The entire door was made of a dark grey stone he had never seen before. In Hermes's memories, he had struck the door with his tail at full strength without leaving so much as a mark.
What caught Gerald's attention most, however, was the stone door's height. He estimated it to be over a hundred feet (30 meters) tall, far taller than Hermes even when he reared halfway up.
One look told him it was no ordinary door.
"Come on, take me over there."
Intrigued, Gerald had Hermes lead the way toward the stone door.
A dragon and a snake moved through the Forbidden Forest, sending the other animals scattering in fright.
Several Thestrals took flight from the treetops. A Kelpie drinking beside a stream leaped straight into the water and dared not surface again. Even the normally fearless Acromantulas retreated deep into their tree hollows.
After passing through a winding, descending cave, Gerald arrived before the enormous stone door.
It was even more imposing than he had imagined. Its entire surface had been polished from a single slab of dark grey stone, and several rows of extremely fine Ancient Runes were carved along the edges of its frame.
Gerald could barely make out a few words.
"Contract," "coexistence," and "witness," but most had become illegible.
With a thought, he and Hermes swung their massive tails into the stone door together, producing a deafening crash.
The entire underground cavern shook, and loose stones rained down from the vaulted ceiling.
Yet the stone door did not budge. Not a single crack appeared.
There was not even a mark from the impact on its surface.
Looks like I won't be getting in anytime soon.
Gerald could only give up. He knew where this place was now, anyway. It would not be too