Chapter 271: The Door of Earth

The ceremonial road ended before an enormous stone door, and for several seconds nobody spoke. The structure was so large that Arthur had to tilt his head back just to see its upper edge.

Massive stone pillars surrounded it, disappearing into the cavern ceiling, ancient roots wrapping around the sides without ever crossing the doorway itself.

As if even nature had been unable to penetrate whatever boundary had been created here.

Five circular spaces were carved into the center of the door. Four were completely empty. The fifth carried the symbol of Earth.

Arthur stared at it. His King Mark was already warm, and the closer he got, the stronger it became.

Luna slowly raised her compass. The needle pointed directly at the door. "It’s here."

Vedas looked at the enormous structure. "Then this should be the entrance."

Sun looked at the empty circular spaces. "Should?"

Vedas glanced at him. "We don’t know what is behind it."

"Right." Sun nodded. "Just making sure."

Athena stepped forward and ran her fingers across the ancient inscriptions covering the door. "There are words here."

Luna joined her immediately. "Can you read them?"

"Some." Athena brushed away several layers of dust, and more symbols appeared.

Luna leaned closer. "I recognize these."

"Endou?"

"Partly."

The two began working together, Athena identifying the structure of the writing while Luna supplied the meanings of several older symbols that had survived through her tribe.

Arthur watched them for a while. Mithra stood beside him. "They make a good team."

He nodded. "Yeah."

Athena traced a long inscription running across the center of the door. "The first section seems to be describing the Earth Mirror."

Luna translated the next part. "It says... beneath."

"Land," Athena continued.

Luna frowned, then her expression changed. "Resentment."

Athena looked at her. "You’re sure?"

She nodded. "Yes."

They worked through the remaining symbols, and Athena slowly read the complete sentence. "The Earth Mirror lies beneath the land where resentment became stone."

Silence.

Arthur looked at the enormous city behind them, the underground rivers, the towers, the roots, the ancient machinery, the sealed chambers, the places where the corruption had once spread.

Luna whispered, "This entire city..."

Athena finished the thought. "Was built to contain it."

Nobody spoke, the meaning settling over them. This wasn’t merely a civilization that happened to build itself near the Earth Mirror. The entire underground city had been constructed around the problem, its enormous gates, its ceremonial roads, its guardian Beasts, its hidden passages, its layers of stone, everything designed to keep something contained.

Sun looked toward the city. "So all of this..." He pointed behind them. "...was basically one giant prison?"

Athena nodded. "Perhaps."

Kong frowned, looking at the gate, then the city, then back at the gate, and made a questioning sound.

Arthur understood. "Yeah." He looked at the enormous door. "We don’t know what’s being contained yet."

Melo’s ears lowered. "Something bad."

He glanced at her. "Probably."

Her tails curled slightly. "I can feel something."

Everyone looked at her. "Behind the door?"

She nodded. "Very faintly."

Vedas stepped forward. "Then we should be careful."

Arthur approached the five circular spaces. Four were empty. One carried the Earth symbol.

Athena studied them. "Interesting."

"What?" he asked.

"Look at the arrangement." She pointed toward the four empty spaces. "These aren’t damaged."

He looked. She was right. The circles were perfectly carved, no cracks, no signs that something had been removed recently. "They were made to hold the other Mirrors."

Luna looked at the door. "So all five were once placed here."

"Possibly."

His King Mark suddenly flared.

GLOW.

Everyone turned toward him. Sun stared. "Again."

He looked down at his hand, the golden light pulsing beneath his skin. "It really likes this place."

Sun’s expression darkened. "I’m starting to dislike that."

Mithra giggled.

Arthur stepped toward the Earth symbol, the closer he got, the hotter his King Mark became, and reached out. His palm touched the carved symbol.

Nothing happened.

He waited. Still nothing. He pressed harder. Nothing. He looked at his hand. "Maybe it needs more."

[King’s Mark Authority]

Golden energy flowed into the symbol, the Earth carving glowing for a moment before fading. The door didn’t move.

He frowned and tried again, pushing more power into it this time. Golden light spread across the stone, the five circular spaces illuminating briefly.

Then—

nothing.

He pulled his hand away.

Sun folded his arms. "Well."

