The Unknown Gateway

The Unknown Gateway

Dani stood before the colossal gate, its ancient, otherworldly design towering over him. It pulsed with an energy so powerful that it seemed to hum in tune with the very fabric of existence. The air was heavy, not with heat but with the weight of something timeless.

For a moment, Dani froze, his thoughts racing.

"This was never in the novel. Not even a single mention of something like this."

He ran his hand over the surface of the structure, its smooth yet oddly warm texture defying explanation. In the book, travel between planets was always done by spaceships, sleek and futuristic. Yet here he was, standing before what seemed to be an entirely different method of interplanetary travel.

"Master?" Emma's voice pulled him from his thoughts.

He turned to her, still uneasy with the title. "Don't call me that. And… I'm fine. Just thinking."

Tanis chuckled softly, her human form leaning casually against the gate. "You always seem to be 'thinking.'"

Dani forced a smile, but his mind remained unsettled. He thought back to the information his Mind's Eye had provided earlier, just before the backlash.

"Last Activation Date: 50,000 years ago."

"That doesn't make any sense," Dani thought. Arya had mentioned that she and the survivors had arrived on this planet just a few months ago.

"How could this gate's last activation date be 50,000 years ago if they came through it recently? Was Arya lying? Or is this something else entirely?"

A sinking feeling settled in his chest. "This is wrong. Something is definitely wrong."

"Dani?" Emma's voice softened, a hint of concern breaking through her usual calm demeanor.

"I'm fine," Dani replied quickly, though his tone betrayed his unease. He stepped back from the gate, intending to buy himself more time to think.

But before he could speak again, the gate pulsed. A sudden wave of strange energy erupted from it, filling the air with an oppressive force that made it hard to breathe. The ground trembled, and Dani's instincts screamed at him to run.

"Dani, move!" Tanis yelled, but it was too late.

The energy wrapped around them, pulling them toward the gate with an irresistible force. Dani tried to resist, but it was like fighting against a tidal wave.

"Emma! Tanis!" he shouted, reaching for them, but the energy enveloped them as well.

The last thing Dani saw before the blinding light consumed him was the look of shock on Emma's face and the faint smirk on Tanis's lips, as though she knew something he didn't.

The trio was sucked into the vortex, leaving the ancient gate silent and still, its mysteries yet to be unraveled.