Into the Forgotten Realm: The Death Gate's Descent

 Into the Forgotten Realm: The Death Gate's Descent

As the last of Nathor’s incantations echoed through the temple, the air around the Death Gate crackled with raw, unnatural energy. The circle of blue lightning that had once seemed so distant and impossible now spiraled wildly above them, as if it had come alive. The sound of the gate's opening was deafening—a thunderous roar that filled the very air with a power so ancient it was beyond understanding.

Haplo’s heart raced in his chest, his breath shallow and quick, as he stood frozen before his brother, unable to move, unable to think clearly. The world around him was no longer the world he had known. The stone beneath his feet vibrated with an intensity that was almost painful, the ruins of the ancient temple cracking and groaning under the strain of the rift that had been opened. The temperature plummeted, and a cold, suffocating wind began to swirl in from the open portal, like a storm that had no end.

Nathor stood tall, his form barely visible through the whirlwind of energy. His dark cloak billowed around him like smoke, his glowing eyes locked onto Haplo with an intensity that burned with the certainty of victory. The Death Gate had been opened, and now there would be no turning back.

“You still don’t understand, do you, Haplo?” Nathor’s voice cut through the chaos, low and mocking. “This isn’t just the end of this world. It’s the beginning of something greater. Something far beyond your comprehension.”

Haplo felt a rush of panic surge through him as the air grew thick with the presence of the rift. He could feel the very fabric of reality tearing around him, could sense the distant pull of another dimension—a place beyond time, beyond death, beyond everything they had ever known. And in that moment, Haplo understood what his brother had done. Nathor had not only opened the Death Gate; he had set in motion a chain of events that would consume the Patryn race itself, pulling them into an alternate dimension, into a world of endless suffering and twisted fate.

His eyes flicked to Destiny, who had been standing just behind him. Her figure was still, her face etched with a mixture of fear and determination. She reached out to him, her hand trembling as she grasped his arm. “Haplo, we need to stop this. We need to close the gate before—”

Before she could finish, the ground beneath their feet cracked open, a violent shockwave of energy tearing through the temple. Haplo barely had time to shield Destiny with his body before the full force of the explosion sent them both sprawling across the stone floor.

The temple walls collapsed around them, and the rift above them pulsed violently, as if it were alive, feeding off the energy of the destruction. A blinding flash of light engulfed everything.

Haplo’s mind reeled, unable to grasp the enormity of what was happening. He reached for Destiny, his hand trembling, but she was slipping away. The force of the rift began to pull them in, the pull of another dimension stronger than any force he had ever felt.

“NO!” he shouted, his voice drowned out by the roar of the Death Gate. He reached out with his rune magic, trying to form a barrier, trying to close the gate, but the power of the rift was overwhelming. The symbols on his staff glowed bright, flaring with every ounce of energy he could muster, but it was like trying to stop a hurricane with a flicker of flame.

As the gate expanded, the entire temple began to fold in on itself, the very fabric of the world beginning to unravel. Haplo’s vision blurred as the air grew thicker with every passing second. The pull of the Death Gate intensified, its energy turning from a rumble to a roar as the very laws of nature seemed to bend and break. He could hear Nathor’s voice, distant and fading, shouting something, but it was impossible to make sense of it. He could barely hear Destiny’s breath, her heartbeat as they were both sucked into the vortex of pure destruction.

In that moment, everything he had ever known—his life, his mission, his love for Destiny—seemed to dissolve into the maelstrom of the Death Gate. The world he had fought so desperately to save was no longer there. It was as if they were floating in an endless, boundless void, surrounded by nothingness. Time itself seemed to stretch, distorting in a way that made Haplo question his own sanity.

The Death Gate pulsed once more, and the pull grew stronger, dragging Haplo, Destiny, and Nathor—along with the entire Patryn race—into the rift. The world began to blur, the temple dissolving into a shimmering haze of colors, and Haplo felt himself losing consciousness. His body was weightless, floating in the infinite space of the rift, caught in the void between worlds.

And then, just as quickly as the chaos had begun, it stopped.

The roar of the Death Gate faded away into nothingness. The violent tug of the otherworldly dimension ceased, leaving Haplo and Destiny floating in complete silence. For a brief moment, there was nothing—no sound, no motion, just the eerie stillness of an unknown realm. Haplo opened his eyes, blinking rapidly, trying to make sense of what he saw.

They were no longer in the ruins of the temple. They were somewhere else—somewhere beyond comprehension. The sky above them was an unsettling shade of violet, swirling with currents of strange energy. The land beneath them stretched out endlessly, but it was a land of twisted, jagged rocks and darkened plains. In the distance, shadows loomed like monstrous figures, their outlines shifting and undulating in ways that defied reason. The air was thick with the smell of decay, as though the very earth had been poisoned by some ancient evil.

Haplo stood shakily, pulling Destiny into his arms as he tried to steady himself. His heart raced in his chest as he looked around, trying to make sense of the nightmare that had swallowed them whole. He could feel the weight of the Patryn race pressing down on them, their fate now tied to this strange new dimension, a place where time had no meaning, and where the laws of nature were no longer in effect.

“What is this place?” Destiny’s voice trembled as she spoke, her eyes wide with fear and confusion. “Where are we?”

Haplo swallowed hard, trying to steady his breath. He didn’t have the answers she sought—he didn’t have the answers for himself. The Death Gate had opened, and it had pulled them into a world that was as alien as it was terrifying. They were trapped in a place where the very fabric of reality was unstable, a place where survival seemed impossible.

But there was something else, too—something that gnawed at Haplo’s mind. A feeling that this world was more than just a prison for them. It was a world in which they were not alone.

A low, growling noise rose from the shadows, echoing through the air. Haplo’s hand instinctively went to his staff, his fingers brushing the familiar runes. His senses heightened as the noise grew louder, and a shape emerged from the darkness.

It was a figure, massive and imposing, with eyes that burned like molten fire. It stepped forward, its movements slow but deliberate, as if it had been watching them for a long time. The creature’s form was a blend of shadows and solid matter, shifting and changing with each step it took, its body seemingly woven from the fabric of the void itself.

“Welcome,” it said in a voice that reverberated through the very ground beneath their feet. “To the land of endless torment. Welcome to the realm of the forgotten.”

Haplo’s heart sank as he realized they had not just been pulled into another dimension—they had been cast into a place far worse than anything they had ever imagined. A place where the Patryn race would be trapped, never to escape, never to find peace.

But as the creature’s eyes met his, a glimmer of defiance sparked within Haplo. He had fought too long, lost too much, to give in now. He would find a way out of this nightmare. He would restore the world—even if it meant facing the unknown horrors of this twisted realm.

“I will not let this be the end,” he said, his voice filled with determination. “I will find a way to fix this. To bring us back.”

Destiny squeezed his hand, her own resolve hardening as she looked at the creature before them. “Together,” she said, her voice steady.

Together.

And so, as they faced the endless void of this new dimension, Haplo and Destiny knew their battle was far from over. In the land of the forgotten, they would fight—not just for survival—but for a chance to return home and restore the world they had once known.