The Southern Cardinal
Fantasy
Something was off. Teva soared over the Southern Gate of Hell in lazy circles, studying the monolith with the sharp eyes of a gargoyle. She had been flying her patrol near the Gate when she sensed that something was wrong with it.
The archway of black stone and portal energy stood encased completely in flawless, clear crystal. It had been that way for nearly one thousand years. Since the Gods had sealed off the four Gates of Hell and imprisoned their King in a jail created in a pocket dimension.
The only access to the Mortal Realm now was through accidental rips that formed between the two realms. They weren’t many and didn’t last long before closing themselves. Even then, only wraiths and minor demons like gargoyles could slip through them. But they couldn’t risk staying in the Mortal realm long, lest the rip close and strand them there.
If the stranded being couldn’t make it back to Hell, they would perish from energy loss before long.
Nothing appeared to have changed about the Southern Gate. It still stood there in solitary splendor in a clearing. Trees and other plants grew in a perfect circle around the structure. The ground inside of the circle was barren of life. Nothing would grow there because of the vast amount of energy that the Gate threw off.
