She grabbed Ethan by the wrist and dragged him forward, speeding through the void-tremor. Ethan's gaze was filled with admiration for the girl's strength. Her speed was phenomenal. With the void-tremor subsiding, the girl came to a stop, releasing her grip on Ethan Cole and looking around. Ethan felt his stomach churn, but he remained composed.
"Who are you?" Ethan asked.
The girl took out her staff and channeled starlight.
"Wait, Wait, Wait," Ethan exclaimed, raising his arms high. "What the heck are you doing?"
After channeling the starlight, her staff released a bright beam of light. Ethan, terrified, closed his eyes and prepared to face the attack. Ten seconds later, he gently opened his eyes and touched his body. He wasn't dead, right? When he turned around, he noticed the debris behind him shimmering from the blast.
She then tightened the braid, scoffing.
"I'm Lirien Thalor. A Gatekeeper and Acolyte in Celestara."
Ethan's eyes grew wider as he heard the words. Gatekeeper, Acolyte, and Celestara. What exactly were those? Lirien, saw Ethan's silence and stomped the ground, bringing him back to his senses.
"Who are you?"
Ethan Cole was caught off guard. "What should I say? Should I admit that I am not sure what my name is? Or should I tell her that I am Ethan Cole, a journalist?"
Ethan could feel his heart pounding intensely. He sighed, ready to respond, when his head suddenly began to throb. His rune burned brightly, causing the girl to notice him.
"Hey! What's going on?" she asked.
Ethan was unable to hear what the girl was saying. He was brought to his knees and grabbed his head in pain. He felt as if his head was about to explode. Ethan let out a loud scream and shut his eyes completely.
Am I dead? No, if I were dead, I wouldn't be speaking to myself. Ethan felt scared to open his eyes; however, he had to gather courage. Slowly, he slowly opened his eyes and began to blink, realizing the situation he was in.
"What is this place?" Ethan Cole looked around and took a step forward, only to discover he was in a place filled with darkness. However, from a distance, Ethan noticed a gate appear.
The gate was a crumbling fortress made of black stone. There was no sign of his shadow reflecting in the environment. He was scared and wanted to leave this place.
When he took a second step forward, the rune on his shoulder darkened. A figure resembling him stood in front of the gate. The figure shot Ethan a quick glance, and his head began to throb with pain. The figure approached him and touched his forehead.
When the figure touched his forehead, Ethan noticed a holographic image in front of him. His mind began to race with thoughts of the figure.
Marcus Reed, a Sentinel Gatekeeper of the Ninth Gate.
Ethan Cole became alarmed by what he had just witnessed. His darkened rune had now burned; however, the realm in which the gate was located swallowed everything that brought light, including stars, which were devoured by writhing horrors. Ethan Cole was now confident. Marcus Reed was a Sentinel Gatekeeper for the Ninth Gate.
As a result, Ethan felt his right leg swallowed by the leaking shadows. The scene left him traumatized as he attempted to flee this realm. The darkness and shadows engulfed him before he could move his left leg. He felt his entire body being devoured, with his rune shimmering and attempting to brighten but being devoured by darkness.
…
In turn, Ethan Cole found himself back in the chamber. Lirien Thalor, who had been sitting in the chamber for some time, realized Ethan Cole had returned.
"Hey! What the hell happened?"
He couldn't reveal everything he'd witnessed. Although Lirien was assisting him, he was unsure whether he could be trusted. Before anything could happen, an eerie scent permeated the chamber, sending chills down their spines. Ethan's mouth was covered by Lirien, who was hiding behind some debris.
"Do not say anything."
Ethan gulped and nodded his head in fear. Lirien raised her head, scanning the surroundings for anything unusual. She raised her head and noticed nothing serious. Was she experiencing hallucinations?
She removed her palm from his hand and moved out of the chamber. Ethan Cole sat motionless, his eyes widened, and his body trembled in fear.
"Can you not get up?" Lirien questioned.
Before she could approach Ethan, a large drool fell on her head. Lirien, came to a halt when she realized the situation and slowly reached for her staff while channeling starlight. Above was a creature whose body was fluid and had no fixed form, appearing as writhing masses of darkness, humanoid silhouettes with claws, and glowing void-light eyes.
"If it hadn't been for the drool, I would not have noticed this Voidspawn. What a freaky way to adapt to the surroundings. Lirien declared.
The creature descended with incredible speed, ready to devour Lirien, but was stopped by her shield, which she used as her starlight.
"Run!" She let out a bark.
Ethan ran away, his legs weighed down by his robe, and picked up a blade. Fearful breath caught in his throat, and perspiration began to run down his cheeks. This did not make any sense to him. Why was he running? Debris smashed down from the chamber as a result of the fight with Lirien and a Voidspawn, and his rune grew brighter as he dashed through the luminous corridor of crystal, dodging each one individually.
Their attacks grew more powerful as he stumbled through the crumbling gate-chamber. He was thinking about Lirien Thalor and her situation when he heard footsteps behind him. Lirien Thalor turned his head and followed in pursuit.
"Your pace is too slow." Lirien spoke as she quickly moved forward and took Ethan's hand.
"Have you defeated the monster?"
Before Lirien could respond, Ethan heard a loud shriek from the monster, which had also followed in pursuit.
"That's not an ordinary creature. That is a Voidspawn."
Ethan turned to face the Voidspawn, emitting a low, dissonant hum that interrupted their concentration. When Ethan realized the gravity of the situation, Lirien Thalor's vision blurred. It swung out its clawed tendril, aiming at Lirien; however, her shield remained in place, protecting them from its attacks.
The shield began to wear off before Ethan could say anything to celebrate. The Voidspawn is drawing energy from the starlight. The Voidspawn swung out its clawed tendril and splattered ichor, both aimed at them. Ethan's rune burned, and his eyes became whitish.
Before Lirien could react, Ethan pulled a blade from the ground, his reflexes showing, and slashed off the Voidspawn's head cleanly. His robe was stained with the Voidspawn's ichor, and as its violet eyes dimmed, Lirien stared down at Ethan, who was running below him; his appearance and body language were surreal.
As they emerged, a gleaming gate appeared in front of them, with the gate closing and another Voidspawn attempting to break through it. Ethan's eyes returned to normal after flapping his cloak. With a sword in hand and ichor smeared on his robe, he nearly passed out.
Lirien admired his reaction time as he approached Ethan.
"Those weren't some acolyte reflexes. It was more or less like a Sentinel reflex," she said to herself.
"By the way, back in the chamber, you did not mention your name. So, who are you?"
"I am…"
Ethan Cole, understood what he was saying because of the memories he had encountered in the darkened gate. He paused for a moment before smiling, "Marcus Reed."