Allistair Night stopped his Shadow horse at the main gate of the Cardinal Knights stronghold at the base of the Corvinian mountains.
The Corvinian mountains run across Arken, marking the border between Raveria and Crystalia. They are the biggest obstacle for travelers who prefer to go the old-fashioned way instead of warp gates to go between the two nations.
Also, warp gates cannot connect to every place.
Travelers can cross the mountain range through a huge valley between two of the Corvininan peaks.
Over time, a town was established in the valley, acting as a resting place for weary travelers.
The Corvinian Mountains also hide a dangerous secret. So dangerous that a stronghold was built at the base of the mountain by the five Cardinals.
The mountains contain the biggest entrance to Lower Arken, or what Allistair calls, 'Pure nightmare fuel.'
Arken is actually divided into three parts. Upper Arken or Ascalon is a collection of floating islands high above the clouds. Ascalon is the home of the dragon lords and has the highest population of dragons.
The five nations belong to Middle Arken and have all of the other races living together. Middle Arken is usually called the actual Arken.
Lower Arken or Ethereos is the home of monsters and the Fallen. A place untouched by the sun where evil flourish.
The Fallen are individuals corrupted by black magia. A stronger and evil form of magia whose origins date back even before Arken's discovery.
Black magia is indiscriminate. It corrupts all. Not even dragons and demons, the two apex races can escape its corruption.
Portals called Ruptures, connect Ethereos and Arken. It is through these Ruptures that monsters and Fallen emerge to cause destruction in Arken and even Ascalon.
One of the main duties of the Cardinal Knights is to seal these Ruptures and neutralize the threat that emerges from them.
But when one Rupture is sealed, another one appears. The one in the Corvinian Mountains is the biggest and is considered the main entrance to Ethereos. It was imaginatively named the Gateway.
The Gateway was the oldest one recorded and was sealed by Arkenstein himself. The powerful seal still stands despite not being as strong as it was first created 4000 years ago.
Allistair knows that it won't be long when the seal completely disappears and whatever nasty guys in Ethereos invade Arken.
He just hopes the enchantments used to strengthen the seal would give them enough time to be prepared.
Despite advancements in the field of magia, they haven't been able to create a seal as strong as the one created by the founder.
The gates of the stronghold opened. Allistair nudged his Shadow horse inside. "Welcome to the Corvinian stronghold vice-captain Night!", a Cardinal Knight addressed him.
Allistair nodded and got off his horse which dissipated into his shadow.
He entered the main command room and saw Jack Raven looking at a map of Ethereos. Jack smiled at him, "Hey there, Allistair. How have you been."
"Never better. It's good to see you again.", Allistair smiled. "Truth be told, I expected Alice to come.", Jack said.
"My sister was supposed to be here but she was given an urgent mission to one of the islands east of Lunaria. So I got assigned instead.", Allistair explained.
"Well, you are enough. Your skills are needed in this mission.", Jack replied. "Is it another sealing?", Allistair asked he gazed at the map.
Jack nodded, "Yes. And this has to be sealed from the inside."
Allistair groaned. Some Ruptures have to be sealed from the inside and that means taking a stroll into Ethereos where everything wants you dead.
"Fortunately, this Rupture is close to the Gateway so we don't have to go that far.", Jack said optimistically.
Allistair nodded, "Alright. You're the boss. So when are we going?"
"How about now?", Jack picked up his sword. Allistair smiled, "Fine by me.", he pulled out his claymore, Shade, from his storage ring. The black blade was made of shadow steel which is really compatible with his attribute.
He strapped it to his back and followed Jack outside the room. The other Knights saluted both of them as they exited the stronghold.
Both of them walked towards the huge cave on the side of the mountain near the stronghold. "So how long will you be here?", Allistair asked.
Each squad captain is put in charge of the Corvinian stronghold for a month. Currently, it was Jack's shift.
"A few more days. I sent my vice-captain on a reconnaissance mission and you know the rules. Two captains or a captain and a vice-captain are necessary to enter Ethereos ", Jack replied.
"Yeah. I know."
"Captain Raven!", one of the Knights guarding the cave approached them. She looked exasperated. "What is it?", Jack asked.
"Doctor Hauser is in the cave.", the Knight said.
"Hauser? What is he doing here?", Allistair asked. Jack sighed, "Looks like we will find out."
"I can never understand his eccentric antics.", Allistair said as they continued towards the cave. "He may be eccentric. But he is the best healer we have.", Jack smiled.
They reached the entrance to the cave. The other Knights saluted as both of them passed by.
