The location of the temple is still fresh in her mind, and Xiao went deeper and deeper into the forest. Well, since she's still on her broom, she technically above the woods. The trees get taller, and it's harder for her to see the ground, but she used the setting sun to give her directions, and so far she's heading southeast of the Monastery.
Then, she saw it. Almost consumed by the oak trees, four stone towers peek out of the evergreen. From its grayish-brown color, the witch could tell that the stones are the same ones used to build the Monastery. The towers are big, each one is about fifty feet in diameter, and they're each connected by corridors laying on the ground about twenty wide and a hundred feet long. In the middle of the square arrangement is the remains of a fifth tower with a corridor connected to another corridor between the south and east towers. She assumes that the southeast corridor is the main entrance. The the stone roof of the middle tower crumbled and scattered across the courtyard, and a huge hole about fifteen feet across can be seen on the floor of the ruined tower.
This temple is huge, so it's really impressive that people two centuries ago built this just to trap a monster. Maybe they didn't because the arrangement is similar to the current Monastery where she just flew from. Four towers arranged in a square with connections and one tower in the middle. If her assumption is correct that this temple has the same arrangement as the Monastery, then the middle tower is the most important, and the main entrance is facing southeast.
The sun is almost gone from the sky, so Xiao quickly flew down to the southeast corridor. And she's right, there's a bridge crossing a stream which surrounded the temple. Since she was on top of the forest, she couldn't see the stream and bridge until she got down to the ground within the woods.
Xiao took in a deep breath. Wow... She picked a beautiful place to die in.
Once people go in, they never come out. Plus, she doubt anyone would look for her corpse here.
The temple is in darkness, and as she crossed the bridge, her hand automatically wandered into her messenger bag which she has since her first day at the Monastery. Without looking into the bag, she could reach for a candle.
After she crossed the bridge, she took a few seconds to admire the intricate designs on the wall and arch. Her broom is left by the doorstep; the nature will take care of it. There's no door, so she carefully took a step inside. The witch can't see further than the walls within her reach, and the designs on those walls are runes.
Her fingers traved those runes which were carved into the wall. Unfortunately, she can't wrap her mind around them enough to read. The language seemed to be more elvish than human. Old elvish maybe? After all, the elves did participate in the making of this temple.
With a small white candle in hand, she began whispering a little spell to light it up. However, as soon as the spell left her lips, the runes began glowing red. Her black eyes followed the glow with fascination, even though it only lasted a few seconds since that's how long it takes for her to light up her candle.
One of her professors once told her than reactive runes are mostly used on vaults, more of a defensive spell than offensive spell.
"Ode to the fallen," Xiao channeled her magic into a poem she read in class. She didn't remember the composer. "Do you hear my woe?"
The runes began glowing again, illuminating the corridor. If she turned right or left, she'll end up in one of the towers, so her destination is to go straight ahead to the middle tower. She's not sure why she wants the middle tower, but she doesn't mind dying as long as it's in here. Well, the middle tower is where all the important things are, right?
"Please take away my pain and my sorrows," She continued to chant as she walked deeper into the temple, her light footsteps echoed. "And bestow me peace."
The runes are still glowing once she stopped singing, and without much thought, she reached out to touch a glowing letter. It doesn't burn, so she gasped in realization. Glowing runes are usually warnings, and they're hot to the touch to keep away the intruders.
Here, it's just normal, stone cold as the stone it's written into. So, the Silverin temple is designed to keep whatever's inside from going outside, going as far as to warn them to stay put?
The runes stopped glowing once more, and Xiao took in a deep breath to compose herself from being too excited about this place.
Then, she marches into the darkness with her little candle.
After a minute, she heard the sound of metal scratching on the ground, and it's coming from the direction she's heading.
"Hello?" Her voice echoed on the wall, but no answer came back.
She continued moving forward, but eventually, she found light at the end of the corridor. It's the middle tower where the roof is close to non-existent. The young witch placed the candles in a candelabra at the side of the room's entrance, and she stepped into the golden sunlight. In front of her, a seemingly bottomless large hole that had fallen into the floor. She gazed down, and could've sworn she could faintly see her death spiraling downward.
Falling to her death in a void of black seems nice.
Shivering a little, she marched onward towards the hole. Xiao stopped two steps away from the hole when she heard it again...
The cling clang of steel chains rattling as its owner dragged it through the temple.
Every inch of her body told her to run away, but she's too intrigued and too determined to back down now.
She took a look into the hole and saw shinny silver chains connected to a pair of thick arms of the monster as it slowly walked into the light. A pair of blood red eyes looked up at her, seemingly glow in dark while the face is still hidden in the shadows.
He's a demon, her mind supplier her.
"Do you seek death, tiny human?" The demon growled.
"Yes." Xiao answered without a pause.