Chapter 28: The Door That Never Fully Closed

A small party stood before the gates of the Black Forest. Beyond it lay Thirna Hollow — the shattered dimensional ruins that even Archmagi were reluctant to approach.
Angeline wore her new battle cloak — Voidweave, a fusion of dimensional magic and protective layers. At her side: Myra, Real, and Elaine, the senior arcane escort.
> “This isn't a normal expedition,” Elaine whispered. “This place... holds voices that should never be heard.”



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🌲 Entering the Forbidden Zone
As soon as they crossed the outer magic barrier, the sky turned a permanent shade of gray. Time seemed to slow. The sounds of birds and wind… vanished. Only the echo of their own footsteps remained.
Thirna’s ruins resembled a city both burned and frozen — leaning towers, melted walls turned to stone. On several surfaces: Void symbols etched like unconscious scribbles... but they pulsed.
Myra clutched her head, disoriented.
> “This place... rejects our presence. But not yours, Ange.It’s as if the Void is calling you home.”



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🌀 Dimensional Vision
At the center of the ruins, Angeline approached a circular altar. The moment her hand touched it — a burst of violet light exploded. The world collapsed temporarily, and she was thrown into an ancient vision.
She saw a girl standing atop the altar — silver hair, hollow eyes, her body filled with uncontrollable Void.
> “My name... is not Lyssia.I am the one before all names — the First Heir.I opened this gate. And I regret it.”


Voidstep triggered involuntarily — Angeline snapped back into her body and collapsed, blood dripping from her nose.
Real caught her just in time.
> “You saw something again?”Angeline nodded weakly. “Not just the past... but a future waiting to repeat itself.”



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💀 Encounter with a Living Shadow
In the altar’s underground chamber, they found a creature — not monster, not human. A shadowy figure moving like thick mist. It spoke in reversed words, but Angeline’s Voidstep instinctively translated the meaning.
> “The gate will open.And you... are the key and the spark.”


> “But it is not yet time.If the Void Heart ignites now... all of Aerthalia will drown.”


The entity was not an enemy — but a gatekeeper. It offered a warning, and a drop of Pure Void Essence — a glowing, pulsing liquid that could enhance Voidstep, but at the risk of madness.

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🌒 Sealing the Ruins
Elaine made a decision: the site must be sealed again — not with rejection, but with recognition. A spell that acknowledged Void not as a curse, but as heritage.
> “We’ll return… when the world is ready,” Angeline said, just before the altar was closed.
As they stepped out of Thirna Hollow, the gray sky slowly began to lighten.