Arthur looked at him. "What?"

"You’ve finally found a door that doesn’t immediately open because you touched it."

He nodded thoughtfully. "That’s annoying."

Mithra laughed.

Athena ignored them and continued examining the mechanism. "Perhaps the King Mark isn’t enough."

"Why?"

"The five spaces." She pointed toward them. "This may require all five Mirrors."

Luna looked at the empty circles. "But we only have the Earth symbol here."

"Exactly."

Vedas frowned. "Then perhaps another Mirror is needed."

"Or another key," Athena said.

Arthur looked at her. "Key?"

She nodded. "The mechanism could have been designed so that only authorized guardians could open it."

Sun immediately looked toward the Endou symbols. "Meaning the Endou made another seal."

"That’s possible." Athena examined the door again. "There may be a secondary mechanism somewhere nearby."

Arthur stared at the door. He could feel the Earth Mirror. It was there. So close. But the door refused to open. He stepped back, then crouched.

Mithra tilted her head. "What are you doing?"

He looked at the ground. "Looking."

She smiled. "Of course."

Sun sighed. "Here we go again."

He ignored him, the floor around the door covered in dust, and slowly moved his hand across the stone.

Nothing. He shifted to the left. Nothing.

Then—

he stopped.

A thin line ran through the floor. He narrowed his eyes. "This isn’t a crack."

Athena immediately crouched beside him. "What did you find?"

He brushed away the dust, the line becoming clearer. It was a groove, a deliberate groove carved into the stone, and it led away from the enormous door.

He followed it, the others exchanging glances before following. The groove ran several meters across the floor, then disappeared beneath a layer of sand.

He crouched and brushed the sand aside. Nothing. He brushed more, and a small depression appeared.

Luna stepped closer. "There’s something there."

He cleared the remaining sand, and a strange object was revealed, about the size of his palm, dark gold metal covering most of its body, though age had dulled its surface. It wasn’t a weapon. No blade, no handle, no obvious mechanism, its shape vaguely circular, with several interlocking sections surrounding a small crystalline center.

Athena stared. "I’ve never seen anything like that."

Luna crouched beside her. "Neither have I."

Sun looked at it. "Is it a key?"

Arthur picked it up without answering. It was surprisingly heavy. Kong leaned closer, sniffed it, then shook his head.

Mithra poked one of the metal sections. "Definitely looks like a key."

He rotated it. "But there’s no lock."

Athena looked toward the massive door. "Maybe the entire door is the lock."

He looked at the object again. The crystalline center was completely dark. He turned it over. Endou symbols covered the underside.

Luna’s eyes widened. "That’s an Endou seal."

He looked at her. "What does it say?"

She studied the symbols. "I..." She frowned. "It’s too old."

Athena moved closer. "Can you recognize any of it?"

"Some." Luna traced one symbol. "Authority." Another. "Earth." Then a third. "Return."

His eyes narrowed. "Return?"

She nodded. "But I don’t know what it’s referring to."

He looked back toward the door, the Earth symbol still faintly illuminated. His King Mark suddenly became hot. "Wait."

The object in his hand began vibrating. He froze. The crystalline center lit up.

Golden light exploded from his palm.

BOOM!

The entire underground city trembled. The crystal formations throughout the cavern suddenly flashed. Ancient machinery began humming. The underground river surged. Far away, enormous towers shook.

Everyone immediately prepared for battle. Vedas raised his spear. "What did you do?"

Arthur stared at the object. "I didn’t do anything."

Sun looked at him. "That’s usually what you say right before something happens."

The massive door began glowing, the Earth symbol burning with golden light, and then the four empty circles around it briefly illuminated. Luna’s compass spun violently.

Athena stared. "The entire mechanism is activating."

Melo’s ears flattened. "I can feel it."

Arthur looked toward the door. "Something’s answering."

The cavern shook again.

BOOOOOOM!

The sound came from behind the door. Not from the mechanism. Not from the city.

From the other side.

Everyone froze. Arthur slowly raised his head, a faint smile appearing on his face. The Earth Mirror was there. And something else was there with it. Something that had just realized they had arrived.

He tightened his grip around the strange key. "I think..."

Another deep rumble echoed through the city.

He smiled wider.

"...it knows we’re here."