The group moved cautiously through the castle's halls, each step echoing against the cold, polished stone. The Great Hall had given way to narrower corridors, lined with tall windows that let streams of pale light spill across the floor. Curtains of silver and blue hung gently from rusted rods, swaying as if remembering the warmth of long-past days. The air smelled faintly of old wood, dust, and the lingering scent of flowers that had somehow survived the years.
"It's… almost like the castle is sleeping," Kai whispered, eyes wide as he peered at the intricate murals on the walls. Scenes of joyous celebrations, magical tournaments, and peaceful landscapes stretched along the hallways, telling the story of generations who had walked here long ago.
"Quiet, careful steps," Saehwa reminded. "We don't know what's behind each door. Some may be harmless, but others… not so much."
Noah adjusted his dagger nervously. "You're still calm, but it's giving me chills just walking here."
Eira ran a hand along the edge of a marble banister. "It's beauty that keeps the heart steady… and yet, warns it at the same time. Every corridor tells a story if you listen."
As they explored, the boys' curiosity grew. Ethan pointed to a painting of a king holding the Crown of Aetherion. "Do you think this was before or after all the destruction?"
Saehwa studied it for a long moment. "Before. Peaceful times. The crown chooses wisely, but that doesn't mean people always act wisely. The world they built here… it was almost perfect."
Lyra broke their reverie with a clatter of footsteps on the marble. "Focus. We didn't come here to admire art. We came to find the Gate Engine."
Hours passed as they moved deeper into the castle, discovering chambers filled with long-forgotten treasures: golden chalices, delicate porcelain, stacks of books, and instruments for measuring stars and magic alike. Every room seemed more breathtaking than the last, yet every turn reminded them of the absence of life. No servants, no guards, just echoes of laughter and whispers of old voices trapped in the walls.
At last, in a circular chamber at the heart of the castle, they found it. The Gate Engine.
It sat in the center of the room, partially covered in dust and cobwebs, gears and crystals broken or misaligned. Strange runes glowed faintly on its surface, pulsing like a heartbeat, but the machine was silent, still, lifeless.
"It's… magnificent," Jimin breathed. His fingers hovered just above a smooth metal lever, hesitant to touch it.
Kai eyes widened "It's really a time machine"
"It's broken," Saehwa said quietly, stepping closer. She traced her fingers over the intricate engravings, feeling the cold hum of power trapped within. "The mechanisms are misaligned. It hasn't moved in centuries."
Ethan crouched, inspecting the base of the machine. "Look at these gears… they're frozen solid. Even if we tried to turn it, it would snap."
Lyra ran her hands along the edge of the platform. "We'll need more than brute force. Magic, science… everything combined."
Naya knelt beside a small console, whispering herbs and powders over the gears. "Some of this residue might react with magic. But it's delicate, a wrong touch could destroy everything."
Eira stepped back, circling the machine slowly. "We need a plan. We can't just force it to work. We have to understand it."
Noah looks at the machine and blueprints "we can't understand it, it's too complex"
Ethan said firmly "We can atleast understands the parts and reconnect them even if we don't know the fuctionality"
Eira looks at them "Like a puzzle to be solved?"
The group spread out, examining the panels, the crystals, the delicate runes etched along the metal. Hours passed. Saehwa whispered incantations over the glowing circuits while Ethan and Noah tried to manipulate the mechanical gears using improvised tools. Lyra focused her fire carefully, melting and shaping tiny metal fragments, while Naya combined powders to stabilize the reactions. Kai, wide-eyed and anxious, offered suggestions and helped lift and turn components, never letting his fear freeze him.
Still, nothing happened. The Gate Engine remained cold, silent, unyielding.
Finally, they collapsed to the floor, exhausted. Sweat beaded on foreheads, and their hands were stained with soot and dust. Saehwa leaned against a marble pillar, the Book of Wonders open beside her.
"I… I don't understand," Ethan admitted, voice tired but resolute. "It should work… if the energy is aligned, the components restored…"
"Sometimes," Saehwa said softly, "things from the past don't respond to effort alone. They need time… understanding… patience."
Jimin sat cross-legged, staring at the frozen machine. "Time we don't really have, though…" His voice trailed off.
Lyra kicked gently at a small gear, frustration flashing in her eyes. "We've done everything we can. We're missing something a spark, a signal, a rhythm we can't see yet."
Eira, her calm demeanor unwavering, added, "Or maybe… it's waiting for the right hands. Not just skilled, but wise. Pure intentions. Selflessness. Perhaps that's why it doesn't respond to brute force."
