Irongrove was located outside of Venus, it was a chain of mountains and it was also one of the biggest sources of iron ore in the kingdom with many mines situated in its vicinity. With plenty of mines a town was built to give the miners a chance to be with their families whike also not being far from work. They even had a small church in irongrove where the miners and they families would come pray daily. But right now the church was closed and there were five people inside all wearing the same attire, Keith and the two twins had arrived at irongrove, unfront of them was a young man about the same age as Keith with a hooked nose and a mole on his left cheek, brown eyes and short black blonde hair, the man was Aden cross, one of the youngest acolytes in the history of the kingdom alongside Keith.
Acolytes are young or aspiring members of the clergy who are in training, they assist in various tasks within the church and are groomed for future roles within the hierarchy. They mostly assist Deacons and Priests, learn the rituals and duties of higher ranks, and participate in religious education. But of course there were those who stood out, and among all the other current acolytes, only three stood out and it was Keith, Aden and Samantha. These three were the cream of the crop, the three of them were ready leagues above the deacons and closely behind the priests.
These three all had different strengths but unlike the other two Keith had no visible weakness, he seemed to exceed in everything, including spellcasting, divine forging, sealing sigils and many more. Keith and Aden had a one sided rivalry with Aden trying everything in his power to be the superior one but all his attempts so far were futile.
Currently Aden was staring at Keith as if he had seen a living disease,
"Keith." He forced out a smile seeing the two infamous twin deacons Steve and Steven
Keith nodded and asked" I believe you are the one that requested for backup?" Aden nodded solemnly
"Yes I was, recently most of the miners were disappearing never to be seen again and for a while we thought they were probably being killed by the many wild animals in this mountain range but after sometime I noticed the pattern and the place where most of these miners were disappearing too. So I set out and decided to follow a miner who was also headed in that direction to go look for his friend who had disappeared also, the miner took me to a small swamp hidden deep inside the mountain range, the moment I was about to go stop the miner from going into the swamp it was already to late as a tentacle shot out from the swamp and dragged him inside. I failed to save the miner because my mind seemed to wander off for a moment, I believe this Fallen's aspect is related to the mind." Aden reported, Keith listened intently, Steve and Steven both shared the same expression, fear.
Fallen who could tamper with the mind were one of the most dreadful, given the fact that if the fallen was of a higher tier then it could easily access their minds bypassing all kinds of protection they might have placed on themselves and judging from aden's words the fallen might be a rank 4 demon. Defeating it meant destroying the mirror gate it was guarding, Keith let out a sigh
"With all the information we have got I suggest that only you and I should go to location of the gate, I believe you have devised your own mind protection spell by now. After all personal spells are way powerful and more suited for the owner than the ones we are taught."Aden nodded at his words
"Do not worry about me Keith instead worry about yourself, you will not like what you will see." Aden spoke and they left with Keith following after Aden, the fifth man who was by Aden's side shook his head looking at the backs of the Aden and Keith
"Youngsters, am I right my lordship? "Steve and Steven both nodded but did not add anything else.sitting does on the benches they decided to wait for their return here, after all they could not report to Darrel that they had let his prized disciple go to face a possible rank four demon alone.
Keith and Aden set out from the small church, heading toward the hidden swamp Aden had described. The path through Irongrove was rugged, with jagged rocks and thick underbrush making each step a careful one. The air was cool, filled with the scent of pine and the faint metallic tang of iron from the nearby mines.
The mountain range loomed above them, casting long shadows as the sun began to dip lower in the sky. Birds called out from the treetops, their songs occasionally broken by the distant sound of a miner's hammer striking rock. Keith followed behind Aden, his eyes scanning the surroundings for any signs of danger. Aden walked infront of Keith guiding him to the swamp, his expression tense and focused.
They moved in silence, the only sound their shoes crunching on gravel and leaves. Occasionally, they would pause to listen, ensuring they were not being followed. As they climbed higher, the terrain became steeper and the path narrower.
"If I was a priest the journey would have been way lesser."Aden mumbked in frustration , Keith merely observed from the back and refrained from giving a comment.
Eventually, they reached a point where the dense forest gave way to a small clearing. Aden pointed ahead to a thick copse of trees. "The swamp is just beyond there," he whispered. Keith nodded, pushing back his glasses and taking a deep breath.
They pushed forward, the trees closing in around them as the ground underfoot grew softer and more treacherous. The air became heavy with moisture, and the sound of bubbling water reached their ears. They were now closer to the mirror gate, Keith could feel the malevolent energy the gate let out. Keith and Aden exchanged a grim look before continuing toward the hidden swamp.
The swp came into view, dark and eerie were the two ways to describe it, shrouded in mist that clung to everything. Tall, twisted trees with gnarled branches reaching out like skeletal arms, their roots submerged in murky, black water. The air was thick and heavy with the scent of decay, a mix of rotting vegetation and stagnant water.Pools of dark water dotted the landscape, their surfaces covered in a thick layer of green algae.
Occasionally, bubbles rose to the surface, releasing a foul odor that mingled with the swamp's natural stench.
And above it in its center , the mirror gate. The mirror gate, a shimmering portal, not a physical object, floating just above the ground. It resembled a vertical pool of silvery light, rippling like disturbed water. The edges glowed with shifting colors, changing constantly as if it were alive.
As they got closer, the air grew colder and heavier, filled with a sense of dread. The area around the portal hummed with a strange energy, vibrating in their bones. The ground beneath it was dark and muddy, with a sticky liquid that smelled both sweet and rotten, mixing with the swamp's natural decay.
"There is the gate, tell me which category you think it is?" Aden asked whispering but Keith's eyes were still on gate looking a tad confused.
"Tell me Aden, when you first approached was the gate visible?" Keith asked but no answer came looking at his side Keith was gone and he was suddenly all alone.
"A category 3 gate. Damnit for its aspect to affect it ke it has to be a quasi rank 5 demon, I need to break the mind illusion first before it's too late ."
Instead of panicking Keith stood still and closes his eyes, his hands began moving in a strange but also beautifully choreographed manner, a feint glow began shimmering on his person and inscriptions appeared in the air with a gold light. With every movement of his hands and arms the inscriptions changed and molded in a strange manner, Keith began chanting " divine arts, all seeing eye." He covered his left eye with his hand, leaving his right eye open. His thumb was at the corner of his eye and his fingers stretched across his forehead. The inscriptions were now on his person glowing with a gold light, Keith removed the hand covering his eye and some of the inscriptions were visible on his closed eye, opening his eye slowly the eye was almost transparent without a clear pupil. Fully opening his eye the world around him broke like a glass mirror.
Keith had countered the illusion but at a great cost, the divine art he had used right now was of a top tier and it was also only accessible to him alone since it was his gift from a god. The all seeing eye drained his life force energy faster than any other spell he had. So he dared not use it carelessly, after countering the illusion the inscriptions on his body faded and his eye also returned to normal, the first thing he saw was Aden wrapped in a tentacle about to be devoured.
"Incompetent fool." Keith smirked as he started preparing another spell.