There was silence. Heavy, oppressive silence that stretched beyond time.
I opened my eyes to darkness, thick and suffocating, like the weight of forgotten centuries. My body felt stiff, as if bound by the passage of endless years. Slowly, I drew a breath, the air stale and ancient, carrying the scent of stone and earth.
"Arghhh..." My groan echoed into the silence that was around me. My eyes darted around, but all I could see was an endless darkness.
I reached out, my fingers grazing something solid above me. The surface was cold, like rough-hewn stone.
I pressed my palm on it, a pulse of black light surged from my touch and the stone shattered with the defeaning sound, opening the hole infront of me.
"It's stiff," I muttered, my voice breaking the silence once more as I struggled to sit up. My body ached, and the chill of the unknown pressed down on me, but curiosity—or perhaps desperation—pushed me to move.
"How long has it been?"
The question lingered in my mind, unanswered. I sat up, my fingers brushing the cold surface beneath me. Stone—smooth and carved. Light, faint and hesitant, seeped into the chamber from cracks above. My eyes traced the shapes etched into the walls around me: murals of battles, of victories, of a time when power coursed through the earth and its people.
And at the center of it all was me.
The carvings depicted a figure standing tall amidst the chaos, hands outstretched, holding back the tide of destruction. The words beneath the walls were faded, but the one above the stone slab where I had rested was clear:
"Eternal Slumber of the Guardian."
I ran a hand over the letters, my mind heavy with fragments of memory. A guardian—that's what they called me. Protector of the earth, its balance, its people.
I stood slowly, my legs unsteady. The chamber was vast, its ceiling high above and cracked, vines creeping through. The murals told a story I barely remembered—a story of sacrifice, of power, of choosing solitude for the good of the world.
But something was different.
I took a deep breathe and closed my eyes—focusing. The air around me hummed faintly, an energy flowing through it. It was subtle, but it didn't feel like the earth I remembered. The currents were erratic, unnatural, as though the very essence of the world had shifted.
"It's unusual...What…happened here?" I murmured.
The thought unsettled me. The earth should've been steady, its energy flowing in harmony with life. But this…this was something else entirely.
I shook my head, running fingers through my long dust filled long hairs and began walking, my bare feet scraping against the cold stone floor. The carvings on the walls grew fainter as I ascended the ancient staircase, light growing stronger with each step as I walked out a mountain cave.
When I emerged into the open, the sunlight hit me like a wave, bright and blinding. I raised an arm to shield my eyes, blinking rapidly as they adjusted.
"Ahh- This happens all the time.."
The ruins stretched around me, ancient and crumbling. Stone pillars lay toppled, their surfaces covered in moss and vines. Nature had reclaimed this place, swallowing it whole.
The air was cool. I stood still, taking it in—the vast sky above, the overgrown temple grounds, the world that had moved on without me.
And then I noticed it again—the flow of energy. It pulsed faintly, erratically, like veins running beneath the surface of the earth. But it was tainted, fragmented.
I bend, placing a hand on the ground. The connection wasn't as strong as it once was, but I could feel it—the earth's lifeblood, disturbed and chaotic.
"So this was what pulled me out of my sleep." I muttered.
I Sighhhh* and walked toward what remained of the temple's gates, my thoughts heavy. Questions filled my mind, but the answers felt distant, like whispers just out of reach.
When I stepped beyond the ruins, beyond the mountains, beyond the jungle, the world burst into motion.
A paved street stretched ahead, busy with cars and people. Towering structures of glass and steel loomed in the distance, glinting in the sunlight. The city was alive and felt different.
I stepped onto the street, bare and exposed under the sun. The cool air felt strange against my skin, a reminder of my current situation.
And then the stares began.
People slowed, their eyes widening as they noticed me. Some whispered, some laughed, and a few hurried away, their faces a mix of confusion and embarrassment as they closed their children's eyes.
"Is he… naked?" someone murmured.
"Where did he come from?" another voice asked.
I glanced down at myself. Naked. Right. My lips curled into a faint smile.
For centuries, I had been unseen, buried beneath the earth. Now I was a spectacle.
"Guess I need clothes," I muttered, turning my gaze to the shops lining the street.
A small shop caught my eye—its window displaying mannequins clad in modern attire. Black hoodies, black pants, and white shoes stood out among the options, simple and functional.
I stepped inside, ignoring the startled looks from the staff. Their awkward expressions and questions blurred into noise as I moved toward the racks, grabbing what I needed.
"Sir, you can't—"
I turned, my gaze steady as I looked at him straight in the eye. For a moment, the words caught in the clerk's throat. I said nothing, pulling on the hoodie and pants, followed by a pair of white shoes.
"Thank you," I said simply, stepping out of the store before they could respond.
The sunlight hit me again as I walked back onto the street, now clothed. The black hoodie was comfortable, the pants snug. It wasn't much, but it was enough to blend in and put my hands inside of it.
I walked slowly, taking in the city around me. The people, the noise, the towering buildings—it was all so different, so alien. Yet beneath it all, I could still feel the earth's pulse, its energy calling to me.
It was fractured, unsteady. And I needed to find out why.