Kane took a deep breath, the hum of the awakened prism still ringing in his ears. The forcefield that had repelled them moments ago seemed to have vanished. His heart pounded as he locked eyes with the glowing structure in the center of the room. "I'm going in," he said, his voice barely above a whisper, but determined.
Leo's eyes widened, panic flaring up instantly. "W-wait, what? You're just going to walk toward it? What if the forcefield comes back? Or—or it explodes? Or worse—what if it sucks us into another dimension where everyone's a mutant hamster?!" He was clutching his head now, visibly shaking.
Kane, unfazed, took his first step forward. The room seemed to tense, the only sound being the soft tap of his foot on the stone floor.
Leo whimpered. "Oh no, this is it. This is where we die. I can see it now—'Three boys tragically disappear in a creepy chamber, last seen running toward a shiny death trap.' I should've stayed home today…"
Liam rolled his eyes, whispering under his breath, "Dude, you're always saying you want more excitement, but this is the most scared I've ever seen you."
Kane continued to walk, each step feeling heavier than the last. The light from the prism pulsed in time with his footsteps, as if it were reacting to him, calling him closer.
Leo's anxiety grew by the second. "Kane, stop! Seriously, I'm having heart palpitations here! And not the good kind! Why are we not running away right now?! I knew this was a bad idea! It's always the curious one that dies first in the movies, and right now, you're too curious!"
Kane paused, glancing back at Leo with a smirk. "Maybe you're the sidekick that always freaks out for comic relief."
"Great, so I'm the funny sidekick and the one who dies first. Awesome," Leo groaned, clutching his stomach as if bracing for something terrible.
Step after step, the tension in the room thickened. Kane's breath hitched as he drew closer to the prism, the faint hum growing louder with every inch of distance he closed. He could feel the energy radiating off it—alive, almost sentient. His fingers itched to reach out and touch it, but something told him to be careful.
Leo, meanwhile, was muttering feverishly under his breath. "Okay, so it's not exploding yet. That's good, right? Maybe it's just lulling us into a false sense of security before it does explode. Or—or it's going to summon alien robots! We are so doomed..."
Kane finally reached the edge of the triangular prism. It towered above him, glowing ominously, its surface smooth and almost metallic. As he cautiously examined it, he noticed three distinct handprints etched into the sides, each positioned perfectly on a different face of the triangle. His fingers brushed the cool surface as he moved around it, inspecting the carvings more closely.
"Guys, look at this," he called over his shoulder. "There are handprints here. Three of them, one on each side. What do you think it means?"
Leo's eyes nearly popped out of his head. "Oh no, no, no! Don't touch those! Handprints mean traps, Kane! This is where everything goes wrong! You touch those, and it's game over. Boom! We're gone! Vamoose! History!" He was practically hyperventilating.
Liam grabbed Leo by the arm, dragging him forward despite his protests. "Come on, man. We're not standing back here doing nothing while Kane figures this out alone. Besides, you're not dying today. I won't let you."
Leo flailed, desperately trying to resist being pulled toward the prism. "No! You don't understand! This is how horror stories start! The brave one touches something, the overconfident one drags the terrified one closer, and then—BAM—everyone gets eaten by some ancient curse!"
"Leo, I swear," Liam grunted, hauling him closer with every step. "If anyone here is going to be cursed, it's you, for being this dramatic."
Kane barely suppressed a laugh as Leo squirmed in Liam's grip, muttering incoherent worries about everything from curses to accidental time travel. Meanwhile, Kane ran his hand along the surface of the prism, feeling a faint vibration beneath his fingertips. The handprints seemed to glow faintly, as if inviting them to interact with the object, to complete some kind of puzzle.
"I think we're supposed to do something with these," Kane mused, still focused on the prints.
"Or we're supposed to not do anything with them," Leo countered, his voice strained as he was reluctantly pulled closer. "Like, leave them alone and live to see another day! How about that idea?"
Liam finally dragged Leo right up to the edge of the prism. Leo shot a look at both Kane and Liam that screamed betrayal, his legs trembling as he tried to inch backward. "Guys, seriously, think about this. Why would there be three handprints? What if it's a trap to test who's brave enough to touch it? Or worse, what if it's an ancient fingerprint scanner and the wrong handprint activates the self-destruct sequence?!"
Kane sighed, glancing over his shoulder with a grin. "Leo, you've seen too many movies. Relax. I'm not about to trigger some ancient apocalypse. I think we're onto something here."
Leo clutched his head in disbelief. "You're way too calm for someone about to possibly unleash the apocalypse."
With Leo now standing beside them, albeit with shaking knees and a running commentary of disaster scenarios, the three of them faced the triangular prism together. Each of them took a deep breath, realizing that whatever they did next would either unlock the secret of the prism or set off a chain of events none of them could predict.
The glow from the handprints beckoned. The choice was clear.
Leo crossed his arms, staring at the glowing handprints with wide eyes. "I'm telling you guys, this is an ancient fingerprint scanner! One wrong move, and boom—self-destruct mode engaged! You really want to trust an ancient alien security system that might blow us up? Because I don't!"
