"There is nothing in this world without a price… even wishes… demand that you pay for them."
In the heart of the vast desert that stretches endlessly, a lone young man stood, carrying the burden of destiny on his shoulders. His long black hair fell over his back, and his dark eyes scanned the horizon steadily, while the wind wrapped his dark cloak around his body.
His left hand was covered with a tightly wrapped piece of cloth, hiding something that should not be seen. Along his arm, mysterious engravings ran across his skin, glowing faintly whenever the cold wind touched them. In his other hand, he held a compass pointing toward an unknown place.
During his journey, he passed through land surrounded by dark, relentless fire that would not extinguish despite the fierce winds. He looked at the black flames devouring the ground mercilessly, contemplating the supernatural powers and challenges that awaited him.
The young man knew that his journey would not be easy, and that his path was fraught with dangers. Yet he did not retreat.
"Basil"… the name that would change the course of history, walked steadily toward his destiny…
After many days of arduous travel under the scorching desert sun, Basil began to stagger as he walked over the sands, no longer able to endure. He fell to his knees, his hands sinking into the hot sand, his breaths broken.
He spoke in a hoarse voice: "I have nothing left to eat… I do not know the way back… and I have no idea how many days I have been traveling!"
He lifted his head to the clear sky, anger mixed with pain in his eyes, then shouted: "Damn you, shepherd! After saving me, you let me face death again… What should I do now?… What should I do?!"
He lay on the ground, exhaustion evident on him. Silence prevailed for a moment… then he felt a slight tremor under the sands, followed by a deep sound.
He quickly turned toward the source of the sound, squinting to see through the rising dust. In the distance… he glimpsed something resembling a structure. His gaze clung to it, and he rose slowly, his body nearly collapsing, trying to walk unsteadily toward the sound.
In his hand, the compass that had always guided him during his journey, he watched its needle swing rapidly in an unusual manner. Then he said in a broken voice: "It… it points to it…"
The closer he got, the clearer the shape became, until a massive structure stood before him, rising alone among the sands in the wilderness.
He stopped a short distance away, saying in a weary voice: "I've arrived… after many long days of travel."
But as he took a few more steps, he saw the needle in his hand spin wildly, unable to settle on any direction.
His features tensed, and he said: "What is happening? Why won't it settle? Have we arrived… or have I entered an area that does not acknowledge directions?"
He approached the temple more closely, and at the entrance of the gate, he noticed scattered bones on the columns, smeared with blood, bearing witness to the terror that had struck the place.
He swallowed his saliva, saying in a low voice: "This seems terrifying… were they like me… searching for what I seek?"
He cautiously moved toward the large gate, and as he neared it, he began to notice its unique details; intricate engravings adorned it, and in its center, a large hand was drawn with a precise engraving intersecting a tilted square, with a wide eye in the middle watching everyone who approached.
He stood before the door, awe creeping into his heart, then murmured: "How am I supposed to open this gate?"
His eyes fixed on the symbol for moments. A strange sensation swept over him, as if his body was responding to something unseen, feeling a faint tingle in his left hand—the hand he had kept hidden beneath the cloth wrap.
He trembled slightly, looking at his hand and saying: "What is this feeling…? Why now?"
He hesitated for a moment, then his fingers touched the wrap covering his left hand. He took a deep breath and began to unwrap it slowly. As his skin was revealed, a mark appeared on his hand.
It became clear that the mark on the gate was the same as the one engraved on his hand.
His heart pounded, and a mysterious sensation swept through him, as if this moment was not a mere coincidence, but had been awaiting him for a long time.
As Basil contemplated the gate, he felt a strange movement beneath his feet. When he turned, he saw a massive snake with shiny scales appearing before him, moving slowly, its eyes glowing with fierce light.
The snake retreated slightly and raised its enormous head, its eyes fixed on Basil.
Without hesitation, Basil charged toward the gate, trying to open it, pushing with all his strength, but it remained unmoved.
Meanwhile, the snake approached him swiftly, and tension and fear crept into his heart.
Suddenly, the eye engraved in the center of the hand drawn on the gate glowed with a bright light. As the engravings lit up, the tilted square began to move slowly, before the eye itself flipped backward, revealing another eye beneath it in a different color, darker and more mysterious.
At that moment, the gate began to open slowly, emitting a sound like a deep murmur, as if a call arose from the depths of the earth.
At the last moment, Basil rushed inside while the snake followed him swiftly, its body flowing over the sandy ground, its eyes never leaving their target.
Before it could pass through, its enormous head collided with the edge of the opening, and due to its massive body, it crashed violently against the rocks, causing the place to tremble under its weight.
The snake slowly retreated, hissing angrily, striking the ground with its long tail forcefully, its eyes still fixed on him, as if refusing to surrender.
Basil sighed as he watched the snake that remained in its place, silently observing him.
Once he moved away a little, the gate suddenly shook, letting out a deep creak, then began to close slowly.