The first Warden moved quickly towards us
Then all of them charged.
Their footsteps shook the prison floor as they charged through the corridor, bronze spears lowered like a wall of blades.
“There goes the quiet escape,” Carlos muttered under his breath.
Emma reacted first.
The Tidecaller’s Trident flashed to life, sapphire light exploding from its three prongs.
She slammed its base against the stone.
A wave of shimmering water burst through the tunnel.
CRAAASH!
The first rank of Wardens was thrown backward, crashing into the walls.
Ethan raised his shield beside her.
“Move!”
The four of them rushed through the opened gate with Zahra leading the way.
“Hurry!” she shouted.
“This prison is built like a maze!” “And the guards know they way around well, so we have to hurry so they don’t catch up on us”
Carlos looked over his shoulder.
“…Fantastic.”
“I’ve always wanted to die in decorative hallways.”
A spear whistled past his head.
“Correction.”
“I no longer want that.”
He disappeared in a flash of golden light.
A heartbeat later he reappeared beside the last Warden and casually tapped the giant’s shoulder.
The Warden turned.
Carlos grinned.
“Hi.”
Before the giant could react, Carlos shoved him into two others.
The three crashed together like falling statues.
“Bowling!”
Emma didn’t even look back.
“Carlos!”
“I’m coming!”
“I’m just making memories!”
Another horn echoed through the tunnels.
The entire prison seemed to awaken.
Stone doors groaned open.
Chains rattled overhead.
Somewhere deeper inside, something enormous roared.
Zahra’s face paled.
“No…”
“They woke the Guardians.”
Ethan frowned.
“I thought these were the guardians.”
“They’re Wardens.”
Her voice dropped.
“The Guardians are worse and more brutal.”
“You sure know a lot for a teenager” Carlos said
As if summoned by her words…
The ground trembled.
A massive fist burst through the wall behind them.
Stone exploded in every direction.
A creature stepped through the opening.
It stood nearly twenty feet tall.
Its body was carved from black basalt streaked with glowing veins of molten gold.
Instead of eyes, twin suns burned inside its skull.
Carlos stared.
“…Okay.”
“I’ve officially changed my opinion.”
“I miss the prison.”
The construct roared.
Heat rolled through the corridor in suffocating waves.
Emma thrust the Trident forward.
A torrent of seawater erupted from its tip, crashing into the creature.
Steam exploded everywhere.
For a moment…
Nothing happened.
Then the Guardian walked straight through the water.
Unaffected.
“Oh.”
Emma blinked.
“That’s new.”
“The First Guardians cannot be defeated by force,” Zahra shouted.
“They’re powered by the temple itself!”
“Could’ve mentioned that earlier!”
Carlos yelled.
“I only remembered now!”
“Convenient!”
The tunnel forked ahead.
Three different passages disappeared into darkness.
Zahra stopped.
“I…”
“I don’t know which one.”
Silence.
The Book of Origins floated from Emma’s satchel.
Its pages fluttered rapidly.
Golden letters appeared.
WHEN FIRE OFFERS THREE ROADS…
FOLLOW THE ONE THAT CASTS NO SHADOW.
The writing vanished.
Carlos looked at the three tunnels.
“…Great.”
“The magic diary is speaking in riddles again.” Carlos said in frustration
Emma studied the passages carefully.
The torchlight illuminated the left tunnel.
The middle tunnel glowed faintly with sunlight filtering from cracks above.
But…
The tunnel on the right remained completely dark.
No shadows.
Because there was no light.
“There.”
She pointed.
“The right.”
Zahra looked surprised.
“How do you know?”
“I don’t.”
“But the Book has never lied.”
“Only confused us.”
Carlos corrected.
They sprinted into the darkness.
Behind them, the Guardian smashed through the intersection.
It hesitated.
Its burning gaze shifted from one tunnel…
To another.
Then it roared in frustration.
“It can’t see us,” Zahra whispered.
“This passage was built before the temple.”
“The Guardians cannot enter it.”
Everyone finally slowed.
Carlos leaned against the wall, breathing hard.
