The hill was too steep for him to walk straight up. Instead, he elected to move in a long, winding pattern that led him slowly to the top. Like much of the world around him, the hill had no vegetation or signs of wildlife.

  Ever since he stepped into this universe, the overt bleakness and the absence of life felt uncomfortable. Each step sent a sharp pain up his legs, and his side began to slowly ache. At least the air was breathable, and the weather had been temperate. He shuddered thinking about the last one, a world covered in toxic gas and extreme heat.

  Shun had been hiking for almost four hours now with no sign of reaching his goal. Sighing, he opened his palm, "Clarus Videre." A shining blue orb emerged from his palm and floated slightly below eye level. After hovering for a moment, it shot off over the top of the hill and out of sight.

  Vorlo, Shun's master and teacher of the arcane arts, had sent him on a journey to gain practical experience and gather particular objects of power. Opening his pack, he pulled out his small leather journal and jotted down a few thoughts.

  I've only been through four gates and am already physically and mentally exhausted. Each has tested me in new ways and pushed me far beyond anything I've done before. I hope this universe will be a nice change of pace from the last ones. Still I can’t help but question his motivations. It seems like he is using me more than guiding me.

  Throwing his book back in his bag, he continued his S-shaped hike up the small mountain. Though his throat was parched, he was conserving the little water left in his metal thermos. A shadow passed over him, the first movement he had seen since he arrived. His right hand firmly grasped his revolver as he looked up at the sky, mentally prepared. Flying high in the sky was a red-tailed hawk, its white belly and red tail giving it away. His right hand eased off his gun, and he kept walking.

  As he reached the peak, he saw the ruined tops of concrete buildings the path led to. On another close peak a giant knelt, holding up the sky. Distant gears and pistons churned and pivoted on the mechanical giant's body as it shuddered under the weight. The hawk flew by the giant's head before swooping down to its feet. Shun headed on, eager to complete this gate. By the time Shun had reached the ruins, the dead silence was filled with a steady drum of mechanics that echoed from the direction of the giant.

  Dark oil gathered in five spots around him, streaming from the interiors of the buildings. Four legs rose out of each puddle and morphed into a two-headed feline creature. The wet liquid hardened into dark skin covered in bristles. He whispered an incantation drawing Will into the bullets of his gun.

  The first one to finish forming pounced at him, but his pistol was already aimed, and he fired a magic bullet that disintegrated one of its heads. The second shot destroyed the other head. Another creature pounces from behind, knocking him against the ground, its claws shredding his backpack.

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  He flicked his left hand, “Pulsate retro.” An invisible force slammed the creature into a building, causing it to splatter and die.

  Before the three remaining cats formed, he swept his left hand in an arc, “Flammae arcus.” Fire whipped across the creatures, vaporizing them into ash and fumes. He knelt on the ground, breathing heavily. Using so much power in such a short period was exhausting. When his breath returned to normal and his essence built back up, he continued towards the giant.

  The mechanical giant's stoic face had been watching Shun for quite some time now. It waited until Shun recovered his breath before speaking. Pistons on its cheeks pushed, opening its mouth, "Hello, human. I thought your kind had been extinct for many thousands of years. My name is Hueg. What shall I call you?" Its voice rumbled up its throat and out of its mouth.

  The roaring sound of the metal gears and pistons drowned out most of his thoughts and caused a massive headache. Nervously, Shun yelled, “My name is Shun. I am a magus from a distant world. The world I come from is covered in stone cities that span as far as the eye can see in every direction. What happened to the humans here?”

  Metal panels cascaded across Hueg's eyes in a motion akin to blinking. “They wished for freedom and found only ruin.” Canisters extruded out from his shoulder blades, and hot steam blew out. “It was the same mistakes as their creators.” The canisters fell back into place.

  “What mistake was that?” Shun asked carefully. It felt wrong to cut Hueg off after the giant had been polite, but it was what the master demanded. Shun scratched his chin and waited patiently as it pondered the answer. It seemed that the giant always spoke slowly and with intention.

  The gears around his mouth churned as he spoke, "For millennia they sought to be free of machines. Organic matter, unlike machinery, must be assembled, controlled and directed. If they would have listened to me and my siblings none of this destruction would have happened.”

  An awkward silence surrounded them as Shun tried to think of what to say or ask. It wasn't easy to ask someone so old and inhuman relatable questions. "Are you bored?"

  A few small gears fell as Hueg answered, "I was for a few thousand years or so, but now I am just tired. I used to wonder about the creation of the universe or my purpose, but now all I want is rest". A loud noise, like a lightning bolt, boomed from the Titan's shoulder. Shun instinctively rolled away, narrowly dodging falling bolts and gears.

  “Surge, Gradus.” With a flick of his hands, translucent stairs appeared leading up to Hueg's chest. The Titan cocked his head as the man approached. Shun lifted his hand and shrouded it in a dangerous fog, his fingers turning into piercing claws of mist. In one motion, he snatched out the heart of Hueg and jumped off the top of his stairs.

  Hueg screamed in agony as Shun tumbled towards the ground. A new gate opened below Shun. The heart of an endling wasn’t easy to find, but Shun’s task in this universe was complete. Maybe death would be a release for the old, imprisoned giant.

  He fell through the glowing portal into a new universe. Behind him as the sky crashed into the ground, destroying the world.