Aeron stood before the second crystal, his fingers hovering over its pulsating glow. The golden light flickered against his skin, casting shifting patterns across the ancient stone beneath his feet. He hesitated, his body still aching from the two trials he had endured to reach this point.
The first trial had been a test of will—a battle against himself. His own doppelgänger, born of shadow and doubt, had forced him to face his weaknesses, his insecurities. He had learned then that raw power wasn't enough. It was control, understanding, that allowed him to win.
The second trial had been far more insidious. It was not a physical battle, but a labyrinth of illusions, a trial of perception and intellect. The Unseen City had bent reality around him, twisting his senses, distorting time itself. He had wandered for days—or at least, it had felt like days—through shifting corridors that led him in endless loops. Runes changed when he looked away. Symbols rewrote themselves mid-thought. The only way forward had been to surrender to uncertainty, to let go of rigid logic and see the unseen.
And now, here he was.
Exhausted. Mentally and physically drained. Yet, despite everything, he had been deemed worthy.
This crystal was the key to what lay beyond.
He took a steadying breath, then reached forward and grasped it.
The world shattered.
Not violently—no explosion, no cataclysmic upheaval—just a smooth unraveling of reality, like threads being pulled from a tapestry. The hall around him dissolved, fading into strands of golden energy that curled and twisted into the ether.
Then, in its place—
A door.
A massive, arched gateway, ancient and immense. Its frame was made of obsidian metal, veined with golden filigree that pulsed in sync with the crystal in his grip. Intricate symbols danced across its surface, shifting and rearranging with fluid grace, as if responding to unseen forces.
Aeron's breath caught.
This was it.
The true threshold of the Unseen City.
He approached, the crystal in his hand growing warmer, resonating with the door's energy. The patterns along its surface brightened, reacting to his presence. The whispers from before had gone silent, replaced by a deep, rhythmic hum that vibrated through his very bones.
His heart pounded.
He had spent weeks searching for this place, following cryptic clues, deciphering ancient texts. And now, he stood before it—the gate to knowledge unseen, to mysteries locked away for centuries.
But even as he stepped closer, an unease settled in his chest.
Why had no one else reached this place?
If the city had remained hidden for so long, if the knowledge within was so powerful—what had kept others from claiming it before him?
Was it simply the trials? The difficulty?
Or was there something else?
He hesitated.
Then, a voice—not whispered, not distant, but clear, resonant.
"Who seeks the path?"
Aeron froze. The voice had come from the door itself.
He swallowed, forcing himself to respond. "Aeron Vale. Scholar of the Rune Order."
Silence. The symbols along the door pulsed.
Then, a second question.
"What do you seek?"
Aeron's fingers tightened around the crystal. He had expected a test, but this felt… different.
He exhaled. He could lie—craft an answer that would make him seem noble, righteous. But he had learned from his trial. The city had no interest in deception. It demanded truth.
So he answered.
"I seek understanding. Of the runes. Of this city. Of what came before."
The air tensed. For a moment, he thought his response would be rejected.
Then, the door shifted.
Not opening. Not yet.
Instead, a third question.
"What will you give in return?"
Aeron's breath caught.
This… was different. The first two questions had been expected. But this—an offering?
What did the city want? His loyalty? His service?
No.
It was asking for balance.
Everything had a cost. Knowledge was no different. If he wanted to take from the Unseen City, he had to give something back.
He closed his eyes. What was he willing to sacrifice?
Then, slowly, he spoke.
"My past certainty."
The door's symbols flared, golden light rushing across its surface. The hum deepened, resonating with the words he had spoken.
Aeron stood firm. "I came here believing I understood the runes. That they were just tools, just fragments of an old power. But I see now that I was blind. The more I learn, the more I realize I do not know. If I step forward, I leave behind the belief that I have all the answers."
The words echoed.
For a moment, nothing happened.
Then—
The door opened.
Not like an ordinary door. Not swinging inward or outward.
It unfolded, layers of golden and obsidian energy peeling away, revealing something vast beyond.
Aeron's breath caught in his throat.
Beyond the threshold was not a chamber. Not a library.
But a skyline.
The true Unseen City lay ahead.
Towering structures of impossible design stretched into the distance, their surfaces lined with ancient runes and glowing conduits of energy. Some hung suspended in midair, defying gravity. Others stretched into the clouds, spiraling like colossal spires. Bridges of floating stone connected platforms that hovered with no visible support.
And at the heart of it all—
A massive, circular monolith, inscribed with symbols that radiated power. It pulsed with the same energy as his runes, a beacon of knowledge and mystery.
Aeron exhaled.
This was it.
The heart of the Unseen City.
He stepped forward, crossing the threshold.
The door sealed behind him, vanishing as if it had never been.
There was no turning back now.