The Group Made there way to the Eidolon,
The ruins of the First Temple loomed before them—a crumbling monument . Vines wrapped around shattered pillars, and the once-pristine carvings of the gods had been worn down.
Celeste crouched behind a collapsed archway, scanning the entrance. Enclave soldiers patrolled around, their dark robes embroidered with the sigils of the Pantheon. This place held something the gods didn't want anyone to find.
Dain tightened his grip on his dagger.
Celeste narrowed her eyes. "We don't need to fight them all—just to the inner sanctum. The gateway to the Labyrinth should be there."
The woman who made all the plans, Arianne, adjusted her wristband . "If the texts are correct, the temple should have weakened over the centuries. But the Enclave may have reinforced it"
Celeste exhaled, then let her Aether flow. The energy coiled around her fingers like strands of silver mist. She raised her hand and directed a pulse of Aether toward the ground. The moment it made contact, the earth trembled. A faint vibration spread outward, barely noticeable, but enough to disrupt the patrols.
The nearest guards stiffened, their gazes looking toward the disturbance. Celeste and her group used the distraction to slip forward, moving like shadows .
They pressed against the temple's walls, moving toward a massive doorway that had been sealed shut with divine markings. Celeste ran her fingers along the inscriptions, feeling the resistance.
"Can you get through it?" Dain whispered.
Celeste nodded. "I'll need a minute."
She closed her eyes, channeling Aether into her fingertips. But the moment she tried to unravel the ward, a surge of divine energy lashed back, nearly knocking her off her feet.
The temple trembled.
The Enclave had reinforced the seal. And her interference had triggered something.
A a sound echoed from the depths of the ruins. The shadows inside shifted unnaturally, twisting and stretching. Figures emerged—statues that had once stood motionless now moved they came to life.
Arianne paled. "Sentinels."
Celeste's pulse quickened. These weren't ordinary guardians—they were divine constructs, beings imbued with the power of the Pantheon.
They were awake.
The lead Sentinel turned its head, empty sockets glowing with ethereal light. It raised a massive, stone-forged weapon and took a step forward.
The fight for the temple had begun.