The group of teens followed the old King down the ancient tunnel that was as dark as night itself. Occasionally, there would be stands where torches were mounted but those hadn’t been lit for quite some time. So instead, Teya took it upon herself to have a single ring of fire spiral around her to illuminate the passage. It was strange, Evan thought to himself. He wondered if the girl couldn’t simply make a flame in her palm. But that much soon left his mind as he saw the strange carvings written on the wall. The boy recognized the symbols as demonic scripture. It was a sign of a time where demons had once ruled the Earth. Luckily, that was a time that had long since passed. But as things were now, the threat of that time returning was quite real.

            Finally, they arrived at the end of the tunnel and soon found themselves in a small underground chamber surrounded by even more ancient text. And at the center of it all, mounted on a plateau of stone, was an old structure that was rectangular and tall with its insides being left hallow. That was a gate, Evan was certain of it. And then the King turned and faced the group of children.

            “Your mission will be a grave one.” He began. “You will all travel to hell as ambassadors of the humans. There you will go towards the kingdom belonging to the overlord of the underworld, and you will ask him for guidance on the matter at hand. Depending on what he tells you, you must act accordingly and find the demon that is responsible for the rifts at hand.” The King then looked back at the tunnel where Sebastian with a few other men came into the tunnel carrying bags of supplies for the Gifted. They gave the Gifted each a bag as well as a robe for them to wear. Evan received a indigo hooded robe that had the crest of the stronghold family drawn on to it – a knight’s crest which had a clenched fist within. The King then addressed the matter “The overlord would be insulted if he were not greeted by at least one member from each of the seven families.” He then looked particularly to Evan. “Despite what your fathers says, you must bear that responsibility, Evan. As King, I will give you permission to wear that crest for the time being.”

            Then the King turned towards the gate and placed his hand on one of its sides. He then spoke words which Evan couldn’t understand at all. Soon, the markings where the king placed his hand began to glow white which then ran along the rest of the gate and consequently the entire room and then through the tunnel from which they had come.

            The hallow part of the structure then became covered by a translucent fluid substance that stretched across to the ends of the gate.

            The King then looked to his brother “Look after them Marcus.”

            The man nodded and took a step forward into the gate. His leg didn’t appear on the other side of the structure. It almost seemed as though it was swallowed up but the red fluid-like substance. He then peered his head through it and then pulled it back. “Let’s go.” He said and then stepped his entirety into the gate and disappeared from the other Gifted’s view. Blyke was the next to enter and then there was Rill. After which the brown haired girl entered along with Maya. Teya then went next. Now only Silva and Evan remained.

            Evan took off the Regelia cloak that he had been wearing and then looked to the one in his hand. He flung it around himself and though the thought of his father seeing him made him shiver, he found the courage within himself and walked forward through the gate.

            ~

            Meanwhile Silva had been pulled away by his father while the King had been talking to the group.

            “Are you sure you want to do this?” Sebastian asked his son with a hand on the boy’s shoulder.

            “Of course I do.” He looked to his father with determined eyes. “Just as you have done, I will serve the royal family. ‘       

            “You don’t have to, you know?” his father said as he pulled his hand away from the boy.

            “But I will.” The boy said as he walked towards the gate and went through it to appear in another world entirely.