The Gates of Cardel

Opened Gates

The crowd is at a loss for any reaction to the shocking events that they just witnessed.
"Emilis, quickly get over here, help me with these men." Sin calls out.
She starts running over, following Sin onto the fighting grounds.
"You two get back to the others." He points over to Jelira and Amadaia and directs them back to us.
They start healing the men and women that have fallen. The blood-soaked sands begin to clear up as more soldiers recover.
When enough soldiers are healed for Emilis to take over, he walks right over to Medola, she cleans her daggers with some ripped garments from one of the soldiers around her.
"Medola!" He says, waving his hand and returning the cloth she was using back to the soldier's clothes. " I said for you to NOT kill anyone."
"I didn't," she replies. "Fatally wounded maybe, but not dead."
"You ripped out this man's kidney!!"
"Still not dead though."
"My Gods, the whole point of this charade was to show them who we are, that we're not a threat."
"Well which one do you want, cuz I can't do both?"
The dragon lets out a loud groan, getting Sin's attention.
"Sorry Delainz, I'll let you go back." He opens a portal and the dragon makes his way back to the parallel world. He returns his attention back to Medola and comments,
"You're going to have to control yourself otherwise the world as we know it will cease to exist." He walks away, waving his hand and returning the arena back to how it was before.

Medola soon joins us in the contestant's quarters after looking as if she just walked out of her favourite shop.
"Had fun out there?" Codias asks.
"Yes, hun. Been a while since I got to release some pent up stress."
If that was just pent up stressed, I'd hate to see her when she is actually angry.
The Queen's guards step through the doors announcing,
"The Queen has requested your presence at the castle's dungeon. We are here to escort you." They wait for us to head out.
"We've done it now," Alixane commented.
"I'm sure it isn't that bad right," Sin muses, then asked the guards "right?"
They reply with,
"This way please."
We slowly make our way through the lowest floors of the castle, wearily waiting for something drastic to happen.
We turn around a corner and see her majesty facing a large wall with her two sons with her.
They turn around and whisper to her,
"They're here", "are you sure this is wise, mother?" Without turning around she calls out,
"Do you know what this is?"
"It would seem to be a fake wall." Sin replies.
"Fake!?" Dundray says, pressing against it, "what do you mean fake, it is clearly real."
"You are correct," the Queen acknowledges, "might I ask how you came to such a conclusion so quickly?"
"There's no torches." Sin says, "along this entire section there isn't a single torch holder. There are on this side, but not that one. I've escaped plenty of dungeons, so I'm quite familiar with this. Also, you starring at it was a dead giveaway."
"I see, how inconsiderate of me." She replies.
"Mother!!??" Dundray says in shock
"Quiet! Now you are here because you proved yourself to be who you say you are. Not from the flashy show of your skills, that only showed me that you are powerful people and that we would want you as allies rather than as enemies. But it was the way you dealt with the aftermath. Those actions showed me who you really were."
"Thank you...?" Amadaia said in slight confusion.
"Behind this wall is the kings secret vault, however, it has not been taken down in millennia."
"That's not a problem." Said Sin. He waves his hand and we all watch as the giant layered stone-brick wall vanishes before us. A golden wall stands before us, its doors covered in intricately detailed patterns.
The Queen is at a loss for words, as a part of a historic building disappears into thin air.
Dundray walks towards it but is suddenly stopped by an invisible barrier.
"What is the meaning of this?! Get rid of this barrier at once." He commands
"I'm sorry little boy, but my magic only works on the physical world, not the magic or spiritual worlds." Sin replies.
"Well, what a use you are!?"
"How about I rematerialise that wall on your head."
"Sin!" I call out.
Lillith walks up to it and analysis it.
"Seems to be abyss magic, powerful yet dangerous stuff. It seems to be a barrier that allows only a select few in. The King being one of those people, which explains why only his lineage could access it."
She continues to walk right on through as if nothing was there.
"How are you not stopped!?" Dundray asks.
"Honey, abyss magic doesn't affect the caster. I said it was dangerous, if a caster were to accidentally get it wrong then they would be in trouble. That's why, in case you were wondering."
"Which means, I assume we can go through." Sin theorised
One after another they entered the vault. Sin holds out his hand and says to me,
"Let's go." I look up to him and say,
"But I won't be able to. The barrier wouldn't let me even if I tried."
"It should be fine, the bracelet I gave you should deal with that."
I look down at my wrist to the golden chain bracelet and think back to when he gave it to me; the night before we met the dark lord's shadow.
~~~
Sin had pulled me to the side and casted a sound bubble. He then said,
"I wanted to give you this." And pulls out from his storage box a small container and gives it to me. I opened it to find a beautiful gem embedded gold chain bracelet.
"Oh wow, this is beautiful. But I can't accept this, this is too much."
"It really isn't, and it will protect you from any magic that may harm you. I don't want you getting hurt, so I'm giving it to you. It'll be rude to refuse a gift you know."
"I really don't have a choice do I?"
"No, you don't."
~~~

He gave it to me before he found out I could use magic, maybe he'd want it back.
"Ummm, ok," I reply hesitantly, Following him through.
"So there is a way to get through without having the kings blood," Dundray commented. Fixing his posture he then demands, "hand one of those magical items over."
Sin turns his head back with an intense look on his face. The prince falters back and inches his way behind his mother as she stands there observing the scenario play out.
We continue through to the vault's chamber. I swear I saw his eyes glow red.
The floor blends into a black marble, most of it covered with piles of gold and treasure with a few paths leading off in different directions.
We gather with the others at the far wall. In this little semi-circular room the ten treasures are chained to the wall upon these pedestals.
These treasures live up to the expectations that were placed on them. The polished diatonium rods, the gold embroidered patterns and the immense power radiating from them.
Each Gate is near a treasure looking up and examining them.
Sin walks into the room and they begin to glow, the chains binding them start to rattle; they break apart, disintegrating into thin air.
The weapons fly out to each of the Gates for them to catch them, and for a brief moment, the magic transferring from the treasures can be physically seen as the rods morph into their preferred weapons.
Sin looks down at the weapon in his hand, his expression slowly dies as he comments,
"Oh, a sword. Great." He walks out, sword in hand, leaving us behind.
"What's the issue with him?" I ask.
"That's right you don't know," Lillith replies.
"Know what?"
"Adoasin can't wield a sword," Alixane adds. "Not that he doesn't know how to, but he physically can't."
"What do you mean?"
"The magic he imbues in a fight is too great for any blade to handle. So they shatter before he can even hit his target. That's why he only uses his magic." Codias replies
"And the only reason he carries a sword with him is to tell everyone that 'he can fight' even though he can't use it," Medola adds.
"That's sad, do you know why he can't?"
"We have ideas, but they're just that, ideas. In all honesty, I don't think he even knows why."
"Considering these treasure and the power they possess, maybe it might-"
Sin walks in and I for some reason stop talking mid-sentence as if I was talking behind his back. He slides his new sword into the sheath on his side, looks up at us and says with a grinning expression,
"Now let's go slay a Dark Lord."