The walls were closing in faster than Serena could have anticipated. She sprinted down the narrow corridor, her breaths sharp and ragged as the ancient temple seemed to shift and move around them. The heavy grinding of stone echoed in the air, a sound that sent shivers down her spine. Behind her, Rebecca, Alex, Adrian, and Elena followed in a mad dash, the weight of the ancient traps bearing down on them.
"Faster!" Serena yelled, her heart racing as she spotted the end of the passageway—a large, open chamber ahead. They needed to get through before the walls crushed them.
Just as they reached the chamber, the passageway behind them slammed shut with a deafening thud, sealing them inside. Serena's pulse pounded in her ears as she staggered forward, taking in the vast room they had stumbled into. The chamber was enormous, its ceiling disappearing into darkness, with towering stone pillars lining the walls. At the center of the room, raised on a stone platform, was a large, intricately carved altar.
Rebecca doubled over, catching her breath, while Alex leaned against one of the pillars, wincing from the pain in his side. Adrian was already scanning the room, his eyes gleaming with interest, while Elena surveyed the scene with a knowing smile.
"Well, that was a warm welcome," Adrian remarked, brushing the dust from his jacket. "I hope the rest of the temple is just as charming."
Serena shot him a glare. "This is serious. The temple's defenses are active. If the legends are true, this place was designed to keep anyone from getting near the Lumen Corvus."
Elena stepped forward, her eyes fixed on the altar. "The artifact is here," she said quietly, her voice filled with reverence. "We're close. But we're not out of danger yet."
Serena took a deep breath, her gaze sweeping the room. The air felt thick with the weight of ancient magic, and she could feel a faint hum in the stone beneath her feet, as if the temple itself was alive—watching, waiting for their next move.
Rebecca straightened up, her eyes narrowing as she studied the altar. "There's something off about this room," she muttered. "It's too quiet. Too… deliberate."
Serena nodded in agreement. The chamber felt too much like a trap, its silence unnatural, as though the temple was daring them to make a mistake. Every instinct told her that something was wrong, but they couldn't afford to turn back now.
"Elena," Serena said, her voice low but steady. "What else do you know about this place?"
Elena glanced at her, her expression unreadable. "The temple's traps are designed to protect the artifact at all costs. But there's more to it than just physical defenses. The Lumen Corvus is said to be guarded by… something. A presence. Some say it's the will of the artifact itself, others believe it's an ancient guardian left behind by those who built the temple."
"A guardian?" Alex asked, his voice tight. "What kind of guardian?"
Elena's lips curved into a faint smile. "No one knows for sure. But whatever it is, it doesn't take kindly to intruders."
Serena's heart sank. They were walking into unknown territory, facing dangers they couldn't predict. But they had no choice. The Lumen Corvus was too important to leave behind, especially with the Covenant closing in.
"We keep moving," Serena said firmly, her resolve hardening. "We need to find the artifact and get out of here before the temple throws anything else at us."
They moved cautiously across the chamber, the sound of their footsteps echoing off the stone walls. As they approached the altar, Serena felt the hairs on the back of her neck stand on end. There was something about this place—something ancient, watching, waiting.
The altar itself was massive, carved from dark stone and covered in intricate runes that seemed to pulse faintly with energy. At the center of the altar was a raised pedestal, empty except for a series of circular grooves etched into the stone.
"This is it," Elena whispered, her eyes gleaming with excitement. "The Lumen Corvus is supposed to be placed here."
Serena frowned, her gaze scanning the altar. "But it's not here."
Elena's smile didn't falter. "No, it's not. But this altar is part of the key to unlocking its location. We need to solve the puzzle before we can access the artifact."
"Great," Alex muttered, his voice heavy with frustration. "Another puzzle."
Rebecca stepped forward, examining the grooves in the altar. "These grooves… they look like they're meant to hold something. Like discs or stones."
Serena nodded, her mind racing. The runes, the grooves—there was a pattern here, something they were meant to figure out. But they were running out of time. The longer they stayed in the temple, the more danger they were in.
"We need to find whatever fits in those grooves," Serena said, her eyes scanning the room. "It's got to be here somewhere."
Adrian, who had been uncharacteristically quiet, suddenly stepped forward, his eyes gleaming with interest as he examined the altar. "You're missing something," he said smoothly. "The temple wasn't just built to keep people out—it was built to challenge them. The puzzle isn't just about finding the pieces. It's about proving yourself worthy of the artifact."
Serena's brow furrowed. "What are you talking about?"
Adrian's smile widened. "Think about it. The Lumen Corvus is an artifact of immense power—power that can reshape reality. The temple's builders wouldn't leave it lying around for just anyone to take. The traps, the puzzles—they're tests. We're being tested."
Rebecca shot him a skeptical look. "Tested? By who?"
Adrian shrugged. "By the temple, by the artifact—who knows? But if we don't play by the rules, we won't make it out of here alive."
Serena's mind raced. Could Adrian be right? Was the temple testing them? If so, how were they supposed to pass?
"Elena," Serena said, turning to the woman who had led them here. "What else do you know? You've been tracking this place for years. How do we solve the puzzle?"
Elena hesitated for a moment, her gaze flicking to the altar before she spoke. "The builders of the temple believed in balance—light and dark, life and death. The Lumen Corvus is said to represent that balance. We need to find a way to align the symbols on the altar with those principles."
"Balance," Serena muttered, her eyes narrowing as she studied the grooves in the stone. The circular patterns reminded her of something—a cycle, a rotation. Life and death. Light and dark.
As she moved closer to the altar, she reached out, brushing her fingers over the grooves. The stone was cold beneath her touch, but there was something there—a faint vibration, a pulse of energy.
Suddenly, the ground beneath them shifted, and a low rumble filled the air. The walls of the chamber seemed to tremble, and a faint glow began to emanate from the runes on the altar.
"We're running out of time," Rebecca said urgently. "Whatever we do, we need to do it now."
Serena's heart pounded in her chest as the glow from the altar grew brighter. The temple was alive, and it was watching them—waiting for them to make their move.
"Balance," Serena whispered to herself, her mind racing.
They had come too far to fail now.
Taking a deep breath, Serena reached for the altar, her fingers tracing the grooves in the stone.
The final test had begun.