<h2>CHAPTER 4 - THE GEM PORTAL</h2>


    Mercinestor unsheathed his sword and gave it to Axion. “Take this, my prince, the Krakenwreck has never let me down.”


    Axion had his own sword, they all did, but this was exactly the kind of push he needed to step through the threshold.


    Together Axion, Mitakahn, and Cipher stepped up into the reticulating blue petals, cycling so smoothly together within the portal it was unclear whether the flow spawned from the center or the edge. They entered the cosmic doorway.


    With a brief push through the transient substance the petals were made of, they crossed over. Leaving the physical realm made Mitakahn feel like he was getting ripped out of his body without actually leaving. It took his breath away, as if his body mistook the displacement as being high in the sky atop the highest peak. They soldiered through the sensation and journeyed to what awaited them on the other side.


    They were inside an obscure reflection of MagnaThora. Within the Corscape everything around them had a bluish hue on it. Everything. This included Mitakahn, Cipher, and Axion as they looked at one another in disbelief. Mitakahn had made note of the feeling beneath his feet when they stepped into the swirling portal that was a continuously shifting gelatinous blob. They were not walking on the sludge petals. No, he imagined this was what existed inside one little drop of the portal.


    The walls of this reality seemed to move with their imagination, like a dream. Only when he tried to focus could Mitakahn make out what surrounded the gateway. When he drew his attention back in towards his brother and Cipher a sort of fog rolled in around them. The overwhelming sensation coursing through all three of them at the moment was the sheer doubt that they were still alive.


    Mitakahn’s ears popped as soon as someone tried to speak.


    “I don’t know what is going on,” Axion said, muffled, “but, I hope we can get back to normal.”


    “Trust me, Axion, do not fret.” Even Mitakahn’s own voice seemed different, not muffled but wavering, almost vibrating.


    “I trust you, brother.”


    “We’re with you, Mitakahn,” Cipher echoed.


    “Glad to hear it. Cipher, you might want to lead the way as the unofficial expert.”


    “I am hardly an expert, but I have learned of some potentially helpful checkpoints.” He looked back for approval from the born heir.


    “It’s okay, dear cousin.” Axion grinned, “I’m not afraid to admit when I am out of my depth.”


    Cipher shrugged, “As you wish,” and stepped forth into the cerulean haze with his sword drawn. “Follow me.”


    Axion and Mitakahn each crossed their path behind Cipher in a serpentine fashion. The fog was thick and inconsistent. The smoke amongst them whipped and remained stagnant at a whim. They were inside a stone structure with unrecognizable symbols on the walls. It appeared to be some sort of temple.


    “My father told me for most people the trials will present them with a challenge made apparent.”


    The room opened up to a courtyard of interwoven stone paths all of which leading towards the center. The room may have opened up, but the fog did not clear. Luckily, there were weak spots. The fog thinned near the light as if it was opposed to it. Within the clearing they found the main room of the temple. Cipher called it the relic room. That was where the light was coming from, but it was still too foggy to make-out what was down there.


    “I have a theory I’ve been wanting to try.”


    Cipher unfurled a short staff, wrapped it with a cloth, and then he ignited a flame. The red blaze was quickly quelled by the bluish haze. The red flame appeared for a brief instant before mixing to purple and then fading back to the blanketing blue. “There! Did you see it?” asked Cipher.


    “I did,” answered Mitakahn, “A brief moment of pure red, unadulterated.”


    Cipher nodded and they both lost track of time in thought, trying to expand upon the color theory, while Axion looked around for more clues.


    Mitakahn racked his mind for another basic red that was easily accessible. The idea struck him like a lightning bolt. So, he broke the flesh of his right hand with the tip of his sword and sucked out the blood that drained through the rupture. Axion looked at his brother bemused. Mitakahn grabbed the torch from Cipher and spat blood into the flame. The flame roared out.If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.


    “Woah!” Axion gasped.


    The blood burned and brought the red back into view for all to see.


    The red flame did not diminish this time. No, this time it devoured the blue fog until the temple was clear of it. The smoke didn’t simply clear. It was sucked into the flame, the force of which nearly dragging them off their feet. With dug in heels, they waited as the fog curtain pulled away, revealing a courtyard of tombstones.


