The Gatekeeper

Night had already fallen over Klandato when Shiva, exhausted, entered her husband's tent. In the planet's rigid lineage system, the most powerful men could have multiple wives. However, Kael was different from his predecessors—his father and his grandfather had never had fewer than eight wives, but he, more reserved regarding tradition, had only three.

Magreb's culture was rich in miscegenation and freedom of expression, yet it upheld peculiar customs, especially in marriage. One of the strictest rules dictated that no wife could enter her husband's quarters without his permission. For that reason, despite her reputation as a ruthless warrior, Shiva now kept her head lowered, kneeling before her king's throne, her voice serene and controlled, even after committing the crime.

— My lord, my husband, I have returned from the incursion.

Kael smiled upon seeing her and, with a gesture, commanded:

— My beautiful wife Shiva, raise your head. In here, you are as one with me. But tell me, what made you commit this… mistake?

His gentle tone contrasted with the planet's traditions. Equality in a relationship was a crime, but Kael had learned from his mother that power should not be used to subjugate those beside you. True control came from respect, from simple and genuine love.

— My husband. I imagine you wish to know about our guests.

Kael nodded.

— You are very perceptive, my love. Now, tell me, what did you think?

The memories struck Shiva like a storm. Intense recollections, difficult to put into words. The sweat, the blood, the battle, and the revelation… That boy. There was something about him. Even without the necessary strength, he compensated with cunning, moving as if he were the very embodiment of a warrior god. His command over the Aracnofon, his reflexes, his ability to read his enemies' weaknesses—all of it demonstrated a rare intelligence. Though he clearly lacked power, he was worthy of a king. But what surprised her most was the weapon he carried.

— He may be physically weak, but his determination is remarkable. His knowledge of the Aracnofon runs deep, and his battle skills should not be underestimated. However, what intrigues me most is the weapon he wields. If I had to guess… I'd say it is something transcendental. Perhaps even divine.

Her words struck Kael like a blow. He already knew the boy's public history—a youth from a peripheral planet, irrelevant to the great conflicts of the universe. Had it not been for the imperial summons, he would have lived and died ignorant of his own solar system. But now, Shiva was telling him, without hesitation, that this young man carried significant power—and, worse, a weapon that seemed divine.

— How is that possible? — Kael narrowed his eyes.

— I questioned Gertrudes, but she seemed as confused as I was. She acknowledges the boy's potential but avoided speaking about the weapon.

— And how are you so certain about this?

Shiva hesitated for a moment.

— I took them to the forbidden area.

Kael's body tensed. He stood abruptly, disbelief written across his face.

— You did WHAT?

— I needed to test them, to understand their limits — she argued, trying to remain calm. — But something even more surprising happened… I believe the boy is somehow in possession of an Ilutar.

The atmosphere in the tent changed instantly. The air grew heavy. The temperature dropped. Kael's hair stood on end and darkened to a deep blue. His gaze hardened, filled with fury.

— He has WHAT?

The pressure emanating from his body made Shiva instinctively lower her head, pressing her forehead to the ground. She knew this revelation would have an impact, but it was too late to back down. She didn't want to believe what she had seen, but the facts were before her. She had only wanted to test that strange boy, yet in the end, she was left with more questions than answers.

Silence reigned in the room. Before Kael could speak, Shiva continued:

— The northern entrance was closed, so I thought I could...

— Where are we going, Shiva? — Gertrudes asked, her voice firm but not raised. She wanted answers.

— Don't worry — Shiva replied without looking back. — We cleared the area a few hours ago. The enemies shouldn't regroup for another eight hours. We can move a little farther south. Besides, I will protect you.

Tyrin, keeping his distance from the conversation, fiddled with the dagger attached to the Emperor's ring. He was still trying to understand the weapon's efficiency. It wasn't the most powerful in the arsenal, yet strangely, it was the only one that responded to his call. He had tried wielding other weapons, visibly more imposing objects, but only that dagger had accepted him. His curiosity grew. What was so special about it?

What else was hidden in that ring, which he had barely begun to explore?

Shiva walked ahead, her eyes alert to every step, but she couldn't stop glancing back at Tyrin and the dagger in his hand. Gertrudes noticed. She hadn't seen the boy with that weapon before, and something about it unsettled her. In Magreb, ordinary weapons were disposable, rarely repaired for reuse. However, that blade was different. Powerful. And Tyrin had chosen the worst possible moment to show it off.

She knew the people of Magreb well enough to understand what could happen. Greed was a disease that ran rampant here.

— Alright, we're here. Welcome to the Main Hall! — Shiva announced, her voice almost casual.

Gertrudes snapped out of her thoughts and focused on the scene before her. The hall was vast, almost impossible to measure by sight alone. At its center, a massive hole gaped open, exhaling a cold draft and an eerie, cavernous sound.

— Is this where they come from? — Tyrin asked, his voice carrying a caution that didn't go unnoticed.

— Exactly. We haven't descended to the lower level yet, so we don't know what's down there, but we always pass through here to clear the area first.