Naya nodded, tucking her hair behind her ear. "We're trying to force what shouldn't be forced. It's… waiting for harmony."
The group fell into a long, quiet pause. Exhaustion weighed on every shoulder. The girls leaned against the walls, the boys sprawled on the cold stone floor. Words came slowly, and eventually, they began to speak of Ardelle.
"I can't believe she's gone," Naya whispered, her voice barely audible.
"She was always… the calm in the storm," Lyra said, flames flickering softly along her fingers as if remembering. "She would have known exactly what to do."
Eira's voice trembled. "I keep hoping… hoping that maybe she left a way for us, a sign that it's okay to keep moving forward."
Saehwa said nothing at first, staring at the machine. Then her voice broke slightly. "She always believed in us. Even when we didn't believe in ourselves. That's why we're here. That's why we'll make it work… for the boys, for her, for everyone."
Saehwa finally leaned back, sighing. "Hope against hope, that's all we have right now. We rest. Tomorrow, we'll try again together, using our minds, our magic, and everything we've learned. We cannot rush it. If we do, we'll fail."
Ethan put a hand on her shoulder. "Then we rest. But we don't give up. Not yet."
Lyra exhaled, flames flickering gently from her fingers in tiny sparks that danced harmlessly in the air. "And when we do try again, we do it as a team. Everyone, all of us."
The boys looked at each other, nodding. For the first time, their fear softened into determination.
Saehwa's voice was quiet, almost to herself. "We came this far. The crown's history, the past… none of it matters if we don't get this right. If we fail, you never go home."
Kai shivered slightly but smiled faintly. "Then we won't fail. Not together."
And for the first time since entering the castle, the group allowed themselves to feel something fragile, yet undeniable: hope. A hope that the Gate Engine could be restored. A hope that the boys could return home. A hope that even in a world built of loss, they could still make a difference.
They sat there long into the fading light, planning, talking, sharing ideas and theories science mingling with magic, courage mixing with desperation. Outside, the castle remained silent, waiting patiently as if it knew that the next attempt, the one that could finally awaken the Gate Engine, was just around the corner.
Hours passed like this. Finally, they decided to try one last attempt, combining every lesson, every spell, every ounce of knowledge and focus.
They worked together. Saehwa channeled her water-and-ice magic into the crystals. Lyra's fire tempered the energy surges. Naya aligned the magical currents. Eira tuned the runes. The boys guided the mechanism, turning gears and pressing levers exactly as the sisters instructed.
At first, the machine shuddered weakly. Sparks flickered. A low hum grew louder. Then, slowly, the crystals glowed brighter, a blinding white light filling the chamber. The sound of gears moving in perfect sync filled the room.
"Look out!" Lyra shouted as the light flared, blinding them. They raised their hands instinctively, shielding their eyes. When the light dimmed to a manageable glow, the engine powered down suddenly, the hum fading to silence.
They all blinked, gasping, and looked around, expecting to see each other.
Then… Saehwa was gone.
"No!" Jimin screamed, lunging forward, but Eira grabbed his arm.
Kai spun, eyes wide. "Where… where is she?"
Ethan's face drained of color. "She was right here… we were just—"
Lyra's hands flared with fire, lighting the chamber faintly. "She couldn't have just disappeared! Not without a trace!"
Naya knelt at the spot where Saehwa had been standing, her hands trembling. "The Gate Engine…. She must have… been pulled into it."
Noah's voice shook. "Pulled? Into… the machine?"
Ethan looks at them "She went to earth instead of us? or... somewhere else unknown?"
Lyra's voice cracked with frustration. "We made it work… and now she's gone. She's gone!"
Eira voice broken with fear "we.... we can't lose her too,... we can't"
Naya pressed her hand to her forehead, breathing shakily. "We have to stay calm… we have to figure out what happened before panicking. Saehwa would want us to think, not act recklessly."
The chamber was silent except for the fading hum of the dormant Gate Engine. Dust motes danced in the shafts of light, and the echoes of their racing hearts filled the space. For the first time since the journey began, the group realized just how fragile their mission had become.
Saehwa's absence hung over them like a shadow, heavier than any darkness they had faced. And yet, deep within, a spark of hope refused to die. If the Gate Engine had taken her… it could also bring her back.
Lyra's jaw clenched. "Then we figure it out. Step by step. We find her. We finish this. We send the boys home. And we bring Saehwa back."
Kai swallowed hard, gripping his dagger. "I… I won't lose her too."
Lyra's flames flared softly in agreement. "None of us will. Not now, not ever."
The chamber was quiet once more. Only the Gate Engine, still glowing faintly, waited patient, mysterious, and more alive than they had ever realized.