‘Oh, it’s the underground portal’, remarked Snow, who had left Alice who was busy digging and rested at the top, upon laying his eyes and getting a clear view of the now uncovered object.

He continued, ‘…that can take you across the mountain. I forgot about that, since mother usually used a teleportation stone or went around it, not that it was dangerous for her considering who she is…’

The portal was, in fact, nothing futuristic like the name implied. As they unearthed the last layers of snow, what came into view was not some glowing, high-tech doorway but rather the entrance to a seemingly ordinary cave. The mouth of the cave was wide and dark, its jagged edges framing an abyss of pitch black. Snow clung stubbornly to the rocks around the entrance, making it appear as if the cave itself was exhaling frost.

As they drew closer, the details of the cave became more apparent. The rock face was rough and weathered, covered in patches of ice and frost that sparkled under the dim light of the overcast sky. Inside, the cave was eerily silent, the sound of their footsteps muffled by the thick layer of snow that covered the ground. Icicles hung from the ceiling like the fangs of some great beast, glistening menacingly.

Despite its unassuming appearance, the air around the cave felt charged with an inexplicable energy, a subtle vibration that seemed to resonate through the stones themselves. The group hesitated at the threshold, peering into the inky darkness that swallowed all light just a few feet beyond the entrance.

Snow, perched on Alice’s shoulder, peered into the depths with an expression of calm familiarity. To the untrained eye, the cave might have seemed like a simple natural formation, but Snow knew better. This was no ordinary cave; it was a gateway hidden in plain sight, masked by its mundane exterior.

Seo-Jun tried stepping inside but it didn’t lead to anywhere. It was nothing more than an ordinary cave, and a rather small one at that, being only big enough for the five of them to squeeze together in. As he cautiously moved forward, the crunch of snow beneath his feet echoed softly in the confined space.

The ceiling was low, causing Seo-Jun to duck slightly as he advanced further. Stalactites hung from above, dripping occasionally as the warmth of his bodies caused the ice to melt. The air was cold and damp, carrying the scent of earth and stone.

The walls, rough and uneven, were covered in a thin layer of frost that sparkled dimly in the faint light that filtered in from the entrance. Shadows danced across the cave’s surfaces, creating an eerie, claustrophobic atmosphere.

Seo-Jun reached out and touched the wall, feeling the cold, gritty texture of the rock. Despite the cave’s unremarkable appearance, he couldn’t shake the feeling that there was more to it than met the eye.

‘It’s just a cave,’ Seo-Jun said, his voice echoing slightly, ‘There’s nothing special here.’

The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.

He looked at the young dragon confusedly.

‘What? Did you think it would be that easy? That something as important as this would just be kept up and open at all times for any enemy to walk up and invade the realms?’ taunted Snow, rolling his eyes.

Seo-Jun was embarrassed at being scolded by him like that. Of course what he said seemed obvious and reasonable but it wasn’t something that would be floating at the top of his head at all times!

Not to mention, usually in plots like this the hard part is getting to the portal, it isn’t a widely considered detail unless its a portal to some forbidden place. Moreover, since the two ancestors were supposed to be the best of friends, it didn’t really occur to him that there would be any dangers of invasion.

(Author: It’s been over a thousand years since they died and the residents haven’t had any contact with each other…pretty hard to maintain friendly relationships like that, don’t ya think?

Seo-Jun: (￣┰￣*)

Alice: He sometimes loses his edge, doesn’t he?

Seo-Jun: =_= )

‘So, how do we use it?’ asked Daiki, walking over and checking the outer walls of the cave in case there’s something that can activate the portal.

‘Certainly not like that’, replied Snow, understanding what he was trying to do.

‘Uh…’, started Daiki.

‘You dig a hole anywhere at the cave entrance and place an item belonging to the place you want to go to, wait a few seconds and the portal will appear. Take your item back before entering though or it’ll just get buried in the snow. Simple’, explained Snow, shrugging his shoulders.

‘Right, wasn’t that obvious. So~ easy to guess’, mumbled Seo-Jun, stepping out the cave.

‘Hmm?’ asked Snow, raising his eye brows.

‘Nothing’, grumbled Seo-Jun.

‘How do we get an item belonging to the sea realm’, interrupted Jason in an attempt to ease the atmosphere.

‘Didn’t you already collect a portion of the inheritance?’ reminded Snow.

‘Yeah…but how do we tell for sure that it’s from the sea realm? Can you remember the origins of each item?’ asked Jason.

‘No…while I do have an excellent memory, I can’t guarantee that my knowledge since those five had a lot of secrets and didn’t always find it necessary to reveal everything to a child like myself’, replied Snow, deliberating over this issue.

‘The swords belonged to them’, suggested Zhiren, as she remembered that those belonged to their predecessors.

‘Yes, the swords! They belonged to those five!’ reiterated Alice in excitement at coming across a plausible solution.

‘Yes…the swords did originate from each realm. From the items used to the location they were forged were in each of the realms’, agreed Snow.

Jason came forward, ‘Then I’ll use mine’.

He dug a hole, pulling out the long silver sword with the delicate pale blue handle and a sea-green stone set into the hilt. The blade caught the light, shimmering with a cold, ethereal glow. Jason placed it carefully within the hole and stepped back.

As he did, the previously empty cave was suddenly filled with a soft, blue glow. The light seemed to emanate from the walls themselves, creating an almost otherworldly ambiance. It pulsed gently, casting shifting patterns of light and shadow across their faces.

Jason reached down and picked up his sword, the cool metal reassuring in his grasp. As he held it, the orb in his other hand began to glow as well, synchronizing with the light around them.

The orb displayed new words, glowing in the same ethereal blue: ‘Enter’.

The glow intensified, filling the cave with a serene, almost mystical light. It seemed to beckon them, inviting them to step forward into the unknown. Jason turned to the others, the sword in one hand and the orb in the other, his face illuminated by the blue glow.

Following the instructions, they stepped forward and entered the portal.

To be continued…

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Snow: It’s not my fault if you’re not smart enough to guess~

╮(╯▽╰)╭

Seo-Jun: ┻━┻ ︵ヽ(`Д´)ﾉ︵ ┻━┻

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