"Some voices are never meant to be heard…
and some ruins should've stayed buried."
— Unknown Soulcraft Inscription
The mist curled low across the forest floor, swallowing Kael's footsteps as if the earth itself wished to silence him. Sunlight barely pierced the dense canopy above, splintering into dying shards that danced upon the damp moss. Every breath he drew tasted of rot and old wood, thick with ancient stillness.
In his hand pulsed a shard of obsidian crystal—remnant of the Soulcraft that had shattered at the Temple of Aether. The fragment beat like a second heart, leading him through the veil of fog, whispering without words.
> "This place…" Kael muttered. "…it's calling me."
The air trembled. Not with sound, but with memory—voices that had no mouths, no language, yet pressed against his mind like cold fingers. He couldn't understand them, not yet. But they were waiting.
With every step forward, the mist thickened. The silence deepened. And reality itself seemed to hold its breath.
Kael kept walking.
Because beyond the fog—
truth waited.
Or ruin.
Kael's steps grew heavier as twisted roots clawed up from the soil like skeletal hands, trying to anchor him in place. The trees stood like silent sentinels, their bark coated in moss and centuries of age.
But it wasn't just the forest watching him.
Something moved behind a toppled stone—half-buried and ancient.
Kael halted.
No wind. No sound.
But every hair on his body rose. His instincts—sharpened through years of survival—screamed at him.
He crouched, pressing a palm to the earth.
Warm.
It should've been cold.
> "Something's alive… nearby," he whispered.
As he stepped toward the stone, a shadow flickered past—too quick to see clearly, yet enough to make him shift back.
> "Show yourself."
His voice was calm, but sharp.
From within the darkness, a breath—then two glowing yellow eyes.
A tall figure emerged, wrapped in tattered cloth and armored with bone.
The creature—half spirit, half man—clutched a black spear that seemed fused into its very arm.
> "Kael... Heir of Soulcraft..."
"At last, you've arrived."
Kael stood firm, facing the strange being without flinching. The mist around them rolled and pulsed like a quiet storm, holding its breath.
> "You know who I am?"
"More than you can imagine," the creature replied—its voice deep, heavy… and oddly sorrowful.
It didn't attack. Instead, it walked to the side of the massive stone, placing a hand on its surface. A blue glow emerged, revealing ancient Soulcraft symbols embedded within.
> "Beneath this stone lies the first legacy—a relic that only your blood can unseal."
Kael stepped closer, carefully. The symbols pulsed brighter as he neared, reacting to his presence. The creature glanced at him, then knelt in silence.
> "Take it. But beware… each relic unlocks power—and a curse."
Kael placed his palm upon the stone. A vibration surged through his skin.
Then—
Click.
The stone split open slowly, revealing a hollow chamber. Inside lay a black dagger—made from the same crystal as the shard he carried—resting as if it had waited for centuries.
The moment Kael touched it, the world around him trembled.
And from far away, distant voices screamed—
the souls were waking.
The sky turned gray. Black clouds gathered above the forest, swirling like a vortex of death.
Kael still held the black dagger. His left hand trembled violently, but he refused to let go.
> "What... is happening?"
The guardian of the stone stepped back cautiously.
> "You've awakened them…"
From the mist, shadows began to emerge. Dozens—then hundreds. Transparent figures, with empty eyes and whispers in foreign tongues.
They were souls bound to the relic. Souls of failed Soulcrafters… cursed to remain awake.
Kael stepped back, but the dagger in his hand began to glow. A light of black and blue enveloped his body.
> "The dagger... it's absorbing them!"
One by one, the souls screamed before being pulled into the dagger's crystal. Kael felt fragments of foreign memories: ancient wars, betrayals, and broken promises.
He dropped to his knees.
> "Too... many voices…"
But another voice echoed—deeper, older. A soul that refused to be absorbed.
> "Kael…"
Kael looked around, but the mist grew thicker. And from within, a hooded figure emerged, its face hidden.
> "Who are you?"
The figure pointed at the dagger.
> "That's not just a weapon. It's a prison… and a key."
> "You've just opened the first chapter of the final war."
Kael remained kneeling, his knees buried in the muddy earth. His breath was ragged—not from exhaustion, but from the weight that had just entered his soul. The memories of the fallen Soulcrafters echoed in his mind, like endless death bells tolling.
The hooded figure still stood near him.
