Leon tried to change their minds .
"Historically," Leon said carefully, "entering new gates has triggered immediate creature response. The act of crossing draws attention, causes aggressive behavior from whatever exists on the other side."
"But this gate has shown no creatures for over a month," one of the ministers pointed out. "Perhaps the historical pattern doesn't apply."
"Or perhaps crossing would trigger exactly that pattern," Leon countered. "We've been observing passively. Active intrusion might change the situation dramatically."
"Everything about this gate violates historical patterns," Kaelis said. "We can't base decisions solely on previous gate behavior when this one is clearly different."
"The High Archmage makes a valid point about risk," Lord Casimir said. "Sending people through could provoke a response we've so far avoided."
"But maintaining eighty thousand soldiers indefinitely based on fear of the unknown is unsustainable," Chancellor Quintus replied. "We need information to make rational decisions. That requires investigation."
The debate continued, but Leon could see where it was heading. The logic was sound, even if he hated it. They couldn't maintain this massive force forever based on speculation. Couldn't keep tens of thousands of soldiers standing ready for a threat that might not exist.
They needed to know what was actually beyond that gate.
Which meant someone had to go through.
"High Archmage Leon," the king said, pulling Leon from his thoughts. "If we were to send an expedition through the gate, what would you recommend in terms of size, composition, and safety protocols?"
And there it was. Not whether to send an expedition. When. How. With what precautions.
The decision was being made around him, his expertise used to justify it.
Leon looked at the assembled leaders - king and ministers, generals and admirals, all waiting for him to provide the framework for their decision.
He wanted to refuse. To argue against sending anyone through. But the logic was inescapable. They needed information. Passive observation had provided all it could.
"Small group," Leon heard himself saying. "Fifty people maximum. Soldiers who can defend themselves if needed, but not so many that we look like an invading force. Mages for readings and communication. Scouts experienced in unknown terrain."
"Duration?" Kaelis asked.
"Brief initial expedition. Enter, conduct rapid survey of immediate area, return. If that proves safe, subsequent expeditions can go deeper."
"And who leads it?" the king asked.
Leon knew the answer before the question was fully asked. Knew with absolute certainty what would be decided.
"The High Archmage should lead," Chancellor Quintus said. "His expertise with gates is unmatched. His presence would ensure proper assessment of magical phenomena. And frankly -" He looked around the room. "- the soldiers would follow him. His leadership would provide confidence to the expedition team."
Murmurs of agreement from the assembled leaders.
Leon wanted to protest. To explain that he wasn't actually qualified, that his gate expertise was mostly desperate improvisation, that he had no idea what they'd face beyond that portal.
But the High Archmage didn't express doubt. Didn't show weakness. Didn't admit limitations.
The High Archmage accepted impossible tasks and somehow made them work.
"I'll need to select the team carefully," Leon said instead. " Experienced people who can handle unexpected situations."
"Of course," the king agreed. "You have full authority to assemble your expedition. Take whoever you need."
"When?" Leon asked, though he suspected he knew.
"Tomorrow," Chancellor Quintus said. "We've waited over a month already. Further delay serves no purpose."
Tomorrow. Less than a day to prepare for stepping through a gate larger than any in history, into a world that showed impossible beauty and concerning emptiness.
"Tomorrow," Leon confirmed, his voice steady despite the fear coiling in his stomach.
The meeting concluded. Decisions made. Expedition authorized. Team selection delegated to Leon.
He walked out of the tent into the evening air, looking at the distant gate glowing softly with light from another world.
Tomorrow, he'd step through it.
Tomorrow, the High Archmage would lead an expedition into the beautiful, peaceful, mysterious plains beyond.
He hoped they'd survive long enough to come back and report.
...
Leon stood before the Gate at dawn, surrounded by the fifty people he'd chosen for the expedition.
Veterans all. Soldiers who'd fought at multiple gates, who understood combat against impossible odds. Scouts experienced in unknown terrain. Mages trained in defensive formations and rapid assessment. People Leon trusted to keep their heads in a crisis.
