The Lazy Chronicles: Apartment of the Apocalypse-Chapter 121 - 122 - The Road to the Ruined City

Chapter 122 - The Road to the Ruined City

The journey from the Oracle’s chamber was marked by an eerie silence. Even Greg, who always had a sarcastic remark at the ready, seemed subdued. The words of the Oracle weighed heavily on all of them.

"The Gate does not open for the unworthy."

Mallory led the way, her mind replaying the cryptic warning. It wasn’t just about reaching the Forgotten Gate—it was about proving themselves worthy before it. But what did that entail?

The underground tunnels eventually gave way to a massive stone staircase that spiraled upward. The walls were lined with decayed murals, depicting figures standing before what seemed to be the Gate. In some, they stood tall; in others, they were kneeling—or worse, reduced to dust.

Greg shuddered. "Okay, I don’t like the whole ’some people make it, some people get obliterated’ theme we’ve got going on here."

Quinn exhaled. "Wouldn’t be the first time we’ve taken risks like this."

"But this time, the risk is stepping into something we might not even understand," Elara pointed out. "What if the Gate requires a price we aren’t willing to pay?"

No one had an answer for that.

They reached the top of the staircase and emerged onto the surface—a vast, barren land stretching endlessly before them. The ground was cracked and dry, remnants of old structures littering the horizon.

In the far distance, past jagged mountains and remnants of battlefields long forgotten, the Ruined City stood. Its crumbling towers reached toward the sky like skeletal fingers, shrouded in a thick, unnatural mist.

"The Forgotten Gate is there," Mallory murmured.

Avaris, who had accompanied them, nodded solemnly. "The Ruined City is a place of many trials. It is not just a graveyard of the past—it is a domain that tests all who enter."

Mallory looked to the others. "Then we move carefully."

With that, they began their trek.

---

The First Trial - The Wraithborn

As they neared the outskirts of the city, the air grew heavier, charged with a strange, oppressive energy. The mist shifted unnaturally, almost sentient in the way it curled around ruins and wove between broken archways.

Then, the whispers began.

Faint at first, like distant voices carried by the wind. But as they moved deeper, the whispers grew louder, clearer.

"Turn back."

"The Gate is not for you."

"You are not ready."

Greg clenched his fists. "Oh, great. Ghosts. Because we definitely needed that in our lives."

Elara drew her blades, scanning the ruins. "They’re not just ghosts."

From the mist, figures emerged—warriors clad in ethereal armor, their forms flickering between solid and incorporeal. Their faces were obscured by cracked helmets, but their eyes glowed with an eerie blue light.

"The Wraithborn," Avaris said grimly. "The spirits of those who sought the Gate and failed."

One of the wraiths stepped forward, its voice like a hollow echo. "Prove your resolve or be claimed."

Mallory met its gaze. "We’re not turning back."

The wraiths raised their weapons.

The battle began.

Mallory was the first to move, lunging at the nearest wraith. Her sword met resistance—it felt like striking something half-solid, half-air. Sparks flew as she forced it back, adjusting her stance.

Quinn fought beside her, his daggers flashing as he weaved through their attackers. "They’re fast, but they’re not invincible!"

Greg unleashed a wave of energy, but it passed through one of the wraiths harmlessly. "Uh, that’s not good."

Elara cursed. "They can shift between physical and ghostly states. We need to time our attacks."

Mallory adjusted her grip. Then we need to be faster.

She waited for the moment when a wraith solidified mid-attack, then struck hard. Her blade sank into its chest, causing the wraith to let out a distorted scream before dissipating.

The others caught on quickly, adjusting their attacks. One by one, the wraiths fell.

As the last wraith faded, the oppressive energy lifted slightly.

Greg wiped sweat from his brow. "I hate ghost fights."

Mallory ignored him, turning toward the city gates. "This was only the first test. The worst is yet to come."

Avaris nodded approvingly. "Then let us proceed."

---

The Second Trial - The Watchers’ Judgment

The city’s streets were eerily quiet as they advanced. Crumbled buildings lined the path, their interiors swallowed by shadows. Statues of long-forgotten warriors stood at crossroads, their gazes hollow and unsettling.

Then, one of the statues moved.

Greg yelped as stone cracked and shifted, revealing a humanoid figure with glowing amber eyes. It stepped forward, and more followed—silent, unmoving sentinels.

A deep voice resonated from the air itself.

"You who seek the Gate must answer for your past."

