling slightly as he closed the tome. "This… this is no ordinary magic. The river, the Queen—there’s something deeper at play here. I don’t know what it is yet, but I fear that whatever took her is connected to the ancient forces we were warned about. The Verisca has always been tied to the land’s balance. If it flows in reverse, the balance itself might be unraveling."

Lysandra clenched her jaw. "The court is panicked. The lords whisper of betrayal, of old enemies returning from beyond the veil. We cannot let them believe the Queen is truly lost. What do we do now?"

"We search for answers," Aric replied, his voice steadying with determination. "And we start with the river. It’s the only clue we have. If the Verisca is being controlled by some force, perhaps it can lead us to where the Queen has gone."

Without further words, they mounted their horses and rode along the banks of the river, following its unnatural current. The forest surrounding them grew darker as they traveled further, the trees gnarled and twisted as if sickened by the reversal of the river’s flow. Even the wildlife was absent, as though the land itself held its breath in anticipation of something terrible.

Hours passed, and the forest became denser. Just when they thought the river would lead them to nowhere, a sudden break in the trees revealed something astounding—a massive waterfall, flowing upwards into the sky. Its roaring waters spiraled into the clouds, defying gravity, disappearing into a swirling, dark vortex at the summit.

Aric and Lysandra exchanged glances, both feeling a pull from the waterfall, an undeniable sense that this was connected to the Queen’s disappearance.

"We must go through," Aric said, his voice shaking now. He dismounted, his heart pounding as he approached the base of the waterfall. The magic in the air was thick, tangible even. He felt his own power resonate with the energy before him, but it was wild and foreign, unlike anything he had ever encountered.

Lysandra placed a hand on his shoulder. "Are you sure about this?"

"No," Aric admitted. "But there’s no other way. Whatever force took the Queen is beyond our world, and this waterfall is the gateway."

With a deep breath, Aric stepped forward, his hand reaching toward the cascading water. The moment his fingertips brushed the surface, the world shifted. The ground beneath him dissolved, the sky spun, and everything around them became a blur of light and shadow.

When they regained their bearings, they found themselves in a different world altogether. The sky was a deep violet, with two pale moons hanging high above. The land was barren, covered in jagged rocks and strange, glowing plants that pulsed with an eerie light. In the distance, a great black tower rose from the horizon, its spires twisting unnaturally against the alien sky.

"The Queen is here," Lysandra said, her voice tight with certainty. "I can feel her presence."

Aric nodded, feeling the same strange pull. They mounted their horses again, pushing forward toward the tower. As they rode, they passed strange, shadowy figures—creatures of the dark realm, watching them with glowing eyes but making no move to stop them.

The closer they came to the tower, the heavier the air felt. It was as if the very fabric of reality grew thinner, strained under some unimaginable weight. And at the base of the tower, they saw her.

Queen Elara stood alone, her back to them, her form draped in shimmering silver robes. But something was wrong. Her silhouette flickered, as if she were only half there, caught between two worlds. A dark figure loomed before her, a being made of shadows and smoke, its form constantly shifting as it whispered to her in a language neither Aric nor Lysandra could understand.

"Your Majesty!" Lysandra called, drawing her sword and rushing forward.

The Queen turned slowly, her face pale and eyes unfocused. "Lysandra… Aric…" she murmured, her voice distant, as if carried by the wind. "You shouldn’t have come. It’s too late…"

Before they could respond, the shadowy figure turned its gaze upon them. Its eyes, deep voids of nothingness, bored into Aric’s soul. The air around them grew colder, the ground trembling beneath their feet.

"You are too late," the creature hissed, its voice like the crackle of dead leaves. "The Queen belongs to the Void now. The balance has been broken."

Aric felt a surge of energy within him, magic welling up in response to the creature’s presence. He had to act fast. "Not if we can restore it," he said, raising his hands and summoning the power that had been dormant within him for so long.

Lysandra moved to shield the Queen, her sword glowing with enchantment. The creature let out a shriek, its form unraveling as Aric's magic collided with its essence. But the battle was far from over. The tower groaned, the world around them collapsing as the forces of light and dark clashed.

"We need to leave!" Lysandra shouted over the chaos.

Aric knew she was right, but they couldn’t leave without the Queen. Summoning all the strength he had, he reached out toward Elara, pulling her back from the brink of the Void’s hold. The Queen’s eyes cleared, and she gasped as if awakening from a terrible dream.

"Aric… Lysandra… I was lost," she whispered.

"We found you," Aric replied. "But we have to go—now!"

As the shadowy world began to crumble around them, they fled, racing toward the swirling vortex that had brought them to this realm. Behind them, the tower collapsed, swallowed by the Void.

With a final burst of power, Aric and Lysandra leaped through the portal, pulling the Queen with them. They landed back by the river, its waters still flowing in reverse, but the danger had passed. The Queen had been saved.

The river began to slow, its current gradually returning to normal. The balance, though fragile, had been restored. But as Aric looked at the sky, he knew this was only the beginning. The forces that had taken the Queen still lingered in the shadows, waiting for their moment to strike again.

And next time, they would be ready.

Check out: The Forbidden Door