Hours of walking passed in silence, the somber flickers of light and gusts of wind hiding a dead and empty world populated with the corpses of the dessicated monsters.
Lilac was growing weary again, too afraid to stop, but simultaneously too exhausted to continue, when they came across a small temple built of glistening silver with jade statues of a woman who seemed too beautiful to be real.
Carved with delicate features with expressions ranging from adoration to blank terror, the whole of her self was laid bare upon the walls and walkways of this shrine in the realm of the dead.
Unsure of what to make of it all, the pair walked towards it, both knowing this was the end of their trek.
The path to the entryway was an ornately designed path portraying a nightmarish
monster accosting a village nestled upon a mountaintop. Its fury whipping even the very forces of nature into a frenzy, with massive ocean swells and catastrophic winds lashing at a town protected by only the will of the woman.
Her eyes glowed an unnatural green as she exerted her will, forcing the power of calm to keep this creature at bay…but it could only extend to the outer edges of the village.
As they walked, the ground mural showed her range of protection shrinking and villagers being swept away in the unholy storm wrought by the wrath of the entity until at last it was only her left standing atop the temple.
This temple, Lilac realized, which had been built in her honor would be a tomb dedicated to her weakness.
When they finally reached the doorway, the last image was of the creature revealing its eyes. They flashed red, so bright that they illuminated the shattered remnants of the town and drowned out the green light of the woman's barrier. Black and purple chains of fire emerged from it and engulfed her, trapping her within a simple black coffin.
Before they could properly confront what it all meant, the doors creaked open releasing fetid air and thick layers of dust to greet them.
The glowing red eyes flashed in Lilac's eyes for the barest flicker of a moment and then passed, leaving a sense of dread.
Would that be the clear condition of the Gate?
Could they even dream of stopping something that powerful?
It had killed an entire world to take a single woman…would they merit such effort?
Lost in thought, she failed to notice Jennifer already walking in until she heard her partner gasp in shock.
Lilac sprinted in, her previous apprehension lost in her fervor to reach the woman inside.
Reaching her, she was shocked to see the remnants of a coffin shattered into pieces with black and purple smoke wafting into the air, obscuring her vision and burning her eyes.
It felt difficult to even look at, almost as though it weren't really there. It wobbled and shook in her eyes and distantly she heard the sound of static scratching in past the sounds of the ocean from outside.
Gently clutching her head with one hand, another sound rang through the small space; the door had slammed shut with a deafening thud, trapping them inside.
Jennifer walked to the door and tried to push it open, failing to get it to budge even an inch. She sighed as she shook her head in annoyance, muttering, "I really don't get paid enough for this."
"Me neither," Lilac whispered, fighting off the headache that was slowly creeping its way from the base of her skull.
Behind them, the coffin began to glow gently, white light that danced along the walls and ground, darkening to a glistening silver. The fragments lifted into the ground, spiralling around them while a distant melody composed of chimes played, growing louder as the shards converged.
The motes of light that had been floating peacefully outside suddenly began rushing into the temple through some unseen opening above them, whipping into a whirlwind alongside the coffin, a great wind lifting detritus and broken furniture around the room, threatening to crash into the two at any time.
Blinded by the whirlwind, deafened by the increasing volume of the music, Lilac and Jennifer found each other, clutching as hard as they could.
Then…abruptly it ended, silence filling the chamber almost immediately.
After a few minutes, the women turned to where the coffin had been, only to see a shaft of light illuminating a glowing figure.
Forming and reforming rapidly, the figure slowly took the shape of a person, light slowly revealing the features of a young girl no more than 20.
Though visibly much younger, there was a distinct similarity to the woman from the statues, carrying her elegance and beauty.
Her eyes opened, revealing inky black irises that felt as though they would pull Lilac into their depths. Her dark espresso brown skin contrasted sharply with her shimmering silver hair with jade green tips.
Beyond her obvious attractiveness, there was something otherworldly about her, like she stood beyond any person they'd met before. The closest Lilac could think of was Marcus…though he was hardly what she'd call attractive.
The girl's eyes fluttered open, revealing how wide and innocent they were, evoking a sense of cuteness that undercut even her beauty.
Struggling to her feet, she stood, tall and thin, the thin robes that had formed along with her draping her figure and concealing her sufficiently. She tried to step forward toward the awestruck pair of women and fell forward into Jennifer's arms.
The two made eye contact for a moment before space warped around them, sucking them into a void where Lilac could see, for just a moment, Terrowin staring angrily at them.
Then she was alone.
It took seconds before she realized what had happened…that she was by herself in this temple.
She was surprised to find she wasn't afraid or concerned.
On some level, she knew that she was supposed to be here.
By coincidence or by right, the next step of this Gate was meant for her.
Turning to sealed doors she knew, somehow, would open, she steeled herself for what would come next…and walked forward.