Chapter 4: The Next Move

  As they stepped out of the museum, Alex and Ravi found a nearby bench and sat down, still buzzing from the discovery of the stone tablet. Ravi pulled out his phone, typing ‘Gatekeepers’ Archive’ into the search engine. “Let’s see if Google knows anything about this secret place.”

  They scrolled through results, mostly articles about mythological archives and fictional references, but nothing that seemed connected to what they had just seen.

  Ravi groaned in frustration, rubbing his temples. “Bruv, this is useless. It’s like the place doesn’t even exist.”

  Alex, equally frustrated, sat quietly for a moment, staring at the key in his hand. “Maybe we’re looking at this all wrong,” he said suddenly, holding the key up to the light. “I think this thing can do more than just open doors. Gashuun said ‘The key will guide you’. So I think we could maybe use it like a magical compass.”

  Ravi frowned, lowering his phone. “You mean ... let the key lead the way?”

  Alex nodded, his grip tightening around the key. “Yeah. Who needs Google when you have a magic key? We just have to trust in it.”

  Ravi gave a slow nod. “Okay … I guess. Let’s see where it takes us.”

  Alex held out the key, holding it up to the light. The engravings glimmered faintly, like they were waiting for something. “I guess we let it lead the way, then.”

  The key then started to gentle vibrate in Alex’s hand, almost like it was pulling him forward. He gripped it tighter. “Let’s start walking,” Alex said confidently.

  Ravi gave a nod, trusting Alex’s instincts. They walked through the crowded streets of London, weaving through pedestrians and traffic, the chaos of the city fading into the background as they focused on following the subtle pull of the key. Every now and then, Alex would stop, feel the key grow warmer, and adjust their path. It was as if an invisible thread was pulling them towards their destination.

  After a while, the streets became quieter, the energetic noises of central London fading as they found themselves in a more secluded part of the city. They approached an old, unassuming building, its weathered exterior blending in with the surrounding architecture. There was nothing to indicate it was special, but the key pulsed strongly in Alex’s hand as they neared the entrance.

  “This has to be it,” Alex said, feeling the key’s warmth intensify.

  Ravi frowned, looking at the plain door in front of them. “This? It looks like an old library, bruv.”

  Alex took a deep breath and held up the key, feeling its energy resonate with the building. As if on cue, a faint shimmering light began to spread across the surface of the door, revealing ancient markings – the same ones etched into the key.

  “Yeah, but ... to what?” Ravi asked, his voice shaky. “This doesn’t exactly scream ‘friendly neighbourhood archive’.”

  Alex responded, “This is why we came, though, Ravi.” He stepped closer to the door, holding the key tightly in his hand. For a moment, he hesitated, the significance of what they were about to do resting uneasily with him. Every instinct screamed that whatever lay beyond this door wasn’t going to be simple ... or likely safe.

  But there was no turning back now. He had to know.

  Taking a deep breath, Alex slid the key into the lock. It fit perfectly, as if the door had been waiting for this moment. He turned it slowly, the metal clicking into place with a low, grinding sound that echoed off the stone walls.

  The door creaked open, revealing a narrow staircase that descended into darkness.

  Ravi let out a shaky breath. “Well ... this is totally fine … Not scary at all.”

  Alex gave him a look, then glanced down the stairs. He couldn’t see much beyond the first few steps; the rest were swallowed by shadows. But there was a faint glow coming from somewhere deep within, like the flicker of distant candlelight.

  “Ready?” Alex asked, trying to sound more confident than he felt.

  Ravi snorted. “No. But I guess we’re going anyway.”

  They stepped through the doorway and began their descent. The stairs were steep, the air growing colder with each step. The dim, flickering light barely illuminated the ancient stairwell as Alex and Ravi descended deeper into the unknown. The air was thick and musty, and the stone walls seemed to close in the further they went. Ravi, never one to enjoy walking into darkness, fumbled in his pocket and pulled out his phone, switching on the torch. “Now this,” he said, waving the light around dramatically, “is what the ancient people were missing.”

  Alex chuckled. “Yeah, but they probably didn’t need torches or phones. They had magic, bruv.”

  Ravi grinned, undeterred. “Magic? Please. An iPhone would be magic to someone from a different universe. They’d think I’m a wizard. Shall I tell them my name’s Gandalf?”