“So…”
“I’d just like to thank whoever invented secret escape tunnels.”
“They deserve a raise.”
“Yup they sure do” Ethan said clearly out of breath from all the running
Even Emma smiled.
For about five seconds.
Then the tunnel began sloping downward.
The air changed.
The scorching desert heat faded.
Warm golden light filled the passage ahead.
Ancient murals covered the walls.
Unlike Atlantis, these weren’t scenes of oceans or kings.
They showed ordinary people. This chapter was taken from g.com without permission.
A mother shielding her child.
A soldier carrying an injured stranger.
A traveler sharing water with someone collapsing in the desert.
Heroes.
Not because they were powerful.
Because they chose compassion.
Ethan slowed.
“These…”
“They’re all making sacrifices.”
Zahra nodded.
“The First Sun believed power meant nothing without mercy.”
The Book appeared again.
A single sentence wrote itself across the page.
THE SUN REMEMBERS EVERY CHOICE.
Ethan couldn’t take his eyes off the murals.
For reasons he couldn’t explain…
They felt familiar.
Like echoes of memories he’d never lived.
The tunnel finally opened into an enormous circular chamber.
Everyone stopped.
In the center stood a pillar of solid gold.
Floating above it…
Was a crystal unlike anything they’d ever seen.
It burned with living sunlight.
Not yellow.
Not orange.
Pure liquid gold.
Its light filled the chamber without blinding them.
Warm.
Peaceful.
Alive.
“The Sunstone…”
Zahra whispered.
“We found it.”
“It’s so beautiful” Emma said
“It’s so glowy and shiny”
The crystal pulsed once.
Then…
Its light turned.
Not toward Emma.
Toward Ethan.
He frowned.
“…Why is it looking at me?”
The chamber answered.
The entire temple began to shake.
A deep voice echoed through the room.
“LET THE SECOND CHOSEN STEP FORWARD.”
For a heartbeat…
No one moved.
The ancient voice echoed through the chamber again, deeper this time, carrying the weight of thousands of years.
“LET THE SECOND CHOSEN STEP FORWARD.”
The Sunstone brightened.
Its golden light ignored everyone else.
It rested entirely on Ethan.
Carlos slowly looked from the glowing crystal…
…to Ethan.
“…Well.”
“I guess the giant glowing rock has a type.”
Ethan didn’t move.
“I think it’s making a mistake.” Ethan said fear lacing his voice
Emma stepped beside him.
“The Trident didn’t.”
He looked at her.
“You didn’t have to pull a legendary artifact out of thin air while everyone watched.”
“Fair.”
The chamber rumbled again.
Golden streams of light flowed down the walls, revealing carvings that had been hidden beneath centuries of dust.
The murals moved.
Not physically…
But like living memories.
They showed a young warrior standing before the Sunstone.
He reached for it.
The moment his fingers touched it…
Nothing happened.
The light vanished.
The warrior fell to his knees in shame.
Another figure approached.
Not a soldier.
A healer.
She ignored the crystal completely and rushed to help the fallen man instead.
Only then did the Sunstone awaken.
It floated into her hands.
Zahra smiled.
“The First Sun never chose the strongest.”
“It chose the ones who placed others before themselves.” She said still smiling
Carlos folded his arms.
“So basically…”
“…it’s emotionally judgmental.”
No one answered.
The crystal floated away from the pedestal.
It drifted slowly toward Ethan.
His heartbeat quickened.
“I don’t think I can do this.” Ethan said
Emma rested a hand on his shoulder.
“You’ve been doing it since the day we met.”
He frowned.
“What do you mean?”
“You always step in first.”
“You shield people before yourself.”
“You never even think about it.”
Sarah nodded quietly.
“Even back in Ravenwood.”
“You stayed behind so everyone else could escape.”
Carlos shrugged.
“You literally jumped in front of a possessed truck.”
Ethan blinked.
“…I’d forgotten about that.”
Carlos stared.
“How?”
“I still have nightmares.”
A small smile crossed Ethan’s face.
Then he looked back at the Sunstone.
Slowly…
He stepped forward, accepting his fate.
