The kingdom thrived.
Under the reign of King Isen and Queen Ivy, the land blossomed like never before. Forests that had withered bloomed once more. Rivers flowed with clarity. Villages echoed with laughter and song. Markets brimmed with color, and the very skies seemed to smile down on the realm.
But even in peace, the spirit of adventure never left them.
On the fourth morning after the wedding, Ivy awoke with her head resting on Isen's chest, sunlight warming their bedchamber and birds chirping beyond the open balcony.
"I want to see the woods today," she whispered.
Isen opened his eyes, his arm gently curling around her. "The Emerald Forest?"
"Yes," she said. "The same trail we once ran through when everything was uncertain. I want to walk it now—not to escape something… but just to breathe."
He smiled, kissed her forehead, and said, "Then let's breathe."
By mid-morning, they were joined by their closest friends—Orien, Isen's loyal friend and tactician, always watchful but with a spark of mischief in his eyes, and Tenley, Ivy's companion since childhood, a healer with a fierce spirit and a laugh like sunlight.
Together, the four rode on horseback through the lush winding paths of the Emerald Forest.
Sunlight filtered through the tall trees, painting golden patterns on the mossy floor. Flowers of all colors grew wild and free, and small creatures scampered through the underbrush. A gentle breeze stirred the leaves like a whisper of old secrets.
"It's so quiet," Tenley said softly, riding beside Ivy. "Almost sacred."
Orien nodded, guiding his horse over a fallen branch. "This forest used to be cursed. Now it feels like it's dreaming."
Isen smiled at that. "Let it dream. It's earned it."
They eventually dismounted and began walking deeper into the trees, laughter echoing through the woods. Ivy ran her hands over the moss-covered trunks, breathing in the scent of wildflowers and dew. Orien plucked a flute from his satchel and played a few soft notes, birds singing back in response.
They came to a small clearing where a stream cut through the earth, clear and cold. Tenley knelt by the water, cupping it in her hands.
Then something changed.
A hush.
Even the birds fell silent.
Ivy straightened, her eyes narrowing as a glimmer of blue light flickered behind a thick curtain of vines across the clearing.
"Did you see that?" she whispered.
"I saw it too," said Isen.
Slowly, the four stepped through the brush. Ivy's fingers parted the vines—and there it was.
A door.
Set into the earth like the forest had grown around it, the door was ancient, made of silver wood that shimmered faintly in the dappled light. Strange symbols were carved into its frame—spirals, vines, and stars—and at the center, a keyhole shaped like a blooming flower.
Tenley whispered, "This wasn't here before. We've walked this trail dozens of times…"
Orien's hand moved to his blade. "It feels… alive."
They looked at one another. Then slowly, all eyes turned to Isen.
He didn't speak.
Instead, he took out the keys.
But now, it glowed softly in his hand. Reacting.
Ivy touched his arm. "Do you think we should?"
Isen looked at her, then at Orien and Tenley.
Whatever lay beyond that door, it was waiting.
"I think it's calling to us," he said.
With a deep breath, he stepped forward. The key fit the lock as if it had been waiting centuries for this exact moment. A pulse of light flashed through the carvings, and the vines around the door slithered away like snakes disturbed.
A low, ancient click echoed through the forest.
Then silence.
The door slowly creaked open—not to darkness, but to light.
Soft, humming, shifting light.
Beyond the threshold was not soil or stone—but what looked like a staircase made of crystal, winding downward into something deeper than the forest had ever shown.
The four of them stood frozen.
Finally, Orien broke the silence. "Well. I guess the forest is still full of secrets."
Tenley smiled nervously. "And we just found a big one."
Isen turned to Ivy, their fingers intertwining.
"Shall we?" he asked.
Ivy's eyes sparkled with wonder. "Together."
And with that, the four of them stepped through the door… into the unknown.