Mara spread her arms, a soft blue light pulsing from her white robes. "The rules here aren't like the ones you know, child," she said. "I'm more than just a mother. I'm an emissary for the Guardian of the Wilds. My soul is tied to nature now, which means I can see past your words - straight into the parts of yourself you try to hide. My sisters are emissaries too, and we're all working toward the same goal: helping the Guardian bring peace to this world."
Genia took a shaky breath, the fear still tight in her chest. "The Guardian of the Wilds? An emissary? None of this makes sense. And if you've been here, why didn't you show yourself when Alex was around? He literally just left. He was waiting for these falls, and he couldn't even see you."
A shadow of sadness crossed Mara's face as she looked toward the horizon. "Alex only sees what he's capable of seeing. These falls - and this form of mine - don't just appear for anyone. They show up for the one the Guardian has chosen. Right now, Alex is trapped in the wreckage of his own memories. Until he moves past them, he's just waiting for something he isn't ready to see."
Genia frowned. "Chosen? What does that even mean?"
It hit her then. The falls had appeared for her. She'd even bathed in them. But Kevin hadn't seen a thing, and neither had Alex, even though he came here every single day. The moment he walked away, they appeared for her. She pointed at herself, her voice trembling. "Why me? I'm just a normal girl who fell asleep reading a book and woke up in a nightmare. What am I even doing here?"
Mara stepped toward her, silver droplets scattering like rain beneath her feet. She looked at Genia's face, clear and bright now that the veil was gone.
"That's the mystery, Genia. You aren't here by accident. This world - the Beast World - is falling apart. Hatred and greed have poisoned the land. When nature feels the balance break, when her children start hunting each other, the Guardian reaches out. She pulls in souls from other worlds - souls with the selflessness to fix what's broken."
Genia stared at her, stunned. "So I was brought here on purpose? That's not fair! I had a life. A home. I didn't sign up to settle some family feud."
"I know it's a lot to carry," Mara said, her voice softening. "But you have the kind of courage it takes to bring my sons back together. Alex, James, Kevin, and Rexon... they're brothers, but they hate each other. The rift between them is so deep that if it isn't fixed, the Black Tiger Clan will fall. And if they fall, the whole world goes with them."
Genia put her head in her hands, the weight of it all sinking in. "But Mother Mara... how am I in this body? Where is the girl who lived here before? Is she dead? And how did the scars just... disappear?"
Mara smiled, her hand brushing Genia's cheek. Her skin felt like ice, but the touch was strangely grounding.
"Don't worry. She isn't dead. The Guardian simply traded your places. She's in your world now, in the body you left behind. She's getting a fresh start there while you're here."
Genia's eyes went wide. "She's in my room? With my books? She has my whole life?"
"She does," Mara replied. "As for your face, that wasn't just magic. The girl who lived in this body wanted to be beautiful on the inside, and you were already beautiful in your world. When you bathed in the Enchanted Falls, they reacted to that shared desire. The water washed away the ugliness born from hatred and a curse. What you see now is a mix of your soul and this body's true potential."
Genia looked at her reflection in the water, barely recognising the girl looking back. "I... I really look like this?" Then she paused. "Wait, you said 'ugliness from a curse'? What does that mean? What else is wrong with this body?"
Mara's expression turned grave. "There are secrets here, Genia, but you aren't ready for them yet. Just remember: in this world, beauty isn't a gift. It's a target. Power is the only thing that matters here. Looking like this will draw more than just love - it will draw greed and lust. You have to hide your face. If you don't, you'll be easy prey for those who only care about what's on the surface."
A chill ran down Genia's spine. She thought of Alex and Kevin and realised that, until now, being 'ugly' had been her only protection. "What should I do? Should I put the veil back on?"
"Yes," Mara nodded. "For now, keep this light hidden. Wait until you can trust the brothers."
Mara's form began to flicker, her light fading out.
"What's happening?" Genia reached out, panicked.
"I'm running out of time," Mara said, her voice growing thin. "I only had enough magic for this one moment. But I wasn't the only one. My three sisters left their own paths to help their children. Look for their signs."
Genia tried to grab her hand, but her fingers passed through nothing but air. "Wait! I have more questions! How am I supposed to change them? What do I do? How do I get home?"
Mara was already turning into mist. "You have to wash away their bitterness, Genia. Make them see they aren't enemies. You can't go back until the world is safe and the brothers are united. The key to your home is their unity."
"But I don't even know them!" Genia shouted.
Mara's voice was a faint echo now. "Trust your heart... and the Guardian. You'll find the way. Goodbye, Genia..."
Mara vanished, and the glowing falls went with her. The blue light, the scent of jasmine, the cool water - it all blinked out of existence. Genia was standing in the dry, dusty courtyard again. The only sound was the chirp of crickets in the heavy silence.
"No! Come back! I need to know more!"
She tried to scream, but her throat felt tight. A sharp pain spiked behind her eyes, and the world began to tilt and spin. She collapsed to her knees, Miriam's words ringing in her head: four brothers, chaos, the key to your return.
She didn't know if she was a saviour or a pawn. She was just a girl with the weight of a world on her shoulders. As her vision went dark, the last thing she saw was the moon, cold and distant, watching her in this strange, lonely place.
A thin ray of sunlight hit Genia's face, waking her up. She stared at the old wooden ceiling and the peeling wallpaper, sitting up fast. Her heart hammered against her ribs.
She was in her bedroom.
She checked her hands and touched her face. Her skin felt like silk - no scars, no roughness. "How did I get here?" she whispered, her voice shaking. "I was just in the courtyard."
The memory of the falls and Mara was so vivid she could still feel it in her bones. It hadn't been a dream. She really was in a world where animals ruled like men.
"The Guardian of the Wilds..."
She whispered the name. Mara had mentioned three sisters. The thought hit her like a lightning bolt.
"Did those same Four Sisters choose me together? Is that why there's so much tension between the four brothers?"
Genia's mind raced as she tried to piece it all together. "If that's the case, Kevin's father must have been brought here from the modern world, too. It would explain why the Black tiger Pack has so many luxuries. The Forest Mother must have sent her handmaidens to help him, which is why all four of them chose him as their mate without any conflict."
She pressed her palms against her temples, trying to dull the ache. Mara had just dropped a massive burden on her, one she wasn't prepared to carry. She was supposed to unite the four brothers, but the logistics of it made her blood run cold.
"Four men at once? And they're shifters? How the hell am I supposed to handle all of them?"
Genia buried her face in her hands, a mix of anger and disbelief bubbling up inside her. "I can barely imagine spending my life with one person, let alone four. This is insane. I'm not some character in a romance novel. I'm a girl from the modern world. One husband, one wife - that's my rule."
She stood up and started pacing, the sound of her footsteps echoing through the quiet room. But the moment she thought about home, Mara's warning echoed in her head: The key to your return is hidden in their unity.
Genia stopped in her tracks, her heart sinking. "So, the price of my freedom is throwing my own rules out the window? How am I supposed to manage four men at the same time, especially when they all hate each other?"
She was so lost in her own head that she didn't hear the door creak open. A broad, masculine shadow stretched across the floor as a man stepped into the room.
"You're finally awake?"