The air inside the temple felt wrong.
Cold, dry, ancient—and heavy, like something had been holding its breath for centuries.
But for Kain, it was exhilarating.
"This… this is it," he said, practically glowing. "You don't understand—learning the history of magic, of the Old Era… this has been my life's goal."
Bam blinked. "So that's why you can read all those glowy rune staffs and weird manuals?"
Bob nodded, impressed. "You must've studied really hard."
Kain didn't even register the sarcasm. "I did."
The group moved slowly through the grand hallways, their boots echoing off stone and silence. Along the walls, ancient paintings lined the halls—stick-figure style murals etched in dark ink.
It would've been comical, if not for the clear story they seemed to tell:
Figures, simple in form, raising their hands. Magic bursting from them. A battle. Something large, dark, twisted—a creature or force—fighting back. And finally, a circle. A seal.
But part of the painting had been destroyed, blackened or worn away like the stone itself had tried to forget.
"Weird," Marcus muttered. "It's like a kid drew it, but I still feel unsettled."
"Because this wasn't made to be pretty," Kain murmured. "It was made to warn."
They moved deeper, past shattered stone tables, piles of ancient bones, cracked scrolls, and broken magical tools. Some of the books were still intact—barely—but written in languages no one but Kain could half-understand.
Then they found the final chamber.
It was massive.
Seven towering statues stood in a semi-circle, each unique—one held a flame, another a staff, one had no face, another bore wings of stone. Beneath each statue was a withered skeleton, and next to them lay personal artifacts—an ugly handmade doll, a rusted pendant, a satchel of dried herbs, an old book.
But it was what stood in the middle that stopped them cold.
A glowing glass orb, pulsing faintly with inner light, resting on a pedestal.
Bob took a step forward.
"Don't touch anything!" Kain snapped.
The group froze.
Kain carefully approached one of the skeletons, kneeling beside the old book. He dusted it off, fingers trembling, eyes wide with reverence.
"This… this is written in pre-Arcane dialect," he whispered. "I can't read it fluently, but… I'll try."
They stood in silence as Kain slowly read aloud, stammering now and then.
"Seven… guardians… sealed… something…"
He frowned, eyes scanning frantically. "Words I don't know. Something about 'containment.' About… 'breaking consequence.' I think…"
He looked up, pale.
"I think something bad is sealed here. And the orb—" he pointed, "—might be the key."
Marcus immediately took a step back. "Yeah, no. Let's not touch cursed orbs."
Bam nodded. "Agreed. That's exactly how bad stuff gets out."
Bob squinted at the orb. "Looks like a dessert…"
"Bob, no," Derek warned.
But it was already too late.
Bob bumped the pedestal while turning to say something.
The orb wobbled.
"NO—" Kain shouted.
CRACK.
The orb shattered.
A rush of black smoke exploded outward like a silent scream. The chamber dimmed. The statues seemed to shudder. A deep chill passed through them—not on their skin, but in their bones.
No one spoke.
They just stood there, frozen, as the black smoke coiled through the air… then vanished.
Like it had never been there.
Nothing happened.
Except for the sound of stone cracking.
Kain slowly turned to the group.
"…You absolute idiots."
Then the temple shuddered.
A low rumble echoed through the floor, the walls. Dust fell from the ceiling.
"Everyone—RUN!" Derek shouted.
They bolted.
Statues began to crack apart. Runes flared, burned, and burst into sparks. The murals on the walls peeled away as if erased by time itself. Behind them, part of the ceiling collapsed, and something far in the dark growled—not loud, but deep. Real.
They didn't wait to find out what it was.
They sprinted through the collapsing halls, over broken books, dodging falling stone.
When they finally burst through the portal and back into the opI doon'ssden air, the temple behind them groaned once… then folded in on itself with a thunderous implosion of dust and silence.
The group hit the ground outside, coughing, panting, wide-eyed.
Bob rolled over.
Kain sat up slowly, shaking. "You broke the seal."
Derek stood, brushing off rubble. "What exactly did we just release?"
Kain sighed.
"I don't know."