It began with a subtle shift in the wind.
Kaen stood at the edge of the forest, a strange ripple in the air brushing against his senses. The trees behind Rourke's house rustled despite the calm weather. Snow fell steadily, soft as feathers—but in the distance, beyond the peak of the mountain that cast a shadow over the valley, something pulsed.
A gate.
Not just any gate—this one crackled with raw energy, visible even in daylight. The rift shimmered like glass soaked in blood and lightning, anchored to the mountainside behind Rourke's estate.
Zian joined Kaen silently, her golden eyes narrowing. "That wasn't here yesterday."
"No," Kaen replied, voice low. "It wasn't."
Mira, Leon, Lirien, Kyel, and Rayden gathered behind them, each sensing the anomaly in their own way. Lirien narrowed her crimson eyes. "This is no ordinary dungeon."
"+A-Rank gate," Kyel muttered, checking his sword. "But it feels unstable… as if something inside it doesn't want to stay inside."
Rourke appeared a moment later, his breath visible in the frosty air. "I felt it activate. The Academy should've picked it up by now, but it's too far from the usual detection routes."
Kaen turned to him. "We'll clear it before anyone else gets involved."
Rourke studied the team, then nodded. "You're taking all of them?"
"They need the experience," Kaen said. "And besides… you're coming too, aren't you?"
Rourke gave a tired smile. "I may be retired, but I'm not that old. If something in there is dangerous enough to warrant your concern, I'll stand with you."
The group suited up quickly. Mira prepped potions. Leon readied traps. Lirien and Zian double-checked their weapons while exchanging a respectful nod.
As they crossed the final ridge toward the gate, snow began to melt in a perfect circle around the rift—like the world itself feared it. The gate pulsed again, this time louder, almost like a heartbeat.
Kaen stared into its depths. "Something inside remembers me."
Zian frowned. "That's not ominous at all."
He smiled without looking back. "Let's hope it's feeling nostalgic."
With that, the group stepped into the unknown, their reflections swallowed by the light of the gate as the winter air held its breath behind them.