The chaos erupted when Iris crossed to the other realm with the Grand Inquisitor. The Mage Hunters fell lifelessly to the floor one by one, as if someone cut the puppets' strings. The Knights and the Mages alike shouted in surprise.

'Well done, child,' Myrica said, her mouth almost curved into a smile. The knight holding the blade to her throat let his hand drop a few inches, looking around in confusion. That was all she needed. She grabbed and pulled on his wrist and elbowed him in the jaw. The Inquisitor staggered back with a groan. Myr didn't wait to see if he recovered. She dashed at the knight standing over Arlo and put the blade at his neck.

'Drop your weapon,' she ordered. The man hesitated, but she pressed her dagger firmer to his skin, drawing a few drops of blood. The knight hesitated a moment, and then he slowly let his sword fall to the floor.

Myrica looked around. Kara was already on her feet, attacking the knights who tried to surround the Mages. The rest of the Rebels made use of the sudden distraction too. Without Mage Hunters around, the Mages already started to get rid of their bindings. The remaining Inquisitors looked confused, but someone eventually took charge, barking orders, and they started to move as an organised unit again.

But before they could do any real damage, an ear-splitting shriek shook the whole chamber. Everyone instinctively staggered back from the centre, wherein the tear the darkness was coiling and bulging.

'What have you done?!' roared the distorted choir of voices. 'Where are you, Inquisssitor?! And where isss my light?!' The slithering shadow erupted from the tear and entwined around the closest knight, who wasn't quick enough to dodge. He screamed, and there was a terrible screech of metal when his armour was squeezed with enormous force. One brave Inquisitor jumped forward and slashed his sword at the Shadow's tentacle, but the blade went right through it without any harm. The trapped knight gave out another painful shriek, and his face turned to an ill shade of blue and covered with frost. The tendril released its grip, and the body fell to the floor with a sickening thud.

'Where isss my light?!' shrieked the beast again, and three more strands of shadow appeared, groping around for something to grab.

'Everyone, back off!' Myrica shouted, even though no one needed any encouragement. 'Light up the torches and make as much fire as you can!'

The knights looked at her and then exchanged confused glances. They were not sure how to proceed without the Grand Inquisitor. Those were the Rebels, and they were ordered to capture all the Mages and imprison them. But the horrible thing from the hole has just killed one of them and seemed to be a far more pressing issue than insurgents.

'Come on!' Kara bellowed, waving her torch frantically. 'Are you going to help us fight this thing, or are you just going to stare?!'

'Light the torches! one of the Inquisitors 'We can't let this thing out of the chamber.'

'You foolsss!' Brath shrieked. 'Do you think you can ssstop me? You are nothing! There isss nothing you can do now! I'm going to devour your sssoulsss and feed on your flesssh!' Even more tendrils of darkness started filling the room, coiling, and whirling franticly.

The Mages already managed to create a light barrier around the tear, trying to prevent the creature from advancing, while the others sent bolts of light toward the swirling mass of shadow. But with every tendril that the light has dispersed, another two appeared.

'Save your power!' Myrica shouted. 'We can't kill it unless it enters our real completely! Use fire to keep it back!'

The Inquisitors eagerly started putting on more fires. The new commander was issuing orders efficiently and without hesitation. A few Mages were keeping the barrier, but it was clear that they won't be able to hold it for long. Not while more and more Shadow's tentacles smashed at it relentlessly.

'Is Iris not back yet?' Myrica asked, looking around with a frown.

'No,' Kara replied, her eyes never leaving the coiling monstrosity. 'I don't want to be an ill prophet, but that probably means she's in trouble. I don't think the Grand Inquisitor could be easily shaken off.'

Arlo cursed. 'Is there any way we can help her?'

'We cannot,' Myrica said gloomily. 'I fear there is nothing we can do for her now. We need to use the advantage she gave us.'

'I can fetch her!' an excited voice shouted.

They all turned around in surprise to look at a small boy with green eyes. Myrica recognised him as Iris' little brother. 'What are you talking about, child?'

'She crossed, didn't she? If she's in trouble, I can go and get her!' he said, his eyes sparkling mischievously.

'No, wait! You can't just...!' Kara protested, reaching her hand toward him, but it was already too late. The boy disappeared.

