The castle looked strangely familiar to Arthur, though he couldn't tell why. Something about it bothered him, but he couldn't place it.
Arthur noticed a large wooden gate ahead, its frame splintered and one side hanging half open. He stepped closer, cautious, and peered through the gate's gap.
Arthur confused seeing that Beyond the gap, there was nothing but darkness
Even with the ceiling torn open and cracks in the walls letting in faint shafts of sunlight, Arthur couldn't see a thing beyond the gate. It was like the inside swallowed the light whole. He squinted, waiting for his eyes to adjust, but the blackness stayed the same.
Arthur gripped his spear and poked the entrance, testing if it was safe to go in. But as the tip crossed the threshold, it vanished into the dark. He frowned and pushed it a little farther, but only the half that remained outside was visible.
He stared at it for a moment, his grip tightening. "…What in the hell is this?" he muttered under his breath.
Retracting his spear, Arthur crouched down and picked up a small rock from the ground. He weighed it in his hand for a moment, then tossed it through the gate.
It disappeared into the darkness without a sound. There was no clatter, no echo. Nothing.
"…This doesn't make sense," Arthur muttered. "It's like there's something stopping me from seeing what's inside."
He glanced up at the sky. The clouds drifted slowly, but the sun hadn't moved an inch. It still hung in the same spot it had been when he arrived.
Arthur frowned. "That's not right," he whispered. "I'm sure I've been here for more than an hour already."
He looked back at the gate. The dark void beyond it seemed still. No wind passed through, no sound came from within. It was like the castle was sealed off from the rest of the world.
A chill ran down his spine. He tightened his grip on the spear again, watching the faint shimmer of light around the doorway. "…Is this some kind of barrier?" he muttered.
He thought about stepping in right then, but he held himself back. Rushing in might be dangerous as it could easily cost him his life.
Arthur let out a slow breath and took a few steps back. "No point dying over curiosity," he muttered. "I'll wait."
He set down the boar he had been carrying and rested under a nearby tree, keeping his eyes fixed on the half-open gate.
…
Minutes had turned into hours but nothing changed. The gate remained still, and the sun hadn't moved an inch.
Arthur rubbed his temples, feeling the weight of the silence around him. "At this rate, I'll lose my mind," he muttered.
He stood, brushing the dirt from his clothes. His patience had worn thin. "To hell with it," he said under his breath.
Arthur took one last look at the strange, unmoving sun before walking toward the ruined castle.
He paused by the gate, holding his spear in one hand while picking up a few stones from the ground. He slipped them into his satchel as they might come in handy for whatever was waiting inside.
Arthur glanced at the boar he had dragged all this way. The thought of carrying it in made him uneasy. If something was inside, it would only slow him down.
He sighed. "Guess you're staying here," he muttered, setting the carcass down beside the tree.
After a short pause, he tightened his grip on the spear and faced the gate again. The darkness still looked the same still, silent, and endless.
Arthur took a deep breath and walked closer to the gate. He stopped just short of the entrance. His palms were sweating, his heart pounding against his chest. Arthur steadied his breathing, trying to calm his nerves and steel his resolve. 'This might be my last' he thought.
He reached out and slowly pushed his hand through the darkness. Nothing happened. Pulling it back, he looked at it for a second, then took another breath.
"…Alright," he muttered.
Arthur stepped forward and passed through the gate.
The instant he did, everything shifted. A wave of darkness swallowed him whole, forcing his eyes shut.
The wind vanished. The forest behind him fell silent,so utterly still that it felt like the world itself had stopped.
Arthur blinked against the darkness, his vision slowly adjusting as he opened his eyes. The scene before him came into view. There were broken pillars, collapsed walls, and piles of stone and wood scattered across the floor.
"Hm." He had expected something waiting for him inside, but there was nothing. A faint sense of relief settled in, though it did little to ease the tension in his chest. Arthur kept his spear raised, eyes sharp and wary of every shadow around him.
He turned around, but the gate was gone. "…No way," Arthur whispered. His grip on the spear tightened as he looked ahead.
The castle's interior stretched far wider than it appeared from the outside. The halls were long, the ceilings high, and shadows clung to every corner.
Arthur continued down the hall, his footsteps echoing faintly against the stone. The air was dry and cold, heavy with the scent of old dust.
He passed what seemed to be an old dining hall. The tables had long since rotted away, leaving only fragments of wood and broken plates scattered across the floor. In one corner, a cracked chandelier hung sideways, its chain barely holding on.
He pressed on.
Every room he entered was the same empty, lifeless, and forgotten. It was as if time had swallowed everything inside the castle, leaving only the shell behind.
Then, as he reached the end of a long corridor, he found something different.
A massive door stood there, towering over him. Strange engravings covered its edges, symbols he didn't recognize winding across the surface like veins of light and shadow.
Arthur stared at it for a moment, his unease growing. Seeing that there was nothing else left to explore, he tightened his grip on his spear and approached the door.