Chapter 05: Gate

“Umm…” Kael groaned, waking up slowly. Opening his eyes as the blurriness cleared, he found Aura glancing down at him on her knees. She used both hands to steady herself against his face.

“Aura…?” he whispered.

Pressing a hand to his throbbing forehead, he sat up on the floor. Looking around, he found himself in the exact same room he had once visited after he fell unconscious upon killing Markus—the same strange, isolated location where Aura was the only one living.

Did I die again? It seems like I had one more vision where I died, he wondered, as cold sweat fell from his forehead and hit the ground. This is the second time I have ended up here…

Aura glanced at him, feeling confused. She broke the silence. “You are…?”

Huh? Why is she acting like we just met? Did she forget about me already, or is she pretending not to know whether I knew what she did to me or not? he panicked internally. I need to calm down and not let her believe that I remembered that, as I don’t want to feel the same suffering.

Memories of their last encounter flashed, where she had stabbed him after getting a flashback of her past.

“My name is Kael, Kael Kingsley,” he introduced himself cautiously, adding, “And you are…?” He asked for her name, remembering that she hadn’t known who she was when he first met her.

“Not to be stupid, but didn’t you just call me Aura? That means we have met right here before,” she said flatly as she stood, dusted herself off, and turned to walk away.

“Wait!” Kael called out, stopping her in her tracks.

If she already knows that we have met, then why is she asking my name? Also, I have noticed that the Aura I met before and the Aura in front of me look the same, but their personalities are entirely different.

“If you are asking about what I meant, then listen: I have no obligation to explain anything to you. Do whatever you want,” she said over her shoulder, continuing her walk.

Kael scrambled to his feet and rushed after her. He followed her all the way to the backyard, where she lifted a watering can and began pouring water over a patch of white lilies.

“Hey! At least tell me what you meant. If we have met before, didn’t you know me already?”

She let out a heavy sigh. “This is exactly why I never wanted anyone to come here.” She turned to face him fully. “Listen, you met my different persona back then, and currently, I am entirely different from her.”

“I am still kind of lost. Do you mean to say the girl I met was not you?” he questioned her.

“Geez! Didn’t I say this before? Stop asking me stupid questions!”

“Alright, I will not ask that question. At least tell me what this place is.”

She turned back to watering the flowers as she continued, “This is the gate where the person who holds the cursed power of 'Future Foresight' needs to visit sometimes before going back to his real world.”

“Wait? I kind of—”

Before he could question her further, Aura clapped her hands together. “Your time is up. Be grateful I’m sending you back like this. Normally, people have to die in this space before they can return to the waking world.”

“Wait, what—?”

A glowing circle formed beneath Kael's feet. With a sudden, blinding flash, he vanished.

A sudden, violent throbbing pounded against the inside of Kael's skull as reality slammed back into him. Feeling violently ill, he stumbled over his own feet.

I’m back, but she didn’t explain to me what she meant by the cursed part.

He pushed the questions aside. There was no time. Pushing through the nausea, he rushed toward the castle.

As he reached the castle entrance, two soldiers stepped forward, crossing their spears to block his path.

“Please, let me through! I have to talk to Alicia!” Kael shouted, his voice strained.

“We cannot let you enter,” one of the guards replied sternly. “Strict orders from Captain Valerius. No one crosses this threshold without his explicit permission.”

“Try to understand, this is an urgent matter!” Kael yelled, trying to force his way between them.

The guards shoved him back hard. Losing his balance, Kael fell backward onto the stone pavement.

“I said, stay away from here!” the guard barked.

Kael ground his teeth, pushing himself up from the ground. He muttered under his breath, “If you are not letting me in, then I’ll just have to force my way in…”

Taking a deep breath, he locked his eyes onto the guards. He dashed forward. As the guard was shocked by the sudden rush from Kael, the first knight lunged, thrusting his spear straight at Kael’s chest. Kael spun smoothly to the side, catching the shaft of the weapon just below the sharp blade. With a powerful push, he ripped the spear from the guard's grip and sent it spinning into the air.

Without breaking momentum, Kael delivered a swift kick to the guard's head, knocking him to the ground.

Before the guard could recover, the second guard lunged from behind, wrapping his arms around Kael to pin him to the dirt. Kael struggled against the iron grip, driving his weight backward toward the closed castle doors. Using the metal door for leverage, Kael leaped upward, throwing his weight backward over the guard's shoulders.

He slipped into a tight chokehold as they came down. The guard thrashed and struggled to break free, but within moments, his movements slowed, and he went entirely still.

“Alright! Now I just need to…” Kael turned toward the castle gates, but the words died in his throat.

A voice cut through the quiet courtyard. It belonged to the exact same cloaked figure from his vision of the future. The figure emerged from the shadows, a heavy hood hiding their face.

“Well, well… It seems Alicia’s little friend is here,” the figure drawled, a sickening amusement in their voice. “Which means that little bitch might be close by as well.”

“You… Who are you?” Kael asked as he took the spear from the ground beside the guard.

“Calm down, little punk,” the cloaked figure chuckled. “My palms are itching for a fight too, but I came here for someone else. If you walk away quietly, I might just let you live.”

“Like hell I will ever believe you!”

Kael dashed forward, but the cloaked figure didn't even flinch. Sensing something deeply wrong, Kael slowed his pace. As an arrow flew from the forest, sensing it, he dodged backward, taking steps back.

“What the…?” he muttered.

Out from the darkness behind the cloaked figure, a dozen shadowy figures emerged. They moved like wraiths, weapons drawn, stepping into the sunlight.

This is bad, he thought, as sweat stung his eyes. I can’t handle this many by myself. Not unless I suddenly awaken magic or some kind of superhuman strength.

With a casual gesture of their hand, the cloaked leader ordered their men forward. The shadows began to close the distance, taking up weapons in their hands.

Damn it! I need a plan, and fast, or they’ll slaughter me right here. Come on, Kael, think…

He ground his teeth, bracing for an impossible fight. But before the shadows could strike, the small metal door built into the massive metal gate groaned open.

A figure stepped out, letting out a loud, bored yawn. Kael blinked in shock as she turned her gaze toward him. It was Cassandra.

“I just came here to stroll, and look what I find,” Cassandra said, her voice calm as always. She looked toward the dozen cloaked people hiding their faces, then she turned again to him. “It seems like you're in a bit of a tight spot.”

The cloaked leader froze. His eyes locked onto her, and a sudden wave of sheer panic shattered his confident demeanor.

The cloaked leader focused on Cassandra, narrowing his eyes as his voice shook, realizing who she was.

“Everyone, retreat! Run!” he screamed to his men. “She’s—”

Cassandra’s lips curled into a sharp grin. “Don't you think it's a little too late for that?”

She snapped her fingers.

Instantly, a cold mist appeared above the figures, freezing the moisture in the air and forming various types of sharp sword blades hanging in the sky. The moment she brought the ice blades down, they forced through the air, stabbing all across the area. The figures tried to hide but failed; the only one left was their terrified leader.

Slowly, she drew her sword as a bluish, watery mana flowed around the blade, and she pointed it at the last standing figure.

“Now, it's your turn.”