The light emitted by the inscriptions was not just a fleeting flash. It was flowing, pulsating energy, carrying with it more than just cryptic signals. As we stood there, the walls began to gently shake, and then the air in front of us split open, revealing a circular gate resembling a liquid mirror, reflecting another scene behind it—a sprawling city made of glittering stones reflecting a faint purple light. It was Nwand, the capital of the world of Ilthar.
I looked at Linor and found her eyes fixed steadily on the gate. It seemed as though she had been expecting this moment all along. She turned to me and said:
"This gate will take us directly to Nwand, but we can't move without a clear plan. Simply appearing there recklessly would be suicide."
"And what's the plan?" I asked, feeling the energy of the gate vibrating in the air around me.
"We need to blend into the city first. We'll be just two ordinary people, nothing more. If we act carefully, we can gather information before we make any move against Lilen."
I nodded in agreement, and then we stepped through the gate.
The moment we crossed, I was enveloped by warm air and the fragrant smell of a vibrant city. The streets were paved with white stones, and towering buildings were adorned with golden decorations and ancient carvings. Above us, the sky was covered with a transparent layer of purple light, as though the city itself lived under an energy shield.
People didn't stare at us much, which was good. We looked like any other people in the city, though Linor's features were striking. But the cloak she wore hid much of them.
I walked beside her in silence for a while before deciding to break the barrier of questions:
"What's the system of this world? How is Ilthar governed?"
She glanced at me and then said quietly:
"Ilthar is a world ruled by women. We control governance, the army, the economy, even religious matters. Men hold no real power here."
I stopped for a moment and then asked in a low voice:
"So, what's the role of men here?"
She laughed lightly with a hint of sarcasm, then said:
"Reproduction. Men here are just a means for life to continue. They live a life of luxury, their existence rare—only about 5% of Ilthar's population. They don't work, don't participate in wars, and don't bear any responsibilities. All they have to do is satisfy their desires and father children, especially since marriage and lineage aren't important here. This, of course, has created many problems, like mixed lineages and the absence of true family ties."
I didn't respond, but I felt that despite its strangeness, this system carried within it the seeds of its own destruction.
We continued walking among the public, watching the city and listening to the passing conversations in the markets until I decided to ask another question that had been nagging at my mind:
"You don't want to restore your rule, do you?"
She answered without hesitation:
"No. The people themselves abandoned me and sided with Lilen when I challenged Miira. Returning to power would cause even greater problems. I have no place here as a ruler anymore. All I want is revenge on Lilen, nothing more."
I didn't answer, only watching the passersby around us. It was clear that this world was heading down a path from which there was no return, whether they liked it or not.
As we approached a narrow alley, I noticed a group of men approaching us, their features marked by emptiness and folly, their gazes provocative.
One of them, tall with silver hair and wearing fine clothes, smiled maliciously and said while looking at Linor:
"Well, well, what do we have here? A strange woman with purple eyes... I've never seen anyone like you before."
Linor didn't reply, only glared at him coldly. But that didn't stop him. He came closer and reached out to grab her shoulder, as if forcing her to stop.
I moved quickly, grabbing his wrist before he could reach her. I squeezed hard until I felt his bones almost snap between my fingers.
He screamed and fell to his knees, his eyes filled with terror as they stared at me.
"You bastard, let me go!" he screamed in pain, but I didn't let go.
I raised my other hand and delivered a powerful punch to his face, sending him stumbling backward to crash to the ground. I turned to his companions and saw hesitation in their eyes. But one of them, a slender young man with dark blue hair, drew a dagger and tried to attack me.
I stepped back, grabbed his arm, and twisted it violently, causing the dagger to fall from his hand. Before he could regain his balance, I kicked him in the chest, sending him sprawling next to his companion.
The rest of them didn't wait any longer—they ran out of the alley like rats.
Linor looked at me, a calm expression on her face.
"Good that you didn't use your powers."
I nodded silently, and then we continued on our way.
When we reached the outskirts of the castle, the sky had started to sink into the shadows of night, and the city lights reflected off the castle's high towers. From here, the castle loomed before us like a sleeping giant, waiting for someone to try to awaken it.
Linor stood next to me, pointing to one of the distant towers, and said:
"That's our target. The royal palace is where Lilen is, and we have two options: either sneak inside or create chaos in the city to distract the guards."
"Which one do you prefer?"
She smiled coldly.
"I think chaos might be more fun."
I looked at the imposing castle that sat on its throne at the heart of the city. Its walls were towering, topped with watchtowers, and the lights of the guards moved with terrifying precision. Entering through the main gate would be suicide, and chaos was a risky option, especially since we didn't have a prepared escape plan if things turned against us.
"No, chaos won't help us here," I looked at Linor. "If we cause an uproar in the city, we'll be the first to be hunted."
