"Hey Fetch, are you sure this is the place?"
"I'm certain. That mage showed me a vision of a treasure buried here. If we can find it, we won't have to worry about our lives anymore."
"Are you sure you weren't fooled? No matter how I look at it, this place is just an ordinary cave. Where would a buried treasure even come from?"
"That's precisely why there's hope. Stop complaining and give me a hand."
Sarley sighed, feeling that Fetch had probably been deceived, but they truly needed the money. In the end, she could only cling to this faint hope.
The two continued digging through the rock, but no matter how long they worked, even until they were completely exhausted, they discovered nothing. Forget a buried treasure—there wasn't even a single piece of magic crystal to be found.
"I… I can't go on anymore…" Sarley collapsed onto the ground, her face pale from exhaustion and hunger.
"Don't give up so easily! I'm sure that mage's prophecy can't be wrong. Just a little more!" Fetch said, though he himself was no less worn out. Still, he pressed on—if they found nothing today, their lives would practically be over.
Seeing Fetch's stubborn persistence, Sarley sighed again, but she forced herself to stand and move back to his side.
"If we don't find anything today, you'll owe me for the rest of your life."
It was just an offhand remark, yet it seemed to give Fetch new strength. At last, after all their efforts, they found their first clue. Behind the hard layer of rock, another space was revealed.
"See? I knew there'd be something!"
Reinvigorated, Fetch dug with renewed vigor and quickly opened a passage for the two of them. They stepped inside and were stunned by the sight before them—massive blocks of magic crystal everywhere, glittering brilliantly.
"It really is magic crystal…" Sarley said in disbelief.
"Haha, we did it! Once we sell all of this, we won't have to worry about our future at all!" Fetch shouted, throwing his arms around Sarley.
"Hey, calm down. Do you really think it'll be that simple? We're in the territory of the Serias Empire. If we're discovered, we'll have to hand all of this over—maybe we'll even be charged with illegal mining."
"Don't overthink it. For now, just enjoy the moment. We worked hard for this," Fetch said with a grin as he walked over to admire the crystals.
"Fetch… I think we overlooked something…"
Hearing her voice, Fetch turned around. Sarley pointed ahead, to a massive gate they had completely ignored since entering. It was enormous, covered in moss, vines, and strange patterns neither of them had ever seen.
"Why is there a gate here…? That mage never mentioned anything like this," Fetch muttered as he stepped closer, brushing away the vines to get a better look.
"Hm, could this be part of the treasure you were talking about?" Sarley asked.
"I don't know, but I have a bad feeling about it. I think we shouldn't mess with it. Let's just collect the magic crystals and leave," Fetch replied, his voice slightly unsteady.
"Yeah, I think so too. Ever since I looked at it, I've had this indescribable sense of unease," Sarley agreed. The two began to back away—but then Fetch's eyes caught sight of a semicircular hole in the gate.
"What is it?" Sarley asked, noticing his reaction.
Instead of answering, Fetch rummaged through his backpack. After a moment, he pulled out a gemstone, also shaped like a semicircle, its size seemingly a perfect match for the hole in the gate.
"This… the mage gave it to me before we parted. He said that when the right time came, I should use it…"
"So you think this is the right time? This looks exactly like the key to that gate."
Fetch stood motionless before the gate, the semicircular stone in his hand feeling unbearably heavy, as if it were dragging his entire body down. Sarley watched him anxiously.
"You… want to open it?" she asked cautiously.
Fetch pressed his lips together and shook his head. "No. I… I don't think we should. This gate doesn't feel like something ordinary people should touch." He said so, yet his hand unconsciously tightened around the stone. A vague urge crept up his spine.
"Then put it away. Let's get out of here—" Sarley sighed in relief, but before she could finish, Fetch suddenly froze. His body went rigid in the span of a single heartbeat.
A voice—so faint it was like a passing breeze—suddenly echoed directly inside Fetch's mind, not through his ears, but through something deeper, more obscure and dangerous.
"…the time has come… open it…"
Fetch's eyes widened. "Sarley… did you hear that?"
She frowned. "Hear what? Fetch, what are you talking about—Fetch!?"
She tried to call him, but Fetch no longer responded. His body began to twist and convulse, like a puppet being controlled. Step by step, he moved toward the gate, his entire body trembling, yet his hand lifted the stone with unwavering certainty.
"Fetch! Stop!!" Sarley grabbed his arm, trying to pull him back.
Fetch turned to her, his eyes clouded, as though he were no longer himself.
"I… I can't… it's telling me…"
Before Sarley could react, Fetch wrenched his hand free and pressed the stone into the semicircular hole in the gate. The instant it clicked into place, a sharp clang echoed through the cave. The gate shuddered, dust and moss falling away.
The vine-covered patterns suddenly flared to life, each line turning into streams of violet-blue light that spiraled like the veins of a living creature. The entire cave began to shake.
Sarley stumbled backward in panic.
"What have you done!?"
Fetch also staggered back, collapsing onto the ground, his body limp. He had regained control, but it was already too late.
A deep explosion sounded from within the gate, and a storm-like pressure swept outward. Dust particles hanging in the air were suddenly pulled backward into the opening fissure, as if a void beyond were devouring everything.
The gate screeched as layer after layer of seals shattered like glass. From the pitch-black crack within, a deadly chill poured out, causing the surrounding magic crystals to dim in an instant.
"Hey, don't just sit there! We have to get out of here!"
Sarley rushed over, shaking Fetch hard to snap him back to his senses. With trembling steps, she forcibly dragged him away.
Fetch allowed himself to be pulled along, his gaze fixed behind him on the gate. In the very moment the two of them escaped completely, an eye opened deep within the abyss beyond the door—heralding a return that would plunge the entire world into terror.