Year 217 After the Era of the Scourge

  22nd Day of the Month of Ashes,

  The sinister creaking of the door echoed through the vast underground chamber. A cold wind rushed inside, stirring up centuries-old dust. Holding a torch, Kael cautiously stepped forward, followed closely by Lysara and Darius.

  Beyond the entrance, a colossal hall stretched out before them.

  The walls, smooth and black, did not seem made of stone but of an unknown material—an ancient metal, cold and strange, its surface shimmering with silvery reflections.

  At the center stood a pedestal of the same substance, bathed in an eerie glow.

  And in front of this pedestal… something awaited them.

  Kael froze.

  The figure standing before them remained motionless. A towering armored colossus, frozen in time.

  Its black helm seemed to absorb the light, and though its body did not move, it radiated an overwhelming presence.

  A guardian.

  Darius murmured, his gaze fixed on the entity:

  — "… An automaton? A haunted armor?"

  Kael clenched his jaw. He could tell this thing was more than just a relic.

  He took another step forward.

  The engravings on the pedestal suddenly lit up.

  Then, the Guardian’s eyes opened.

  Two glowing slits, burning like infernal embers.

  In the next instant, a metallic roar tore through the air, and the armor moved.

  Kael barely had time to dodge as the monster struck.

  The Guardian’s blade sliced through the air, smashing into the ground with immense force.

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  Stone shards exploded in all directions.

  Kael rolled aside, raising his black sword just in time to block a second blow. The impact sent him skidding several meters back.

  — "It’s fast!" Lysara shouted, loosing an arrow straight at the Guardian’s head.

  The arrow struck but merely clattered off the armor—no damage.

  Darius, wielding his two-handed sword, attempted an attack from the side.

  Without even turning, the Guardian raised its arm and caught the blade with its bare hand.

  A screeching sound.

  Then, with inhuman strength, it hurled Darius against a wall.

  Kael lunged forward, seizing the opening.

  His sword slashed at the monster’s torso.

  A brutal impact.

  But the blade did not pierce through.

  — "Impossible…!"

  The Guardian pivoted, raising its massive weapon for a devastating strike.

  Kael narrowly dodged, but a burst of energy sent him hurtling backward.

  This was no ordinary foe.

  This was a remnant of another era, a warrior that should have remained asleep.

  Lysara analyzed the situation.

  — "Attack the joints!"

  Kael and Darius understood immediately.

  If the armor was impenetrable, its joints had to be its weakness.

  Kael nodded to Darius.

  Darius feinted a frontal assault.

  Kael slid along the ground and struck under the armpit.

  The blade sank in slightly.

  The Guardian reacted instantly, stepping back.

  It had felt the impact.

  — "That’s it!" Kael shouted.

  Darius slashed at its right leg while Lysara shot an arrow straight into its knee.

  The monster wavered.

  Kael charged forward, driving his sword into the joint at the neck.

  A mechanical screech filled the chamber.

  Then, slowly, the Guardian fell to one knee.

  Kael wasted no time. In one final strike, he drove his sword into its core.

  A deafening silence followed.

  The monster trembled… then became still.

  The fiery glow in its eyes faded.

  It moved no more.

  The trio caught their breath.

  Darius, still dazed, cast a wary glance at the motionless Guardian.

  — "Damn… What was that thing?"

  Lysara approached the pedestal, where the engravings still pulsed faintly.

  Kael joined her, studying them closely.

  Suddenly, a luminous projection appeared above the pedestal.

  A face. Human.

  A man with stern features, dressed in garments none of them recognized.

  Then, a voice echoed, weak and distant:

  — "… If you are seeing this, then our world no longer exists."

  A shiver ran down Kael’s spine.

  The voice continued:

  — "We were once a prosperous empire. We had science, technology, and we believed ourselves invincible… until the Day of the Scourge."

  The image flickered.

  — "A war… An enemy we could not understand… and we lost. Those who survived buried the truth, erased our past. But you, who are still here… You are our last hope."

  Kael exchanged glances with Lysara and Darius.

  — "… Our last hope for what?" he murmured.

  The projection vanished.

  Silence fell once more.

  But Kael knew.

  What they had just discovered would change everything.