The tension that had gripped the group slowly faded as they caught their breath. Three Stonefang Wolves lay motionless across the clearing, their dark blood soaking into the damp earth. Sunlight filtered through the towering trees, illuminating the faint blue glow of the Monster Core resting in Marcus's hand.
Finn stretched his aching arms before letting out a long sigh. "Well, that's done. We've got our core, we've survived, and nobody lost a limb. I call that a successful trial."
"You've been complaining since we entered the forest," Darren said with a grin.
"Complaining keeps my spirits up."
Marcus laughed before slipping the Monster Core into a small leather pouch hanging from his belt. "He's right about one thing. We already have what we came for."
"So we head back?" Kael asked.
Marcus hesitated.
"Eventually."
Kael noticed the slight pause.
"What do you mean?"
Marcus looked toward the dense forest stretching farther east. "My uncle told me something before today's trial."
Finn raised an eyebrow. "Something useful, I hope."
"He said there's an old ruin hidden somewhere beyond the stream. Most Hunters avoid it because there aren't many monsters nearby."
"Why avoid a place with fewer monsters?" Darren asked.
Marcus smiled.
"Because they say the place has already been picked clean."
"And you don't believe that?" Elena asked quietly.
Marcus shook his head.
"No."
He knelt and traced a rough map in the dirt with the tip of his sword.
"Think about it. The Hunter Association has used this forest for entrance trials for decades. If there really was treasure here, everyone would assume someone else had already found it."
Kael folded his arms.
"That's a reasonable assumption."
"Exactly."
Marcus looked up with a grin.
"And that's why nobody keeps searching."
Finn stared at him for several seconds before sighing.
"I hate it when your logic actually makes sense."
Darren chuckled.
"If we take a quick look, we can still make it back before sunset."
Elena looked toward Kael.
"What do you think?"
Kael remained silent for a moment.
His instincts told him that they had already accomplished their objective. Returning now guaranteed they would all pass.
But another thought lingered in his mind.
This was the Abyss.
A place where fortunes could change overnight.
Many legendary Hunters had discovered ancient weapons, forgotten techniques, and priceless relics hidden within its depths.
If there truly was an unexplored ruin nearby...
It might be worth investigating.
"As long as we don't go too far," Kael finally said.
Marcus smiled.
"I knew you'd agree."
The group resumed their journey.
The forest gradually changed around them.
The tall green trees became darker, their bark almost black as though burned by ancient fire. Thick vines twisted around broken stone pillars protruding from the earth, hinting that a civilization had once stood here long before the forest reclaimed it.
An hour later they reached a narrow stream flowing quietly between moss-covered rocks.
Marcus unfolded his uncle's map again.
"We're close."
No one joked anymore.
Even Finn sensed something strange about this place.
There were no birds.
No insects.
No monster tracks.
The silence was unsettling.
As they crossed the stream, Kael noticed fragments of carved stone scattered beneath the roots of enormous trees. Time had eroded most of the markings, but some symbols remained visible.
"They don't look familiar," he said.
Elena crouched beside one of the broken stones.
"Neither do these letters."
She brushed away centuries of dirt with her fingers.
The markings resembled neither the modern language nor the ancient scripts taught in Ravenfall's academy.
Marcus looked around excitedly.
"We're definitely in the right place."
The forest suddenly opened into a circular clearing.
At its center stood a colossal stone doorway, nearly twenty feet tall.
Unlike the surrounding ruins, the doorway remained almost perfectly intact.
Black vines wrapped around its pillars, while strange silver symbols shimmered faintly across its surface.
Finn swallowed.
"I don't think anyone built something like this recently."
"No," Kael agreed.
"This place is ancient."
Darren walked toward the massive door and placed his hand against the stone.
"It's cold."
"Of course it's cold," Finn replied nervously. "Everything about this place is creepy."
Marcus ignored them.
His eyes sparkled with excitement.
"We found it."
He began examining the symbols carved across the doorway.
"There has to be a way inside."
For nearly fifteen minutes the group searched the surrounding area.
They found broken statues.
Collapsed walls.
Fragments of pottery.
But nothing that explained the purpose of the enormous stone gate.
Kael slowly approached it.
The strange symbols drew his attention.
Without realizing why, he reached out.
The instant his fingertips touched the cold stone...
His heartbeat stopped.
A sharp pain exploded inside his head.
Countless unfamiliar images flashed before his eyes.
A sky swallowed by darkness.
Cities floating among the clouds.
Towering creatures larger than mountains.
An endless black sea stretching beyond the horizon.
Then...
A single word echoed inside his mind.
Void.
Kael staggered backward.
His breathing became uneven.
"Kael?"
Marcus quickly caught his arm.
"Are you alright?"
Kael blinked several times.
The visions disappeared as suddenly as they had come.
"I..."
He looked back at the stone doorway.
"I heard something."
"What did you hear?" Elena asked.
Kael frowned.
"I'm not sure."
He hesitated before answering.
"It sounded like... Void."
The others exchanged confused glances.
"Void?" Finn repeated.
"What does that even mean?"
Before Kael could respond, a deep rumble shook the clearing.
Everyone froze.
Dust fell from the ancient doorway.
A loud cracking sound echoed through the ruins.
Thin fractures spread across the enormous stone surface like spiderwebs.
Marcus stepped back, eyes widening.
"It moved."
Another rumble followed.
The ground trembled violently beneath their feet.
The ancient symbols covering the doorway burst into brilliant silver light.
For the first time in countless centuries...
The forgotten gate had awakened.