    They had a look around. Mitakahn brought Axion over to the tombstone of Mitacles Arkenoir. All the hints and clues were starting to fall into place: the mystery of Theomitus’ siblings, the reason the trials were retired, the hiding away of the Ignaleos Cor.


    “Commander Cel’a told me of him, brother. This must be the tomb of lost princes; all those who failed the trials.”


    Axion looked around. “There are so many of them.”


    “It is a hard sight to see,” Cipher said.


    “How could there be so many when it was so easy?”


    “We are not home yet, Axion,” said Mitakahn.


    At the center of the courtyard was the final room. They could all see now that there was a circular barrier inside. Upon closer inspection they could not only see through it but they could touch it too, truly bizarre. The barrier resembled glowing glass.


    “Coming here the portal consumed us. This time I think we have to press forward, break through.”


    Axion put his hand on the bubble. After a little pressure he was able to push it through. Mitakahn took a deep breath and put both hands on the bubble, getting ready to submerge himself entirely.


    “Wait!” Cipher stopped them.


    Mitakahn pulled himself off of the bubble and could feel a tingling sensation course through his skin, racing a chill up his spine.


    Cipher explained, “There’s something I feel I should mention. I might already know what we are about to walk into and its nothing good. It''s one of the elements I was able to extract from my experiments and it is highly toxic. I’ve been looking around for it this whole time and haven’t found it. It would make sense that its right near the exit.


    “Once we are through, the portal will start to close. Do not trust anything you see inside. My father told me that this is the hardest part of the trial. This room will tempt you with ideas that could keep you here forever. You must not fall for it. If we stick together and get through this unscathed then we will be blessed with the rite of the Ignaleos Cor.”


    “And that is?”


    “It’s hard to explain. For every person it is different.”


    “That’s not saying much,” said Axion.


    “We are running out of time. Remember, don’t breathe until we are back home.”


    “Heaven''s sake,” Axion sighed.


    “Ready?”


    “Ready!”


    They pressed into the bubble. It was not easy. It felt like trying to run underwater. They pushed through to the other side where the blue smog mixed with the cold flames of the gem-portal. The path was short. Cipher led the way. As they passed, the princes saw a scene they could not look away from.


    Theomitus was in his bed coughing, unable to sleep, stirring uncomfortably, a scene Axion had been all too familiar with at this point. The king moved his head away from them revealing the blue veins on his neck. Mitakahn identified the hint and went after the bait.


    He suddenly became overly aware of the fact that they had still learned nothing of what ails the king inside the Corscape, the whole reason for making the trip in the first place. And now, that trip was almost over. He had to think quickly and bring something back with him to reality. Something that Theomitus might have come into contact with all those many years ago. Unable to communicate to his brother, Axion tried to stop him. In the scuffle they were separated from Cipher who was taken back through the gem-portal. Axion watched in horror as the portal started closing behind Cipher.


    Axion and Mitakahn looked at each other. They were stuck and running out of air. Axion would have made it out if it wasn’t for Mitakahn. But something in Mitakahn’s eyes bothered Axion. He looked at his brother as they both drowned in the noxious fumes. Mitakahn didn’t care anymore. He was on a different path now. Axion panicked. What was he doing? Axion watched Mitakahn close his eyes and open his mouth.


    “MITAKAHN, NO!” Axion screamed out, unintentionally opening his mouth as well.


    The two princes inhaled the smoke, falling to their knees. Axion crawled over to Mitakahn who was wretching on the ground. His little brother’s eyes glowed with blue flames and the veins under his skin crawled with the same inked color. Axion screamed in rage as the portal finished closing in front of them, leaving them stuck in the Corscape.


    The smog concentrated together in the center of the room. A dark figure with a crown conjured out of smoke stood before both princes, as they gasped for air. The smoky hands reached down under both of the princes’ chins, lifting their faces, forcing them to look up.


    Mitakahn was horrified. He did not want to see the face of death. The light from above the dark figure became too bright to bear. Mitakahn felt his consciousness slipping, like chills collecting in his heart until it burst through his chest. A flash of the silhouette hid in the echoes of his memory as everything faded to black.