Chapter 18: The Ones Who Hunt
The roar beneath Veyr Mountain shook the chamber.
Dust fell from the ceiling as cracks spread across the stone walls.
Evan tightened his grip on his dagger.
Kaela moved beside him.
“Something is coming.”
Silas nodded.
“Yes.”
Ronan raised his sword.
“Those people you mentioned?”
Silas looked toward the tunnel.
“The Fourfold hunters.”
Liora frowned.
“Who are they?”
“A group that has searched for Fourfold Travelers for generations.”
Evan’s expression hardened.
“Why?”
Silas looked directly at him.
“Because they believe the Fourfold is the key to opening the deepest World Gate.”
Evan remembered Elias’s warning.
Do not trust the Gates.
The Gates were older than the kingdoms.
Someone had created them, yet no one knew who.
“If they believe my power can open a Gate,” Evan said, “then they know about me.”
Silas nodded.
“They know you’re here.”
Another roar echoed through the mountain.
Then came footsteps.
Several figures appeared at the end of the tunnel.
They wore dark armor, and each carried a weapon marked with the same strange symbol Evan had encountered before.
The leader stepped forward.
“Move away from the Fourfold.”
Evan raised his dagger.
“No.”
The leader’s eyes narrowed.
“Then you’ll come with us.”
Kaela stepped in front of Evan.
“You’ll have to get through us first.”
The leader smiled.
“That can be arranged.”
The hunters attacked.
The first hunter rushed toward Ronan.
Steel collided with steel.
Ronan blocked the strike and pushed the attacker backward.
At the same time, Liora raised her hand.
A burst of magic struck another hunter and forced them away from the group.
Evan faced two attackers.
The first swung a sword.
Evan ducked beneath the blade.
The second attacked from behind.
Evan spun around and blocked the strike with one of his daggers.
The impact forced him backward.
He quickly regained his balance.
His red eyes remained focused on his opponents.
He didn’t want to waste his Fourfold power.
Not after everything that had happened before.
The first hunter charged again.
Evan stepped aside.
Then he struck the ground with his dagger.
Darkness spread across the stone floor.
His eyes changed from their natural red to a deep violet-black.
The shadow wrapped around the hunter’s legs.
The hunter stumbled.
Evan moved instantly.
He disarmed the attacker and kicked the weapon away. Find the original chapter at g.com.
The second hunter froze.
His eyes widened.
“His eyes…”
Evan looked at him.
The hunter stepped backward.
“He’s really the Fourfold.”
Evan released the darkness.
His eyes returned to their natural red.
Kaela glanced toward him.
“You okay?”
“Yeah.”
Before she could say anything else, another hunter appeared behind her.
Evan saw the movement.
“Kaela!”
She turned just in time.
The hunter swung.
Kaela blocked the attack, but the force sent her several steps backward.
Evan rushed toward her.
Lightning formed around his body.
His red eyes shifted to brilliant gold.
In an instant, he crossed the distance.
His dagger struck the hunter’s weapon and knocked it away.
Kaela stared at him.
“That was fast.”
Evan breathed heavily.
“Lightning.”
“I noticed.”
A small smile appeared on her face.
But before either of them could say more—
BOOM!
The mountain shook violently.
Everyone stopped.
The hunters looked toward the deeper tunnel.
For the first time, fear appeared on their leader’s face.
“What was that?”
Silas looked toward the darkness.
“The thing beneath the mountain.”
The leader’s expression changed.
“We weren’t supposed to wake it.”
Evan heard him.
“You knew it was here?”
The leader said nothing.
Another roar echoed through the chamber.
This time, cracks spread across the walls.
Ronan shouted,
“Everyone out!”
The hunters immediately began retreating.
Evan looked at Silas.
“What is happening?”
Silas looked toward the floor.
“The mountain is opening.”
“Why?”
Silas’s gaze shifted toward Elias’s journal.
“Because Elias sealed something here.”
Evan’s eyes widened.
“What did he seal?”
Silas shook his head.
“I don’t know.”
A massive crack suddenly appeared across the floor.
The journal slipped from Evan’s hand.
“Wait!”
Before Evan could reach for it, the stone beneath him shifted.
Kaela grabbed his arm.
“Evan, we have to go!”
He looked toward the journal.
Then toward the collapsing chamber.
Evan nodded.
“Let’s move!”
The group ran.
They escaped the chamber moments before part of the tunnel collapsed behind them.
The group reached the surface.
Cold mountain air hit Evan’s face.
Everyone stopped to catch their breath.
Ronan looked toward Veyr Mountain.
“Whatever is inside there…”
He paused.
“…we shouldn’t go back.”
Evan stared at the entrance.
He knew Ronan was right.
But the journal was still inside.
More importantly, the answers were inside.
Evan looked at his hand.
The Fourfold mark had stopped glowing.
Kaela stood beside him.
“You’re thinking about going back.”
Evan remained silent.
Kaela sighed.
“I knew it.”
“I need that journal.”
“I know.”
Evan looked at her.
“You’re not going to stop me?”
Kaela shook her head.
“No.”
She gave him a small smile.
“But I’m coming with you.”
Evan smiled.
“Thanks.”
Ronan walked over.
“We’re all coming.”
Liora nodded.
“We started this together.”
Silas watched them carefully.
“You don’t understand what you’re walking toward.”
Evan looked toward the mountain.
“Maybe not.”
He tightened his grip on his dagger.
“But I want to know the truth.”
Silas studied him for a moment.
Then he looked toward the collapsed entrance.
“Then prepare yourselves.”
Far away, on another mountain ridge, Aurelion watched Veyr Mountain.
The disturbance was visible even from a great distance.
A faint smile appeared on his face.
“So the seal has weakened.”
A shadowy figure stood behind him.
“Should we enter the mountain?”
Aurelion shook his head.
“No.”
“Why?”
“Because Evan will open the way for us.”
Aurelion’s gaze remained fixed on the mountain.
“And when he discovers what Elias was protecting…”
His expression became colder.
“…he will finally understand why the Fourfold was never meant to belong to him.”
Back at the mountain, Evan looked at the entrance.
He didn’t know what Elias had sealed.
He didn’t know why the hunters wanted his power.
And he still didn’t know whether Elias was alive.
But one thing was certain.
The path to the truth had just become far more dangerous.
And Evan was ready to follow it.