The mountain wind howled around us.
For a moment, none of us moved.
The floating temple remained suspended among the clouds, its silver towers reflecting the dying sunlight.
It looked impossibly far away despite being directly above us.
Zahra studied the mountain beneath our feet.
“There should be a path.”
Carlos glanced around.
“I don’t see one.”
“Exactly.”
He looked at her.
“That’s usually where the problem starts.”
Zahra ignored him.
She crouched and brushed away a layer of loose gravel.
Ancient markings were carved into the stone beneath it.
A circle.
Four arrows.
And in the center was a symbol resembling an eye.
Emma knelt beside her.
“What is that?”
“An ascension seal.”
Ethan frowned.
“Meaning?”
Zahra looked toward the temple.
“It was used to transport people to the Sky Temple.”
Carlos brightened.
“Excellent.”
He pointed at the symbol.
“So we just step on it and”
“No Don’t.”
He froze.
“Why?”
“Because I don’t know what activates it.”
Carlos slowly moved his foot away.
“Could’ve started with that.” Carlos said rolling his eyes
“And how do you even know so much, you practically have answers to every single question” Ethan asked, his tone laced with suspicion
“You do know my father is the chief right?
Which practically makes me a princess
As an only child my father ensures that I had only the teachers educate me, I am also the youngest scholar in my community
Plus our library is one of the most extensive in the realms” Zahra said
“Hear, hear, we have a walking encyclopedia amongst us, I bet with you around the little information book lady gives won’t be a problem “Carlos said grinning like he’d won a lottery “I am pretty sure she’s going to be angry about that” Sarah said and crouched beside the markings to study it.
“There are four symbols around the circle.”
Zahra nodded.
“The mountain, the sky, the storm…”
Her finger moved to the final symbol.
“The crown.”
Emma’s eyes narrowed.
“The ruler again.”
Zahra’s expression tightened.
“The Sky Temple belongs to the realm’s ruling house.”
Carlos looked up.
“So let me understand this.”
He gestured toward the floating structure.
“We’re looking for an artifact that apparently chooses its wielder.”
“Yes.”
“We’re standing in a kingdom ruled by someone who apparently doesn’t like people asking questions.”
“Yes.”
“And the only way into the temple requires the symbol of that ruler.”
Zahra nodded.
“Yes.”
Carlos sighed.
“Great. I miss Atlantis.”
Sarah rolled her eyes.
“You’ve been saying that for days.”
“And I meant it every time.”
Ethan stepped toward the seal.
“Maybe we don’t need the crown.”
He raised his shield.
Blue energy spread across the markings.
Nothing happened.
He lowered his arm.
“Okay.”
Carlos pointed at him.
“Excellent contribution.”
Ethan gave him a look.
Carlos shrugged.
“I’m stressed.”
Emma studied the symbols closely.
Something about them felt familiar.
Not from Atlantis.
From the Book.
She pulled it from her bag.
The cover immediately began glowing.
Its pages opened.
Golden letters appeared.
THE SKY DOES NOT OPEN FOR THOSE WHO SEEK TO CONQUER IT.
Carlos leaned closer.
“Here we go another riddle to solve our problems.”
Another sentence formed.
KNEEL BEFORE NO CROWN.
Everyone went silent.
Zahra’s eyes widened.
“That’s impossible.”
Emma looked at her.
“Why?”
“That phrase…”
She swallowed.
“It was forbidden.”
Sarah frowned.
“Why?”
“Because it was the final words spoken by the last ruler who opposed the current dynasty.”
A cold feeling settled in my chest.
“The ruler was overthrown?”
Zahra nodded.
“And every record of them was destroyed.”
Carlos stared at the Book.
“So the magical book just casually dropped a piece of forbidden history.”
“Apparently.”
The words shifted.
A final message appeared.
THE PATH WILL OPEN FOR THOSE WHO REFUSE TO BOW.
The mountain trembled.
The four symbols beneath our feet ignited.
The eye at the center opened.
A column of silver light erupted from the ground.
“Everyone back!”
