Chapter Three: The First Gate
Only minutes had passed since the wall had fallen, but devastation had already consumed half the city.
Kain, barely able to stand, felt every breath growing heavier, as if the air itself had turned into invisible chains. Around him, soldiers struggled to organize the civilians, but fear ruled the scene—people running without direction, panic etched into every face.
The old commander, Pharos, stood before Kain.
"What did you do, boy?!" he shouted, gripping Kain by his collar.
Kain stared back, dazed, unable to speak. Something was rising inside him—a force older than the very stones of the city.
Suddenly… a deep echo rang out from beyond the city.
Not a horn this time, but the groan of something ancient—like a massive stone door creaking open far away.
Everyone froze.
Pharos stepped toward the massive breach in the wall. Through the thick dust, they saw a dark corridor stretching beyond the city, ending at a towering structure—an ancient, cracked stone gate.
Etched on its surface were strange symbols, glowing faintly with a blue hue.
"The Gate..." Pharos whispered. "The first gate has opened."
Kain felt as if his heart would burst.
"The Seven Gates..." The words echoed in his mind.
It had always been a myth told by old storytellers:
"When the first gate opens, the Age of Ruin shall begin, and only the one born of the Origin's Light can seal them again."
Now, that myth was breathing before their very eyes.
A sound emerged from the gate, low at first… then louder… until it roared like a storm unleashed.
And in the path between the broken wall and the gate, a new being began to emerge—taller, darker, and far more terrifying than anything they'd seen before.
Pharos drew his trembling sword and yelled:
"Prepare yourselves! This is no longer a fight for survival… this is a war for the world!"
**
On the faraway hill, the man in the tattered gray cloak still watched with a growing grin.
He ran his fingers over a stone pendant on his chest and murmured:
"One of seven… you will all fall. And the light shall rise only upon the mountain of corpses."
Then, as if swallowed by the wind, he vanished.