Teela: Guardian of Eternia by Jade Gretz

https://www.deviantart.com/jadegretzai/art/Teela-Guardian-of-Eternia-1259870691

Teela: Guardian of Eternia ANIMATION

Velarium of the Dreadbound

Teela learned the shape of fear on a road that did not appear on any map of Eternia.

It arrived at dusk, the hour when Castle Grayskull’s shadow reached longest across the plains and the wind carried voices that were not meant for ears. She had tracked rumors like spoor: caravans emptied without blood, soldiers found seated upright with expressions of wonder, eyes dilated as if they had gazed into a star and forgotten to blink. The Beast of Velarium, they called it—though no one agreed on what it was, only on what it did. It fed not on flesh but on the trembling thing beneath the ribs.

Teela rode alone. Her armor was muted bronze, scratched and honest. The Sword of Protection was strapped to her back, not drawn, its presence a promise she did not wish to speak aloud. She had chosen solitude deliberately. Fear learned faster in company.

At the road’s bend, the land folded inward like a held breath. Pale arches rose from the ground, not stone but something translucent, as if light had been stretched thin and cooled into ribs. The Velarium. It hummed softly, a sound felt in the teeth.

A voice greeted her before she dismounted.

“Captain,” it said, warm as wine. “You arrive with courage wrapped neatly around dread. How disciplined.”

Teela’s hand went to her spear. “Show yourself.”

A man stepped from the arch’s shadow. He wore scholar’s robes, their hems embroidered with patterns that hurt the eyes if stared at too long. His face was handsome in a way that felt deliberate, curated to invite trust. His smile did not reach his eyes.

“I am Lyr,” he said. “Custodian of this place.”

“Custodians usually warn travelers away from danger.”

“And miss the chance to learn?” Lyr tilted his head. “You hunt the Beast. I study it. We share an interest.”

Teela dismounted. “You study a thing that murders people by frightening them to death?”

“By helping them meet themselves,” Lyr corrected gently. “The Beast only mirrors. It is fear’s echo given appetite.”

Teela’s laugh was sharp. “You’re either mad or very brave.”

“Or very careful.” He gestured to the arches. “The Velarium amplifies what exists. Come. If you’re to face it, you should know how it listens.”

Against instinct, Teela followed him beneath the ribs of light. The air cooled. Whispers brushed her skin, familiar and intimate. The ground reflected her steps faintly, as if it remembered her weight.

“What do you hear?” Lyr asked.

“Nothing I want to answer,” Teela said. “Stop trying to make me comfortable.”

He smiled again, slow this time. “Comfort is overrated. Curiosity is more useful.”

They reached a chamber where the arches knotted together into a dome. At its center, a pool of darkness pulsed like a heart.

“It lives there?” Teela asked.

“It visits there,” Lyr said. “When summoned by a sufficient offering.”

“What offering?”

Lyr’s gaze lingered on her. “Fear that knows its own name.”

Teela felt the pull then—not just of dread but of something like invitation. The Velarium breathed. She thought of the Beast and saw, unbidden, a memory: a young Teela, hair shorn, watching the palace guards train while she stood apart, not knowing her mother, not knowing why the world felt like a question asked only of her.

“Stop,” she said. “You’re doing this.”

“I’m watching,” Lyr replied softly. “The Velarium does the rest.”

Teela drew her spear and planted its butt against the ground. “I won’t be fed to your research.”

“Research feeds itself,” Lyr said. “I merely give it form.”

A sound like silk tearing slid through the chamber. The pool of darkness rose, extruding itself into angles that refused to settle. Eyes opened where no face should be, and in each eye Teela saw a different moment of her life, bent slightly, as if amused.

The Beast of Velarium spoke with many mouths. “Captain,” it purred. “Your fear is orderly. I appreciate craftsmanship.”

Teela steadied her breath. “You won’t get a meal.”

“Oh,” the Beast said, delighted. “I already have.”

It moved, and the dome warped. Teela ran. Corridors unfolded, doors opening to scenes that were not rooms but possibilities. She burst into a courtyard where Eternos burned and the sky cracked, He-Man’s voice calling her name too late. She skidded to a halt, heart hammering.

“False,” she told herself. “You
...(more at https://www.deviantart.com/jadegretzai).
For more supergirl, chun li, batgirl, tifa, lara croft, wonder woman, rogue and much more, please visit my page at www.deviantart.com/jadegretzai - Thanks for your support :)