In an instant, the familiar alley dissolved into shadows, plunging Astor into an all-consuming darkness.
What?! What just happened?! Astor tried to move around, but he couldn't. His arms were now above his head, bound by freezing iron chains.
No matter how much he tried to move, all he was able to do was produce a harsh clink! that echoed faintly within the dark place.
Where am I?? What is this place?? Is this a dream?! Astor thought as he tried to move away. However, that was impossible as the iron chains binding him were hooked to a wall.
After a long moment of struggle, he was able to undo the knots of the chains and free himself, but he was disappointed to learn that shackles still bound his hands. But at least he could now move his hands half a meter across.
What is this damn place?! He slowly stood up and turned back to look at a wooden wall on which a hook was attached. The same hook that bound his iron chains to the wall.
He looked down at his clothes, only to realize that all his belongings were gone, and now he was wearing only a thin Velmian linen tunic — A fabric made from a type of cotton grown only in the Velmir kindom, usually worn by peasants and slaves.
But there was something strange... There was a subtle silver glow along the collar of his tunic.
W-what? As he analyzed the glow, a silver pendant slowly slipped down from that spot, swinging around his neck a few times before coming to a halt.
"What is that..." Astor slowly brought his hands near the silver pendant to hold it.
But the moment his fingertips touched its glossy surface, glowing runes started to emerge from its empty mount, flowing like a gentle river until coming to a stop in front of the wooden wall.
***
Name: [Astor]
Origin: [—]
Gates: [Soul Dormant]
Origin Artifact: [Language of the World]
Origin Tier: [Dormant]
Origin Description: [???]
Attributes: [Eyes of Wisdom]
Origin Attributes: [—]
Soul Space: [???]
Phases: [—]
I-I'm a Gatebearer?? How?! Only a minute ago I wasn't!!
The mysterious glowing wall of runes in front of Astor was said to be a phenomenon experienced by Gatebearers.
It is the visualization of the connection between a Gatebearer and their Origin Artifact, commonly referred to as the ϩⲓτζⲉ ⲛ̀ⲧⲉ ⲛⲓⲉⲣⲙⲏⲛευⲙⲁ in ancient Coptic, meaning "Voice of the Artifacts".
This was undeniable proof that he had become a Gatebearer himself.
The voice in the alley was not lying! It truly knew how to change my destiny! But why am I chained to a wall in this dark room??
He looked around, confused, but then, after not being able to find anything, he looked back at the glowing runes.
I'm a Gatebearer! Yes! His confusion slowly turned into excitement after he realized that he had actually become a Gatebearer!
His dream had come true! A small laugh slipped out of his mouth, but he stopped himself before he got too excited.
After all, all of this did feel a little too good to be true — maybe he was just dreaming... And what's Soul?? I've never heard of a Soul Gate before.
"Looks like someone's finally awake. ku-ku. Don't get too excited, I'd stay sitting if I were you." A man spoke in the Noman language with a voice filled with amusement.
Caught by surprise, Astor quickly dismissed the runes, which were visible only to him, and began looking around for the man who had spoken to him.
Where is he? But it was only after he looked down at the wooden floor that he saw a man wearing a thin cloak sitting right next to him.
Astor couldn't see the man's face, which was shrouded in darkness, but he could tell he was there.
I'm not alone in this place!! And since he speaks Noman, that must mean he's either from the Velmir Kingdom or the Twilight Empire!
"Where are we?" Astor asked as he slowly crossed his legs and sat down, listening to the man's advice. The man didn't answer immediately, perhaps even he had no idea what this place was.
"Where? Why does that matter? What matters is where we are headed." The man responded as he snickered.
"Headed?" Astor was even more confused now. How can a dark room move? And upon seeing his reaction, the cloaked man started laughing uncontrollably.
"Wait? You really don't know?" The man said with a voice mixed with concern and amusement. And after not hearing any response from Astor, the man spoke once again.
"Alright, I'll tell you then... We're on a ship, heading to Borealis."
