[System Notification]
[Warning: Guardian golem statues detected. Proceed with caution]
The system's voice was steady, but Elowen couldn't shake the tension crawling up her spine. These golems were not mere decorations—they were ancient protectors, made to defend whatever was hidden here. Their massive stone forms stood in eerie stillness, their hands clenched into fists or raised in silent battle poses, as though frozen mid-gesture. Yet even in their apparent immobility, they exuded a palpable aura of ancient power.
She took a slow step into the center of the room, scanning the walls and floors. The stone was carved with runes, intricate and faded with age, winding across the surface like veins through the rock. The runes flickered in the dim light of her lantern, faintly glowing with magic older than most civilizations. She could feel it—a hum of energy pulsing through the very stone beneath her feet.
"These are no ordinary statues," she muttered to herself. "They're alive with this mechanism... or at least, they can be."
[System Notification]
[Warning: Proximity alert. Guardian activation risk high]
Nine towering figures, crafted from smooth yet weathered stone, rose from the earth in a perfect arrangement. Eight of them formed a ring, their bodies arranged symmetrically around a ninth, larger figure that loomed in the center. The circle's size and precision suggested a design that could not have been the result of mere chance or primitive craftsmanship, but instead the work of an advanced civilization—or perhaps something far more mysterious.
Each of the eight surrounding statues stood solid and resolute, carved with intricate details—an amalgamation of humanoid features, exaggerated proportions, and strange symbols that seemed to pulse with an ancient power. Their faces were stern, stoic, and carved with exaggerated eyes, brows, and angular features, which resembled the stylized depictions of the gods once worshipped in the distant past of the Thalassa kingdom. Yet, there was something unsettling about them—something that conveyed an inhuman stillness, a waiting presence.
Despite their imposing stature, something vital was missing. Each of the golems had a large, smooth hole in the center of their chests, just over the place where the heart should have been. The stone around the opening was eroded, weathered by time and the relentless forces of nature. It was as though their hearts had been carefully removed—deliberately—leaving only the hollow recess in their otherwise solid forms. The lack of life, of warmth, made the statues seem not quite dead, but rather waiting, as if they had been abandoned mid-life.
The ninth, central figure, while similar in shape, was far more imposing. It towered over the others, a twisted giant of stone whose surface was cracked and broken. The massive golem was not as pristine as its companions; it bore the scars of time and destruction. Its chest, too, had a large, gaping hole where its heart should have been. However, the hole in the center of this figure seemed different, deeper—almost like it was more than just a void. It was a portal, an opening into something that might have once been vibrant, a space where something vital had been sacrificed long ago. The structure around the hole was smooth but frayed at the edges, like the remnants of something once intricate and purposeful, now crumbling. As if the heart had been violently ripped out, leaving behind nothing but a painful emptiness. They were not random, for they bore a resemblance to the sacred symbols of 'Solarism', the religion once practiced by the people of Thalassa. This belief, centered around the worship of the sun, described the sun as a divine force that brought both life and destruction, creation and annihilation.
Elowen cautiously circled the silent guardians, the air heavy with the hum of ancient power, her gaze fell upon the ninth golem. Something captured her eyes. A dark force seemed to emanate from it, a presence that was more than stone—a presence that once held life, now emptied and scarred by time. She could almost hear the whispers of the forgotten past, the voice of a forgotten ritual, a forgotten sacrifice.
And so, from the depths of that hollow heart, this was the poem she found inscribed:
"__I am the silence between stars,
The pause in time, the echo of the sun.
I stood, I fought, and I fell—
A hollow shell, where once was fire.
The pulse of life, the spark of flame,
Once bright, now lost in the darkened name.
Where is the heart that burned within?
Where is the life that gave me skin?
The sun, my god, my life, my death,
Tore me apart with its final breath.
In the light, we rise—
In the shadow, we rest.
I stand alone, broken but whole,
A broken promise, a shattered soul.
I guard the past, I guard the flame,
For though I sleep, I am not tame.
Come closer, mortal, if you dare,
Disturb the silence, feel the flare.
For what was lost, what was stolen,
Is bound within this heart—unspoken__".
[System Notification]
[Congratulations!! Poem "The Ninth Golem's Lament" Added to System Logs]
Her eyes darted from one golem to another. She instinctively knew what would happen if she disturbed them—every text she had ever read on ancient ruins warned of the golems' wrath. The statues were linked to powerful magic, and any disruption—whether physical or magical—was enough to awaken them from their eternal slumber.
