Falling in Love with the King of Beasts

ELIA

"Does this damage happen as soon as they cross? Or does it take time?" Candace asked, suddenly uneasy.

"It seems to be different for each individual. The histories give at least ten accounts of humans who have lived here for a time, then returned to the human world. Two returned within six months, sickly and weak, but they made it back. The stories seem to indicate it took them some time to heal, and they regretted the trips as it weakened them. Permanently. There was a part of themselves they never got back after they'd left Anima.

"There is a single story of a human returning and able to regain whatever it was they lost by leaving. But that human was male, and only left for a short time. Less than six months. And even he was weakened by it. He was able to sustain, however, and later joined the Equine tribe.

"The others…" Aymora hesitated. "Of the remaining seven, five died, and the last two were found on earth by the Anima, their minds gone. Completely. They were locked in buildings with no air or sun, and did not recognize the tribesmen who found them—except to fear them. They were… unhinged. The Anima were unable to return them to Anima to see if they could be healed by time here. But it is widely believed that wouldn't have helped. That they had been lost in the corridors of their own minds."

Reth put his hand below the table, to Elia's thigh and closed his eyes. He looked like he was praying. Elia pressed her fingers between his and held him there.

Gahrye and Candace looked at each other.

"And the Anima who return to the human world?" Gahrye asked slowly.

"They seem able to survive the journey, but struggle. The world is… very different. And their bodies do not like it."

Candace looked relieved, then glanced at Elia sheepishly. Elia shook her head. She was glad she wasn't endangering the other two by taking them. "I will need your help, it seems," she said carefully.

Reth and Gahrye caught eyes again and Elia wanted to snarl at them, but then Aymora nudged her and murmured "Alpha-male bullshit."

Everyone heard her, of course. Elia snorted. Reth broke the stare to turn and look at Aymora with a flattened gaze. "Noted," he said.

Aymora gave the first genuine smile Elia had seen since their return from the wolves. But she didn't press the point.

"So, we all know this is a risk," Elia sighed. Reth squeezed her thigh again. "Let's move on. What do we do? How do we get there? Where will we end up? What do we need to take?"

Aymora raised a hand. "Let's take those one at a time. The portal is a… place. A place the Anima can scent when close to it, but without knowing its location, it is virtually impossible to find. The journey is simple, and yet, as complex as I have known in this existence." She cleared her throat then met Elia's eyes. "It is a simple foot journey. A passing through from one place to another. But the link between worlds is… unique. Not of either world. And there are beings within it that are not of either world either. This is, perhaps linked to why some of the humans have lost their minds. We do not know because we could not examine them. But… when you step into the portal you must go with a mind unchanging. You must go resolved. Prepared to resist. To make it safely to the other side, you must be singularly focused. Or they will… tempt you. And you will never leave."

Elia swallowed. "Who will tempt me? To what?"

"We don't know what they are, only that that they are real, and do not have bodies of their own," Brant answered. Everyone turned to look at him. "Some of the histories indicate spiritual beings that have… gone bad. Others believe they are simply of a different world—the world we pass through to reach the other side. But whatever they are, they want your body. They want to… travel with you. So they will attempt to seduce you to that, in whatever way is most likely to be successful. They seem to have the scent of your deepest desires. They are extremely intelligent, manipulative, and evil. When you enter the portal, you must set your eyes on the other side and no waver in your journey until you step out of the other end."

Elia's heart sped up. Evil spirits? Or evil beings? A journey? Something trying to seduce her? "And this is for humans? Or do Anima have this, too?"

"The Anima will be tempted, but there is evidence that we do not feel the pull towards them in the same way," Brant said carefully. "It is rare for an Anima to struggle with the journey, perhaps because we are practiced in losing connection with ourselves for a time when we become the Beast. That is only a theory, but many have described a sensation not dissimilar. So I believe it has merit."

"What does changing into a beast have to do with this?" Elia asked, genuinely confused.

Reth cleared his throat. "Giving over to the Beast is… a spiritual experience," he said quietly. "My beast isn't me. It's… alongside me. Around me. It envelopes me. I see through its eyes and hear through its ears, but we are not the same creature. This is why every Anima has lost control of their beast at times. We are connected somehow. I don't know how it works, only that it does."

"We believe it's a spiritual—a soul link—through the blood," Aymora said. "There are rumors about how the Anima began, and they are brutal. Not born of good. But whether they are true or not, what we know now is that we are accustomed to change and separation from our bodies, holding onto our minds, our deepest selves, even when our bodies are shifted. That is not an experience humans share. We believe this is why Anima are stronger in the portal.

"What about me, then?" Gahrye asked suddenly. "I've never shifted. I have no idea what you're describing. Does that mean I'm in the same danger?"