It began with a low hum.
A deep, resonant sound that seemed to come from nowhere and everywhere at once. The very air around them shimmered, then trembled, as if reality itself were trying to hold something back.
Then the gate tore open.
A vertical slit of blinding white light split the air a dozen paces in front of them. Lines of glowing energy licked outward like tendrils. The scent of ozone burned in their nostrils. The hum rose into a throbbing pulse, almost musical--deep, vibrating through bone.
Sophie and Kimberly flinched back instinctively.
Before either could speak, Shagrat stepped forward.
He didn't look at them. Didn't say a word.
His heavy boots carried him toward the swirling light. The storm of energy parted for him without resistance, as if it recognized him. For a brief moment, he turned his head slightly, just enough that Sophie thought he might say something.
He didn't.
And then he vanished into the light.
Kimberly was on her feet before the echo of his footsteps had faded. "What the fuck was that?"
She took a step toward the gate, jaw clenched. Sophie rose more slowly, eyes wide.
"Should we--?"
"No," came the rough voice of the older orc guard nearby.
He stepped in front of Kimberly and held up a hand. His accent was thick, words halting, but his tone was firm.
"Wait. He... come back."
Kimberly blinked at him, incredulous. "Are you serious? What if something happens to him in there?"
The orc didn't answer. He simply crossed his arms and stood between them and the gate, as immovable as a wall.
The sisters looked at each other. And then, with no better choice, they sat down on the smooth stone floor of the ritual chamber.
The gate continued to shimmer and pulse, soundless now, the light growing softer around the edges. It looked almost beautiful--like a tear in the world that offered passage to somewhere unspeakably distant.
Minutes passed.
Neither spoke for a while. The tension in the air made speech feel sacrilegious. Eventually, Kimberly exhaled.
"So..." she began, her voice lowered. "They're not from here. Not from our world."
Sophie nodded slowly. "Another dimension. That... changes everything."
"Understatement," Kimberly muttered.
They lapsed into silence again. The humming of the gate was gone, but the silence it left behind felt heavy.
Sophie curled her legs beneath her. "Do you think this is what he wanted to show us?"
"Yeah." Kimberly's eyes were fixed on the gate. "It's a test. A risk. Maybe a gift."
"Or a trap," Sophie said, softer now.
Her sister glanced at her.
"Do you still want to go through with this?" Kimberly asked.
Sophie hesitated.
That question had more weight than it seemed. It wasn't just about stepping through the gate. It was about the entire pact they were making--surrendering themselves to a culture, a people, a power they were only beginning to understand.
But Sophie didn't hesitate long.
"Yes," she said. "I trust him."
Kimberly didn't argue. But she didn't agree, either. Instead she picked up a small stone from the floor and rolled it between her fingers.
Sophie continued, "They've kept this secret for who knows how long. Centuries, maybe. This gate... this magic... it's more advanced than anything we've ever seen. They're not just warriors. They're scholars. Mages. Explorers. This explains so much."
Kimberly sighed. "It explains how they appeared so suddenly in our world. Why they're immune to some of our spells. Why no one has ever found where they came from."
"They weren't hiding in our world," Sophie said. "They came through it."
That thought sent a chill through her, despite the warm light of the gate.
"Do you think we'll be allowed to come back?" Kimberly asked. Her voice was quiet now, serious.
Sophie hesitated again.
"I don't know," she admitted. "But... I think Shagrat would never take me somewhere I couldn't return from. I believe that. I have to believe that."
Kimberly looked at her for a long moment. "You love him."
Sophie flushed. "I don't know if that's what it is. Not yet. But I trust him. That's enough."
Time passed strangely.
Sophie couldn't tell how long they sat in that cave--only that the gate still shimmered with that slow, otherworldly pulse. Like a heartbeat held in suspension. She and Kimberly didn't speak much after the initial shock wore off. Their whispers had faded into silence. Neither of them moved from their place on the stone floor, backs pressed to the wall, waiting.
Then--at last--the gate rippled again.
The swirling light condensed and parted like a curtain, and Shagrat stepped through.
