Greatest Legacy of the Magus Universe

Chapter 1891 Towering Gates

Adam stood before the enormous stone gates carved into the colossal wall.

The entrance was flanked by two towering stone statues, each gripping a massive sword with its point resting against the ground. Weathered by countless ages, they stood like silent sentinels guarding the passage beyond.

Far behind him, the mist grew noticeably thinner before gathering into a dense wall of grey. Moments later, a giant panther emerged from the mist, followed by a group of weary figures.

They had arrived.

Even before the party's eyes fell upon Adam's solitary figure, they were drawn to the colossal stone wall beyond him. It stood at almost a hundred meters. The immense structure stretched across the horizon in both directions, its ends disappearing from sight.

"Wow!" Koby was amazed by what lay before him. "This is just… amazing."

The figures finally arrived beside Adam. Valerian had already transformed into a cat and taken his rightful place inside the youth's tunic. The little fellow stuck his head out and gazed at the wall with fascination.

"It's so much bigger than the walls of Davos," he exclaimed.

Genevieve agreed. "I haven't seen walls this large before. And they seem… ancient. I wonder who built them."

Kara finally tore her gaze away from the colossal structure and glanced at Genevieve. "If you're already this impressed, I wonder how you'll react when you see the Wall."

"The one in the north, you mean?" Genevieve turned to her with an inquisitive gaze.

She had grown up listening to stories about the Wall and how it had been built by ancient Magi. The lands beyond the Wall remained an enduring mystery, and perhaps that was what fascinated her the most about one of the Seven Wonders of Myrrandor.

"Indeed," Kara said with a nod. "I've only been there once, with a caravan bound for Winterdale. The Wall rises nearly five hundred meters above the ground. And in some places, it stands even taller."

"Half a kilometer?" Genevieve was astonished.

"Yes." Kara nodded. "You can see it from far, far away. But that place is cold. Awfully cold! Even the winds of Winterdale feel like spring compared to the air near the Wall. I don't know how the Rangers even—"

"Guys," Adam interrupted them, his voice solemn.

Everyone snapped their attention to the raven-haired youth, who stared at the gates with an intensifying gaze.

"What's the matter?" Michael asked with furrowed brows as he sensed the solemn air around him.

Adam pointed toward the gates, then said, "It's open."

The towering stone gates stood slightly ajar, leaving an opening wide enough for the party to slip through.

"Isn't that good news?" Koby said innocently. "We no longer have to scale the walls."

"No, idiot!" Kara said to him, her eyes narrowing as she surveyed the surroundings. "Adam said the gates were sealed shut when he visited this place a few days ago. But now it's open…"

"Or rather," Genevieve began, her hands subconsciously reaching toward her artifacts. "Someone opened it."

The party instantly grew alarmed. Even Darren had clutched his spiked mace tightly, looking around with slight apprehension. He may be at odds with Adam and the rest, but if the party were to suddenly fall in danger, he would fight. His survival took precedence over his grudge.

The party immediately assumed a defensive formation, with Genevieve and Koby situated in the center of the group. Adam had a very grim look on his face as he took the lead.

"Keep your guard up," he said.

Under his guidance, the party advanced slowly toward the gate. Their every step was measured and cautious. Kara moved ahead to inspect the entrance, carefully checking for traps and hidden mechanisms. Only after she gave a subtle nod did the others proceed.

They passed beneath the watchful gaze of the two towering statues, their immense stone swords planted before them like silent guardians.

At last, they reached the base of the gate.

From there, the structure looked even more colossal than it had from a distance, its weathered stone disappearing high above them.

Even Adam had to pause for a brief moment and admire the giant scale of this structure. He noticed that the gates were inscribed with faint symbols. Complex runes that had been weathered by the ravages of time.

He guessed that the rune magic was what prevented the mist and the undead legions from drawing close.

At last, the party of adventurers cautiously stepped through the narrow gap between the towering gates.

The instant the last of them crossed the threshold, a thunderous creak echoed through the air.

The massive gates began to move!

Slowly but inevitably, they swung on their own, the sound of grinding stone reverberating loudly in the surroundings. Moments later, they slammed closed with a deafening boom that shook the ground beneath the party's feet.

Everyone froze.

Several heads whipped around in alarm, their faces etched with shock as they stared at the now-sealed entrance behind them.

They had finally escaped from the deceptive mist. They had left behind the endless battlefield, the screaming undead legions, and the nightmare that had pursued them since entering the secret plane.

Yet, instead of relief, a suffocating sense of unease settled over them.

The gates had not welcomed them. They had imprisoned them.

With the only way back sealed behind them, the colossal walls rose on every side like boundaries of a vast prison. The silence beyond the gate felt no less oppressive than the wasteland outside.

It was as if they had merely traded one crucible for another.

For several moments, no one spoke. For the first time since reaching the wall, the party understood that whatever lay beyond the gates was likely even more dangerous than the horrors they had just escaped.

While the other party members were gazing at the sealed gates with shock and fear, Adam and Kara were instead scouting the land that stretched before them.

A narrow dirt road stretched before them, winding deeper into the secret plane.

Dense woods flanked both sides of the path, their trees tall and thick. Cliffs and jagged outcroppings rose here and there, breaking up the forest with walls of ancient stone.

Farther ahead, a massive mountain range carved through the land like a gaping wound, its dark peaks disappearing into the distant haze, as though splitting the world in two.

Adam had extended his senses as far as they would reach and immediately locked onto several figures rapidly approaching.

The deafening sound of the gates closing had drawn hostile creatures to their location!