By the time dawn broke, the journey had grown even more treacherous. The air was cooler, the wind picking up as if to signal the beginning of something far worse. The mountains loomed ahead, their snow-capped peaks obscured by low-hanging clouds. They had left the forest behind, but now the open terrain before them seemed just as hostile. The Fallen were drawing nearer.
Gabriel's muscles ached from the exertion of the previous day's journey, but he pressed on. Every fiber of his being screamed for him to move faster. He could feel Lucifer's presence growing stronger, a dark force slowly closing in around him.
"Do you see it?" Varek asked, his voice tinged with awe.
Gabriel's gaze shifted to the distance. There, nestled in the valley between the mountains, was the city—Elantris. It looked like something from a forgotten dream, an ancient relic untouched by time. The city's gleaming towers seemed to shimmer in the morning light, their surfaces made of stone that seemed almost too perfect to be real. The architecture was both grand and haunting, a testament to the Gods' former reign.
But there was something unsettling about it. The city, despite its beauty, felt abandoned, as though it had been lost to time. It was a place both magnificent and forsaken, and Gabriel couldn't shake the feeling that it was watching them.
"Is this it?" Gabriel asked, his voice filled with awe and caution.
Varek nodded. "Elantris. The city of the Gods. It holds the power you seek, but it's not without its dangers."
Gabriel's heart pounded in his chest as they approached the gates. The entrance was guarded by two massive statues of celestial beings—angels with wings spread wide, their faces obscured in shadow. They seemed to watch Gabriel with a knowing gaze, as if they had been waiting for him.
Varek reached into his cloak and pulled out a small, glowing crystal. "This is what you need to open the gate," he said, holding the crystal up to the stone. "It's a key, a relic from the old days. Only the worthy can pass."
Gabriel took the crystal from Varek's hand and stepped forward. As soon as he touched the stone, a pulse of energy surged through the ground beneath him. The statues seemed to stir, and the gate slowly creaked open, revealing a pathway that led into the heart of the city.
Beyond the gate, the air was thick with an ancient power. Gabriel could feel it, like a hum that resonated deep within him. It was the power of the Gods—the same power that had once ruled this world, now hidden away, waiting to be reclaimed.
As they stepped into the city, Gabriel could feel the weight of history pressing down on him. He was standing in the very heart of the Gods' former domain. And with each step, the burden of his mission grew heavier.
"Be careful," Varek warned, his voice dropping to a whisper. "Elantris is not what it seems. It's a place of power, but it's also a place of traps. The Fallen will be looking for us. And there's more here than just the Gods' power."
Gabriel nodded, his eyes scanning the city. The buildings towered above him, but there was a strange emptiness to them. He could feel the absence of life, the echoes of a civilization that had long since vanished.
They continued deeper into the city, the silence oppressive. Every step seemed to bring them closer to something they weren't meant to find. And somewhere, in the shadows, Gabriel could feel the presence of the Fallen watching them, waiting for their moment to strike.
The search for the Gods' power had begun. But as Gabriel moved deeper into the heart of Elantris, he realized that what lay ahead was not just a fight for survival—it was a battle for the very soul of the Earth.