> "I know you're confused… but your time is running out, Kael."
> "Who are you, really?" Kael's voice quivered.
> "I am part of a forgotten pact. My name doesn't matter. But I came because the final soul has awakened."
The figure stepped closer, and Kael saw chains—unseen before—stretching from the figure's chest into the sky, connecting to something beyond sight. He then noticed the same kind of chain wrapped around his own chest.
> "What is this?"
> "It's your contract. Every Soulcrafter is bound by it the moment they touch a Soul Artifact."
Kael stared at his hand. The blue glow was dimming, replaced by black cracks, like scorched scars.
> "And if I refuse it?"
The figure gave a bitter smile.
> "Then you'll burn from the inside. Your soul and body will separate… and you'll become one of those you absorbed."
Kael clenched his jaw. There was no turning back.
> "What do I have to do?"
> "Go to the Sealed Gate in the North. There, the First Spirit who shaped this world waits. And it… does not like to be disturbed."
Kael's steps were heavy as he left the ruins, trekking through the dead forest with the invisible chains pulling tighter. The night wind bit at his skin, but it wasn't the cold that made him shiver—it was the growing sense of dread.
> "The Sealed Gate in the North…"
He whispered the words like a chant, trying to steady himself. But then, the voice returned—not from outside, but from within his own mind.
> "Kael…"
It was soft, almost like the wind. But this time, he recognized it.
> "Aelith?" he asked, trembling. "No… You're dead."
A figure began to take form in the fog—a woman with hair as white as snow, sharp eyes that once held life… now just a hollow reflection. Aelith, his sister, who disappeared years ago during a Soulcraft expedition.
> "My soul is trapped, Kael," she whispered. "You have to free us all… before the next one is you."
Kael took a step back, his body shaking.
> "What happened to you?"
Aelith raised her hand, revealing a cracked artifact dimly glowing. "The Gate is not a seal… It's an entrance to something far darker."
Malam mencapai puncaknya saat Kael berdiri sendiri di tepi jurang, memandangi langit kelam yang tampak retak oleh kilat petir dari kejauhan. Suara Aelith telah lenyap, namun bayangannya masih membekas di mata dan pikirannya.
> "Jika gerbang itu bukan penyegelan… maka sesuatu telah dilepaskan."
Ia mengepalkan tinjunya, merasakan denyut dari pecahan artefak yang ditinggalkan Aelith sebelum lenyap seperti kabut. Kilau redupnya seperti jantung yang berdegup pelan—menunggu.
Langkah kaki terdengar dari balik pohon. Kael refleks mencabut senjatanya, namun yang muncul bukan musuh, melainkan seorang pemuda asing dengan mantel gelap dan lambang Soulcraft di bahunya. Matanya tajam, seperti telah melihat akhir dunia.
> "Kau Kael?" tanyanya.
Kael mengangguk.
> "Aku Aven. Kita harus bicara. Tentang Gerbang… dan tentang siapa kau sebenarnya."
Seketika dunia Kael mulai berguncang. Hutan, artefak, suara Aelith—semuanya mulai menyatu dalam satu kenyataan: dia bukan hanya pewaris Soulcraft… tapi mungkin satu-satunya kunci terakhir sebelum dunia runtuh.
> Dan gerbang itu... tak pernah benar-benar tertutup.
---
English Version – Chapter 2 Part 7: The Gate That Was Never Shut
Midnight reached its peak as Kael stood alone at the cliff's edge, staring at the torn sky where lightning cracked like broken glass. Aelith's voice had faded, yet her shadow lingered in his memory and behind his eyes.
> "If the Gate wasn't a seal… then something was released."
He clenched his fist, feeling the pulse of the artifact fragment Aelith left behind before vanishing into mist. Its dim glow beat like a slow heart—waiting.
Footsteps echoed behind the trees. Kael swiftly drew his weapon, but instead of an enemy, a young man emerged wearing a dark cloak with the Soulcraft sigil on his shoulder. His eyes were sharp, like someone who had seen the end of the world.
> "You're Kael?" the man asked.
Kael nodded.
> "I'm Aven. We need to talk. About the Gate… and who you really are."
Suddenly, Kael's world shook. The forest, the artifact, Aelith's voice—they all pointed to one truth: he wasn't just a Soulcraft heir… he might be the final key before the world collapses.
> And the Gate… was never truly shut.