The Devourer's Dominion

The moment the prison vanished, Aetheron felt the pull of reality twisting again.

His feet landed on solid ground, but the sensation was off. The air was heavier, charged with an unnatural energy that sent a prickling sensation down his spine.

He tightened his grip on Lyara, keeping her steady as she regained her balance. Her breathing was slow, but she was conscious. That was enough.

Veyrin, still slumped against the ground, stirred slightly. He was alive too.

Aetheron exhaled.

Then, he finally took in their surroundings.

They weren't in the prison anymore.

But they weren't back in the ruins either.

This place…

It was something else entirely.

The Fractured Expanse

The sky was a swirling vortex of deep purples and blacks, streaked with flashes of golden light that cracked like distant lightning. The ground beneath them wasn't normal earth—it was smooth, reflective, almost like polished glass.

And far ahead, stretching endlessly into the horizon, stood colossal monoliths, each one inscribed with glowing runes that pulsed faintly.

Aetheron's eyes narrowed. This wasn't just some illusion.

This was a real place.

And it was ancient.

Lyara shifted slightly, her voice hoarse. "Where… are we?"

Aetheron didn't have an answer.

But then—

A deep, resonating hum filled the air.

The monoliths flickered, their glow intensifying as if reacting to their presence.

Then came the whispers.

Faint at first. Distant.

Then, all at once, a rush of voices swarmed into Aetheron's mind.

—He walks the path of Dominion…

—The chains were merely the beginning…

—Does he seek the truth?

Aetheron's eyes widened. These weren't just random echoes.

These were fragments of something.

Memories?

Warnings?

He wasn't sure.

But one thing was clear—

This place knew him.

Lyara grabbed his wrist, her eyes sharp despite her exhaustion. "Aetheron… this place isn't normal."

He nodded, scanning their surroundings again. "I know."

Veyrin groaned, finally managing to push himself up. "Ugh… where the hell are we?"

Aetheron turned to him. "You don't recognize this?"

Veyrin shook his head. "No. And I've seen a lot of cursed places."

That wasn't reassuring.

Aetheron looked back at the monoliths. They were too deliberate, too precise. This place meant something.

And the whispers weren't stopping.

Then—

The ground trembled.

Lyara tensed. "What now?"

Aetheron shifted into a defensive stance, his Dominion flickering around him.

A crack split through the reflective ground ahead, and from it—

Something emerged.

The Gatekeeper

A towering figure rose from the rift, its body wrapped in flowing obsidian armor, its face hidden behind a featureless, golden mask.

Its presence alone made the air vibrate.

Aetheron clenched his fists. This wasn't like the Warden. This thing wasn't just powerful.

It was something else entirely.

The figure took a step forward, and the monoliths reacted, their runes shifting, rearranging into new patterns.

Then, finally, the figure spoke.

"You stand at the threshold."

Its voice was layered, as if multiple beings were speaking at once.

Aetheron didn't move. "Threshold of what?"

The figure tilted its head slightly. "The Dominion's Core."

Aetheron felt his heartbeat quicken.

Dominion's Core?

Before he could ask, the figure raised a hand. The moment it did, the monoliths pulsed—

And chains erupted from the ground.

But these weren't like the Warden's.

They weren't physical.

They were made of light, shifting and twisting like living things.

Aetheron's body reacted instinctively, his Dominion flaring as he dodged, narrowly avoiding the first set of bindings.

But the chains followed him, bending unnaturally as they pursued his movements.

"Dammit," he hissed, twisting midair to evade another set.

Lyara was already moving, her daggers flashing as she sliced at the chains heading for her.

But—

Her blades passed through them.

Her eyes widened in shock. "They're not solid!"

Veyrin barely managed to dodge his own set, cursing under his breath. "What the hell are these things?!"

The Gatekeeper watched them, unmoving.

Then—

It flicked its hand.

The chains suddenly shifted, changing their movement entirely.

Aetheron wasn't fast enough.

One wrapped around his arm.

Instantly, a surge of energy flooded his body.

It wasn't pain.

It was information.

Memories.

Visions.

—A throne of endless light…

—A figure seated upon it, their power stretching across all creation…

—A voice, cold and absolute…

"To wield Dominion is to inherit the burden of control."

Aetheron's breath caught.

Then, just as quickly as it had happened—

The vision shattered.

He staggered, the chain dissolving from his arm.

The Gatekeeper lowered its hand. "You are not yet ready."

Aetheron clenched his jaw. "Ready for what?"

The Gatekeeper didn't answer. Instead, it gestured toward the monoliths again.

And this time—

A door formed between them.

A massive, arched gateway, its frame lined with the same shifting runes as the monoliths.

The air around it crackled.

The Gatekeeper turned back to Aetheron. "Step forward, if you wish to know the truth."

Aetheron's hands tightened into fists.

Truth.

The whispers had said something similar.

But was he ready for it?

He glanced at Lyara.

She gave him a nod. "We didn't come this far to stop now."

Veyrin exhaled. "Tch. This better not be another death trap."

Aetheron turned back to the Gatekeeper.

Then, without hesitation—

He stepped through the door.