BOOK TWO: THE KINGDOM BEYOND THE GATE
Chapter 24: The Ninth Gate
The beam of white light pierced the heavens.
It rose from beneath the White Tree, passed through the Throne of Dawn, crossed the collapsing Silent Observatory, and disappeared beyond the stars.
For one terrifying moment...
Every Gate in existence answered.
The Seventh Gate roared.
The Eighth Gate shimmered.
The forgotten Gates hidden across distant worlds awakened one after another.
Then...
Silence.
A silence so complete that even breathing felt loud.
Everyone stared at the crystal sphere floating above Eva's hands.
Its surface was no longer cracked.
It had completely transformed.
Instead of showing maps...
It now showed a single glowing doorway.
THE NINTH GATE
---
Alaric's voice echoed from the passage leading into the underground garden.
"The prophecy..."
"It has begun."
Cassian, Argos and Caelum entered the garden, their expressions darker than ever before.
Even they could feel it.
Something fundamental had changed.
---
Eryndor remained beneath the White Tree.
For the first time, the calm expression on the First Witness's face had disappeared.
He looked...
Afraid.
Riva noticed immediately.
"You know what's behind the Ninth Gate."
Eryndor remained silent for several moments.
Finally...
"I know what waits before it."
---
Aarvi crossed her arms.
"Can everyone stop speaking in riddles?"
Future Lucien laughed quietly.
"I've been wanting to say that for years."
Even Queen Riva smiled.
The tension eased for only a heartbeat.
---
Then the ground shook again.
Not violently.
Gently.
Like footsteps.
Everyone looked toward the crystal river.
The water had stopped flowing.
Instead...
It began moving backward.
Leaves returned to the branches they had fallen from.
Broken flowers stood upright once more.
Eva stared in disbelief.
"Time..."
"It's reversing."
Alaric nodded.
"The Ninth Gate isn't opening."
"It's pulling reality toward itself."
---
Suddenly, Lyra stepped away from Riva.
Her eyes were fixed on the white light rising into the sky.
"I remember this."
Everyone turned toward her.
"You do?" Parna asked.
Lyra nodded slowly.
"I've seen this once before."
"When I was born."
Silence.
Riva frowned.
"You were born when the Ninth Gate opened?"
Lyra looked down.
"I wasn't born."
"I was created."
---
The White Tree released another shower of glowing leaves.
This time...
Each leaf transformed into a tiny memory crystal.
Hundreds of them floated around Lyra.
She gently touched one.
A vision appeared before everyone.
An endless white world.
No sky.
No ground.
Only light.
At its center stood nine enormous Gates arranged in a circle.
Eight were open.
The ninth remained sealed.
A voice echoed through the vision.
"When the Ninth Gate opens... the Keeper of Beginnings shall awaken."
The vision ended.
No one spoke.
---
Lucien finally broke the silence.
"The Keeper of Beginnings..."
"Who is that?"
Eryndor answered quietly.
"The first ruler."
Queen Riva immediately shook her head.
"No."
"The First Kingdom had no first ruler."
Eryndor looked directly at her.
"That's what history says."
"It is wrong."
---
Eva quickly wrote every symbol appearing on the crystal sphere.
The symbols rearranged themselves again.
This time they formed another sentence.
She read aloud.
"The Crown was never first."
"The Kingdom was never first."
"The Promise came first."
Caelum slowly closed his eyes.
"So..."
"The oldest legend was true."
---
Suddenly—
The wooden bird perched on Eryndor's shoulder began singing once more.
Its gentle melody spread across the underground garden.
Wherever the song reached...
The black corruption left by the Devourer disappeared.
Flowers bloomed again.
The White Tree glowed brighter.
Lyra smiled.
"The Song of Home..."
"It remembers."
---
Without warning—
A violent scream echoed from above.
Everyone rushed toward the opening leading back to the Throne of Dawn.
The Devourer's colossal body was changing.
Its countless eyes began closing.
One by one.
Its endless darkness condensed into a single human-sized figure.
The monstrous form dissolved.
Standing in its place was a tall man wearing a cloak woven from stars.
His face was hidden behind a smooth white mask.
Unlike the hooded form they had seen before...
This figure radiated unimaginable power.
The air around him bent.
Even gravity seemed to obey him.
The masked man slowly descended into the throne room.
No army followed him.
He had come alone.
---
Cassian instinctively stepped in front of the Six Heirs.
Argos drew his ancient sword.
Caelum gripped his spear.
Future Lucien and Queen Riva stood side by side.
Even the Crown Collector looked uneasy.
The masked stranger stopped before the Throne of Dawn.
He looked at Eryndor.
Then at Lyra.
Finally...
His gaze settled on Riva.
He spoke in a calm voice.
"I have crossed countless worlds searching for one answer."
He slowly removed his white mask.
Everyone froze.
His face...
Looked exactly like Eryndor's.
Only younger.
His silver eyes glowed with ancient light.
Eryndor whispered,
"So..."
"You finally came."
The stranger smiled.
"I never left."
Riva looked between the two identical men.
"Who are you?"
The stranger bowed politely.
"My name..."
"...is Elyon."
"I am the Keeper of Beginnings."
He looked directly at Eryndor.
"And he..."
"...is the Keeper of Endings."
The entire throne room fell silent.
Two brothers.
One who remembered every beginning.
One who remembered every ending.
Before anyone could speak—
The crystal sphere cracked once more.
A final prophecy appeared in brilliant golden letters.
Eva read it aloud, her voice barely above a whisper.
"When Beginning and Ending stand together..."
"...one of the Six Heirs must make the Final Choice."
Riva instinctively looked at her friends.
Lucien.
Eva.
Parna.
Aarvi.
Orion.
For the first time since their journey began...
She realized the final battle would not be won by strength alone.
Someone...
Would have to choose what kind of future deserved to exist.
End of Chapter 24