We began observing our surroundings. All around the grand hall were strange and incomprehensible sights—countless stone statues with winged forms, all facing toward the center of the room. And there, towering in the middle, stood a massive black crystal. Its surface was smooth and polished, but when I stared at it long enough, I had the eerie sensation that it was… pulsing, like a living heart.
I turned to ask Ashen something and gasped—blood was trickling from his nose.
"Ashen, you're bleeding!" I cried out in panic.
He looked surprised, reaching up to touch his nose, but before he could react, Kai suddenly collapsed, blood spilling from his mouth.
"Kai! Are you okay?" I rushed over to support him.
Kai's voice was weak and trembling:
"I… I feel dizzy... nauseous…"
Ashen frowned:
"It's from the Elderwood Beast's pollen. We inhaled it... back in the house, when that sunflower bloomed."
I froze. That's right… Kai had thrown me outside at the time. Maybe that's why I wasn't affected.
Kai let out a faint smile:
"Good thing I tossed that white powder when I did. Otherwise, this might be worse than just coughing up blood."
I asked,
"What was that powder?"
Ashen replied,
"It's called Pollen Bane. Originally used to ignite fires, but later we found it could burn away the Elderwood Beast's pollen. Once it makes contact, it incinerates every last grain."
He stepped closer to Kai, inspecting one of his eyes:
"Luckily… you didn't inhale too much."
Kai asked,
"But how come we were both in there, and I ended up vomiting blood while you only had a nosebleed?"
He tried to stand up. I said anxiously,
"You should rest a bit longer."
Kai smiled:
"I'm fine. Really."
Once we were steady again, the three of us moved toward the center of the hall. The statues here made my skin crawl. Despite having wings, their faces were eerily human—full of fierce expressions, like they were locked in battle with some unseen force. Some of them… were reaching out, touching the massive black crystal at the center.
Kai stepped closer and asked:
"Any of us know what this thing is?"
Ashen shook his head:
"First time seeing it."
I leaned in, inspecting the crystal closely:
"Hey… can you guys see something… inside it?"
Ashen immediately conjured a small flame in his palm and brought it close to the crystal's surface. That's when we all saw it—something faint inside. Its shape was unclear, but it… seemed to be curling up.
Kai reached out, about to touch it, but Ashen stopped him at once:
"Don't. Don't touch it."
All three of us took a step back.
Ashen spoke with a serious tone:
"This crystal might be the reason why everyone here turned to stone."
He continued:
"Let's assume that during the battle between the Elder Legion and the remnants of the Outer Gods… they tried to seal it. That might've led to their petrification."
Kai looked around at the statues:
"You mean… these are the Elder Legion?"
Ashen nodded:
"Just a guess. But look at the details… these statues are clearly different from the corpses outside."
I chimed in:
"If what you're saying is true… then maybe they weren't sealing the crystal itself, but rather… one of the 88 servants of the Outer Gods?"
Ashen nodded:
"This whole place was likely built to restore those servants. So yes, that theory fits."
Kai asked, a hint of hope in his voice:
"Then… they succeeded, right?"
Ashen's voice dropped:
"Maybe…"
Suddenly, Ashen pulled something from his pocket—a small shard, glowing with a faint golden light. It was dim, but clearly reacting to something.
Kai frowned, glancing at him:
"What've you got there? A sparkly surprise party in your pocket or something?"
Ashen replied:
"It's a fragment I took from that spear… for further study. But ever since we stepped into this hall, it's been glowing. Something here is resonating with it."
He rotated the fragment in different directions. When he pointed it toward the far wall of the hall—it flared up. The air around us shimmered under the strange golden hue.
We all moved toward the wall. The closer we got, the brighter the shard became—almost like it was guiding us, like it recognized something.
Kai stared intently at one of the statues and slowly spoke:
"I think… this statue might be the true owner of that fragment."
I nodded, adding:
"Specifically, the owner of the giant spear outside."
Without a word, Ashen stepped forward and drove the glowing shard into the statue's chest—right where the heart would be.
Immediately, golden light burst from the shard, spreading through the statue like glowing cracks. The dull gray stone split and fractured like decaying bark. Dust crumbled away, falling like the passing of time itself.
A massive figure emerged from within the broken stone. Still slumped against the wall, head bowed, unmoving—like a warrior lost in an age-old dream, buried by centuries of silence.
No sound.
Then, a faint breath escaped the sealed armor—like wind sighing through ancient caves. His chest rose faintly. Then, a gauntleted finger twitched. His rusted joints groaned and creaked—quiet but undeniable.
One beat.
He gently pushed himself away from the wall, as if rising from a slumber far too long. Dust slipped off his shoulders, his head, and from the wings on his back—now fully visible.
And then… he stood.
Tall. Towering not just in height, but in presence. Like a monument reborn—requiring no words to establish his place, shrinking the world around him without effort.
He wore a suit of golden armor—not the polished kind, but forged as if from the deepest layers of earth—rugged, thick, etched with unfamiliar patterns curving like living circuitry. The light didn't reflect off it—it breathed from within.
Each carved line held a cold precision that made your skin crawl. Behind him, his wings unfurled—not radiant or divine, but sharp, still, like they could slice through the very air.
...And then, he opened his eyes.
From beneath the helmet layered in centuries of dust, two golden lights flickered to life—not reflected light, but a luminous force burning from within.
He lowered his head, looking down at the three of us.
Saying nothing.
Only watching—
with eyes made of pure, living light.