The obsidian gate loomed before me like a wall carved from night itself.
Its surface pulsed faintly with runes, each beat like a heart beneath stone, as though something alive waited on the other side.
I pressed my palm against it. Warm mana surged from me, pushing, clawing, demanding entry. The gate didn't budge. Cold. Dead. Unyielding.
Then—
Twang.
An arrow screamed through the air, faster than lightning. My body moved before thought—neck jerking aside, breath scraping my throat.
Thunk!
The arrowhead buried deep into the wall behind me, quivering.
"Who are you?"
The voice that followed wasn't human. It carried layers, echoes, as though three or four throats spoke in harmony. It rattled my bones.
My jaw tightened. "I am… Renji Fujimoto."
For a moment, silence.
Another arrow whistled. I rolled across the ground, dust scraping my cheek as the shaft exploded into shards against the floor.
The voice repeated, heavier, louder, pressing into my skull—
"Who are you?"
