March Toward the First Gate
The academy did not sleep that night.
Orders moved like lightning through the halls. Messengers rushed between towers, instructors gathered elite students, and the once peaceful grounds transformed into a war base preparing for something far greater than anything they had faced before.
Kael stood at the edge of the central courtyard, watching the preparations unfold. Rows of mages equipped themselves with enchanted gear, while barrier specialists reinforced protective formations across the academy.
But Kael's attention wasn't on them.
It was on the map in his mind.
The gates.
He could feel them.
Not clearly—but enough to know they existed, pulsing like distant heartbeats connected to the mark on his chest.
Seraphine approached quietly.
"You feel it too, don't you?" she asked.
Kael nodded.
"They're calling."
Leon walked up behind them, cracking his neck.
"Good," he said. "Because I'm getting tired of waiting."
Kael turned slightly.
"We're not waiting anymore."
Seraphine raised an eyebrow.
"You already decided where to go?"
Kael pointed toward the north.
"There."
Leon frowned.
"That's not the closest gate."
"I know," Kael replied.
"But it's the strongest."
Seraphine studied him carefully.
"The one controlling the others…"
Kael nodded.
"If we destroy it, the rest will weaken."
There was a brief silence.
Then Leon grinned.
"Now that sounds like a real fight."
By dawn, a small team had been assembled.
Kael.
Leon.
Seraphine.
And a select group of elite mages chosen by the academy.
But unlike previous missions—
This one was different.
This wasn't just an expedition.
It was an offensive.
As they left the academy, Kael felt the mark pulse again.
Stronger.
Warmer.
Almost… eager.
He didn't like it.
But he didn't ignore it either.
Because whatever was waiting beyond that gate—
He would face it head-on.