The stone door groaned open, revealing the heart of the ancient temple. Dust choked the air, and faint light filtered in through cracks in the ceiling. Pillars lined the chamber, each carved with spirals and symbols no longer used in modern language. At the far end stood a pedestal, broken in half, as if something had once rested upon it—and had long since been taken.
Locob stepped forward first, eyes scanning everything. "The structure matches descriptions from early pre-Nori civilizations. This place… it's older than we thought."
Louis trailed behind, his boots crunching across cracked tiles. The mark on his palm pulsed faintly, responding to something. He kept that detail to himself for now.
Betty moved toward a nearby wall, running her fingers over a series of worn etchings. "These symbols… I saw similar ones in the Archive. They talk about gateways. Openings."
"Gateways to what?" Louis asked.
She turned, her voice low. "To other realms."
Locob, flipping through his field notebook, found a matching glyph. "This right here—'bind the shadow with blood, awaken the chosen, seal the gate.' This line… it's mentioned in one of the older corruption reports. Almost word for word."
Louis stepped closer to the pedestal. "So this place was part of sealing something?"
Locob nodded, hesitating. "Or part of awakening it."
---
Clues Beneath Dust
They split up to investigate further. Betty found a stairwell spiraling downward. Louis discovered faded murals, most of them damaged beyond recognition. One, however, showed a man kneeling before a massive winged figure—arms outstretched, red light pouring from his palms.
Louis touched the mural, and for a heartbeat, the winged figure's eyes shimmered red. The mark on his hand throbbed harder.
He pulled back, breath sharp. "Guys… I think this place is connected to the goddess Nori."
Locob's voice echoed from below. "You might want to come down here."
They descended the stairs into a crypt-like chamber. At the center, buried under vines and rubble, stood a circular mosaic tiled into the floor. As they cleaned it off, an image emerged: the same symbol etched on Louis's palm—two angelic wings made of light.
Louis froze. "That's my mark."
Betty took a step back. "Why is it here?"
Locob whispered, "It's not just here. Look."
Surrounding the central symbol were seven other circles, each dimmed or cracked. But one—the one with Louis's mark—glowed faintly, matching the light on his hand.
"This was some kind of… selection. Or prophecy," Locob said. "Your mark… it's active. The others aren't."
Louis knelt beside it. "Then the others—"
"—were never chosen," Betty finished, uneasily.
---
The Awakening
As Louis reached toward the mosaic, the mark on his palm ignited in brilliant red. The floor rumbled, dust falling from the ceiling. The once-faded lines around the mosaic began to glow, forming a web of energy stretching across the chamber.
Locob stepped back. "Something's activating. We need to—"
Before he could finish, a stone wall on the far side of the room began to sink into the ground, revealing a hidden passage filled with eerie red light.
Betty drew her bow. "That's not normal temple architecture."
From the passage came a low hum. Like breathing. Or a heartbeat.
Louis stood, staring into the glow. "It's calling me."
"Then we don't go in," Betty snapped.
But it was too late.
The mark on Louis's hand began to pull. A force—subtle but undeniable—dragging him toward the corridor. He resisted, teeth gritted.
Locob's eyes widened. "This place isn't just ancient—it's alive. And it's reacting to you."
The pulse grew louder. The ground trembled beneath their feet. From within the tunnel, a shape began to emerge—a silhouette, slowly becoming clearer.
Something big.
Something breathing.
Then, the air cracked with sound. Louis's mark flared, and a voice echoed in his mind—not human, not divine, but ancient and trembling with power.
"The seal weakens. The Chosen awakens."
Louis fell to one knee, eyes wide. His vision burned with red light.
The last thing he saw before everything went white was the massive figure finally stepping into view.
And it was smiling.
---
To be continued…