  Alex couldn’t hold back his laughter. “If you really want to. But I doubt they’d understand the reference.”

  Ravi puffed out his chest, taking a few exaggerated steps down the stairs. “Doesn’t matter. I’ll know. ‘Gandalf the Grey.’ Has a nice ring to it, don’t you think?”

  “Sure,” Alex said, shaking his head with a smile, “until someone asks you to perform magic or to lead them into battle.”

  Ravi beamed, clearly enjoying himself. “Bruv, I’ll just hold up my phone with the torch on and shout, ‘YOU SHALL NOT PASS!’” He swirled his torch around dramatically again, as if preparing to face down a huge beast. “I’ve got this wizard thing down.”

  Alex snorted. “Right, but maybe less theatrics until we’re sure there’s no one actually waiting to ‘not pass’.”

  They shared a grin, the banter cutting through the tension that hung in the stairwell. Despite the gloom pressing in on them, Ravi’s light-heartedness was a welcome distraction. As they continued descending the steps, Ravi proudly muttering “Gandalf the Grey” under his breath, Alex couldn’t help but be grateful for his friend. Even in the strangest, most nerve-wracking situations, Ravi found a way to make things feel almost ... normal.

  But the further they went, the more the air seemed to shift, growing cooler and heavier, as though they were descending into a place untouched by time. The echo of their footsteps felt distant, swallowed by the dark unknown below. Despite the banter, the ancient stairwell had a way of reminding them that whatever lay ahead wasn’t something to be taken lightly.

  Ravi, now silent, kept the torch trained on the steps, his earlier jokes giving way to quiet concentration. Alex felt the shift too, the easy laughter fading as the weight of the moment settled in. They were heading somewhere unknown, somewhere no phone or jokes could protect them. Somewhere far older and far more dangerous than either of them had ever imagined.

  It wasn’t long before only the sound of their footsteps echoed on the narrow staircase, filling the silence with an eerie tone.

  As they descended deeper, Alex felt a strange sensation, like the air around them was thickening, pressing in on him from all sides. He tightened his grip on the key, hoping it would offer some kind of protection, though he wasn’t sure from what.

  Finally, they reached the bottom of the stairs, stepping into a large, circular chamber. The glow they’d seen earlier came from several old lanterns mounted on the walls, their flickering light casting an otherworldly glow across the room. The stone walls were covered in shelves full of dusty old books and scrolls.

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  At the centre of the chamber was a large stone table covered in scrolls, books, and ancient artefacts, as though someone had been looking for something contained within them. But what caught Alex’s attention most was a massive ornate chest that sat on the far side of the room, its surface covered in delicate engravings that glowed faintly with magic.

  “This has to be it,” Alex whispered, stepping towards the table. “The Gatekeepers’ Archive.”

  Ravi stood frozen at the entrance, his eyes wide. “Great … a library!”

  Alex reached out to touch one of the scrolls, the parchment brittle under his fingers. But as soon as he made contact, something shifted in the air. A low vibration filled the room, and the carvings on the chest began to glow brighter with a hint of blue.

  Ravi backed up a step. “Uh, Alex ... I think we’ve triggered something.”

  As the lid of the chest creaked open, what emerged was far from what they expected.

  A hulking figure stepped out of the chest, towering over them, its shape covered in matted fur and with clawed hands that curled menacingly. It was a rat-like creature, standing upright on its hind legs, its red eyes glowing with intelligence. It sniffed the air once before fixing its gaze on Alex and Ravi. “Welcome, young travellers,” it said in a commanding voice.

  Ravi’s mouth fell open in shock, his legs trembling beneath him. “Is ... is that a giant talking rat?” His voice wavered with panic.

  “I think so,” Alex replied quickly, eyes wide but his voice steady. “Just be quiet, Ravi. We need to hear this.”

  Ravi blinked rapidly, as if trying to reset his vision. “Right. Was just checking. Making sure I wasn’t hallucinating.” He gestured weakly towards the creature. “Go ahead, giant-rat-thing ... continue.”

  The creature observed them for a moment, then spoke in a deep, gravelly voice. “I am Thalron, Keeper of the Archive.”

  Ravi, his voice trembling, finally managed to speak. “So, you are a giant talking rat?”