Borealis?! That's a place in the real world! I'm not dreaming! At first, Astor was relieved that all of this wasn't just a dream. But then he realized where they were headed...
Borealis, also known as the Northern Continent, is a forgotten world located north of Mytherra beyond the waters of Viking Bay.
It is a place that used to be populated by humans until the Centurial Tide a millennium ago, which wiped out humanity from the continent almost entirely. Now, it is just a place used to exile heinous criminals.
Then what am I supposed to do? Return to Mytherra?!
Mytherra is the name of the continent that flanks the Viking Bay from the south. Most of the territory on Mytherra bordering the Viking Bay belongs to the Velmir Kingdom, the country Astor was from.
Is this the trial I'm supposed to overcome?! You have to be joking! I did say I would do anything, but this is too much! Astor jerked the chains as hard as he could, creating a loud clang!
"Quit it, brat! Or else I'm killing you!!" A man, chained to the opposite wall, said as he growled. Even he spoke Noman.
Kill me? Yes! That's a much better way to die than to be torn apart limb by limb by a giant beast! Astor laughed — this time in despair.
But then he realized something. His Origin Artifact. It must be something of a very high tier. Otherwise, this is just a death sentence. With just a thought, runes started to flow from his pendant once more.
***
Artifact: [Language of the World]
Artifact Tier: [Dormant]
Artifact Element: [Soul]
Artifact Description: [???]
What the f**k?! Did it just say Dormant?! How is this even possible?? His Origin Artifact was a Tier 1 Artifact, a Dormant Artifact, the lowest tier an Artifact can be...
That means, the maximum potential his Gate has is to become a Dormant Gate... which it already is.
Meaning, right now, he is the strongest he'll ever be. Just a mere Dormant Gatebearer. He had missed reading the runes describing his "Origin Tier" a few moments ago when he had first invoked the Voice of the Artifacts because he was so excited.
Did the man behind the voice send me to a ship, halfway across the country, just to kill me?! Why not do me a favor and behead me on the spot!! This is madness!!
There was no way he was going to survive a deadly continent as a Dormant Gatebearer with just a Dormant Artifact.
He was going to die!... but then again, he had never lived to begin with. His mother had died when he was 5, and his father, a drunkard, had vanished right after that had happened.
Sure, his 29 sisters had taken care of him ever since... but something had still felt missing all his life.
All this time, he had thought that dying would have been better than continuing to live his miserable life...
But now, there is a point in living — he is a Gatebearer, a terrible one, but a Gatebearer at last, and he promised to the voice that he was going to overcome any challenge thrown at him.
That is why I have to survive... But still, understanding that did not change the fact that he was most certainly doomed to die.
Astor had just begun to calm down, but then suddenly, he was frightened by a metallic bang coming from outside the cell.
"bang! bang! bang! It's time, people!!" A man screamed as he opened a door, letting faint light in. It didn't take long before Astor understood what the man was talking about.
They had arrived.
The ship had arrived at the outer coasts of Borealis.
***
After the guard announced his arrival, he came into the cell and bagged everyone's heads. Grabbing them by their chains, he slowly brought them outside the cell and then up a flight of stairs.
Although Astor couldn't see due to the hood on his head, he could feel it using his other senses. The sharp and salty smell of the sea, the freezing wind blowing along his thin clothes, and the sound of the calm northern waves crashing against the hull of the ship.
This was the ocean...
Talk about being rough... we're on a ship, aren't we? What do they think will happen? It's not like I can just run away. After a moment of standing still, Astor's hood was jerked off. His eyes flickered as they adjusted to the sudden burst of light.
click! He heard a sound coming from behind — it was the sound of his shackles unlocking, but before he could turn around or move, the guard pushed him off...
huh? Astor thought, confused, as he slowly fell, looking up at the silhouette of the guard standing behind a wooden railing.
plop! He fell into the freezing waters of the ocean without having a second to comprehend what had just happened!