The chamber fell completely silent.
He reached out.
His fingertips brushed the crystal.
Nothing happened.
“…That’s awkward.”
Then….
Suddenly
BOOOOOOM!
Golden light erupted across the temple.
The force swept through the chamber like a sunrise, warm instead of violent.
Every mural ignited.
The ceiling transformed into a sky of living sunlight, it felt so ethereal.
The Sunstone dissolved into thousands of tiny shiny sparks.
Instead of falling…
They circled Ethan.
Faster and brighter.
Until they merged into a single beam that struck his chest.
Ethan cried out.
Not in pain or discomfort.
But In surprise.
The light disappeared.
Silence returned.
Then Slowly…
He looked down.
Embedded in the center of his shield was the Sunstone.
It had reshaped the metal itself.
Golden lines spread across the shield in intricate patterns, like rays extending from a rising sun.
The sapphire glow faded.
Replaced by brilliant gold.
His shield looked incredible
The Book of Origins floated into the air.
New words appeared.
THE SECOND CHOSEN HAS AWAKENED.
THE SUNSTONE HAS FOUND ITS KEEPER.
Beneath it…
Another sentence slowly formed.
TWO ARTIFACTS REMAIN.
Emma smiled.
“We’re halfway there.”
Carlos raised both hands.
“Excellent.”
“Only two impossible magical road trips left.”
“I’m sure those’ll be relaxing.”
Before anyone could answer…
The temple suddenly shook.
Harder than before.
Dust rained from the ceiling.
A deafening horn echoed through the corridors.
Zahra’s expression changed instantly.
“The Council.”
“They know.”
Another tremor followed.
This one was closer.
“They’ve surrounded the temple.”
Carlos sighed.
“I swear these people schedule interruptions.”
Emma frowned.
“Can they get in?”
“They couldn’t before.”
“They can now.”
Everyone looked at Zahra.
“The temple seals itself after the artifact chooses its Keeper.”
“It no longer protects anyone inside.” She said
Carlos blinked.
“…Who designed this place?”
“‘ Like common Congratulations on finding the treasure.”
“‘Now please enjoy immediate danger.'”
“I’d like a complaint form please.”
Even Emma couldn’t hide a smile.
Then…
A deep crack split the chamber.
The enormous entrance doors began opening.
Not by magic.
By force.
Someone was pushing them apart from the outside.
Golden light spilled into the hallway beyond.
Heavy footsteps echoed closer and closer.
One.
Two.
Three.
Dozens of footsteps approached.
This wasn’t looking good
The giants had found them.
Emma tightened her grip on the Tidecaller’s Trident.
Ethan lifted his transformed shield.
Golden light burst across its surface.
For the first time…
It responded instantly.
Without effort.
Without hesitation.
He stared at it.
“It feels…”
“…different.”
“It should,” Zahra said.
“It isn’t merely a shield anymore.”
“It carries the First Sun’s blessing.”
The Book fluttered once more.
A final message appeared before snapping shut.
LEAVE THE TEMPLE.
THE COMPASS WAITS WHERE THE MOUNTAINS TOUCH THE SKY…
BUT NOT EVERY ENEMY WEARS THE FACE OF A DEMON.
The pages sealed themselves.
Carlos scratched his head.
“…I don’t like that last sentence.”
“Nope.”
“Not one bit.”
“And neither do I” Sarah said
A thunderous crash interrupted him.
The temple doors burst inward.
The first giant stepped through, gripping a massive stone axe.
Behind him…
More giants filled the entrance.
Their leader pointed directly at Emma.
“The artifacts leave this temple…”
“…over our dead bodies.” He said with a giant scowl on his face
Carlos slowly cracked his knuckles and grinned.
“See?”
“Now that’s a proper boss fight.”
Emma spun the Tidecaller’s Trident.
Ethan stepped to her side, sunlight blazing from his shield.
Oh how they both looked like a match made in heaven
Sarah drew a slow breath as shadows gathered around her feet.
“Ready?” Emma asked
“You bet we are” Sarah replied
Emma smiled.
“Let’s make our own exit.”