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  Chapter 27: The Kingdom's Core and the Unveiling of Secrets

  The warriors stepped through the violet portal one by one—led by Hanto and Hakura, followed by Kain, Raiger, and Lorina, who kept glancing behind her, as if sensing something would never be the same again.

  The world they found themselves in was unlike anything they'd ever seen before.

  A sky filled with seven moons, their colors slowly shifting and pulsing like the breath of the cosmos.

  And beneath their feet… an endless ground floating in the void, blending ancient nature with forgotten technology.

  Raiger murmured in awe:

  > “This is… a place beyond time.”

  Eirin stepped forward toward the massive violet tree standing at the center and said:

  > “This is the Eternal Tree of Life. Its roots are connected to every energy vein across the kingdom. At its heart lies the Balance Cube—the source of all stability in Atelia.”

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  Kain placed his hand on the tree’s trunk and felt vibrations beating like a living pulse, as if the land itself spoke to him.

  Eirin continued:

  > “Each of you has a role to play here. Your presence is no coincidence. You were chosen… by the kingdom’s supreme will.”

  Hanto asked:

  > “What exactly does that mean? What are we facing?”

  Eirin replied:

  > “Zork, the being from the other dimension, cannot enter this world directly… but he sends echoes of himself through portals created by Ursai. Once the Balance Cube collapses, the Grand Gate will open… and the kingdom will be devoured.”

  Hakura:

  > “Then we must protect the Cube?”

  Eirin nodded, but added:

  > “You must awaken it. The Cube is not just a power source—it’s a sleeping entity that must be activated. And that… requires sacrifice.”

  Lorina stepped forward and asked quietly:

  > “What kind of sacrifice?”

  Eirin didn’t respond immediately. Instead, she pulled a small crystal from her cloak and held it toward the sky.

  Suddenly, moving images appeared before them, like encrypted memories:

  – Hanto in an ancient battle, wielding a glowing rune-covered sword

  – Hakura atop a mountain, summoning lightning

  – Kain saving a child from an energy collapse

  – Raiger unleashing fury to bring down a monster

  – And Lorina… holding a glowing flower, crying under a rain of stars

  Eirin said:

  > “Each of you holds an inner key. Only when you truly believe in yourselves… will the Cube awaken.”

  Suddenly, the ground trembled.

  Winds rose, and a deep voice echoed from beneath the earth, as if the heart of the kingdom was beginning to stir.

  The Cube at the tree’s center began to glow—spectral lines extended from it and wrapped around the warriors.

  But then…

  The air behind them cracked.

  A tear formed in the fabric of space and time.

  A hand emerged… then a tall figure, cloaked in darkness. His face was ever-shifting, as though the eyes refused to recognize it.

  He pulled out a twisted staff and struck it into the ground—creating a swirling green portal, a gate forged by his own hand!

  He spoke in a low but sharp voice:

  > “I’ve finally found you…”

  Raiger stepped back, weapon ready:

  > “Who are you?!”

  The stranger replied:

  > “My name doesn’t matter… but soon, you’ll see that what you call the Balance Cube… is nothing but a shackle holding back the truth.”

  The earth cracked beneath him, and the air turned into a roar.

  Eirin gasped:

  > “Impossible… that magic… it can only come from… a child of the Ninth Dimension!”

  The chapter ends on this moment—frozen expressions of shock and fear carved on every face.

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