Inside the cave was a vast cavern and in the middle of the cavern is the Gateway. A giant vortex of swirling magia in the middle of two giant black pillars.
A blue magia seal shimmered over the vortex like a second skin. Allistair saw the strengthening enchantments engraved on the pillars.
A movement near one of the pillars caught their eyes. A black-clad man was hunched near the base of the pillar with his back to them.
"Doctor Hauser?", Jack called out. The man stopped what he was doing and turned. "Ah. Captain Raven. What a surprise.", he stood up and approached them.
Doctor Hauser was a tall man. He wore a black overcoat over his shirt and pants and black gloves. A broad-brimmed hat adorned his black hair. He wore dark tinted glasses and his nose and mouth were covered by a black scarf.
A black cane with a silver handle lay on the ground where he was hunched.
Hauser shook hands with Jack and turned to Allistair, "Nice to see you again Allistair. How is your brother?"
"Arthur is fine. He just entered Cardinal Academy.", Allistair replied. It was Hauser who suggested a companion for Arthur to get over his trauma.
"Just what are you doing here?", Jack asked Hauser with a raised eyebrow.
"Oh. I am just looking for a particular plant that grows around Ruptures. With the correct treatment, it can drastically reduce blood loss due to wounds.", Hauser replied.
He cocked his head, "But what are you two doing here. It is uncommon to see the captain and vice-captain of two different squads together."
"We are here to seal a Rupture from the inside.", Jack replied. "So you are entering Ethereos?", the doctor asked. Both of them nodded.
"Great! Can I come too?", Hauser asked excitedly.
Jack frowned, "Why do you want to come with us?"
Hauser turned to Jack, "There is a special flower that grows only in Ethereos. The Blood Lily. Its extract can be used as a substitute for blood by our vampiric citizens."
Allistair frowned, "Higher vampires only need to drink a little blood."
There are two groups of vampires. Higher vampires and Blood Feasters. The Blood Feasters are a feral and violent race that needs to constantly feed on blood to survive.
They are physically stronger and faster than other races. They are common in Ethereos and are more than happy to rip one's face off.
The Higher vampires are the ones living in Arken and are completely different from their blood-sucking relatives. They are stronger, have attributes, and have the ability to manipulate blood.
Also. They do not need to drink blood every time. One or two small glasses a year is enough.
Hauser nodded, "Yeah. They only need to drink a little but you know the Higher vampires. They have developed rather expensive tastes. Also, vampire half-bloods need to drink once a month."
"You have a point.", Jack nodded, "Alright. You can come with us."
"Thank you Raven!", Hauser tipped his hat. Allistair was pretty sure he was smiling underneath the scarf.
"Are you sure about it? I have never seen him fight", he whispered to Jack when Hauser went to retrieve his cane.
"Don't worry. He is a doctor with deadly skills. You have to see the amazing things he can do with his water attribute.", Jack reassured him.
"Really?", Allisatair's worry lessened.
"Let's get going.", Hauser walked up to them. He looked at the gateway and then back at Jack, "Um. How are we going to enter Ethereos?"
"We use the Gateway. The seal allows one-way travel. You can get in but you can't get out. So we use this.", Jack took out a teleport stone, "This is enchanted to teleport us back to the cave entrance if the situation becomes nasty."
He tossed one to Allistair and Hauser. "Let's go on a stroll.", Hauser said excitedly.
"This is going to be one nasty stroll.", Allistair said as he followed Jack into the Gateway, the shimmering veil of magia tickling him.
Suddenly he emerged into a vast landscape. Dark red clouds float underneath a vast cavern roof that stretched forever and hidden by mist. Lava flowed like rivers, illuminating the land.
Huge black rocks jutted across the land. Forests of strange bone-white trees with black leaves dotted the vast plain. Massive mountains, towered over everything, their tops hidden in the mist. Strange plants were seen near boulders.
Allistair saw flying shapes in the distance. He was pretty sure those were Fallen dragons and other nasty flying creatures. He prefers not to say hi.
Roars, screams, howls, and other noises echoed in this vast hell.
Allistair shivered, "I really hate this place. I wanna go back."
"Come on Al. You're scaring me. This will be over fast.", Jack said in a not-so-optimistic tone.
Hauser looked around in amazement, "Wow. This place is immense. Does that mean Ethereos is the same size as Middle Arken?"
Allistair nodded, "Yes it is.", he gestured to the hellish landscape in front of them.
"Doctor Hauser. Welcome to Ethereos. The worst place for a vacation."