Monster Integration

3658 Stone Gate

It had been over ten minutes since I have been following the person from a safe distance. From what I could see, the man was cautious, moving at the speed that would keep him hidden.

I didn't hurry, even when I wanted to, and instead followed slowly, careful to not get discovered by him.

Another ten minutes passed, and I had activated my abilities and looked around. I am close to the area from where the pulse of energies had been released and have been there already, but I couldn't see the thing that released energy.

Even the man, I was following had slowed down and looked around. Trying to find the source of pulses.

He moved ahead, and I was behind him and looking at everything, from the leaf of the tree to a small stone on the ground.

Hun!

For a few minutes, there was nothing, before one of my soul waves discovered something.

It is about ten miles north. I was thinking of moving toward it alone when the man also seemed to sense it and as he sped toward it. Forgetting the cautiousness, he had been following till now.

I followed him, maintaining a safe distance, and within a second, reached the thing. Which is likely to be responsible for the pulses of energy.

Hun!

When I saw it, I couldn't help but be surprised.

It is a stone gate and looked to be in a very bad state, with cracks all over it, that it felt that if I pressed even a little. It would collapse into pieces.

Once upon a time, it would have been a beautiful gate; carved by a grandmaster with the designs of playing spirits, which now faded and chipped. Even the texts carved out of it cracked and chipped that it couldn't be read.

Though the man seemed excited seeing it. So much, that he was barely able to control himself.

"Gate of Isbanalis," he said.

I noted down the name and my clones began to search for it in the library, while I watched. Trying to gain as much information as sneakily as possible.

I could reveal myself and decided to observe.

Revealing my presence might spook the man, and I might even need to fight him, or he might escape. I rather not do that, till I have got all the information about the gate.

The man begins to look around the gate and scan it with his soul sense.

The more he looked, the more excited he would become. However, disappointment would also occasionally flash in its eyes, looking at the state of the gate.

He had observed it with his soul sense, but he had not touched it with his hand or even gone too close to it. He is intentionally maintaining the distance as if fearing it might react adversely.

It is wise that the things of such a state react adversely and sometimes react with such power that they would vaporize the person.

A few minutes passed, and he looked at the gate from all angles and now waiting. Waiting for it to activate and if I am right, it should activate any moment.

One and a half hours had already passed its last activation, and those two had said it would activate for a few minutes every hour or so.

Seven minutes and thirty-seven seconds later, the gate activated.

Hun!

The colorful energies released from its crack; it is concentrated and powerful. When I sensed it, all the smiles on my face had disappeared.

Those two had been wrong; this is no Earth's Sovereign great energy. It is a grade above that and even that was weakened over time and damage; in its peak, it would have been at last for Prime.

"Yes!" shouted the man as the blue pearl above the gate lit up.

He immediately appeared beside and took out a black medallion with a symbol of mountain and clouds and carefully placed it in a round hole.

Immediately, the medallion lit up, and the silvery screen appeared above the gate. Seeing that a big smile appeared on his face, and he removed the medallion and walked through it.

I was shocked to see it, but a moment later, I appeared beside the gate, looking at the silvery gate.

I wanted to enter inside; I knew it was dangerous, but after more than a month, something excited me. What lay behind might be dangerous, but it started to beat my heart wildly.

It is also part of my mission. I have to investigate what is happening and I would be doing that.

I had to choose it quickly; this screen wouldn't last long. That medallion was the key that activated the gate. He had removed it, which means there is a high chance it would disappear.

If I want to walk through it, I have to do it immediately.

Seeing I had already made the decision; I had sent the organization the message of everything I had observed. Including the images of the black medallion, before taking the step inside.

In hope that on the other side, there will be something that will bring me out of the state and help me progress further.

As I took the step inside, everything darkened.

I remained calm, without making any moment, and released any energy as the seconds passed.

Hun!

Soon, half a minute passed, and I couldn't help but get worried. Most teleportation artifacts finish the job in less than fifteen seconds.

Though I could feel the spatial forces moving around me. I am not stuck in one place but moving through the spatial tunnel.

So, I forcefully calmed myself and waited.

A minute passed and then another and then another and I waited, but in my mind, I was worried. If this continued for a minute or two, I would bring out a wisp of forbidden power to gain more sense of things happening around me.

Thud!

Finally, I found myself out and crashing against something hard and bright. Too bright.