We barely moved before the light swallowed us.
My stomach lurched.
For one terrifying second, I felt weightless.
Then
We landed hard.
I rolled across a smooth stone floor.
“Ouch.”
Carlos groaned somewhere behind me.
“If anybody asks…”
“I landed gracefully.”
Sarah sat up.
“You fell on your face.”
“Gracefully.”
I pushed myself upright.
We were inside the Sky Temple.
It was even larger than it had appeared from below.
Silver bridges stretched between enormous towers.
Transparent floors revealed clouds moving hundreds of feet beneath us.
Ancient statues lined the walls.
But something was wrong.
The temple was deserted and eerily quiet.
No guards.
No priests.
No inhabitants. Find the original chapter at g.com.
Only heavy silence.
Ethan stood beside me.
“Where’s the person we saw?”
I looked toward the enormous staircase ahead.
“Maybe they went deeper.”
Zahra shook her head.
“No.”
She pointed toward the floor.
There were footprints.
Fresh ones.
But they weren’t human.
They were long.
Three-toed.
And surrounded by a faint black residue.
Sarah crouched.
“Something followed them.”
Carlos looked around.
“Please tell me we’re not being stalked by another giant.” Carlos said
A low growl answered him.
He slowly turned.
“…I hate when the universe does that.”
Something moved between the pillars.
Then another.
Then another.
Tall figures stepped into view.
They looked human at first.
Silver robes.
Pale faces.
Long black hair.
But their eyes were completely white.
One of them smiled.
“Ahhh Travelers.”
Zahra immediately stepped backward.
Her face had gone pale.
“I know them.”
Emma tightened her grip around the Tidecaller’s Trident.
“Who are they?”
Zahra whispered.
“The Skybound.”
The nearest figure tilted its head.
“Visitors are not permitted.”
Carlos glanced around.
“Well, technically, we were invited.”
The creature’s smile widened.
“No.”
Its voice changed.
Deepened.
Became something ancient.
“You were summoned.”
The doors behind us slammed shut.
Ethan’s shield ignited.
Sarah’s psychic energy surged around her fingers.
Carlos disappeared.
Emma raised the Tidecaller’s Trident.
And somewhere in the temple the compass began to tick
The Compass was spinning faster.
I could hear it.
A faint metallic ticking echoed somewhere beyond the walls, each rotation getting quicker.
Tick.
Tick.
Tick.
The Skybound stood between us and the corridor.
There were six of them now.
Their silver robes floated around their bodies despite the complete absence of wind.
I tightened my grip around the Tidecaller’s Trident.
“Move.”
The nearest one smiled.
“You carry the Tidecaller’s weapon.”
Its voice was almost gentle.
“So you are its chosen?.”
Zahra stiffened.
“They know about the artifacts.”
Sarah’s eyes narrowed.
“Of course they do.”
One of the Skybound stepped forward.
“You should not have come.”
Carlos reappeared beside Ethan.
“That’s becoming a very popular sentence around here you guys really do need a change in vocabularies.”
Ethan glanced at him.
“Any ideas?”
“Several.”
“Good.”
“I haven’t thought of them yet.”
Ethan closed his eyes briefly.
“Of course you haven’t.” Ethan said rolling his eyes
The Skybound raised one hand.
The entire temple shifted.
The floor beneath us suddenly disappeared.
Emma screamed.
We dropped.
Not far.
But enough to make my stomach twist.
A silver platform appeared beneath us at the last second.
Carlos landed on his back.
He stared at the ceiling.
“Okay.”
He exhaled.
“I would like to formally resign from adventuring.”
Sarah stepped over him.
“Request Denied.” Sarah said
The Skybound watched without moving.
Then one of them spoke.
“The Compass does not belong to you.”
Emma looked up.
“We haven’t even found it.”
“You saw it.”
“The image was enough.”
I frowned.
“You showed it to us.”
“No.”
The Skybound’s eyes glowed.
“You saw what you were meant to see.”
Silence.
Ethan looked at me.
“The figure.”
I nodded.
“The person holding the Compass wasn’t real.”
