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Dabi stood in the clearing, the faint glow of the runes still lingering in his vision. His breath ca slow and steady, his heartbeat gradually settling after the surge of energy that had coursed through him.
The pedestal before him was ancient, worn by ti, yet it held a power that defied its weathered appearance. He could feel it—like a heartbeat beneath his fingertips, an echo of sothing far greater than himself.
This is just the beginning.
He had followed the voice, deciphered the signs, and now, standing before the first fragnt of the gate, he could sense the path unfolding before him. The pieces had been scattered, hidden in places long forgotten, waiting for soone worthy to reclaim them.
Dabi reached into his satchel, pulling out the parchnt where he had carefully sketched the symbol from the stone marker. He unrolled it, comparing the lines with those carved into the pedestal. They matched perfectly.
A sharp gust of wind rushed through the clearing, rustling the trees as if the very air recognized the significance of this mont. Dabi narrowed his eyes, gripping the parchnt tightly. He had expected sothing—an answer, a revelation—'
He exhaled, lowering his hand. Not yet.
This was just a piece of the puzzle. The next step was to—'
The voice in his mind had spoken of fragnts—pieces of an unseen puzzle that, when brought together, would form the key to the dinsional gate. He had already found the first one, buried beneath layers of ti and neglect. Now, he needed the others.
His gaze shifted to the pedestal's base, where a small indentation marked the resting place of the first fragnt. The stone fit perfectly, locking into place with a faint click. As soon as it settled, the glow of the runes intensified, spreading outward in intricate patterns.
A surge of energy pulsed through the clearing, and the air thickened with power. The pedestal trembled, responding to the fragnt's presence, as if awakening from a centuries-long slumber.
Dabi clenched his fists, steadying himself. He had no ti to waste.
He turned away from the pedestal and scanned the surroundings. His instincts told him that the remaining fragnts weren't far. The pull of energy, faint yet persistent, guided his steps deeper into the forest.
The second fragnt lay hidden beneath an ancient tree, its roots wrapping protectively around a weathered stone tablet. The markings on the stone were nearly eroded, but the fragnt itself remained untouched—its shape distinct, its energy calling to him.
Dabi knelt and placed a hand against the cold surface, feeling the resistance of the earth against his fingers. With a firm pull, he dislodged the fragnt, and a surge of power coursed through him, montarily blinding his vision.
For a brief mont, the world flickered. Shadows twisted unnaturally, and the trees around him seed to blur, their forms bending in ways they shouldn't. A sensation of weightlessness gripped him before everything snapped back into place.
He exhaled sharply, his grip tightening around the second fragnt. Whatever this was, it was powerful—far beyond anything he had encountered before.
He wasted no ti returning to the pedestal, placing the second piece beside the first. The mont it touched the stone, the runes pulsed again, the patterns expanding further, branching like veins of light across the pedestal's surface.
The gate was beginning to take shape.
The third fragnt led him to a ruined shrine at the edge of the forest, a forgotten relic of an ancient civilization. The structure had long since crumbled, leaving only broken columns and faded carvings in its wake.
The final fragnt lay at the center of the ruin, embedded in the remains of an altar. Unlike the others, this one radiated a powerful aura, making the air around it hum with energy. Dabi approached cautiously, his body tensed for any sign of danger.
As soon as his fingers touched the fragnt, the ground beneath him quaked. A sharp, high-pitched noise rang in his ears, followed by a rush of energy that sent a shockwave through the shrine. The carvings on the stone walls flared to life, montarily illuminating the ruin in an unnatural glow.
Dabi's breath caught in his throat. For a second, he saw sothing beyond the world he knew—a glimpse into a place where shadows stretched unnaturally, and space itself seed to fold inward. The image vanished as quickly as it appeared, leaving behind a lingering sense of unease.
He didn't hesitate. Clutching the final fragnt tightly, Dabi's eyes widened. The runes were shifting.
