With light luggage, the ascent begins.
Mika storms ahead, Kiro right behind her.
Keal and Nerion follow at a moderate pace, while Elandra and Torgul bring up the rear.
Torgul would have preferred to skip the hike entirely, but in the end, the group convinced him to come along.
On the way up, he starts talking.
"I hated it when Meridion forced us to run long distances."
Elandra laughs. "Me too. But his pastries were divine."
"Yeah..." grins Torgul, "my saber nearly slipped out of my mouth, but I kept going—for his cinnamon rolls."
Mika jumps from branch to branch like a squirrel, calling out:
"Hurry up! I want to get to the top before it gets dark!"
Nerion pauses briefly, turns, and looks back down at the camp—at the rift.
Then he says quietly to Keal:
"I've seen many portals. The ones created by Grand Mage Saelen. But none of them looked like this one."
Keal looks at him, but says nothing.
Kiro, who overheard it, replies:
"Oh please, you're imagining things. It looks exactly the same as yesterday."
Nerion remains silent. Thoughtful. Maybe even a little worried.
At that moment, Mika calls down from above:
"If Master Meridion were here, he'd have already thrown fireballs at you—for being this slow! And Torgul, you definitely wouldn't be getting any dinner tonight!"
Meanwhile, down in the camp:
Commander Valea Morrin stands before the portal, frowning, and speaks via comms to Central Command.
"The portal has changed. Can you run the measurements again? Something isn't right."
Central Command: "Our sensors show no anomalies. Maybe you're just imagining it, Commander... You've been staring at it all day."
Silence.
Then Valea explodes.
"What did you just say? I'm imagining things?! If I come up there now, I'll show you exactly what I see—and split you in half while I'm at it!"
Central Command (hurriedly): "Uh… sorry, Commander! We didn't mean it that way!"
"Shove your apology somewhere else," she growls. "When I get back, I'll pay you a personal visit. Promise."
Commander Leon Virell, who overheard the exchange, leans casually against a vehicle and says half-laughing:
"She really hasn't changed a bit. Once a fury, always a fury."
With a swift kick, Valea hits him straight in the face. Leon stumbles back but stays on his feet.
"Who are you calling a fury?!" she growls.
Commander Davor Krayt shakes his head, laughing.
"And that's supposed to be the fastest warrior on Earth? Can't even dodge a kick."
Leon wipes his face and mutters to Davor:
"Don't laugh. Against her, not even speed helps… You'd need a psychiatrist. She's completely nuts."
"What did you just say?!" echoes from behind.
Valea stands there—eyes narrowed, fist already clenched.
"Nothing! Nothing at all!" Leon shouts and takes off running.
"Come back here, you coward!" she yells, chasing after him.
Leon sprints across the camp, Valea hot on his heels.
Davor leans against a container, laughing till he cries.
"The fastest fighter on Earth—running from a commander... priceless."
Almost at the top, Mika suddenly shouts:
"There's a cabin! We made it!"
The others catch up and see it too: a small, lonely wooden hut, right on the mountain slope. A narrow path leads up to it.
Torgul immediately draws his axes and heads straight for it.
But Keal holds him back.
"Wait. Who would live up here all alone? Maybe it's just an old man. If he sees you like that, he'll die of shock."
"I'll go with Elandra," Keal suggests.
Mika wants to come too, transforms into a cat while running, and says with a grin:
"Everyone loves cats!"
She jumps onto Elandra's shoulder as the two approach the cabin.
The others stay at the beginning of the path.
Keal knocks on the door.
It opens by itself—but no one is inside.
Mika dashes in immediately, looking around.
"Someone definitely lives here. But right now, it's empty."
"Maybe he was evacuated," Elandra suggests.
"Then where did the light come from?" Mika asks, frowning.
Suddenly, Torgul and Kiro—who were keeping watch—hear a rustle in the woods.
Something approaches.
Torgul raises his axes, Kiro draws his bow.
Both stare tensely into the trees.
Then, a man emerges from the undergrowth—barely older than they are.
Broad shoulders, muscular build, shoulder-length hair.
He carries a deer casually over his shoulder.
Both sides look surprised.
And at the same time, Kiro and the stranger ask:
"Who are you—and what are you doing here?"
The man laughs. "I live here. What about you?"
Torgul and Kiro exchange glances.
"You shouldn't be here," Kiro says. "This area was evacuated."
"Why?" asks the stranger.
"Don't you see the portal down in the valley?" Torgul asks.
"Sure, saw it yesterday. Thought the villagers were celebrating something," the man says casually.
