On a cold, windy night a young boy slowly trudged through the darkness of the deep woods. A heavy beast fur cloak hung around his shoulders as he made his way towards a massive mountain range seizing the sky above the pines.

A quarter of an hour later the boy arrived at the foot of a sheer incline, at which point he promptly turned and began following the length of the earthen wall. After another hour at a slow pace the boy finally reached his destination – a small crack along the mountain, only large enough to allow a small frame to pass through. Once inside the he paused for a minute before continuing deeper into the large cavern spread before him. The walls were made of a heavy black stone different from that which comprised the rest of the mountain range. Easily 500 feet wide, the cavern had an impressively high ceiling demonstrating the strength of the black stone capable of supporting the weight of a mountain.

The most impressive facet of the room however, was in the center of the circular cavern.

There a massive doorway was placed complete with pure white pillars and gold trimmings, giving it a holy air. Surround the door was countless golden chains, shining even in the dark with no signs of decay despite having spent an unknown amount of time sealed in the cave.

Quietly the boy approached the door, until he stood at arm’s length, dwarfed by the massive object fit for giants. There he hesitated for a moment before resolve shone in his eyes and he took out a small dagger – the kind used for skinning hunted animals.

With a deft motion the boy’s wrist was cut and blood began to flow. As the liquid fell a strange sight appeared – halfway to the ground the blood slowed its descent and came to a stop, floating in midair. There the writhing blood began to form into a small shape, a ring within which was several odd scribbles seeming to represent some ancient language.

The blood kept flowing until the boy’s knees began to feel weak from blood loss, only stopping as he fell back onto the ground with one hand clutching his head. Then the blood slowly began to stop wriggling and even seemed to solidify into a ruby colored treasure. The amalgamation of blood slowly floated up and passed through the door underneath the chains.

A bright reddish orange light shone out of the cracks of the door and a suffocating pressure descended upon the room, startling the boy, and causing him to shoot to his feet.

After twenty seconds the pressure reached its peak and one of the locked chains on the door suddenly shattered in an explosion of light, as if the chain had been made from condensed sunlight. The boy sucked in a breath and prepared for what was to come.

However, after breaking the chain the pressure…disappeared.

A panicked expression came over the boy’s face and he cautiously began to inch closer to the door. When he was once again within arms’ reach he extended his right arm towards the door.

The moment his fingertip touched the door an explosion of light, similar in color to the light from within the door, formed at the point of contact and launched the boy’s body across the cavern. His body hit the ground after fifteen feet in the air and bounced five times before sliding to a halt.

…

After an unknown amount of time the boy finally opened his eyes, and with a groan propped his body up. Upon a cursory inspection of his body, no serious injuries were found though bruises were many. Only one thing stood out – a glowing symbol on his right hand, exactly like the one formed of blood that had sunk into the door earlier.

Upon seeing the symbol, the boys haggard face lit up like the chains on the door, and tears formed in his eyes. Hugging his hand to his chest he slowly got up and made his way back out of the cave and into the howling winds of the night…