The lines of the ancient carvings twisted and reford, as though unlocking so hidden chanism. Then, with a sudden, sharp pulse, a crack of blinding white light split through the air before him.
A gate had ford.
It wasn't a physical structure but a swirling rift of energy, a tear in the fabric of reality itself. It shimred with a strange, hypnotic pull, and within its depths, Dabi saw glimpses of sothing beyond—another world, another plane of existence.
His breath hitched. This was it. He stepped forward. The mont his foot crossed the threshold— Darkness.
A void consud his thoughts, swallowing every mory, every sensation of this incidents.
Then—Dabi's eyes snapped open.
He was lying on his cot, staring at the wooden ceiling of his small alcove. His fingers twitched as a dull ache spread through his limbs. His head felt heavy, his mind clouded, like he had just woken from a deep, dreamless sleep.
Had he overslept? No. It was early—too early. The faint glow of dawn was just beginning to creep through the small window. The air was still cool with the remnants of night.
Furrowing his brows, he sat up, rubbing his temple.
Sothing felt… off.
His body was sore, as though he had spent hours moving, yet he had no recollection of doing anything the night before.
Dabi exhaled sharply. Probably just stress. The tournant was approaching fast, and between training and his other concerns, he barely had ti to rest. It wasn't surprising that exhaustion was catching up to him.
Pushing the feeling aside, he rose to his feet, stretching out the stiffness in his muscles. Today was another day of training. He had to stay focused.
By the ti he made his way to the training grounds, the rest of the team had already gathered. Raghnall stood at the front, arms crossed, his sharp gaze sweeping over them.
"You're late," Raghnall said.
Dabi rolled his shoulders. "Didn't sleep well."
Raghnall narrowed his eyes but didn't press the issue. "That's your problem, not mine. Get in formation."
Dabi fell into place alongside the others as the drills began. They started with basic warm-ups, but his body felt sluggish, his movents slightly off.
His mind drifted, a nagging sense of emptiness tugging at the edges of his thoughts.
Sothing was missing.
It wasn't until the sparring matches began that he realized just how deeply the feeling unsettled him.
He moved with precision, his instincts sharp as ever, but there was an absence within him. A void in his thoughts, like a piece of himself had been severed.
He shook his head, trying to dispel the unease.
His opponent zen lunged. Dabi sidestepped effortlessly, countering with a swift strike to the ribs. The force sent his opponent stumbling back, but Dabi barely registered it.
His body fought on instinct, but his mind—
His mind felt like it was grasping at sothing just out of reach.
Sothing he had forgotten.
A flicker of frustration sparked within him. He didn't like this. He didn't like the feeling of sothing slipping through his fingers.
"Dabi, focus!"
Raghnall's voice cut through his thoughts. Dabi blinked, snapping back to the present just as another attack ca his way. He barely dodged in ti, the fist grazing his cheek.
His opponent smirked. "Losing your edge?"
Dabi scowled. "Not in your dreams."
He struck back, faster this ti, forcing his opponent into a retreat. The match ended shortly after, Dabi erging victorious despite the lingering unease in his chest.
As he stepped away from the sparring ring, he clenched his fists.
What was wrong with him?
Why did it feel like he had forgotten sothing important?
The rest of the training passed in a blur. He executed every move perfectly, followed every instruction without fault, but the feeling remained—a void where sothing should be.
By the ti training ended, Dabi was left with nothing but questions.
As the sun began to set, he found himself wandering through the compound, his steps aimless. The corridors felt strangely unfamiliar, as though he was walking through them for the first ti.
He reached into his satchel, searching for sothing—though he wasn't sure what.
His fingers brushed against a scrap of parchnt.
He pulled it out, unfolding it carefully.
A symbol was drawn on the page—intricate lines forming a pattern that stirred sothing deep within him.
Dabi stared at it, his heart pounding for reasons he couldn't explain.
Why did he have this?
Where had it co from?
The symbol ant sothing.
He knew it did.
But no matter how hard he tried to rember…
He couldn't.
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