Kane sighed, rubbing the back of his neck. "Leo, you're overthinking this. It's not going to blow up. It's probably just a—"
"Just a what?" Leo interrupted, waving his arms dramatically. "A welcome mat? 'Oh, hello, mysterious boys who wandered in here. Please, touch our ancient booby-trapped handprints!' You're the main character in a sci-fi horror movie right now, Kane!"
Liam chuckled, though the thought lingered in his mind for a second. "He has a point, though. I mean… what if it's a scanner? Or some kind of ancient… zapper?"
Kane shook his head firmly. "Look, I'm not getting zapped, and nothing's blowing up. My parents left clues leading me here for a reason. They wouldn't have sent me to something that was going to kill us. I need to know why they wanted me to find this." His voice was steady, determined. There was no room for doubt in his mind.
Leo groaned. "Yeah, well, maybe your parents didn't know about the ancient death scanner with its trusty side function: turning your friends into human pancakes!"
Liam shot Kane a look. "Are we really doing this? Because I'm game if you are."
Kane nodded, stepping forward. "We're doing this."
Leo threw his hands up. "Of course you are! I knew you'd say that. Kane, you're gonna get us all vaporized, and I'm not emotionally prepared for that. I haven't even finished my homework yet!"
Liam snorted. "That's what you're worried about? Seriously?"
"You don't get it, man! It's like my last will and testament is sitting on my desk back home in the form of math problems, and if we die, that's the only thing I'll be remembered for! My unsolved algebra equations!" Leo's voice was rising with every word, his panic reaching new heights.
Kane smiled, despite the tension. "Look, Leo. I'll go first. If I get vaporized, you can leave and live with your unfinished math problems." He stepped up to the handprint, the air around him feeling heavier with every breath.
The real reason Kane was so brave was simple. His parents had left him clues—this was the destination they had wanted him to reach. He didn't understand it all yet, but there had to be a reason, something they needed him to discover. He couldn't turn back now. Not after getting this far.
The chamber seemed to hold its breath as Kane raised his hand, slowly moving toward the imprint. Every inch felt like a mile, the tension thick enough to cut with a knife. Leo was practically bouncing on his heels with anxiety, muttering under his breath. "This is it. This is where it all goes wrong. I should've stayed home. I should've listened to my gut!"
Kane's palm hovered just above the imprint. Then, with a determined breath, he pressed it firmly against the cool surface.
CLANG.
The sound reverberated through the chamber like shifting gears grinding into motion. The noise was so sudden and jarring that Leo let out a yelp and immediately dove behind Liam, clutching him like a human shield. "Nope, nope, nope! I knew it! We're done for!"
As the echoes faded, Kane froze. His heart raced, but not from fear—because a mechanical, robotic voice suddenly filled his head.
[Identity confirmed]
[Kane. DNA match located]
[You must proceed with two trusted companions. Place their hands upon the remaining imprints]
[Note:bOnly those you deem worthy]
Kane blinked, his mind reeling. The voice was cold and robotic, but it was unmistakable. He glanced around, then asked aloud, "Did you guys hear that?"
Leo, still half-hiding behind Liam, shook his head frantically. "Hear what?! What did it say?! Is this the part where the room explodes? Is that what it said?!"
Liam frowned. "No, we didn't hear anything. What's going on?"
Kane rushed to explain, but his words came out in fragments. "It—it spoke to me… said I need… two friends. Trusted ones. Place hands—on the imprints!"
Leo's eyes widened. "Oh, perfect! Now you're hearing voices in your head! Yep, you've definitely been possessed by the prism! I knew it was a trap! I knew it!"
Without hesitating, Liam stepped forward and pressed his hand to the second imprint. "I'm in."
Leo stared in disbelief. "Liam, what are you doing?! What if he's possessed? Or hypnotized! Or—or—"
Before Leo could finish, Liam grabbed him by the wrist. "Oh, shut up already." With one swift motion, Liam slammed Leo's hand onto the third imprint.
Leo yelped, eyes wide in panic. "No! Wait, I take it back! What if this is the part where we get turned into statues or something? I'm too young to be a museum exhibit!"
But the moment their hands connected with the imprints, something extraordinary happened. The air in the chamber changed, crackling with energy. A surge of power coursed through their bodies, both painful and exhilarating. Kane felt a sharp jolt, as if the very essence of the prism was flooding into him, filling him with a raw, untamed energy. His muscles tensed as strength and power surged through every fiber of his being.
Leo gasped, his body trembling. "Ow, ow, ow! What is this?! It's like—like being zapped by lightning, but also like drinking ten energy drinks at once!"
The room around them seemed to pulse with light, an otherworldly aura enveloping the three of them. The prism glowed brighter and brighter, casting long shadows on the walls. The energy seeping into them felt ancient, powerful, as though they were connecting with something far beyond their understanding.
Their eyes met in a brief moment of shared shock, feeling the weight of the power seeping into their bones, as if they were being transformed by it. Pain twisted through them, but beneath it was a sense of strength, of something awakening within them.
Then, without warning, a shockwave of energy exploded from the prism, sending all three boys flying backward through the air. They crashed into the walls of the chamber with a loud thud, their bodies limp as they slumped to the ground. The energy in the room fizzled out, leaving behind only the faint hum of the prism as it dimmed once more.
The chamber fell silent, the boys lying unconscious where they had landed, the echoes of their awakening still vibrating in the air.