The Gate That Keeps Your Word

You find a circular clearing where pale roots have grown around an arch of white stone. Three carved dials jut from the floor before it, each marked with a stag, a mirror, a thorn, and a crown. A black pool lies between the dials and the sealed arch, reflecting silver stars that are not visible overhead. Blue mushrooms pulse like slow heartbeats, while unseen laughter drifts through the trees. The arch bears a smiling face whose eyes follow whoever approaches, and a tiny silver moth trembles beneath a glass bell.