The passage grew narrower as Elias crawled deeper into the mountain, the damp stone walls pressing in on him. His lantern flickered, casting long, eerie shadows that seemed to stretch out like arms trying to pull him into the darkness. Every step he took echoed in the stillness, the sound of his footfalls unsettling in the quiet, as though the mountain itself was listening.
The voice from earlier still lingered in his mind. "Turn back... it is not yours to take." He had dismissed it as nothing more than his imagination, a product of his nerves. But now, with the air growing heavier and colder with each passing moment, Elias couldn't shake the feeling that he was being watched. Something was down here with him. Something old. Something powerful.
He paused, taking a deep breath. There was no turning back now. The thought of the treasure kept his resolve firm. The gold, if it was real, could change everything. His family had struggled for generations, never able to rise above their station. If he could find it—if he could bring it back—it would lift them from poverty, grant them wealth beyond their wildest dreams. No more hardship. No more scraping by.
Just a little further.
Elias pushed on, his boots scraping against the rocky ground as the tunnel opened up ahead of him, widening into a cavern. His heart beat faster. There was a strange, palpable energy in the air now, as if the mountain itself was alive, and the cavern was its beating heart. The walls glistened with moisture, reflecting the dim light from his lantern in a way that made the rocks look almost… golden.
He stepped forward, his eyes scanning the cavern's vast interior. There, in the center of the room, stood a massive stone altar, covered in intricate carvings that seemed to move in the dim light, twisting and shifting like serpents. The stone was old, far older than anything Elias had ever seen. His breath caught in his throat as he noticed the faint glimmer of something beneath the altar, something that shimmered like metal.
Gold.
Elias couldn't believe it. There, buried beneath layers of stone and dust, was a treasure trove unlike anything he had imagined. Piles of gold coins, bars, and jewels were stacked high, glittering in the lantern's feeble light. His hands trembled with excitement. It was real. The legends were true.
He stepped forward, his boots crunching on the gravel floor, his mind racing with visions of the wealth he would soon claim. The gold would be his, and he would return to the village as a hero, with riches beyond anyone's comprehension.
But as he moved closer, a low growl echoed through the cavern, causing him to freeze in place. His heart skipped a beat, and for the first time since entering the mountain, fear began to grip him. The sound was coming from behind the altar—no, not from the altar itself—but from something deeper within the cavern.
Elias felt the hairs on the back of his neck stand up. He knew, deep in his gut, that he was not alone. Something was guarding this treasure. He wasn't the first to venture here, and the gold had not remained hidden for centuries by accident. The mountain had a protector.
Slowly, cautiously, Elias turned around, his lantern held high. The growling continued, growing louder, and then, out of the shadows, emerged a creature so massive that it took his breath away.
It was a lion-like beast, with fur that shimmered like gold, its eyes glowing a fierce amber. Its body was covered in scales, and it moved with the fluid grace of a predator. The creature's growl turned into a roar, a sound so powerful that it vibrated through the very stone beneath his feet. Elias took a step back, heart hammering in his chest.
This was no ordinary animal. This was the Guardian of the Gold, the one that the old stories spoke of. A creature born from the very mountain itself, tasked with protecting the treasure from any who dared seek it.
Elias swallowed hard, but his greed still burned within him. "I've come for the gold," he said, his voice shaky but determined. "I will take what's mine."
The Guardian's eyes gleamed with an ancient intelligence, and it slowly circled the treasure, keeping its gaze fixed on Elias. The ground rumbled as it moved, and the air seemed to thicken with an overwhelming presence.
"You are not worthy," the creature said, its voice deep and echoing, though it did not move its mouth. The sound came from everywhere, from the stone walls, from the very air itself.
Elias took another step forward, but his feet felt heavy, as though the weight of the mountain itself was pushing down on him. "I can take it," he said, trying to steady his breath. "I can have it. The treasure is meant to be claimed."
The Guardian's eyes narrowed, and a strange, soft laugh echoed in the cavern. "The mountain does not give its gold freely. You seek riches, but the cost is far greater than you know."
Elias's pulse quickened. He had heard the warnings, but they were just stories. Old, foolish tales meant to scare children. He wasn't afraid.
"I'm not afraid of you," Elias said, his voice trembling but defiant.
The creature's golden mane rippled as it crouched, ready to pounce. "You should be."
The cavern seemed to darken, and Elias's lantern flickered violently. The very air grew heavy, pressing against his chest, and he could feel the weight of the Guardian's words, their truth settling in like a cold hand around his heart.
For the first time since he entered the mountain, Elias realized that the gold was not his to take. The Guardian had warned him—no, tried to warn him. But it was too late.
With a final, terrible growl, the beast leapt toward him, and the world around Elias went black.
The mountain had claimed him.