She squinted slightly but didn't argue.
"Then, do you have a better idea?"
I pointed down, towards the ground.
"We won't storm the castle from above or through the gates... but from below."
I remembered something I had noticed while wandering through the market—the old sewage tunnels. Nwand was an ancient city, and it certainly had a system of underground tunnels, possibly even abandoned passages that the guards no longer used.
"There are tunnels beneath the castle, aren't there?" I asked Linor.
She nodded slowly. "Yes, but they're not safe. Some are protected by spells, and some have collapsed due to time. Why do you ask?"
I smiled. "Because that's our way in."
It wasn't wise to search for the entrance under the eyes of the public, so we waited until the market quieted down. Linor led me to a narrow alley, where an old building stood, half abandoned.
"There are entrances to the sewers beneath this place, but they're protected, and I don't think anyone has used them in a long time."
I knelt and ran my hand over the stone floor, closing my eyes and feeling the shadows that resided in the cracks. These forgotten places always held secrets.
Focusing, I began to draw the shadows across the ground, making them seep into the stones, revealing the outlines of hidden passages. After a moment, I found what I was looking for—a narrow gap leading to a stone corridor, barely visible unless one was looking for it.
"There," I said. "Under this stone slab."
We pushed the rock aside, revealing an opening that led to a spiral staircase. The air here was stagnant, and the smell of dampness filled the place.
"I don't think anyone's used this in decades," I murmured.
We descended carefully, and when we reached the bottom, Linor suddenly stopped.
"These carvings... They're protective spells. If we don't act carefully, we'll trigger an alarm immediately."
She smiled confidently, running her fingers over the carved symbols, then knelt before the wall, closed her eyes, and took a deep breath. I saw how the faint aura around her began to change, as if she were reshaping the energy in the air. She wasn't disabling the magic by force but unraveling its structure calmly, as if untangling a complex web without breaking it.
I noticed her fingers moving precisely, following the magical lines with her fingertips, until the carvings began to fade and disappear entirely.
"It's done," she whispered as she stood up.
I looked at the wall. There was no trace of the carvings that had glowed moments ago. She hadn't just deactivated the trap; she had made it as if it had never existed.
We continued moving through the castle, and whenever we encountered a magical barrier, Linor would stop, study the spell, and then unravel it with the precision of a musician playing their notes.
In one of the corridors, we encountered a complex circle of carvings on the floor.
"This isn't just an alarm," Linor murmured as she studied the symbols.
"What is it then?"
"A time trap. If we step on it before deactivating it, we'd be stuck in a time loop, reliving the same moment over and over until the guards catch us."
"Can you disable it?"
"Of course, but I'll need an extra minute."
I watched her place her palm on the circle and began to draw the energy from it, unraveling it gently without causing any disturbance. After a moment, the circle turned into just a carved decoration, with no magical trace left.
We walked through the dark tunnels, and I had to use my shadows to muffle the sound of our footsteps, making sure we didn't make any noise that might echo through the ancient passageways.
After quite a distance, we reached a wider stone corridor, and here, I stopped.
"This floor..."
I bent down and touched the stones—it was colder than usual, which meant one thing:
"It's a trap."
I looked at Linor. "Can you handle it?"
She nodded calmly, then sat down and began running her fingers over the stones, feeling for the hidden symbols.
She closed her eyes for a moment, then the energy slowly faded from the floor until the trace of the spell vanished entirely.
"Now we can cross."
I jumped lightly over the suspicious area and continued with her through without any obstacles.
When we reached the end of the tunnel, we faced a massive iron gate. It wasn't locked with an ordinary lock, but with a complex mechanical system of gears, and forcing it open would create noise.
"One minute."
I ran my hand over the cold metal, then sent the shadows inside the mechanism. I felt the intricacies of the gears and began to nudge the inner parts gently until the lock was released silently.
"Looks like they haven't changed the defense system or even the lock in decades," I said sarcastically.
I looked at Linor. "We're inside the castle now."
She nodded silently.
Entering the castle was not the end, but only the beginning. Now I had to use the shadows not just to hide but to move without anyone noticing us.
Blending into the darkness: whenever someone approached us, I would pull the shadows around us, making us invisible to the guards passing by.
I used the shadows to erase our footprints, preventing any nearby light from casting natural shadows that might reveal our presence.
We didn't have to walk through the main corridors; instead, we moved through large closets, behind heavy curtains, and even through small openings that connected rooms and secret corridors that Linor had shown me.
When we reached the stairs leading to the upper floor, I turned to Linor and whispered:
"From here, we'll be closer to Lilen, but also closer to danger."
She smiled a cold smile. "That makes it more exciting."
I looked up, towards the floors separating us from our target.
"Then, let's finish this."