Elowen stepped cautiously forward, avoiding the runes as best as she could. Every inch of the floor seemed to be covered with more markings, each one an intricate piece of an ancient puzzle. She needed to avoid disturbing the golems, but there was one golem in particular that stood near the center, its broad shoulders etched with strange symbols, its face twisted into a grim expression of both stoicism and rage. It looked like it was meant to guard something...
As she passed one of the other statues, a faint 'click' echoed from beneath her foot. Her heart skipped a beat. Had she triggered something?
[System Notification]
[Warning: Guardian golem activation imminent]
Before she could react, a sudden pulse of arcane energy rippled through the chamber. The golem nearest her stirred, its eyes glowing faintly with a blue light. The stone around its joints cracked, and Elowen's pulse quickened as it slowly raised one massive hand. A low rumble filled the air, and for a moment, she thought the whole room might collapse under the weight of the power it had awakened.
"Oh no," she whispered, backing away slowly.
The golem's hand swung outward, the stone creaking under the force of its movement. Elowen leaped backward just in time, her feet scraping against the stone as she scrambled to avoid its reach. She could feel the coldness of its gaze, even as the stone face remained rigid and unchanging.
The golem's voice—if it could even be called that—rumbled deep in her chest, a low, grating growl of ancient magic.
[System Notification]
[Guardian Golem Awakening: Hostile action detected]
The ground trembled as the golem took a step toward her, its stone feet crushing the floor with a deep, resonant boom. She turned and ran, but the golem's stone fingers extended toward her, its enormous hand swinging like a battering ram. The very air seemed to shudder as it launched toward her, its fingers reaching with unnatural speed.
Elowen dove to the side, narrowly avoiding the crushing blow, when suddenly the air around her shifted. The strange, ethereal glow of the chamber deepens, and she begins to notice a faint flutter of movement in the corner of her eye. It's not the shadows that seem to move, but something alive—the delicate, almost imperceptible flutter of Starveil Butterflies.
These butterflies, unlike any normal creatures, are weavers of dreams and keepers of sleep. Their wings, translucent and iridescent, shimmer with colors that change like the light of a distant star. The very air around them hums with a soft, melodic resonance that seems to lull the mind. The butterflies, drawn to Elowen's tired state and her exposure to the ancient forces, begin to surround her. They land gently on her, their tiny bodies barely noticeable against her skin, but their presence undeniable. As they settle around her, she feels a soft pull within her body—a quiet tug toward slumber.
The butterflies' wings flutter slowly, and with each beat, the faintest glow begins to pulse around Elowen, as if the very light from the butterflies is sinking into her. The air grows warmer, almost like a comforting blanket, as the butterflies' influence begins to act on her nervous system, coaxing her into a deep and peaceful sleep. She feels her limbs grow heavy, her eyes becoming drowsy, as though the entire world is slowly fading away into a quiet, peaceful stillness.
[System Notification]
[The stars have claimed the sky]
[Sleep Mode Activated]
[Description!! A mystical force has guided you into a restful sleep. Your body and mind will recover during this time. You will be protected by the Starveil Butterflies, whose magic shields you from danger as you rest.]
[Rest until sunrise]
[Time: 8 hours]
As Elowen lies down, she feels her consciousness drifting, the pull of sleep becoming irresistible. The butterflies' magic gently shuts off her awareness of the external world. The system recognizes that she has entered a time of rest, and the interface activates its sleep mode, marking the time she will be in a dreamless slumber, safe from the chamber's dangers, at least for now.
As dawn's first light begins to creep into the room, Elowen stirs from her slumber. The gentle warmth of the room, the soft hum of the butterflies, and the glow of the rising sun filter through the stone, coaxing her back to full consciousness. The butterflies, having completed their task, flutter gently away, disappearing into the shadows or vanishing into the ethereal light that still clings to the chamber walls.
The system notification activates once more, signaling the end of her rest:
[System Notification]
[Sleep Mode Deactivated]
[Description!! You have awoken refreshed and alert. Your health and energy have been fully restored. The Starveil Butterflies have completed their task, and you are once again ready to face the challenges of the quests.]
[Time Passed: 8 hours]
Elowen opened her eyes, and the first thing she saw was that she was lying in a hut, not in the chamber of the golems. 'How did I get here?' She thought.