The Skybound smiled.
“Not entirely.”
Zahra stepped forward.
“What does that mean?”
“It means the mountain wanted you to come here.”
Carlos frowned.
“And Why?”
The Skybound looked toward the enormous doors at the far end of the chamber.
“Because the mountain remembers.”
Dust fell from the ceiling.
Then
A voice echoed through the chamber.
“That is enough.”
Every Skybound immediately lowered their heads.
Zahra’s face changed.
“No.”
A figure appeared at the top of the staircase.
A man.
Tall.
Dressed in black and silver robes.
A crown of dark metal rested on his head.
His face was calm.
Almost painfully calm.
The ruler.
He descended slowly.
Nobody moved.
Carlos leaned toward me.
“Please tell me that’s not who I think it is.”
Zahra whispered.
“The High Sovereign.”
The ruler stopped several steps away.
His eyes moved across our group.
They lingered on the Tidecaller’s Trident.
Then on Ethan.
Then Sarah.
Finally
Carlos.
He smiled faintly.
“So.”
“These are the chosen ones.”
Emma stepped forward.
“You know who we are.”
“I know much more than that.”
The ruler’s gaze returned to me.
“I know where you came from.”
I felt my pulse quicken.
“And I know where you’re going.”
Ethan moved closer to me.
The ruler noticed.
“You protect her.”
Ethan didn’t answer.
“Good.”
The ruler smiled.
“Protection will be necessary.”
Carlos frowned.
“Is this where you tell us something ominous and then refuse to explain it?”
The ruler looked at him.
Carlos held his gaze.
“What?”
“You speak too much.”
Carlos nodded.
“I’ve been told.”
The ruler’s expression didn’t change.
“But you are useful.”
Carlos blinked.
“That’s possibly the nicest insult I’ve ever received.”
Sarah muttered,
“Don’t get excited.”
The ruler turned away.
“You seek the Celestial Compass.”
Emma raised the Trident.
“Yes we do.”
“Then you seek something that should never have been taken from this realm.”
Zahra stepped forward.
“It was never yours.”
The ruler’s expression hardened.
“You should not have survived the desert.”
Zahra went still.
Emma looked at her.
“What does he mean?”
The ruler smiled.
“Your little rebellion has consequences.”
Zahra’s fists tightened.
“You betrayed your own people.”
“No.”
His voice remained calm.
“I protected them.”
“By sending us to die?”
“I gave your people a choice.”
Emma stepped forward.
“What choice?”
The ruler looked directly at her.
“Me…”
“Or chaos.”
The temple went silent.
Ethan’s shield brightened.
“We’re not here to negotiate anything with you.”
“No.”
The ruler smiled.
“You’re here because you need me.”
Emma frowned.
“No We don’t need you.”
“You need the Compass.”
He turned toward the enormous doors.
“And I am the only person who knows where it truly is.”
The doors opened.
Beyond them was a vast chamber filled with floating fragments of stone.
At its center hovered a golden object.
The Celestial Compass.
It rotated slowly within a sphere of light.
Carlos stared.
“That’s it.”
The ruler nodded.
“It is.”
Emma stepped forward.
The moment she did
The Compass stopped.
Its needle pointed directly at Carlos.
Everyone froze.
Carlos slowly pointed at himself.
“…Me?”
The Compass flashed.
A wave of golden energy exploded through the chamber.
Carlos staggered backward.
His eyes widened.
The symbol of the Compass appeared across his palm.
Zahra whispered.
“The choosing.”
Emma stared.
The ruler’s expression changed for the first time.
Surprise.
Real surprise.
Then fear.
“No.” He said
Carlos looked at his glowing hand.
“Okay…”
He swallowed.
“I think the fancy compass likes me.”
The ruler’s voice dropped.
“That should not be possible.”
Emma looked at him.
“And Why is that?”
He stared at Carlos.
“Because the last person the Compass chose…”
His face went pale.
“…was the ruler who started the rebellion.”
The chamber fell silent.
And somewhere beneath the temple
Something ancient had woken up.