Aster slid the ring onto his index finger.
The cold metal brushed against his skin, sending a strange shiver through him—as if another finger had brushed against his own.
The ring fit perfectly, slipping into place with unsettling smoothness.
He stood there, staring at it, unmoving.
It felt like something was about to happen.
But nothing did.
Everything remained silent.
'How does this even work?'
He examined the ring carefully.
Although he had taken it from Ned, he had never learned how to activate it. Ned had died before finishing his explanation.
Aster inspected the ring from every angle, searching for engraved runes or hidden words—some kind of incantation.
There was nothing.
He even flipped the ring around on his finger, wondering if orientation mattered.
It didn't.
Time passed.
He continued staring at it.
'I've tried everything.'
No.
One thing remained.
As he sat there, something came to mind—
The magic gates.
Magic gates connected two cities.
Just like this ring was supposed to.
'That might work.'
Aster gathered his mana and began channeling it into the black stone embedded in the ring.
Suddenly—
The black stone flickered faintly.
Seeing that, he directed even more mana into it.
But this time—
Nothing happened.
Why?
Then he remembered something important.
The first time he had seen a magic gate, he had felt something unique—pure mana, unlike anything else. It hadn't felt like ordinary mana at all. It was pure concentration..
Understanding what he had to do, Aster sat properly on his bed, straightened his back, closed his eyes, and began focusing entirely on his mana.
The deeper his concentration became—
The more the black stone shifted in color.
It began to glow.
'I think that's enough—'
Before he could finish the thought—
Everything changed.
When he opened his eyes—
He was somewhere else entirely.
'Where am I?'
Darkness surrounded him.
He could see nothing.
Relying on his sensing ability, Aster tried to understand his surroundings.
He stood in the middle of a narrow corridor.
It stretched endlessly into darkness, its length impossible to determine.
The walls were coated in thick layers of dust and spiderwebs.
'Which way do I go?'
The moment he took a step forward—
The torches along the walls ignited one by one, lighting up the path ahead.
With the corridor illuminated, he could now see that its end was not far away.
Aster walked forward until he reached the end—
Where the corridor continued downward as a staircase.
'Down now?'
He began descending.
The upper part of the staircase remained lit by the torches.
But the further he went—
The dimmer the light became.
The walls took on a colder, more sinister tone.
Each step felt heavier.
'I'm not afraid…'
In truth, he was simply being cautious.
As he reached the darker depths, the sound of his footsteps began echoing differently.
At first, he ignored it.
Then he realized—
The echo came from something deep below.
As if there were an empty void beneath him.
The staircase twisted.
Then twisted again.
The light from above narrowed into a thin sliver.
Aster paused.
'It's not too late to turn back.'
But he continued.
After the final step—
He reached the bottom.
The staircase led into a vast circular chamber with a high ceiling.
The interior looked similar to the corridor and stairs—dusty, ancient.
But this room held something more.
As soon as Aster stepped inside, a cold wind brushed across his body—
As if the room had just exhaled.
A chandelier hung from the ceiling, its candles casting faint, trembling light.
It was enough to see the center of the chamber.
There—
A round table stood.
Etched upon its surface was a triskelion symbol.
At each of its three points sat a chair.
And on each chair—
A phantom.
Behind each seat, a word was inscribed.
The phantoms sensed someone's arrival.
The one seated at the far right of the entrance spoke first, his voice loud and rough.
"Why are you late?!"
Behind his chair was written:
[ Moment ]
It was clearly a man's voice.
Aster said nothing.
Seeing his silence, the phantom seated to the left of the entrance spoke next.
"Nedris. You were asked a question."
Behind his chair:
[ Fate ]
This voice was male as well—but colder.
All three phantoms turned their gazes toward Aster.
"Did you swallow your tongue?!" the third phantom barked.
Behind his chair:
[ Origin ]
'It seems they can't see my face. Just like I can't see theirs.'
Aster stepped closer to the table and spoke calmly.
"Nedris is dead."
Silence filled the chamber.
None of them spoke at first.
Finally, [ Origin ] broke it.
"Who are you?"
Aster met their gazes sharply.
"I am Aster."
He paused briefly.
"You wanted to see me. I'm standing right here."
[ Moment ] burst into loud laughter.
"The prey delivered himself to us."
'Prey?'
From the left, [ Fate ] spoke.
"We're pleased to see you… one of the Four Great Heroes."
His tone was noticeably softer.
Aster didn't waste time.
"Why did you try to capture me?"
[ Fate ] answered.
"We intended to invite you."
Aster frowned.
"Since when does kidnapping count as an invitation?"
[ Origin ] responded.
"If we had invited you properly, you would not have come. So…"
Aster raised an eyebrow.
"Well. I'm here now."
The three phantoms exchanged glances.
Then, in unison—
"Help us."