Night had enveloped the city in a dark shroud, and despite the cozy atmosphere of the school, Kaine couldn’t shake the strange feeling of unease that had firmly settled in his chest. It was as if something unseen was watching him from the darkness. The feeling intensified every time he thought about the gates and that mysterious figure—Azarel.

Lying in his room, Kaine tried to fall asleep, but images of his meeting with Rahil, his warning, and the promise of upcoming trials kept flashing before his eyes. He turned to his side, trying to find a more comfortable position, but then he heard a quiet creak on the floor. Someone was in the room.

“Who’s there?” he whispered, peering into the darkness.

No answer. Only silence, broken by his own breathing. Yet Kaine couldn’t shake the feeling that he wasn’t alone. Suddenly, a whisper came from the corner of the room. The words were barely audible but seemed painfully familiar.

“Azarel... Gates... Power...”

Kaine sat up sharply in bed, trying to focus on the dark figure taking shape in the corner. A second later, everything disappeared, as if it had just been a play of light and shadow. He clutched his head, feeling a strange tension gripping his entire body.

“Was it just my imagination?” Kaine tried to convince himself that it was all in his mind, but something inside told him otherwise.

The next day, his team gathered at the school’s training ground. Elementum, their mentor, was already waiting, impatiently tapping his fingers on his arm.

“Are you ready?” he asked, eyeing them with a piercing gaze. “Today’s task won’t be easy.”

“Oh, finally something challenging!” Velos leaped with excitement. “These endless training sessions were getting boring.”

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“Yeah,” Lux added, gracefully brushing a strand of hair from his face. “I’m curious to see what’s in store for us this time.”

“Your mission today is to explore an abandoned underground temple,” Elementum announced, his voice unusually stern. “We’ve received information that fragments of power once belonging to the gods may be hidden there. Your goal is to gather as much information as possible and, if possible, retrieve those fragments.”

“Godly power?” Fauna asked, narrowing her eyes. “Isn’t that a bit too dangerous for us?”

“Yes, it’s dangerous,” their mentor nodded. “But that’s exactly why I chose you. If you want to understand what you’re truly capable of, this will be a good opportunity to test yourselves.”

“You always push us to the edge, don’t you?” Immunis quietly remarked, lifting his mask to wipe the sweat from his forehead.

“The edge is where you find your true strength,” Elementum replied sharply. “So get ready. This time, no one will be there to protect you.”

The team exchanged glances, feeling their initial excitement turn into resolve. For each of them, this mission was more than just another training day. Kaine knew the temple could hold the key to the mysteries surrounding him and Azarel. Maybe there, he would find answers to the questions that haunted him.

When they arrived at the temple entrance, they were met with a grim, ancient structure, riddled with cracks and overgrown with vines. Dim light filtered inside through small holes in the stone walls. With every step down the narrow staircase, the air grew colder, as if the temple itself was alive, breathing something otherworldly.

“There’s definitely something here,” Fauna whispered, her animal instincts clearly sensing danger.

Kaine nodded, raising his hand and summoning his power. His heart raced as the shadows around him began to stir, as if coming to life. They were ready to act.

But as they approached the massive door leading to the main hall, Kaine felt a strange sense of déjà vu. The door bore a symbol—the very one he had seen in his dream. The mark belonging to Azarel.

“Why am I seeing this again?” Kaine touched the door, and at that moment, an image flashed before his eyes: a figure in a cloak, with piercing eyes staring straight at him.

“You cannot escape your destiny,” the quiet whisper echoed in his head once again, making him recoil.

“What happened?” Velos stepped closer, noticing Kaine’s sudden jolt.

“Nothing,” Kaine replied, wiping the sweat from his forehead. “Just... a bad feeling.”

He knew that the feeling was something much more than just a premonition. But whatever it was, he was ready to face it head-on.