"You're not from the village?" Kiro asks.
The stranger shakes his head.
"No. A friend of mine used to live there—passed away a few years ago. His kids visit me sometimes. But the other villagers avoid me."
Torgul and Kiro look at each other, puzzled.
Torgul eyes the man and asks:
"And what's your name?"
"Unutay," he replies calmly. "And you?"
"I'm Kiro. This is Torgul."
Unutay glances at Torgul and raises an eyebrow.
"You're a big one," he says with a smirk. "Come on. I just caught this deer. Are you hungry?"
The three of them head toward the cabin.
Keal, Elandra, and Mika watch them approach.
"Who is that?" Keal asks as Kiro nears.
Kiro just shrugs.
The stranger raises his hand in greeting.
"Hello. I'm Unutay. And you are?"
"I'm Keal. This is Elandra. And this is—"
"I'm Mika!" she cuts in, stepping forward with a grin. "Nice to meet you!"
"Are you from the village?" Unutay asks.
"No," Keal replies. "We're soldiers. Sent here because of the portal."
"Then why are you still here?" Unutay asks. "Weren't you evacuated?"
Unutay shrugs.
"I don't know. I was in the forest for a few days. Only got back yesterday."
"He was forgotten," Mika says immediately.
Unutay laughs softly. "Could be."
Then he looks around.
"If you came all the way up here, you must be hungry. Stay the night. I don't get visitors often. And we can cook the deer together."
Mika beams.
"Keal! Please! Let's stay the night. We don't have to head back until tomorrow morning. Please, please!"
Keal hesitates. Before he can answer, Elandra says:
"One night. We'll head down in the morning."
"What about him?" Kiro asks.
Mika replies without hesitation:
"We'll take him with us. We can't just leave him here alone."
The group shares a few uncertain looks, but ultimately agrees.
"Come on," Unutay says with a smile. "Let's eat."
"I'll help!" Mika calls out, jumping up.
"Me too," Elandra adds.
"Kiro, you set the table," Mika says. "Torgul, get the fire going."
Together they prepare the meal—cutting, chopping, lighting, seasoning—and laughing.
While they cook, Mika asks:
"How long have you lived here, Unutay? Don't you have any family? Are you always alone?"
Elandra gently stops her.
"Don't interrogate the man. If he wants to talk, he'll talk."
"It's alright," Unutay says calmly. "I don't have anyone else to talk to."
Soon, the food is ready. They sit around the fire outside. The sun slowly disappears over the horizon. The only sound is the crackling of flames.
"And what do you do up here all alone?" Mika asks again. "Why don't you live down in the village?"
Elandra gives her a warning look again—but she, like the others, is curious.
Only Mika dared to ask.
Unutay stares into the fire. Then, slowly, he begins to speak.
"I don't know. I've lived here so long... I don't even know how long. The villagers avoid me—except for one boy. He used to sneak up here. We had fun. We hunted, we ate together. For many years. Then he became a father."
He pauses.
"Then his two sons came, and his daughter. They all visited me. The wife… she either wasn't allowed or didn't want to. I never knew."
"One day, the eldest came alone. Told me his father had died. And that he couldn't come anymore."
Unutay lowers his gaze.
"I wanted to visit his grave. But the villagers avoid me. My friend had warned me not to go into the village. That was the first and last time."
Silence.
Nerion looks at him carefully and asks:
"How old are you, Unutay?"
He shrugs.
"I don't know. I can't remember anything. The first thing I remember is Kazim—my friend—finding me here."
The others look at him, puzzled.
"And… how many years ago was that?" Nerion asks.
"I don't know. But we made a notch in the wall every time the first snow fell. Kazim never came after that until it melted again. Said the path was too dangerous."
Nerion wants to count the marks on the wall but doesn't get up immediately.
Unutay smiles.
"I also made tea. According to Kazim, it's the best tea ever."
He laughs softly. "I never got to try any other."
As Unutay stands, Elandra offers to help and rises. Mika jumps up as well—but then it happens.
A blinding light flashes from the valley below, followed by a deep rumble.
An explosion.
They all jump to their feet.
Their eyes turn to the valley—to the portal.
It has changed.
It's open.
"Impossible..." Nerion whispers. "There are still two days before it's supposed to open."
Even as he speaks, another smaller portal tears open in mid-air.
Then another.
And another.
Down in the camp, the sirens start to wail.
A shrill, piercing alarm—loud enough to be heard even up here.
Everyone turns pale.
Shocked.
"What... what's happening?" Keal whispers.
No one has an answer.