Western Continent penglai
The ground of Penglai was damped from the rain that had fallen through the night before. Each step the boys took sank lightly into mud, soft squelches following their march into the unknown. Mist curled low across the earth, clinging to the roots of ancient trees.
They wore modern clothes that felt out of place in the wild solemnity of the island. Felix, who led them, dressed as if he were part of the shadows themselves: a black shirt beneath a darker jacket, a thin skull-shaped chain glinting faintly against his chest. The others were dressed more casually—hoodies, sneakers, jackets practical for the damp air—but Felix's look made him stand apart, almost spectral against the fog.
Felix glanced sideways at the boy walking nearest him.
"How was your training yesterday, Andi?"
Andi, hands in his pockets, answered in an indifferent tone.
"It was quite simple. I've already mastered most of the things I was taught."
Felix chuckled bitterly. "Bummer. I only managed to learn the basics… and a few advanced things. If only we were given more time before being sent on this mission."
Before Andi could reply, Sam cut in with a teasing grin.
"Well, I managed to master mine in record time. Which basically makes me the strongest here." He puffed his chest out proudly, mud splattering around his shoes.
Andi tilted his head, considering Sam with that cool, analytic stare of his.
"Actually," he said in his clipped tone, "the strongest of us would have to be Jake—given what he can do, depending on his mood."
Sam rolled his eyes but nodded, conceding the point. He turned his playful grin toward Jake, who had been quiet all along, his steps measured, his expression unchanged.
"So… how'd you do in your training? Fully mastered it yet?"
Jake's voice was steady, calm as stone.
"Yeah. Pretty easy, since I almost turned to stone one time."
The words hung in the damp air, matter-of-fact and strangely unsettling. But Jake's eyes weren't on them. He had fixed his gaze upon something ahead: a massive sealed door half-hidden by vines and moss.
The others followed his stare. Their conversation stilled, their breaths quickening as they stood before the heavy wooden entrance, bound by old iron bands and marked with runes half-erased by time. All three turned their eyes toward Felix.
Felix met their gaze, his expression unreadable. For a long moment he stood silent, then sighed.
"Fine," he muttered.
He lifted his right hand, palm forward. A light began to stir in his grasp, swelling until it became a miniature sun, golden fire burning with unnatural brilliance. His face hardened, voice deepening as he spoke words of command:
"Fire, clear our path ahead."
The flame leapt forth, a sphere of raw energy that struck the door with explosive force. The wood blackened, cracked, and then collapsed into a thousand crumbling ashes that hissed into the mud.
The way was open.
Andi, unable to restrain his curiosity, darted forward first. "Finally," he murmured, eyes gleaming as he peered into the darkness beyond. "Now let's see what they were hiding."
Felix and the others followed close behind, stepping past the smoking remnants of the entrance. The air inside was colder, thick with dust and the weight of years long abandoned.
Among the four, Felix walked with the most peculiar weight upon his shoulders. For he was no ordinary boy. He had once cast others into an alternate world where they had never been born, and when time itself threatened to collapse, he had bent its rules to bring them back.
Felix was a spellcaster, and here on Penglai, where reality and myth blurred, his power would soon be tested again.
....
Deep with the underground of the ancient castle Dylan .
A few members of the tarot club are investigating the mysteries faction that held that meetings in this location.
This group consisted of the sun Derick,the hanged man Alger and the Magician miss fors
The latter's presence was essential. The Castle Dylan was said to be a place on the order or real and fake and judging from the powers of the previous owners which were Loki and the seer angel zaratul.there could be lots of hidden traps laid for troublesome intruders. This was the location for the secret order's bizzare experiments after all .
A quick escape if the situations turned dangerous was needed.
As the grouped wandered around in this dilapidated castle, scrutinizing the infrastructure and columns that seemed eeriely familiar.
At this moment,deep into their investigation they had found no signs of anyone being present here for over a long time. It out their weary mind at ease that there was no hidden threats here .
Derrick felt that the silence that lingered in the air was unbearable so he decided to break the tension
Doesn't this castle look a little bit like the grey fog , without the fog of course.
Alger was also had such thought but didn't let on and focused ahead where he saw a strange door .
Fors after taking her time to ponder her words said .
Zaratul the one who made this place might have gotten inspiration from the previous incarnation of Mr Fool.
Although that's a possibility the power to create a near perfect detail of the ancient palace, zaratul would have had to be an attendant to the Lord of mysteries.
Alger suddenly spoke after a period of stoism quite fitting of his character.
Yes, that just make sense , I was beginning to think that we've fallen under some illusion.
It's best to know when the worse has come so you don't die blindly,
Without the reason as to why or how.
Alger secretly hated the thought of his mind playing tricks on him.
As they reached the door. There could feel an innate energy that radiated beyond the bronze colored door.
Alger tried to open it and discovered that it was locked .
As madam fors opened the door, dust that shimmered with an eerie glow had enveloped their surroundings its glow was like little fireflies as the strange luminescent fog slowly desipated that revealed some sort of secret lab with dusty and strange equipment the air seemed thick and dense if it wasn't for the fact that they were beyonders above the saint level they might have passed out from the accumulated dust in the room.
With much thought Derrick body suddenly emitted a bright light that pierced though the cloudy dust that blurred their view and illuminated the equipment allowing them to see everything that was here.
Authors note : you can check out my original work called knowledge when fantasy meets reality.