Chapter 6: The Guardian of the Gate
The ancient temple stood silently before them.
Its enormous stone doors were completely open.
Beyond them was nothing but darkness.
Evan stared into the entrance.
Two enormous golden eyes watched from within.
Liora stood behind him, trembling.
Kaela raised her weapon.
“Nobody moves.”
The golden eyes slowly disappeared.
Then—
BOOM!
Something heavy struck the floor inside the temple.
Dust fell from the ceiling.
Evan tightened his grip on his daggers.
“What was that?”
Kaela didn’t answer.
She carefully stepped toward the entrance.
Evan followed.
Liora suddenly grabbed his sleeve.
“Wait.”
Evan looked at her.
“What?”
“People who enter that temple don’t come back.”
Evan glanced toward the darkness.
“Your brother entered it.”
Liora nodded.
“That’s why I have to find him.”
Evan looked at Kaela.
Kaela sighed.
“We’re going in.”
They stepped through the entrance.
The temperature immediately dropped.
Ancient stone pillars lined the hallway, each covered in strange blue symbols.
The air felt heavy with mana.
Evan activated Mana Sense.
His eyes widened.
“There’s magic everywhere.”
Kaela looked around.
“This place is older than Asterfall.”
Evan approached one of the walls.
A symbol caught his attention.
He reached toward it.
The moment his fingers touched the stone—
WHOOM.
The symbol lit up.
Evan immediately pulled his hand away.
A voice echoed through the corridor.
“Mana recognized.”
Evan froze.
“Did you hear that?”
Kaela nodded.
The symbols throughout the hallway began glowing one after another.
Blue light spread across the walls, illuminating the ancient corridor.
Then the World System appeared before Evan.
WORLD SYSTEM
Ancient magical structure detected.
Origin: Unknown
World Gate connection: Confirmed
Evan stared at the message.
“A World Gate…”
Kaela looked at him.
“You found one?”
“Not exactly.”
Evan pointed toward the message.
“The system says this temple is connected to one.”
Liora’s eyes widened.
“Then my brother…”
A loud metallic sound interrupted her.
CLANG!
Something moved at the end of the corridor.
Kaela immediately raised her weapon.
“Stay behind me.”
A huge figure slowly stepped out of the darkness.
Evan’s eyes widened.
The creature stood nearly three meters tall.
Ancient silver armor covered its body, with blue energy flowing through cracks in the metal.
A massive sword rested in one hand.
But there was something unnatural about its face.
There was no mouth.
No nose.
No human features.
Only two golden eyes.
Evan’s System appeared.
UNKNOWN ENTITY
Name: ???
Level: ???
Threat: ???
WARNING: DO NOT ENGAGE.
Evan swallowed.
“The System says we shouldn’t fight it.”
Kaela nodded.
“Then we won’t.”
The Guardian raised its sword.
Evan slowly stepped backward.
“Uh…”
Kaela’s expression hardened.
“Run.”
They turned.
The Guardian disappeared.
Evan froze.
“Where did it—”
BOOM!
The Guardian appeared directly in front of them.
Its sword struck the ground.
The shockwave threw all three backward.
Evan crashed against a stone pillar.
“Ugh!”
Liora fell nearby.
Kaela rolled across the floor.
The Guardian slowly turned toward Evan.
Evan’s heart raced.
Why was it looking at him?
Then the blue mark on his hand began glowing.
The Guardian lowered its sword.
“Traveler.”
Evan froze.
“You can talk?”
“You carry the mark.”
Evan stared at his hand.
“What mark?”
“The mark of the Fourfold.”
Kaela looked at Evan.
“Fourfold?”
Evan shook his head. Get faster updates on g.com.
“I don’t know what that means.”
The Guardian raised one hand.
A magical circle appeared beneath Evan.
Kaela immediately moved.
“Evan!”
Evan tried to escape.
He couldn’t move.
The circle lifted him into the air.
“Put me down!”
The Guardian stared at him.
“Fire.”
Flames appeared around Evan.
“Water.”
Water surrounded his body.
“Lightning.”
Blue electricity crackled through the air.
Evan’s eyes widened.
“Wait!”
“Dark.”
The chamber suddenly filled with shadows.
All four elements began moving around Evan.
His body became heavier.
His breathing grew difficult.
The System appeared.
WARNING
Four-Element Resonance Detected
Mana Stability: 67%
Evan remembered the battle at Asterfall.
One element was manageable.
Two created greater strain.
Three pushed his body toward its limit.
Four was dangerous.
Yet the Guardian was forcing all four elements to resonate inside him.
“Stop!”
The pressure increased.
“Make it stop!”
Kaela charged toward the Guardian.
“Let him go!”
CLANG!
The Guardian moved with incredible speed.
Kaela’s weapon was knocked from her hand.
She fell to the ground.
Evan stared at her.
“Kaela!”
Something inside him changed.
The fear disappeared.
“No.”
The darkness around Evan suddenly surged.
BOOOOM!
The magical circle shattered.
Evan dropped to the floor and landed on one knee.
His entire body trembled.
Kaela quickly stood and ran toward him.
“Evan, are you okay?”