— But isn't that strange? — Tyrin frowned. — If this is the only entrance, why don't we concentrate all our forces here?

Shiva smiled.

— An excellent question. The first time we tried that, the "Gatekeeper" appeared. And along with him, he brought some humanoid Aracnofon. The result? Everyone here died.

Tyrin crossed his arms.

— So you're saying we shouldn't face this Gatekeeper?

— Shiva, what the hell are we doing here? — Gertrudes cut in, her patience running thin. — Isn't this way too dangerous?

— My job is to show you where not to go — Shiva replied, her mischievous smile returning. — But… oh. Looks like we have company.

She had barely finished her sentence when something emerged from the hole.

Tyrin froze. He knew that creature.

Gertrudes immediately crouched, sharpening her senses, her muscles instinctively preparing for battle. She remembered that enemy.

Shiva, who had maintained a faint smirk on her lips, lost all amusement the moment not just one but four of them crawled out of the pit.

— This… doesn't make sense — she murmured, her expression hardening. — What the hell is going on? We need to get out of here, now. I have to warn the king.

She turned to run, but then something unthinkable happened.

The passage they had come through vanished.

In place of the exit, a solid, dark wall blocked the way. The hall echoed with strange noises—clicks, thuds, the sound of stone scraping against stone. The space twisted around them, shifting in an inorganic, impossible way. And suddenly, without warning, they found themselves back where they had started running.

— What kind of damn labyrinth is this?! What the hell is happening?! — Shiva shouted, her voice bordering on desperation.

Gertrudes clenched her teeth, her patience wearing thin.

— Shiva… what the hell did you do?!

But when she looked at the woman, her heart clenched.

Shiva was in shock. Something had gone terribly wrong.

Gertrudes took a deep breath.

— We're going to have to fight. Tyrin, stay behind us. And please… don't die.

She summoned CaoCao, who appeared clad in armor, wielding his club, his eyes scanning the battlefield with sharp intelligence. Even he seemed surprised by the situation.

Shiva didn't hesitate to call forth her own battle companion.

— Two for each of us. We can beat them… we just need to not die in the process.

But before they could come up with a plan, a massive shadow engulfed the hall.

From the pit, a fifth creature emerged—far larger than the others. It stood nearly four meters tall, a grotesque fusion of a praying mantis and a humanoid. Its natural blades gleamed menacingly in the ambient light, and its presence seemed to drain the air around them.

It landed at the entrance, watching them with unsettling delight.

Gertrudes felt a shiver run down her spine when she saw the sheer horror on Shiva's face.

— That… I assume that's the Gatekeeper, correct? — she murmured, her voice colder than she intended.

Shiva, her eyes brimming with tears, only nodded.

— Then… if I'm going to die here, I might as well go down fighting. — Tyrin stepped out from behind the two women.

Gertrudes' eyes widened.

— Tyrin, have you lost your mind?!

But he knew he had to do something. His body was different from the last time. After half a day of running, he had leveled up multiple times. He was no longer the same defenseless boy.

He had to survive.

He had to return to his sister.

And he had to prove he wasn't a coward.

Tyrin focused and opened his status.

🌀 STATUS 🌀

Level: 27

Rank: SSS / 00 — Primordial Apex

Strength: 72

Endurance: 77

Speed: 55

Skill: 69

Psyche: 0

Available Points: 0

The air around them grew heavier, but the monsters didn't attack immediately.

They wanted to savor the moment.

Tyrin took advantage of the pause to check the status of one of the enemies.

🌀 ENEMY STATUS 🌀

Level: 1

Rank: S

Strength: 80

Endurance: 99

Speed: 150

Skill: 20

Psyche: N/A

What shocked him was the monster's level.

Only 1.

That meant they had just been born. Yet their stats were insane.

If these were their base attributes… what happened when they evolved?

He needed to see the Gatekeeper's status.

But the moment he tried to focus his vision on it—

A searing pain exploded in his eyes.

He screamed and collapsed to his knees, feeling something warm trickle down his face.

Blood.

— Tyrin?! What happened?! Were you attacked?! — Gertrudes turned toward him in alarm.

— No… it's nothing… — he forced himself to stand. — Sorry.

And then, the Gatekeeper smiled.

A horrifying, unnatural grin.

Slowly, it turned toward Gertrudes and Tyrin, its lips moving as if forming words.

Its voice was a tormented whisper, shifting in pitch like a badly tuned radio.

For two agonizing minutes, the sound adjusted… until finally, something terrifying emerged from the creature's mouth:

— Hu…mans.

Shiva's heart pounded.

The Gatekeeper knew they understood.

And then, in a voice as cold as death itself, it asked its question.

— How many of you do I need to kill… before you get out of my way?

Tyrin felt a chill run down his spine.

He had heard Shiva and Gertrudes talk about this before.

But seeing it in person… was something else entirely.

The Gatekeeper laughed.

— I hope you last longer than the others before you.