Chapter 126

The Truth Behind the Gate

At the heart of the library, they found it—a stone pedestal, upon which lay an ancient codex. The cover was inscribed with the same glyphs as the Forgotten Gate Key.

Mallory carefully lifted it.

The pages were fragile, but as she flipped through them, she found what they were looking for.

A passage detailing the Forgotten Gate's original purpose.

> The Gate was not meant to be sealed.

It was meant to be controlled.

Mallory's pulse quickened.

> A soul must serve as the conduit—not to die, but to bind their essence to the Gate itself.

Her heart pounded.

She wouldn't have to die.

She would have to become something else entirely.

Greg peered over her shoulder. "So, uh… what exactly does that mean?"

Mallory swallowed hard. "It means there's another way."

She met their gazes.

"We don't have to accept fate."

Elara's lips quirked. "That's what I like to hear."