The horizon burned with a pale light, neither sunrise nor sunset, but something older and far more permanent. The land before them stretched like an endless plain of blackened glass, its surface cracked with faint threads of molten red that pulsed like the veins of some colossal, sleeping creature. Each step Hine took left no footprint, only a whisper in the stillness. The air was heavy, dry, and sharp, as though the world itself was holding its breath.
"We are close," the Silent Soul murmured, their voice carrying a reverence that made Hine pause. "Do you feel it? The weight pressing against your bones?"
Hine nodded, though what she felt was more than pressure. It was as if invisible eyes were upon her, dissecting her every thought. Her hand brushed the edge of her cloak, tightening it around her shoulders. "It feels… wrong," she said softly. "Like the world doesn't want me here."
"It never does," the Silent Soul replied. "This is the Gate of Eternities. It is not a place meant for mortals, not even for those chosen by the threads of fate."
They continued forward, guided by the growing hum that vibrated through the plain. The hum was not sound but sensation, a deep vibration that reached into Hine's chest and seemed to settle against her heartbeat, syncing with it. Each pulse brought memories unbidden. Flames licking at her fingertips. Screams swallowed by silence. A name whispered in a language she could not understand.
When the Gate finally came into view, Hine froze.
It was colossal, rising from the ground like the skeleton of a god. Two towering pillars of obsidian arched high into the sky, their surface etched with intricate patterns that shimmered faintly with silver light. Between them stretched a thin veil, like a river of molten glass suspended in midair. The surface of the veil rippled occasionally, sending out sparks that dissolved before touching the ground. The hum was deafening here, not in her ears but in her blood, in her marrow.
"This… this is it," Hine whispered.
The Silent Soul nodded, stepping closer, their presence steady but tense. "This is the threshold. Beyond lies the domain of the Rulers."
Hine swallowed hard. She had heard the name before, whispered in fragments from the Silent Soul during their journey, but never with clarity. The Rulers. Beings older than the oldest myths, guardians and executioners of the threads that wove reality together. The thought of them waiting beyond that shimmering veil made her skin prickle.
"What happens if we step through?" she asked.
The Silent Soul's gaze, hidden beneath their hood, seemed to darken. "We will be judged."
Judged. The word struck her harder than she expected. She clenched her fists, feeling the faint sting of her nails against her palms. "And if… if I'm not ready?"
"Then the Gate will reject you," the Silent Soul said. "And the rejection will not be gentle."
Hine tried to breathe, but the air felt thinner here, heavier with every passing second. The journey had been long, riddled with trials that had tested every ounce of her willpower, but this moment felt different. This was not a battle against monsters or shadows or even herself. This was something deeper, a reckoning written in the very essence of her being.
She stepped forward, her boots barely making a sound on the glassy ground. The hum seemed to grow louder, sharper, as if recognizing her approach. Her heart pounded in her chest, each beat echoing in her ears. She could feel the Silent Soul's gaze on her, steady and unflinching.
"You have carried pain," they said quietly. "Loss. Fear. Doubt. But the Gate does not measure those things. It measures truth. You must stand as you are, Hine. Not as who you wish to be."
The words sank deep, twisting into something raw and unspoken. She thought of her village, of the faces she could no longer remember clearly. She thought of the flames, of the power that had burst from her in a desperate moment and left silence in its wake. She thought of every step she had taken since then, every moment of questioning if she was strong enough, worthy enough.
And then she thought of Ronova, that strange, haunting name that had come to her in dreams. The figure in the void, watching her with eyes like burning coals, their voice whispering promises she could not understand.
"I don't know if I can do this," she admitted, her voice trembling despite her efforts to steady it.
The Silent Soul stepped closer, their presence a quiet anchor in the storm raging inside her. "Courage is not the absence of fear," they said. "It is the choice to step forward despite it."
Hine drew in a deep breath. Her fingers brushed against the faint scar on her wrist, a reminder of the fight where her flames had first awakened. The hum of the Gate resonated with her pulse, almost as if it was waiting for her decision.
She took another step forward. The veil rippled, sending out a burst of silver sparks that drifted lazily before fading into nothing. Heat radiated from the Gate now, subtle but undeniable, wrapping around her like the first breath of summer. The Silent Soul remained at her side but said nothing more, letting her choose her pace.
When she finally stood at the threshold, the world fell silent. The hum stopped. The plain behind her faded into muted gray, and for a moment, it felt like she was the only living thing in existence.
Hine lifted her hand, hesitating only for a second before reaching toward the veil. The surface of the Gate was smooth and impossibly warm, like sunlit stone. It pulsed under her touch, sending a shockwave through her body that made her knees buckle. She gasped, stumbling, but the Silent Soul's hand caught her shoulder, steadying her.
"Do not falter," they said, their voice calm but firm. "It knows you now. It knows everything."
Visions flooded her mind. Faces she knew and faces she had never seen. Endless corridors of light and shadow. Fire raging through her veins, spiraling into shapes she could not comprehend. And above it all, a voice, deep and resonant, whispering a single word.
"Hine."
She staggered back, her chest heaving, but the Gate did not release her. It held her there, locked in its unseen grasp, as if demanding that she confront every truth buried within her.
"I…" Her voice cracked, but she forced herself to steady it. "I'm not afraid."
The veil flared, its surface glowing with a blinding brilliance that swallowed everything. The ground beneath her feet trembled, the cracks in the glass widening and glowing red-hot. The hum returned, louder than ever, filling her entire body until it was all she could hear, all she could feel.
And then, as suddenly as it had started, the world stilled.
The Gate stood silent, the veil calm and unbroken. But something had changed. Hine could feel it deep inside her, a quiet certainty settling where fear had been. The Gate had not rejected her.
"You have been acknowledged," the Silent Soul said, their voice softer now, almost reverent. "The threshold accepts you."
Hine turned to them, her expression a mixture of awe and confusion. "What happens now?"
"Now," the Silent Soul said, their gaze fixed on the shimmering veil, "you step through. And you see for yourself what waits beyond."
Hine stared at the Gate, the thin veil of molten glass shimmering like liquid starlight. She drew in a steady breath, her fingers curling tightly at her sides. Whatever waited beyond, whatever the Rulers intended for her, she would face it. Because turning back was no longer an option.
With the Silent Soul by her side, Hine stepped into the light.