"Yes, kind of," the man replied with a slight nod.
He glanced at them briefly, then added, "You've earned your right."
And with that, he vanished, as if never there to begin with—dissolving into mist on the wind.
The moment the strange gatekeeper vanished, the mist he left behind began to swirl with intent, condensing into a rune-forged path of obsidian and crystal veins that led forward, deeper into the heart of the realm. The trees thinned. The mountains quieted. Even the wind seemed to hush, as if reverent of the place they now approached.
Before them, towering walls carved from the bones of extinct Primordial Beasts rose up, laced with golden sigils that pulsed like a living heartbeat. Beyond them stood World Heart City—the legendary seat of the highest Evolvers, and a place only those who stood at the pinnacle were permitted to enter.
"It's beautiful," Veyra breathed.
