BOOK TWO: THE KINGDOM BEYOND THE GATE
Chapter 7: The Seventh Gate
The Hall of Echoes became silent.
The floating map continued glowing above the Memory Core.
Seven Gates.
Six were closed.
One stood wide open beneath a black mountain no one recognized.
Everyone stared at it.
Cassian broke the silence.
"Can you tell where that mountain is?"
Elian slowly shook his head.
"No."
"The Gates were designed to hide themselves."
"They only reveal their locations to those they choose."
Eva looked at the compass.
For the first time since receiving it, the needle split into two glowing needles.
One pointed toward the Frozen Fortress.
The other...
Toward the Seventh Gate.
"My compass..."
"It's showing two paths."
The little silver-haired girl walked toward the floating map.
She reached out and gently touched the Seventh Gate.
Immediately—
The image changed.
The black mountain disappeared.
Instead, they saw a ruined city swallowed by endless mist.
Broken towers.
Collapsed bridges.
Thousands of empty houses.
Not a single living soul.
Then...
A shadow walked through the streets.
Only for a moment.
Before the vision disappeared.
Riva felt a sharp pain inside her head.
Another vision.
She stood inside the ruined city.
A little boy ran toward her.
He couldn't have been older than ten.
His clothes were torn.
His face was covered with dirt.
He grabbed Riva's hand desperately.
"Don't let him open the Last Door!"
Before Riva could ask who he meant—
The boy vanished into ash.
She gasped and returned to reality.
Everyone was looking at her.
"What happened?" Aarvi asked.
Riva took a deep breath.
"I saw someone."
"A child."
"He warned us about something called the Last Door."
Elian's expression darkened.
"I've heard that name before."
"Only once."
"Where?" Orion asked.
"In a story."
"My teacher believed there were not seven Gates..."
He looked at the floating map.
"There were eight."
Silence.
Eva frowned.
"But the map only shows seven."
"Exactly."
"The Eighth Gate was erased."
Before anyone could process those words—
The Hall trembled once again.
This time the floating memory crystals began moving on their own.
Hundreds of them circled above the Five Heirs.
One after another, they projected images into the air.
Ancient battles.
Lost kingdoms.
Unknown kings.
Broken crowns.
Everything flashed past too quickly to understand.
Then every crystal stopped on the same image.
A man wearing a black crown.
His face couldn't be seen.
Only his glowing crimson eyes.
The little silver-haired girl immediately hid behind Riva.
"No..."
"He's looking."
The image inside every crystal slowly turned its head.
Toward them.
It shouldn't have been possible.
It was only a memory.
Yet...
The man smiled.
Then every crystal shattered at once.
Outside the Hall...
An enormous explosion echoed across the valley.
Cassian ran toward the entrance.
The stone doors opened.
The beautiful underground valley had changed completely.
Half the flowers had withered.
The rivers had turned dark.
Black mist spread across the ground like living smoke.
The Gate Hunters were gone.
But something worse had arrived.
Standing in the center of the valley was a lone warrior dressed in black armor.
Unlike the Gate Hunters...
This man had a face.
Silver hair.
Pale skin.
Cold crimson eyes.
A long black sword rested on his shoulder.
He calmly looked at the Hall of Echoes.
As if he had expected them to come.
Orion immediately stepped in front of everyone.
"I know you."
The man smiled faintly.
"No."
"You remember me."
"You simply don't know it yet."
The stranger slowly removed a black glove.
On the back of his hand...
Was a Star Mark.
Exactly like Orion's.
Exactly like Riva's.
Exactly like every one of the Five Heirs.
Everyone froze.
Aarvi whispered,
"That's impossible..."
The stranger looked directly at Riva.
"My name is Lucien."
"I have been searching for the Five Heirs."
Riva didn't lower her guard.
"Why?"
Lucien's smile disappeared.
"Because..."
"I am the Sixth Heir."
The world seemed to stop.
Even Elian stared in disbelief.
"The prophecy only spoke of five," Eva whispered.
Lucien nodded.
"That is what history remembers."
"But history has been lying to you."
Before anyone could question him further—
A black raven landed on Lucien's shoulder.
It whispered something into his ear.
Lucien looked toward the distant northern mountains.
His expression changed immediately.
"So..."
"It's already begun."
Cassian raised his sword.
"What has?"
Lucien looked back at the group.
"The Seventh Gate has opened."
"But that's not the real problem."
He pointed toward the sky.
High above the White Valley...
A massive crack had appeared across the clouds.
Through it...
An unfamiliar moon slowly became visible.
Not white.
Not silver.
A deep crimson moon.
The little silver-haired girl fell to her knees.
Tears streamed down her face.
"The Red Moon..."
"It has returned."
Elian whispered in horror.
"The worlds are beginning to overlap."
Far away...
Beneath the black mountain...
Something enormous struck the inside of the Seventh Gate.
Once.
Twice.
A third time.
The ancient doors began to crack.
And from the darkness beyond came a voice that echoed across every kingdom.
"Open... the Last Door."
End of Chapter 7