  “And as for what I am,” Thalron said sternly, the sound vibrating through the chamber, “I am no mere rat, boy, I am a Faeqel.”

  He paused, as if to let that sink in. The creature’s mouth twisted into what could only be described as a smile, sharp teeth glinting faintly in the eerie light of the Archive.

  Thalron let out a low, rumbling chuckle, though there was an edge of danger to it. “My kind have served the Gatekeepers for millennia, guarding the knowledge of the Archive. You would do well to remember that. Although now I think on it, I may resemble what you would call a rat in your world. Yet I am far wiser and filled with magic.”

  Ravi swallowed hard, trying to keep his voice steady. “And bigger … much, much bigger.”

  Alex shot him a sharp look, shaking his head in disappointment.

  Ravi raised his hands defensively. “Apologies, continue ... Thalron … is it?” He was unsure if that was actually his name, still in shock at talking to a giant rat-like creature.

  Thalron’s red eyes glinted as he shifted his gaze between them. “You seek knowledge of the Veil and the Master Portal.”

  Alex stepped forward, trying to shake off his own disbelief. “We’re trying to find the Master Portal before it’s too late. The Gatekeepers – what’s left of them – are disappearing, and we’ve been told we need to find them to retrieve enough pieces of the map to lead us to the Portal.”

  Thalron’s long tail flicked behind him as he nodded slowly. “The Master Portal is at the centre of the Veil’s power. If it falls into the wrong hands, all worlds will fall into chaos. But finding it requires more than just strength or intelligence. It also requires understanding and courage.”

  Ravi, still in shock, dared to ask, “And how exactly do we get all of that? We’re just two kids trying not to get killed or eaten.”

  Thalron’s whiskers twitched as he regarded Alex and Ravi with his sharp, beady eyes. “This map will only show you so much,” he said in a gravelly voice. “But there are paths even it cannot reveal. You’ll need more than just the key to survive what lies ahead. Follow me, and I will show you the deeper secrets of the Archive, the ones that will help you truly understand what you’re up against.” He turned, his tail flicking behind him as he scurried towards a darkened corridor, glancing back to make sure they were following. “Hurry now,” he called over his shoulder, “there is lots for you to do.”

  Thalron led Alex and Ravi down a narrow corridor, stopping before a massive stone disc embedded in the floor. The disc was covered in ancient symbols carved deep into the stone, with a shallow, key-shaped indentation at its centre.

  “What’s this?” Ravi asked, staring at the strange object.

  Thalron smiled, his whiskers twitching. “This is the Map of Realms. But it is far more than a simple map: it is the heart of the Gatekeepers’ Archive. Through it, you will discover where you must go next.”

  Alex glanced down at the key in his hand. “So ... how do we use this?”

  “Place the key in the centre, and it will reveal what you need to see,” Thalron said, pointing towards the centre.

  Alex hesitated for a moment before stepping forward and fitting the key into the indentation. As soon as the key touched the stone, the symbols began to glow, pulsing with a warm blue light. The entire disc began to vibrate with power, and suddenly, the symbols lifted into the air, forming a glowing three-dimensional map that hovered before them. Floating spheres representing the realms flickered into view, connected by shimmering lines of energy.

  Ravi’s eyes widened. “Woah ... now that’s a map!”

  Thalron pointed to several glowing spheres, each pulsing with light. “These are the realms still under the protection of Gatekeepers. But many have been lost, their beacons dim or flickering. You must locate the remaining Gatekeepers and recover their pieces of the map.”

  Alex stared at the glowing orbs, feeling the responsibility of the task at hand. “How do we know where to go first?”

  Thalron touched one of the floating spheres, and it pulsed brighter, revealing a faint glow in the distance. “The key will guide you. Focus your mind, and the map will show you the realm where the next Gatekeeper awaits.”

  As Alex concentrated on the key, a path formed between their location and somewhere in Scotland, and it began to shine more brightly than the others. This was their next destination. Then suddenly, a soft voice, ancient and echoing, filled the chamber. The air around them seemed to tighten as the voice spoke, each word laced with an urgency that made the hairs on the back of Alex’s neck stand up.

  The first Gatekeeper waits for thee,

  Travel north where the Veil runs free.

  You’ll be one step closer to the Portal’s gate,

  But beware ... others move fast with hate.

