## Chapter 23: *"The Fifth Gate"*
> _"To open a gate is to forget who you are. To close it is to remember too late."_
---
The monastery had grown colder since the mirror spoke.
It wasn't just the air — it was something deeper, like the walls themselves were holding their breath.
Majid sat alone in the ruins of what used to be the library, staring at the spiral-shaped burn mark on his left palm.
It hadn't hurt when it first appeared.
But now?
Now it pulsed with every heartbeat.
Like something beneath his skin was trying to breathe.
Rana entered quietly, her boots barely making a sound on the stone floor.
— You're still awake? she asked, half surprised, half worried.
Majid didn't look up.
— Sleep doesn't want me anymore.
She sat beside him and studied the mark.
— It's spreading.
He nodded slowly.
— I know.
There was silence for a moment before she asked the question they'd all been avoiding.
— Do you think... whatever's inside you is growing stronger?
Majid finally looked at her.
His eyes flickered — not with fear.
With something older.
— Yes.
And then, softly, as if afraid to wake something:
— And I don't think it wants to wait much longer.
---
### 🔮 Part II: The Key to the Fifth Gate
Later that night, Layla gathered everyone in the main hall.
She held a scroll wrapped in black silk, its edges burned and curling.
— This was hidden behind the altar, — she said. — It wasn't there before.
Samir, or what was left of him after the mirror touched him, reached out.
His fingers hovered over the fabric.
Then he pulled back.
— Don't touch it bare-handed, — he said, voice hollow. — It burns more than fire.
Layla carefully unrolled the scroll.
The text was written in a language none of them recognized — but somehow, they all understood it.
It read:
> _"To reach the Watcher, one must pass five gates."_
> _"Each requires sacrifice."_
> _"Each feeds the Spiral."_
> _"The fifth gate is opened not by will…_
> _…but by surrender."_
Fatima frowned.
— Surrender? What kind of surrender?
The scroll shifted.
New words formed.
> _"Of self."_
> _"Of name."_
> _"Of soul."_
Majid closed his eyes.
— That's what my grandfather meant, — he whispered.
— What do you mean? Rana asked.
— He told me I was born a vessel. Not a Traveler. A vessel.
— For what?
No one answered.
Because no one wanted to.
---
### 🧩 Part III: The Ritual Begins
They moved the ritual underground — to a chamber buried beneath centuries of dust and forgotten prayers.
The walls were covered in spirals carved deep into the stone.
At the center stood a pedestal.
On it, a shard of obsidian shaped like an eye.
Layla explained the ritual.
— The fifth gate can only be opened through a full surrender of self.
— No memory. No identity. No control.
— You won't just lose yourself, Majid.
— You'll give yourself away.
Majid stared at the obsidian shard.
He could feel it watching him.
Waiting.
— I have to do this, — he said.
Rana grabbed his arm.
— There might not be a way back.
— Then let it be that way.
He stepped forward.
Placed his hand on the shard.
Closed his eyes.
And began the chant.
The words weren't his.
Not anymore.
> _"I am not myself."_
> _"I am not my past."_
> _"I am not my name."_
> _"I am empty."_
> _"Let the Sleeper enter."_
A low hum filled the room.
Then a wind that came from nowhere.
The spirals on the wall glowed.
And suddenly, Majid screamed.
Not in pain.
In recognition.
As if something inside him had finally woken up and remembered where it lived.
His body convulsed.
His eyes rolled back.
And then he fell silent.
Too silent.
Rana rushed to him.
— Majid?
— …
— Majid!
He opened his eyes.
But they weren't his.
They were black.
Smooth.
Endless.
He smiled.
Slowly.
Coldly.
— Hello, — he said.
But his voice was different.
Deeper.
More than one tone at once.
Layla took a step back.
— Who are you?
The smile widened.
— I am the storm before time.
— I am the silence between stars.
— I am the echo that never fades.
— And now…
He looked around at them.
One by one.
— Now I walk among you.
--