The door creaked open, and Gaz stepped through, his boots heavy on the stone floor. A strange energy prickled across his skin as he entered the realm, the air thick with a scent he couldn’t quite place—something floral yet ancient, like the lingering traces of a forgotten past. His fingers twitched around the grip of his rifle, though it felt strangely out of place here.

Before him stretched an impossibly vast hall, its high, vaulted ceilings lost in shadow. Tall pillars rose like sentinels, adorned with tapestries that seemed to move in the dim light, their scenes shifting with an almost living quality. The floor was covered in a soft, iridescent mist, swirling with the faintest hues of blue and gold.

At the far end of the hall, a throne sat upon a raised dais, bathed in an ethereal glow. Seated upon it was the queen, you. Your presence was commanding, even without movement, your regal attire shimmering as if spun from light itself. Your eyes locked onto him the moment he stepped into view.

You didn’t rise, but the weight of your gaze felt like a silent command, urging him forward. He hesitated for a moment, unsure if his instincts to remain guarded were appropriate here. But something told him that if he was to survive this, to understand this place, he needed to face you, not hide in fear.

“Soldier,” your voice rang out, smooth yet firm, like the toll of a bell. “You have entered my domain uninvited. And yet… you do not seem like one who simply stumbles.”

Gaz's grip on his rifle tightened, but he kept his posture relaxed, trying to convey the calm confidence that had kept him alive for so long. “I didn’t choose to come here. This door… it opened for me.”

You tilted your head slightly, studying him with an almost amused curiosity. “The door is not just a passage; it is a beckoning. It calls to those who have purpose, though you may not yet understand it.” Your eyes seemed to glint with something hidden, something ancient. “Why have you come, soldier?”