Evan breathed heavily.
“Yeah…”
He slowly stood.
The Guardian watched him.
For the first time, its silence felt different.
“You resisted.”
Evan looked at it.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
The Guardian lowered its sword.
“You are not ready.”
“For what?”
The Guardian turned toward a massive stone door.
“The Gate.”
The door slowly opened.
Beyond it was a huge circular chamber.
At its center stood a massive ring made of black stone.
Blue energy flowed within it like a silent current.
Evan stared.
“The World Gate.”
Liora suddenly ran into the chamber.
“My brother!”
She searched the floor.
Then she stopped.
Something lay beside one of the stone pillars.
A necklace.
Liora picked it up with shaking hands.
“This is his…”
Evan approached.
“Are you sure?”
She nodded.
“He never went anywhere without it.”
Kaela looked around the chamber.
“There’s no sign of him.”
Liora looked toward the Gate.
“Then he could still be alive.”
The Guardian spoke.
“The previous Traveler passed through.”
Evan turned toward it.
“Previous Traveler?”
The Guardian nodded.
“He opened the Gate.”
Evan’s eyes widened.
“Where did he go?”
The Guardian pointed toward the glowing ring.
“Earth.”
Silence filled the chamber.
Evan stared at the Gate.
“Earth?”
“Your world.”
Evan stepped closer.
“Then this Gate can take me home?”
The Guardian looked at him.
“Yes.”
For a moment, Evan’s heart raced.
Home.
He could finally return to Earth.
But the Guardian continued.
“But not yet.”
Evan’s excitement disappeared.
“Why?”
“The Gate requires a key.”
Evan looked at his glowing hand.
“The Fourfold?”
“Yes.”
Evan’s expression became serious.
“So I’m the key.”
The Guardian nodded.
Kaela stepped forward.
“What happens if he uses the Gate?”
Evan looked at it.
“What happens?”
Finally, it answered.
“The Gate will consume the Fourfold’s mana.”
Evan swallowed.
“How much?”
“All of it.”
Kaela’s eyes widened.
“Then he’ll die.”
The Guardian said nothing.
Evan stared at the portal.
The way home was right in front of him.
Yet reaching it could cost him everything.
He lowered his hand.
“I won’t use it.”
Liora looked at him.
“You don’t have to.”
Evan nodded.
“Not yet.”
Kaela looked at him.
“Why?”
Evan looked around the chamber.
At Liora.
At Kaela.
At the world he had entered only days ago.
He remembered Asterfall.
The people who had welcomed him.
The Voidborn that had hunted him.
The battle.
The three days he had spent unconscious.
And the mysterious voice that had spoken of his arrival.
Evan clenched his fist.
“I need answers first.”
The Guardian watched him.
“Then seek the First Gate.”
Evan looked up.
“Where is it?”
The Guardian pointed toward the distant mountains.
“Beyond the Kingdom of Arclight.”
Kaela frowned.
“That’s thousands of kilometers away.”
Evan sighed.
“Of course it is.”
The Guardian continued.
“There you will find the truth of the Travelers.”
Evan paused.
“And Aurelion?”
The Guardian became completely still.
Kaela looked at Evan.
“How do you know that name?”
Evan froze.
“I…”
The Guardian’s golden eyes brightened.
“You have already encountered the Gatekeeper.”
Evan’s expression hardened.
“So he really exists.”
“He watches you.”
The chamber fell silent.
Then the Guardian spoke again.
“And he has been waiting for you.”
Suddenly, the World Gate began to glow.
Blue light spread across the chamber.
An image appeared inside the ring.
Evan stopped breathing.
Buildings.
Cars.
Streetlights.
Earth.
His home.
Evan slowly stepped toward the image.
His hand reached out.
Kaela grabbed his arm.
“Evan.”
He stopped.
Kaela looked at him.
“If you go through…”
She hesitated.
“You might not come back.”
Evan stared at Earth.
“I know.”
For several seconds, he said nothing.
Then he slowly stepped away.
“Not yet.”
The image disappeared.
The World Gate closed.
Darkness returned to the chamber.
Evan turned toward the Guardian.
“I’ll find the First Gate.”
The Guardian nodded.
“Then your journey begins.”
Suddenly—
RUMBLE!
The temple began shaking.
Stone fell from the ceiling.
Kaela looked toward the exit.
“We need to leave.”
Evan nodded.
The three of them ran.
Behind them, the Guardian returned to its position beside the Gate.
Before the temple doors closed, Evan looked back.
The Guardian was still watching him.
Its golden eyes remained fixed on him.
Then, barely audible, it whispered:
“Fourfold Traveler…”
The doors closed.
Far away, beneath the dark, star-filled sky, Aurelion Veyr stood before another ancient gate.
His eyes opened.
A faint smile appeared.
“So…”
He looked toward the distant horizon.
“Evan has discovered the truth.”
A shadow moved behind him.
“Should we stop him?”
Aurelion shook his head.
“No.”
He turned toward the stars.
“Let him search.”
His smile disappeared.
“Because every road eventually leads to me.”
The ancient gate behind him began glowing.
And somewhere between Earth and the World of Unknown… another door opened.