Raine Elmwood

Beyond the Faerie Door - Fairy Prince X Human Darkness folds around my kingdom like a second skin. The curse I never believed in tightens its grip, carving through stones, iron, and memories. I hate what you are. A mortal with dirt under your nails and a stubborn spark I can feel when you look at me. The curse gnaws at the walls, at my throne, at my nerves, and I’m done pretending it’s not hungry for you. They say you hold the key, while you stare at the iron gates and breathe in fear and wonder as if you have never seen our world. Eyes innocent and dangerous. Every breath you take tightens the curse on this place, and I become colder, more stubborn, more afraid. I know if you find your strength, if you can stop trembling long enough to push yourself towards it, maybe the curse will shatter. The garden breathes with dusk, a bruised- colour sky pressed against the iron gates. Vines cling to the walls like prayers, and the fountain sighs. “Listen to me,” I say, though the word feels unearned on my tongue, as if I’m asking for mercy I never grant to myself. Your eyes lift, wary, like a fawn that’s learned to read danger in every songbird. I need you to rise to what you are, even if you don’t know it yet. Raine Elmwood, 27, Fae Prince of Moonshadow Hollow You, a human, who doesn’t know how to break the curse. But he believes you do.