Chapter 9: The Gateway of Illusions
As Volt and his team arrived before the grand palace of the Elves, they saw that the entire structure was built within the center of a colossal mythical tree, its branches reaching toward the sky like the hands of a giant. However, something was deeply unsettling; there were no guards at the main gate, and the silence was so heavy that they could hear the sound of their own heartbeats.
"It's too quiet, My Lord," Sai remarked, reaching for his hilt while his eyes scanned the thick canopy above. "I feel hundreds of arrows aimed at us from within those leaves, yet I see no movement."
Aki sniffed the air, his nose twitching in disgust. "I don't smell blood; I smell 'magical traps,' something like the scent of burning crystals. Volt, if we step through that gate, we might find ourselves in another dimension they've crafted specifically for us."
Volt took a step forward and touched a transparent wall that shimmered before the gate. The moment his finger made contact, a wave of blue and white light rippled through the entire palace. "This is an 'Illusion Barrier.' The gods want to see if I still possess the power to shatter the laws of reality."
Volt grinned, a smile that promised only dread and retribution. "That's exactly what I want. Let's see what these gods have prepared for me in the heart of this slave capital."
Volt took his first step into the gate, and suddenly everything around them transformed. The sky turned a blinding white, and a brilliant light overwhelmed their vision. When the light faded, they were no longer before the palace. Instead, they stood in an endless hall filled with mirrors, and in every mirror, an image of Volt's past and the betrayals he had suffered flickered into view