The corridor beyond the doorway was quiet.
Blue light pulsed gently along the stone walls, illuminating their path with an otherworldly calm. Servants in pale robes kept their heads bowed as they passed, offering polite gestures but saying nothing. The three boys followed in silence, the echo of their footsteps matching the rhythm of their scattered thoughts.
Kriss glanced around—every hallway, every arch carved with strange glowing lines, like veins of power etched into the stone itself.
Michael walked beside him, arms still crossed. "This place has enchantments layered into the walls. It's not just decoration."
"Yeah," Leo muttered from behind them, "I noticed that, too. Everything's too… precise. Like a game map, but real."
Their guide—a young woman with silver hair and eyes like polished steel—led them to a large chamber at the end of the hall. Three adjoining doors stood open, each leading to a private room.
"These quarters are yours," she said, her voice even. "A meal will be brought shortly. If you require anything, speak to the crystal on the table. It will respond."
"Thanks," Kriss said hesitantly. "Um… what's your name?"
She paused, blinking. "Seren."
Then, she bowed and left without another word.
The three boys stood in the middle of the room, surrounded by ornate furniture, stained glass, and floating candles that gave off no smoke.
"Well," Leo sighed, dropping onto one of the couches, "this is definitely more than I expected."
Michael remained standing. "They really believe we're their saviors."
Kriss walked to the nearest window—though what lay beyond wasn't sky, but more magic. A shifting barrier shimmered like liquid glass, hiding whatever existed outside the sanctuary.
"Do you think this is really a kingdom?" he asked.
Michael nodded. "A magically isolated one. Hidden, maybe. Protected."
"Or trapped," Leo added.
Silence fell again.
Eventually, a light on the table flickered. A crystal sphere glowed to life, displaying lines of soft text that hovered above it like a hologram.
> Initiating Synchronization.
> Please place your hand on the Relic Core.
A small drawer beneath the sphere slid open. Inside was a smooth white stone, pulsing faintly with the same blue light they'd seen in the corridor.
Kriss stepped forward, but Michael held up a hand.
"Wait," Michael said. "What is this thing? Some kind of—what? Magic PDA?"
Leo squinted at the hologram, his eyebrows raised. "Seriously, a glowing rock? What happens if we touch it? Will it send us to another dimension again?"
Kriss glanced at them, then back at the sphere. "Do we really have a choice?"
"Let me guess," Leo added with a snort, "either we touch it and get answers, or we stand here looking clueless. But hey, I'm all for standing here."
Kriss shook his head, moving closer to the stone. "We're already in this deep. Let's see where this goes."
He placed his hand on the stone.
The reaction was immediate.
The runes across the room lit up. The air buzzed. The stone shifted colors—from blue to amber to green—then back to blue.
> Sync confirmed. Designation: Kriss – Wielder of Adaptation.
Michael stepped forward, eyes narrowed, and placed his hand on the stone as well.
> Sync confirmed. Designation: Michael – Wielder of Insight.
Leo hesitated for a moment but then shrugged and tapped the stone.
> Sync confirmed. Designation: Leo – Wielder of Intellect.
Each of them felt it: a pulse in the chest. Not painful, not heavy—just... present. Like something ancient had noticed them.
Kriss looked at his hands. "That's it? No transformations? No dramatic announcements?"
"Be grateful," Leo muttered. "I'd prefer this to getting thrown around by random magic."
Michael leaned closer to the sphere. More lines of light scrolled upward.
> The Great Crystal recognizes your arrival.
> Training grounds will be open at dawn.
> The Demon Lord stirs. Your time here is not limitless.
Kriss's expression darkened. "So it's real. The Demon Lord. All of it."
Leo leaned back, arms behind his head. "Guess this is happening whether we're ready or not."
"No," Michael said, voice steady. "Now it's ours."
And for a long moment, the three sat in silence, the weight of their shared fate pressing down like gravity in an unfamiliar world.
They didn't ask to be heroes.
But Astravar had chosen them.
And whether they wanted it or not—
Their story had already begun.