A massive bronze gate towered majestically before Dustin and the others. Behind it might lie the fabled Aether Garden, or perhaps a far deadlier trap.

Dark gold vines twisted through gaps in the doorway, looking brittle and dead. But they felt like forged metal to the touch and were unnaturally tough.

The cloud-scripted runes on the gate pulsed with a faint light, forming an ancient and powerful seal. Forcing it open would be no simple feat and could trigger unforeseeable consequences.

Dustin spent considerable time examining it with his divine sense before finally shaking his head.

"This gate is sealed intact and anchored deep into the bedrock," he said. "Forcing it open could be disastrous. There's probably another entrance, or a specific condition required to open it."

Coming so close only to hit a wall left everyone frustrated.

Grace studied the misty fissure along the mountainside and reasoned, "Since this path is currently blocked, why not explore along its edge? We might