CHAPTER 100 — THE VEIN GATE AWAKENS
The plateau stretched wider than Kael's mind could comprehend. The blood-red glow of the Vein Gate cast jagged shadows that writhed like living serpents over the ground. The air was heavy with a metallic scent, sharp and almost suffocating, carrying whispers that tugged at the edges of sanity.
Kael's pulse thrummed in time with the hollow symbol at his chest. Its warmth was constant, yet deeper, sharper—like a warning and an invitation rolled into one. Every fiber of his being knew this was the place where the fracture's true heart lay.
Shadowblades tightened her grip on her blades, stepping slightly ahead. Her gaze swept the plateau, alert to every ripple of shadow, every flicker of unnatural light. "This place," she said, voice low, "it's alive. It's… waiting."
Titanbound stepped up beside them, fists glowing faintly, molten energy rippling across his skin. He let out a deep breath. "Yeah… alive and hungry." He smirked, though his eyes betrayed unease. "And I don't like hungry things that stare at you with glowing eyes."
Kael didn't respond. He was already moving toward the Gate, careful, deliberate. The hollow symbol pulsed violently as if recognizing the presence of something ancient and malevolent inside the structure ahead.
The Vein Gate itself was massive—twisted stone columns spiraling upward into the blood-red sky. Veins of black energy ran along its surface, pulsating in rhythm with an invisible heartbeat. The air vibrated around it, a low hum that seemed to speak directly to Kael's mind.
You've come far, Kael Ironroot.
The voice was everywhere and nowhere, echoing inside his skull. Not cruel, not mocking, but cold… deliberate.
Kael's teeth clenched. "I've come for the fracture," he said, his voice echoing through the plateau. "I've come to end it. Or master it. But I will not be taken."
Then the trial begins.
The black veins of the Gate rippled violently, tearing the air around them. A pulse of darkness shot outward, pushing Kael, Shadowblades, and Titanbound back several paces. The ground cracked under their feet, small fissures glowing faintly red.
Titanbound roared and smashed the ground with his fists, sending a shockwave across the plateau. The cracks widened. Shadows surged upward from them, forming towering shapes—armor-like forms twisted and jagged, but unlike the empty suits they had seen before. These were living extensions of the Gate itself, fused with the fracture's will.
Shadowblades leapt into position, blades flashing. "So much for a friendly welcome," she muttered.
Kael felt the hollow symbol vibrate furiously. He crouched, placing his palm on the ground. Roots of energy—iron-like, pulsing with life—shot into the cracks, anchoring him and his companions. The Gate's guardians recoiled slightly, hissing as the Ironroot energy clashed with their dark essence.
The plateau became a storm of movement. Titanbound's fists struck, molten energy surging through each blow, breaking and reshaping the twisted guardians. Shadowblades darted between strikes, her blades slicing through the darkness with surgical precision. Kael focused the hollow symbol, unleashing pulses of energy that disrupted the fracture's rhythm, forcing the guardians to falter.
But for every one destroyed, two more rose. The Gate was not merely defended; it was alive. It adapted, countered, learned. Each attack Kael made was met with an intelligent response—shadows shifting, splitting, and striking with uncanny timing.
Kael's breath came in shallow bursts. "We can't just fight. We have to force it to show its weakness!"
Shadowblades glanced at him, eyebrows furrowed. "And how do we do that? It's everywhere, and it's everything here!"
Kael's eyes narrowed. He let the hollow symbol guide his thoughts, feel the energy of the Gate, trace its pulse. Somewhere in the thrumming heart of the structure lay the core of the fracture—the source of all this madness. Strike there, and they might have a chance.
Titanbound growled. "Well, then let's aim for the big ugly eye of the snake." He sprinted forward, fists blazing molten fire, drawing the attention of the guardians.
Kael and Shadowblades followed, moving in perfect unison. Kael's pulses of energy ripped through the guardians' defenses, creating openings that Shadowblades exploited instantly. Titanbound's brute strength drew their focus, giving Kael the chance to channel deeper, more precise energy.
The air itself seemed to resist them now. Every step felt heavier, gravity twisting unnaturally. The whispering voices of the Gate pressed into Kael's mind, dragging at memories, fears, and doubts.
You cannot succeed… you will fail… surrender…
Kael clenched his teeth, letting Ironroot energy flood through him, shielding his mind. "Not now. Not ever."
At the center of the Gate, a fissure opened. From it, a darkness unlike anything before surged upward—a pillar of pure shadow, pulsing with intelligence and will. Within it, Kael felt awareness—malevolent, patient, eternal. The heart of the fracture had revealed itself.
The guardians recoiled as the core shifted, as if sensing a true challenger. The black pillar pulsed, and with each beat, the plateau seemed to shrink, as though reality itself was being drawn toward it.
Shadowblades turned to Kael. "That's it. That's the heart."
Kael nodded. "We hit it together. Nothing holds us back."
Titanbound clenched his fists, molten fury blazing. "Nothing will. Let's end this nightmare."
Kael stepped forward, the hollow symbol at his chest blazing. He poured all his energy, willpower, and focus into it. Roots of Ironroot energy shot from the ground, coiling around the pillar, probing, testing, anchoring.
The pillar thrashed violently. Shadows ripped from its surface, striking at Kael, Shadowblades, and Titanbound, but they held their ground. Each strike burned energy, yet each strike fed Kael's resolve.
The voices of the Gate intensified, layering one over another in a deafening chorus. They tugged at Kael's mind, whispering doubts, fears, regrets—but he ignored them. Shadowblades and Titanbound mirrored his focus, forming a united front against the impossible weight of the Gate's presence.
Kael lifted his blade high, channeling a focused beam of energy directly into the pillar's base. It erupted with light and sound, tearing shadows into splinters, but the pillar did not collapse. Instead, it shuddered, sending shockwaves that cracked the plateau beneath their feet.
The fracture itself roared—a soundless, all-encompassing scream that vibrated in their bones. Kael felt it tug at the hollow symbol, as though the Gate wanted him to merge, to become its anchor.
He shook his head. "I am not yours!"
He doubled the energy flow, roots digging deep, pulsing with raw force. The guardians shrieked, a soundless wail that cut through the battlefield. Shadows exploded, twisting, fracturing, and then withdrawing slightly.
The pillar faltered—just enough. Kael seized the moment. He struck at the fissure with a coordinated pulse of Ironroot energy, Shadowblades slashing at the exposed core, and Titanbound pounding with molten fists.
For a heartbeat, the world hung still.
Then the pillar convulsed violently, cracking from top to bottom. Shadows ripped from its surface, fleeing outward in torrents, leaving only a faint, glowing core trembling at the center. The Gate pulsed weakly, as if it were dying, but not yet gone.
Kael fell to one knee, exhausted, chest heaving. Shadowblades dropped beside him, blades still drawn, breathing heavily. Titanbound glared at the trembling core, molten energy dimming in his fists.
Kael whispered, almost to himself, "This is only the beginning… the heart is awake, but it's not defeated yet."
The hollow symbol pulsed faintly, a heartbeat that matched Kael's own. It had recognized the effort. A faint warmth spread through him, a reminder: the fracture could be challenged, but the cost would grow higher with every step deeper.
And Kael Ironroot knew, with every fiber of his being, that the next steps would demand more than strength, more than courage—they would demand sacrifice.
The Vein Gate stood before them, alive, conscious, waiting. And Kael, Shadowblades, and Titanbound were ready to face whatever came next.
Because retreat was no longer an option.
The fracture had shown its heart.
And Kael was ready to strike.