Chapter 3: The Portal Between Realities

Imperial Kingdom of Khanda
Year 2021

Emperor Arin Di Khanda stood at the edge of a sprawling bamboo forest; his white steed restless beneath him. At 30 years old, he carried the weight of a fractured monarchy and the burden of protecting the balance between the two worlds.

Twenty-nine years had passed since that fateful night in the Garden of Queens, yet the memory of his father’s murder remained vivid. Harmony, now broken in two, had left his world vulnerable to chaos. His uncle’s treachery still haunted him.

Arin dismounted; his gaze fixed on the dense grove ahead. Whispers of the portal’s reactivation had reached him. If John had crossed back, it meant trouble for both worlds.

The ground trembled as the air grew charged with energy. Two obsidian poles rose from the earth, inscribed with symbols identical to those on Harmony. An electric barrier crackled to life between them—a gateway to another realm.

Summoning his courage, Arin stepped through the portal, the half-flute clutched tightly in his hand.

Soyaa District, Republic of Khanda Moments Later

Sophia’s routine patrol was interrupted by a strange light emanating from the nearby forest. She followed the glow, her instincts as a detective overriding her caution.

She froze as a man in regal attire emerged from the light. His clothes were unlike anything she had seen—ornate, ancient, yet pristine. He looked at her with a mix of confusion and recognition, as if he had been searching for her all along.

“You,” he said, his voice steady but filled with awe. “Are you the guardian of this realm?”

Sophia blinked, her hand instinctively reaching for her weapon. “Who are you?”

The man bowed slightly, his demeanor both regal and disarming. “I am Arin Di Khanda, Emperor of the Imperial Kingdom of Khanda. And I believe I need your help.”