Arlo cursed again. 'What has just happened?'

'It seems the Realmfarer's talent is in the blood,' Myrica mused. 'It matters not. We cannot wait for them. We need to proceed with our original plan. Let us prepare to drag this thing to our side and take it down.

***

Cassius' eyes went wide when he sensed the reality around them wavered. But it was already too late. All the colours drained from their surroundings, giving way to impenetrable darkness. The air had gone from cold to freezing. A musty stench of mould and decay filled their nostrils.

Iris mind erupted with piercing pain, even before she fully entered the Shadow Realm. Brath was right there, barely a few feet away from her. The complete darkness surrounded them, so it was hard to say if they had already fully crossed. But Iris was not planning to stop there.

She recalled the map Alaife showed them in the library, covered with countless dots, signifying other realms. The Light Realm has only one connection to the Shadow Realm. But this place was a gateway to three other dots. If there was a passage, Iris didn't have to stop here.

'The hell are you doing?!' Grand Inquisitor shouted. Surprise and panic vibrated in his voice. But he did not let go of her, too afraid of what would happen if he did.

Iris ignored him and the pain throbbing in her mind. She disregarded a terrible shriek of the monstrous creature raising just a few feet away from them. Her eyes narrowed in search of other ways. Suddenly she was assaulted by all colours and shapes, overlapping one another, fighting for her attention. Iris hesitated. She knew she couldn't stay here because the moment they fully materialised, Brath would tear her to pieces. But she had no idea what dangers awaited in other worlds.

'Whatever you're doing, stop!' Grand Inquisitor growled.

When she ignored him, she felt a shift in his position. The next thing she knew was a blinding pain in her shoulder when something sharp and cold pierced through her body. She screamed in pain. Her time was up. She narrowed her eyes, and with the last desperate effort, she focused on the brightest picture painted in front of her eyes.

Suddenly the darkness withdrew, and the angry shrieks were dimmed and eventually cut short. The world around them turned so bright that Iris had to close her eyes. She felt the solid stony ground beneath her feet, and the next breath she took came in full of dust. Iris coughed and let go of her power.

Cassius swayed on his feet, letting go of Iris, and she fell limply to her knees. When she finally opened her eyes, she saw the dagger handle sticking out of her shoulder, her clothes quickly soaking blood. It felt oddly surreal. The slightest movement resulted in an eruption of blinding pain, so she was sitting there, on dusty, rocky ground and looked around.

They were in the middle of nowhere - an endless expanse of rough plain, with nothing more than stones and pebbles. Not even the smallest grass. The sky was bright with a yellow tinge, but there was no sun nor moon anywhere to be seen. Her eyes stopped at Ground Inquisitor.

It was the first time Iris saw him not as an evil mastermind but simply a man. His brows furrowed; his expression troubled as he looked around with disbelief. He looked lost. When their eyes met, his face flushed red with anger.

'What have you done?! Where are we?!'

'No idea.' She shrugged and quickly regretted it when the pain blossomed again in her shoulder. She groaned.

'What are you?'

'A Realmfarer,' she said in a tired voice, not expecting him to know this term, but there was a flash of recognition in his face.

'That's impossible! It was just an old folk's tale. Legends,' he protested.

'And yet here we are.'

The Grand Inquisitor growled with frustration and dashed toward her. He grabbed her uninjured shoulder and pulled her to her feet. Iris cried out in pain, and for a moment, she was sure she would faint. Her legs wobbled helplessly, and if not for a strong arm of a man holding her, she would fall back down.

'Take us back now!' he ordered.

'No!' Iris cried.

'Right now! Or I swear I will cut you into pieces!'

'I can't! Even if I want to! You stabbed me! I can hardly stay conscious, and you want me to cross between realms?'

'Useless weakling!' Cassius growled. He grabbed the handle of his dagger and pulled it out, shoving her to the ground.

Iris wailed in pain and curled on the stones wishing she could stop existing, to stop this pain. Her hands were still bound at her back, so she couldn't even staunch the bleeding. She was panting heavily, the dust filling her mouth, suffocating.