The Sword Saint stood to his right, fully armored as always. He'd chosen her without hesitation - if anything went wrong, there was no one he'd rather have at his side in a fight.
Behind them, the entire combined army watched from their positions. Eighty thousand soldiers manning the towers and platforms, ready to respond if the expedition triggered a creature surge. Ready to evacuate survivors if everything went catastrophically wrong.
Ready to block the gate if necessary, leaving the expedition team trapped on the other side.
Leon tried not to think about that last possibility.
The mages in the expedition group stood closest to the gate, taking final readings. Their faces showed strain - the magical saturation pouring through the portal was overwhelming, even after a month of exposure. Leon watched Aldric wipe sweat from his forehead despite the cool morning air. Another's hands trembled slightly as she adjusted her equipment.
Leon felt none of it.
The massive magical power emanating from the gate - energy so dense it made experienced mages physically uncomfortable - was completely unfelt by him.
The other mages probably thought his immunity was in line with a High Arch-mage's abilities. That someone of his legendary power could simply ignore energy that strained lesser practitioners.
The truth was simpler and more damning: he had zero magical affinity. Couldn't feel mana, couldn't sense power flow, couldn't perceive the forces that made mages nauseous from proximity to the gate.
He was a fraud standing before the largest magical phenomenon in recorded history, completely blind to the very thing he was supposed to be expert in.
At least I'm consistent, Leon thought bitterly.
The Sword Saint shifted beside him, and Leon noticed her posture was slightly different than usual. More tense. Her hand rested on her sword hilt - not gripping it, but ready.
She showed discomfort too, he realized. The gate's energy affecting even her.
Leon had chosen her among those he trusted most. If anything could protect this expedition, it was her skill and experience. But even she seemed unsettled by what they were about to do.
The other expedition members showed varying degrees of reluctance. Soldiers checking their weapons for the third time. Mages muttering prayers under their breath. Scouts staring at the beautiful plains beyond the gate with obvious wariness.
Leon didn't blame them.
They might be rushed as soon as they crossed. Maybe the creatures were just close by but unseen, waiting for prey to enter their territory. Maybe they had invisibility - standing right before them unseen, preparing to attack the moment humans were vulnerable mid-transition.
Or they could be tiny. Insect-like creatures who would drown them in numbers, too small to spot from a distance, giving them slow, painful deaths as thousands of venomous bites overwhelmed their defenses.
Maybe some had even crossed over already, unnoticed. Microscopic organisms that had infected the soldiers watching the gate for the past month, waiting to activate once enough hosts were gathered.
Or maybe - and this thought made Leon's engineering mind recoil - maybe the world beyond was truly devoid of life because it couldn't support life. An atmosphere without oxygen, air that looked breathable but would suffocate them within minutes. They'd step through, take that first breath of alien air, and simply... stop. Asphyxiate while their lungs worked uselessly, pulling in gases their bodies couldn't process.
He couldn't explain that fear to the others. How could he? They didn't have the framework to understand atmospheric composition, oxygen requirements, the chemical processes that made air breathable. They'd just look at him confused if he tried to explain that different worlds might have different air.
Magic made people assume too much. Assume that if a gate connected to another world, that world must be compatible with human life. Why would it be? The universe didn't care about compatibility.
Leon's mind spiraled through increasingly horrific scenarios. His engineer's training coupled with horror movies worked against him - he could calculate exactly how many things could go catastrophically wrong.
He looked back at the towers dotting the swamp's edge. At the thousands of soldiers manning defensive positions, weapons ready, formations prepared. The entire army poised to respond to whatever emerged.
Looked at his companions. Fifty people he'd chosen. Fifty lives he was responsible for.
The sacrificial lambs walking into the unknown because the High Archmage had given a detailed technical assessment that made sending an expedition seem logical and necessary.
Leon inhaled deeply, trying to steady his nerves.
"I really need to learn to keep my mouth shut," he muttered.
Then stepped through.