Suddenly, Mallory’s vision blurred. The city around her faded, replaced by a memory she had buried long ago.

She was back in the ruins of an old battlefield, standing over someone she had failed to save.

A voice whispered in her ear. "Was this your price? Did you ever atone?"

Her breath caught. "I..."

The scene shifted again. This time, it was Greg’s past—a burning village, his younger self standing frozen in terror.

"You ran. Was that not cowardice?"

Greg gritted his teeth. "I did what I had to."

One by one, the group was forced to confront their regrets.

Elara saw herself standing over the body of someone she had betrayed. Quinn saw the faces of those he had let down. Alex saw the shadows of those who had sacrificed for him.

Each of them was given a choice: to turn back or face the weight of their actions.

Mallory clenched her fists. "I know my past. I live with it every day. But I won’t let it stop me."

Greg exhaled. "We move forward."

Elara and Quinn echoed the sentiment.

The Watchers’ gaze lingered for a moment, then dimmed. The figures stepped aside, granting them passage.

The trial had been passed.

---

The Forgotten Gate

At last, they reached the heart of the Ruined City.

There, standing at the center of a massive courtyard, was the Forgotten Gate—a towering structure of metal and stone, covered in intricate engravings that pulsed with a faint, golden light.

It radiated an overwhelming presence, something both ancient and powerful.

Avaris exhaled. "You have come farther than most. But now comes the final truth."

Mallory stepped forward. "What do we have to do?"

The Oracle’s words echoed in her mind.

"The Gate does not open for the unworthy."

Avaris gestured toward an inscription at the base of the Gate.

It read:

"One must stay behind. Only those willing to sacrifice may pass."

A heavy silence fell over the group.

Greg took a step back. "Wait. Are you saying...?"

Quinn exhaled. "One of us has to be left behind?"

Mallory’s heart pounded. This was the price.

The weight of the decision pressed on them.

Who would stay?

Who would go?

And what would happen next?

The inscription at the base of the Forgotten Gate pulsed with an eerie golden light, as if waiting for their decision.

"One must stay behind. Only those willing to sacrifice may pass."

The words hung over them like a death sentence.

Greg took a step back. "So... when it says ’stay behind,’ does that mean—"

"Death?" Quinn finished grimly. "It doesn’t say outright, but it sure sounds like it." frёewebnoѵēl.com

Elara tightened her grip on her blades. "There’s no way we came all this way just to leave someone behind."

Mallory exhaled slowly, stepping closer to the gate. The energy surrounding it vibrated in response to her presence.

"It’s a test," she murmured. "The Gate doesn’t just want to know if we’re strong. It wants to know if we’re willing to make sacrifices."

Avaris studied the inscription, his expression unreadable. "The Forgotten Gate has always demanded a price. The histories speak of warriors who reached this point and chose to turn back rather than leave one of their own."

Quinn clenched his jaw. "Then what happened to them?"

Avaris hesitated. "None were ever heard from again."

A heavy silence followed.

Greg swallowed hard. "So it’s either we leave someone behind, or we all get erased from existence?"

"That seems to be the case," Elara muttered. "Damn it."

Mallory’s mind raced. The Ruined City had tested their combat prowess, their ability to face their past, and now this—the ultimate choice.

Was there a way to cheat the system? Could they trick the Gate into accepting a different form of sacrifice?

She turned to Avaris. "Is there no other way?"

The scholar hesitated. "If there is, it has never been recorded. But this place... it was built to test those who seek the truth. Perhaps the test is not in the sacrifice itself, but in the willingness to make it."

Greg groaned. "Oh, great. Another riddle. Just what we needed."

Mallory’s gaze flicked between the Gate and her companions.

Someone had to make a move.

The Willing Sacrifice

"I’ll stay."

The words came from Quinn.

Everyone turned sharply.

"No." Mallory’s response was immediate, sharp. "That’s not happening."

Quinn met her gaze, unwavering. "Mallory, you know this is the logical choice. You need to get through that Gate more than any of us. If one of us has to stay behind, it should be me."

Elara stepped forward. "Quinn, shut up. You’re not doing this alone."

Greg crossed his arms. "We’ll find another way."

Mallory’s mind spun. This wasn’t just about Quinn—if they couldn’t find a way around this, any one of them could be forced to stay.

Think.

The Ruined City’s trials had all been about testing them. The first had been combat. The second, a confrontation with their pasts.

But this?

This was about choice.

---

End of Chapter 124

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