The wind howled across the mountains as Aria and her companions traveled toward the ancient gate.
Dark clouds covered the sky, and the path ahead looked cold and dangerous. Sharp rocks covered the ground, and the air grew colder the higher they climbed.
Rowan walked beside Aria, carrying a small bag of supplies on his back.
"You know," Rowan said with a tired sigh, "most people would run away from a place called the Shadow Realm."
Aria kept walking without slowing down.
"Most people aren't trying to stop the Abyss Lord."
Rowan smirked slightly."Fair point."
Above them, the Dragon King flew slowly through the dark sky, his massive wings creating powerful winds with every movement.
After hours of climbing, they finally reached the top of the mountain.
And there—
It stood.
The ancient gate.
It was enormous.
Two massive black stone pillars rose high into the sky, covered with strange glowing symbols. Between them floated a swirling circle of dark energy, like a portal made from shadows.Cold air poured out from the gate like the breath of a frozen world.
Rowan stared at it.
"So… that's the entrance?"
The Dragon King landed heavily beside them.
"Yes," he said. "This gate was built during the ancient war between dragons and the Abyss."
Aria stepped closer.
The dark portal slowly twisted like living smoke.
She could feel something strange coming from it.
A heavy energy.Almost like the world beyond it was alive.
"Once we cross this gate," the Dragon King said, "we will enter the Shadow Realm."
Rowan rubbed the back of his neck.
"And there's no turning back, right?"
The Dragon King nodded.
"Not easily."
Aria tightened her grip on her sword.
Then she took a deep breath.
"Let's go."
Without hesitation, she stepped forward and walked into the portal.
The darkness swallowed her instantlyRowan groaned.
"Well… here goes nothing."
He followed her.
The Dragon King entered last.
For a moment, everything became silent.
Then—
The world changed.
Aria felt like she was falling through endless darkness.
Cold wind rushed past her.
Shadows twisted around her like living creatures.
Then suddenly—
Her feet touched solid ground.She opened her eyes.
And what she saw made her heart stop.
The Shadow Realm.
The sky above was completely black.
Not dark blue.
Not cloudy.
Just endless blackness.
There was no sun.
No stars.
Only a faint red glow moving slowly across the sky like distant fire.
The land was even worse.The ground was cracked and twisted like a dead world. Black trees with broken branches stood like skeletons across the land.
Strange fog covered the ground, slowly moving like it had a mind of its own.
Rowan landed beside her and looked around.
"…Okay."
He paused.
"This place is worse than I imagined."
Aria nodded slowly.
The air felt heavy here.
Every breath felt colder.The Dragon King appeared behind them, folding his massive wings.
"This is the Shadow Realm," he said.
"The birthplace of the Abyss."
In the distance, mountains of black stone stretched across the horizon.
Between them flowed rivers of glowing dark liquid.
Rowan pointed toward one of them.
"Please tell me that's not what I think it is."
The Dragon King looked at it.
"That is Shadow Energy."
"If you fall into it, the darkness will consume you."Rowan immediately stepped back.
"Good to know."
Suddenly—
A distant scream echoed across the land.
Aria turned quickly.
"What was that?"
The Dragon King's eyes narrowed.
"Creatures of this realm."
As if responding to the sound—
Shapes began to move in the fog.
Dozens of glowing red eyes slowly appeared in the darkness.Rowan pulled out his sword instantly.
"You've got to be kidding me."
The creatures stepped out of the fog.
They looked similar to the shadow monsters Aria had fought before.
But these were different.
They were bigger.
Stronger.
Their bodies were made of thick dark smoke, and their claws were long and sharp like blades.
The Dragon King growled.
"These are Abyss Hunters.""They are the guardians of this realm."
One of the creatures let out a terrifying roar.
Then suddenly—
They charged.
"Here we go again," Rowan muttered.
Aria raised her sword.
Blue energy surrounded the blade as she stepped forward.
The first creature leaped toward her.
She moved instantly.
SLASH!
Her sword cut through the monster, scattering shadow smoke into the air.But the other creatures kept coming.
Rowan jumped into the fight beside her.
Two monsters attacked him at the same time.
He spun his sword in a fast arc.
CLANG!
Their claws hit his blade with a loud metallic sound.
"Okay," Rowan shouted.
"These ones are definitely stronger!"
Above them, the Dragon King roared and breathed a massive wave of fire.
Flames exploded across the battlefield, burning through several shadow creatures at once.The monsters screamed as they disappeared into smoke.
But more red eyes continued to appear in the fog.
Aria looked around.
"There are too many!"
The Dragon King landed beside her.
"This is only the edge of the Shadow Realm," he said.
"If the Abyss Lord truly knows you are here… he will send far worse creatures."
Aria took a deep breath.
Her heart was beating fast.
But she wasn't afraid.Instead—
She felt something strange.
A power deep inside her.
Something that reacted to the darkness around her.
The same power the Dragon King mentioned earlier.
Aria raised her sword again.
Her eyes filled with determination.
"Then we fight."
The Dragon King looked at her carefully.
And for the first time—
He smiled slightly."Good."
Because deep in the darkness of the Shadow Realm…
Something ancient had awakened.
Something that had been waiting for Aria.
And far away—
Inside a massive black fortress—
A pair of glowing red eyes slowly opened.
The Abyss Lord had felt her arrival.
And the real battle…
Was about to begin.