Parted

Reign and Lilith stood before a massive circular stone structure at the end of the passage. The stone was weathered and ancient, but both of them could tell that it was extraordinary. 

Strange, intricate carvings spiraled around its outer edge, each symbol etched with the precision of hands long forgotten by time. 

Despite its solid stone frame, the center of the structure was an empty void, completely transparent, allowing them to see straight through to the other side .

"Can you feel it?" she asked, her voice barely above a whisper, breaking the heavy silence that enveloped them. 

"What is this thing?" he asked.

"It's the gate," she explained. 

He could see her breath quicken, and her eyes shone with an intensity that made him worry—not entirely from anticipation, but from a nagging apprehension.

'What if this was all a mistake? ' he thought.