  They seek to claim what’s not their own,

  A power that should remain unknown.

  The voice faded, leaving a heavy silence in its wake. Alex and Ravi exchanged a look, the same question hanging in the air between them.

  “How are we supposed to get there?” Alex asked aloud, his mind racing.

  “We can’t just hop on a bus to Scotland,” Ravi added, rubbing his head. “Even if we could get the money for tickets, what are we supposed to tell our parents? ‘Hey, Mum, we’re off to save the world, we won’t be back for dinner’? Not gonna happen.”

  Thalron stepped forward, his whiskers twitching slightly as he spoke. “You have the key, which can open a portal to anywhere you need to go.”

  Ravi’s eyes widened, and he glanced at Alex. “Whoa … you mean like we step through a magic swirling doorway, and bam ... we’re in Scotland instantly?”

  Thalron nodded slowly. “In a manner of speaking, yes.”

  Ravi looked at Alex, a grin spreading across his face. “Bruv, that’s insane. I thought we’d be hopping on a train or something. But this ... this is next level!”

  Alex couldn’t help but feel a rush of excitement mixed with nervous energy. The idea of stepping through a portal was hard to wrap his head around, but they were in too deep now to turn back. “So ... how does it work, exactly? We just think about where we want to go?”

  Thalron gave a small knowing smile. “The key will guide you, but you must focus your intent. Picture the destination clearly in your mind – Scotland, the place of magic you seek – and the key will respond.”

  “Alright, so now we know where we’re headed next,” Ravi sighed, stuffing his hands into his pockets. “But if we don’t get home soon, Alex, we’ll be grounded. And I’d rather not have to explain to my mum that we’ve been to another world, spoken to a wizard, got a magic key, told we have to save countless worlds and then ended up in a creepy room with a giant rat. Can we come back early tomorrow, yeah, to start a magical journey? And I am absolutely famished, by the way, just saying.”

  Thalron’s whiskers twitched, his eyes narrowing in thought. He tilted his head, his large frame casting a long shadow over the boys. For a moment, it seemed like he might argue, but then he sighed, resigned. “Tomorrow, then,” he said, though his voice was still laced with frustration. “I understand your world has its ... obligations. But you mustn’t dawdle too much; you have the Veil to save, after all.”

  Alex shifted uncomfortably, knowing Thalron had a point but feeling the pull of their ordinary lives. “We’ll be back first thing,” he promised, trying to sound more confident than he felt.

  Thalron gave them a long, scrutinising look before nodding. “Tomorrow, then. But do not underestimate the urgency. Time is not something we have in abundance.”

  Alex nodded, his voice quiet. “We’ll be back.”

  With that, Alex and Ravi made their way back up the long, narrow dark stairs, their footsteps echoing in the silence. Neither of them spoke, the weight of everything they had just learned pressing down on them like a heavy fog. The gravity of the situation was starting to sink in. The Veil, the key, magic: it was all real, and it was now their responsibility.

  Ravi kept his head down, his usual light-hearted banter nowhere to be found, while Alex’s mind raced with the enormity of their task. They had only just scratched the surface of this hidden world, but already it felt like they were in way over their heads. As they emerged from the stairwell and into the cool summer breeze, the busy city around them seemed distant, almost irrelevant, compared to what lay ahead.

  As they made their way back towards their homes, the city’s familiar sights and sounds felt oddly out of place after everything they had just experienced. Ravi broke the silence first, kicking a loose stone along the sidewalk. “So … tomorrow, yeah? We’ve gotta head back down there and somehow get to Scotland.”

  Alex nodded, still lost in thought.

  “What time should we meet?” Ravi asked, glancing sideways at Alex. “Early, or … ya know, normal people hours?”

  “Early, say seven a.m.?” Alex replied without hesitation. “We can’t waste time.”

  Ravi sighed. “It is summer holidays, you know. Seven is well early. But I guess it is important. If I have to skip breakfast, though, I’m blaming you if I pass out halfway through a magical quest.”

  Alex managed a small smile. “Deal.”

  As always, thanks for reading. If you have thoughts, theories, or favourite parts, drop a comment. I love hearing how readers are experiencing the story.

  Chapter five is where things take an even sharper turn. Hope to see you there.