Oliver stepped forward, his foot lifting and crossing into the swirling lights of the Star Gate. As soon as he did, the world seemed to vanish beneath him. He felt a strange, cold emptiness as if everything around him was slipping away into nothingness. It wasn’t just a feeling—it was like the very fabric of reality was being torn apart. He gasped in shock, his heart pounding in his chest.There was a deep silence at first. A heavy silence, one that pressed down on him, making it hard to breathe. The air was thick, and the darkness stretched endlessly in every direction, like a giant, endless void. He couldn’t see anything. He couldn’t hear anything except for the echo of his own breath. He had no sense of time. Everything felt wrong.For a moment, Oliver thought he might be trapped forever in this vast emptiness.Then, suddenly, the silence broke with a bright, blinding light. It came out of nowhere, crashing into him with such force that he staggered back. The light was so bright, s

Oliver awoke with a start, gasping for air as if he'd just surfaced from a deep ocean. His sheets were tangled around his body, cold sweat clinging to his skin. The room was dim, the early light barely filtering through the curtains, casting long shadows that made the walls feel alive.He blinked, his mind struggling to catch up with reality. For a moment, everything seemed normal—safe. But something felt off. His heart beat harder, faster, like it had just been jolted awake too.“What... was that dream?” He wondered. It was more than a dream, though. It felt like a memory, a vision, something ancient and terrifying. He remembered the dark presence of Illyr-Kai, his mocking laughter, the weight of the world crashing down on him. Hhe could still hear the hunger. It whispered to him even now.You will serve me, it said. You will feed me.Oliver shivered, pulling the blanket tighter around his shoulders. He stared at the ceiling, hiss breath coming in quick bursts. It was a feeling she'd

The mist was thick, clinging to Oliver’s skin like wet cobwebs. It wrapped around his arms and legs as if trying to hold him back. Each step he took felt harder than the last. His boots squished in the muddy ground, making soft, wet noises. His coat was heavy with rain, sticking to his body and making him shiver.Beside him, Ailith moved quietly. She barely made a sound, slipping through the mist like a shadow. Her silver hair floated behind her, catching what little light there was.Neither of them said a word for a long time. Only the sound of their footsteps and the rain filled the air. The ruins they left behind grew smaller and smaller, swallowed up by the mist.Oliver stared ahead, trying to see through the thick white fog. His heart was heavy in his chest. His mind was still full of the things they had seen inside the ruins—the mirror, the terrible truths, the faces he wanted to forget but couldn’t.Then, something changed.At first, it was only a soft humming sound. It was low

The morning broke cold and gray. Mist coiled low over the ruined valley where they had camped for the night. The shattered bones of an ancient city stretched around them — cracked marble pillars like the ribs of some long-dead beast. Somewhere far off, a river whispered against rocks, and the iron scent of wet stone filled the air.Sasha tightened her cloak and stirred the dying fire with a stick. She could barely feel her fingers. Across from her, Ethan sat sharpening his blade, his movements slow and precise. Mark rummaged through his pack, grumbling under his breath about missing socks.There were too many goodbyes waiting in the mist today.Caster rose and stretched, his leather coat damp with dew. "It’s time," he said, voice low.Everyone gathered, wordless, forming a loose circle around the cold fire. Their faces were pale and serious, their eyes heavy with the weight of what was to come.The group would split here.Some would go north into the Waking Crypts, deep beneath the ol

The world around Oliver and Seren dissolved into a swirling vortex of shadow and light, the very air thick with something that tasted like burnt metal and forgotten dreams. They stood at the edge of a realm that felt like it existed outside of time. The ground beneath their feet was not solid, but instead a shifting expanse of concepts—some half-formed, others complete but unyielding. The sky above was an ever-changing canvas, as if the very idea of a sky was being rewritten with every blink."Where are we?" Seren’s voice trembled, a whisper lost in the tumultuous winds that clawed at them.Oliver’s heart hammered in his chest. He felt a sudden weight settle on his shoulders—like something old, pressing him into the earth. "I don’t know," he muttered, though he could feel the answer already creeping at the edges of his mind. This is the Hunger’s domain. This is where ideas aren’t just concepts. They’re judged.He glanced at Seren. She was pale, her breath shallow, and for a moment, he