'That was your great plan?' Cassius barked, pacing near her. She felt the vibration on the ground every time he stomped. 'To dragged me into some random world and left here to die? Did you think I would let you leave without me?'

'I didn't think that far,' she admitted, turning slightly to look at him. 'I just needed you gone. We couldn't deal with Brath while you were there, with your Shadow Magic, mind manipulation and those shadow puppets you created. But with you gone... I say my friends have fairly good chance to deal with the monster.'

'You're an idiot! That Shadow is strong enough already to deal with your bunch of rebels. And now, when I'm gone from the world, the pact is voided! I felt it breaking when we crossed here where the connection could not be maintained! Do you have any idea what chaos it will wreck if it runs free?'

'Isn't that what you wanted?' Iris spat.

'Not in our kingdom!' he roared. He ran a hand through his hair in desperation. 'I can't believe that years of careful planning and hard work were wasted in seconds by an idiot like you!'

'Well, maybe your plan wasn't that good after all.'

Iris gritted her teeth and heaved herself to sit up. Her injured shoulder and arm were warm and sticky with blood, still flowing freely. She was dead tired and didn't care anymore what happened to her. I did my job, she thought. I took out the most significant obstacle. I must trust that my friends will deal with the rest. If her life was the price for freeing their world from Shadow Magic's corruption, Iris was fine with that.

Iris knew that Inquisitor would probably kill her soon. Or leave her to bleed out and die. But she couldn't help but feel satisfaction when she saw the desperation on his face. The same misery he brought on so many innocent people. Yes, Iris made peace with her decision to leave her world behind.

'You had no right to do this,' she said.

Cassius stopped to look at her with disdain. 'What are you babbling about?'

'You ruined so many lives. No one should be condemned because of what they are.'

'You are foolish and naïve.' He scoffed. 'Some things are not meant for humans. This power... this magic... Most of you, Mages, have no idea what you are doing most of the time. Have you forgotten the Ritual already? It could easily destroy the whole city!'

'You can't know that!'

'Maybe, but if I can prevent it, I will.'

'By executing innocent people? Children?!'

'Everything has a price,' Cassius replied, turning away from her and looking over the empty landscape. 'Mages are not that common - they are barely a fraction of the society. Eliminate them, and the rest can live peacefully.'

'That's not the solution!' Iris shouted and felt a sudden dizziness, so she took a few calming breaths before continuing. 'There were thousand other ways to prevent the repeat of what happened during Ritual.'

'We don't have time or resources to cuddle weak fools,' Cassius growled, looking back at her. 'All leaders of Mage's Ordered died that day. Letting the others go would mean having a bunch of gullible fools running around in panic wielding power they clearly couldn't control. They would spread even more chaos, and our kingdom would never survive that disaster.'

'So, you chose to kill them all. Hundreds of people! And not only that, but you were also feeding their souls to that monster!'

The Grand Inquisitor scoffed and turned away from her again. 'I don't expect you or anyone to understand. As sad as it may be, only the strong will survive in this world. There's no place for sentiment or half-measures.' He looked back at her. His cold grey eyes narrowed. 'You'd better stop wasting your breath on this nonsense and think of the way to get us back to our world before I stab you again.'

'As if stabbing me help you anyhow,' Iris mocked. She was trying to stay conscious, but she was slipping, her sight becoming hazy. She felt lightheaded, and the world was spinning around her.

Suddenly, Iris caught a movement in the corner of her eye. And it was not from the side where the Grand Inquisitor was pacing. She blinked a few times, trying to clear her vision. There was a whiz in the air, and something grey streaked over her head. A second later, Cassius cried in surprise. Iris, barely conscious, watched as red blood trickled through his fingers pressed to his temple.

The next moment a small hand grabbed Iris' uninjured arm. Her eyes went wide when she saw a dirty face with a big smile and green eyes.

'Found you!' Cody said, not bothering to hide his pride. 'Hold on tight!'

There was a roar of pure fury. The Grand Inquisitor dashed toward them, but he was too far away. Iris watched in horror as his outstretched hand extended towards them, fingers curved like claws. He reached her arm, but it was already too late. The world around her rippled and went out of focus. Cassius' fingers went through her as if she was a ghost.

She still heard his desperate howl when the darkness closed around her.