He looked unchanged, yet there was something different in the set of his jaw, the tension behind his eyes. He scanned them quickly, nodded once, and said, simply, "It is time."
The orc guard who had stood watch this entire time shifted his stance but did not follow.
Shagrat approached the sisters and spoke in his heavy accent. "Close eyes. No matter what. Keep closed until I say."
Sophie nodded slowly. Kimberly hesitated--then followed suit.
Their hands found his. Warm, rough, grounding.
Together, they stepped into the gate.
It was like falling into a dream.
There was no motion, yet everything moved. Their bodies twisted and stretched, but without pain. Light burst behind their eyelids. A deep pressure closed around Sophie's chest, and she heard whispers--distant and echoing, too fast to understand, yet oddly soothing.
Then, with a suddenness that made her knees buckle, it stopped.
Solid ground returned beneath their feet.
Cool, damp air brushed against their skin.
"Open," came Shagrat's voice.
Sophie blinked her eyes open. Kimberly beside her did the same.
They were in another cave--but this one was not the same as the one they had left.
The stone here was darker, almost black, and wet with condensation. Pale moss glowed faintly from the ceiling, casting the space in a low green light. And waiting in the shadows were orcs--more than a dozen, armored and silent.
Their armor was unlike anything the sisters had seen before--interlocking black plates with silver inlay, shaped for mobility but ornately decorated. They didn't speak. But their expressions were guarded.
Tension lingered in the air.
Shagrat made a short, clipped gesture to one of the guards and said something in Orcish. The reply came just as quickly--low, cautious, but not hostile.
Then Shagrat turned back to the girls. "Come. We go."
They followed.
The tunnel system beyond the cave entrance was a winding maze. The further they went, the clearer it became that this was not a natural formation--it had been carved, long ago, and reinforced with shaped stone. There were occasional torches, burning with clean green flame, and the floor bore worn symbols, too faded to read.
They walked for what felt like miles, steadily descending.
Then the tunnel ended in open air.
They stood at the edge of a high cliff.
Sophie gasped softly.
The night was thick around them. A vast sky spread overhead, dotted with stars--thousands more than she had ever seen back home. There was a moon here too, pale and crescent-shaped, casting a dim silver light over the rugged landscape.
Below them, nestled between crags and forests, was a small village.
Pinpricks of warm yellow light marked houses. Smoke curled from chimneys. Paths between the structures glowed faintly from lanterns hung on crooked poles.
"It's night," Kimberly whispered. "They... they have night here."
Sophie nodded, transfixed. "Of course they do."
A soft wind blew up from the valley. In the distance, they heard a bell ring--a deep, sonorous tone. Dogs barked. Somewhere, a baby cried. Life.
"This world is like ours," Sophie said softly. "But not."
They made their way down the cliffside on a narrow stairway cut into the rock. The descent was steep, and Sophie's legs ached by the time they reached the base.
There, waiting for them on a dirt path, was a carriage.
It looked... familiar and alien at once. A solid, wheeled frame crafted of dark wood and reinforced iron. The wheels were massive and thick with treads, clearly designed for rough terrain. Runes had been etched into the hubcaps, and faint blue light glimmered beneath the chassis.
But there were no horses.
"Where...?" Kimberly began.
"No horses," Shagrat said, patting the front of the vehicle. "Runs on mana crystal. Same as gate. Collected from monsters."
Indeed, there was a glowing crystal mounted in a bracket at the front, pulsing with a steady light.
Another orc stood near the driver's seat--taller than Shagrat, with a braided beard and a scar across one eye. He gave a curt nod to the sisters and climbed into place.
Shagrat opened the carriage door for them.
Inside was a bench seat on either side, thickly padded and surprisingly comfortable. The walls were paneled in dark wood, with small glowing stones embedded at each corner, giving the interior a soft ambient glow.
Sophie sat first. Kimberly followed, still wide-eyed.
Shagrat climbed in after them and closed the door.
The carriage jolted as the wheels engaged, then rumbled forward with a low, rhythmic clatter.
Outside, the forest passed slowly. Lanterns marked the path like stars fallen to earth.
