If I Die, I’m Blaming the Door

Kael blinked.

The world around him looked too familiar—like déjà vu had swallowed him whole.

The marble floors beneath his boots gleamed with golden veins. Pillars lined either side of the corridor, each plated with radiant gold, catching the light like they were trying to blind him.

 Even the ceiling stretched endlessly upward, covered in delicate carvings that shimmered with heatless light.

It was identical to the place he'd seen in his dreams—

Except in those dreams, everything had been shrouded in shadow.

Here, it was all light. Blinding, holy, overwhelming.

Kael stepped forward slowly, eyes scanning the room as if expecting it to melt away.

"This is... huge," Finn muttered, craning his neck to look up at the high ceiling.

"Why would something like this be buried beneath a dead city?"

Riven muttered, her hand gripping the hilt of her hunting knife. Her eyes narrowed—she could feel the wrongness in the air.

Silas, of course, had his own priorities.

"I wonder what I'd get if I ripped one of those pillars out and sold it," he said, eyeing a far column with thinly veiled greed.

Riven ignored him and looked at Kael. "So… is this the dream you kept talking about?"

Kael nodded, distracted.

"Sort of. The layout is the same—same floor, same walls, same pillars. But in my dream, it was all pitch-black. Like it had been abandoned for centuries, now it's like… someone turned on every light in existence."

"Nice," Finn said flatly. "So this is your sweet dream? Glittering marble and gold everywhere?"

Kael gave him a glare. "Shut up."

He turned toward the far end of the massive hall, squinting. A structure loomed there, distant and unclear.

The light made it hard to see the details, but something about its shape stirred unease in him.

He glanced at his system's mini-map. Four red dots blinked at the far edge of the hall. Nothing else. No enemies. No traps. No fog of war.

Suspicious.

Still, Kael sighed. "Let's go. Whatever's waiting up ahead, I need to face it."

They moved forward cautiously. Kael walked slowly, deliberately, his boots echoing softly on the polished floor.

His eyes darted left and right, scanning every corner. 

The system helped, but he didn't trust it completely. If something attacked them here, he couldn't afford to rely solely on a glowing interface.

"How long do we have to keep walking like this?" Finn groaned, kicking at a loose pebble.

"Until we cross this oversized hallway and reach the gate," Kael replied.

Riven huffed.

"Well, this dumb mud-covered floor better end soon. My

Legs are starting to hate me."

Kael checked the map again. The distance wasn't far—but somehow, every step felt heavier.

Like gravity itself was rebelling against them. Minutes dragged like hours.

By the time they reached the end of the corridor, all four of them were breathing hard.

Kael looked up at the massive door ahead. It was exactly as he'd seen in his dreams—minus one key detail. 

There were no glowing patterns, no arcane symbols, no mist. Just a smooth, golden surface, like a wall forged by a god.

"Please tell me that's the door to the Gate," Riven said, her voice hoarse.

Kael nodded slowly. "Yeah. That's it."

He took a breath. "Stay back. I'll open it."

As he stepped forward, every nerve in his body started to tighten. Each footfall echoed louder than the last.

His heartbeat thundered in his ears.

In his dream, he'd spoken a phrase—some nonsense words he barely remembered—and the door had opened.

He reached out and placed his hand on the cool golden surface.

The door clicked.

Then, without a sound, it swung open.

Ten meters thick, glowing slightly from within, the massive gates opened inward without resistance.

Kael stumbled back a step, eyes wide. "It… it just opened. I didn't even say anything."

Riven and the others rushed to his side.

"What happened?" she asked.

"I touched it," Kael said. "That's it. Just—opened."

"That's not normal," Silas muttered, pulling his hand from his coat pocket.

Kael nodded. "Definitely not."

"Stay sharp," Riven said, unsheathing her hunting knife. "Just because it

opened doesn't mean we're welcome."

Together, they stepped into the chamber beyond.

***

The light inside was blinding at first. Kael shielded his eyes, stumbling forward while the others followed.

The glow wasn't from torches or magic stones—it came from the walls themselves, humming with power.

As his vision adjusted, Kael finally saw it.

Suspended in mid-air was a circular Gate—unlike any they had seen before.

It hovered above a black stone platform, surrounded by a spiral staircase made of marble that didn't touch the floor. 

The Gate itself hummed, not with sound, but with energy. It rippled like a surface of water being disturbed by something unseen.

"…Is that a Gate?" Riven whispered.

No one answered.

They were too stunned to speak.

The Gate was alive. Pulsing. Breathing. And it looked like if you even touched it, it would tear your body to ribbons.

Finn took a step back. "Yeah, nope. I vote we don't poke the cosmic death hole."

Silas nodded. "Yup."

Kael scanned the room. No statues. No mist. No mysterious man in robes whispering cryptic nonsense. Just them—and the Gate.

"They're gone," he muttered.

"What?" Riven turned to him.

"I mean… in the dream, there were others. Statues. A man in black. None of that's here."

She looked at the Gate. "Maybe that's the trap. Maybe it's too easy this time."

He didn't answer. He didn't want to worry them. Deep down, he still didn't fully trust any of them.

But he had dragged them into this.

And now… he had to go first.

"I'm going in," Kael announced.

Nobody argued this time.

Silas shrugged. "Don't get yourself killed, kid."

Finn crossed his arms. "Try not to explode or melt or whatever."

Kael nodded. "Thanks for the vote of confidence."

Riven stepped forward and placed a hand on his back. "You'll be fine. Just don't do anything stupid. I trust you."

He smiled, though his gut twisted like a knife. "I don't plan on dying today."

He looked up at the Gate again.

It hummed louder now, reacting to his presence.

"Because I'll come back," he whispered. "One piece."