Chapter 2: Echoes of Stone and Sky
The golem's fist smashed into the ground, shattering the marble beneath it in a thunderous crash. Fragments of stone burst into the air like a hailstorm. Shu had already flipped backward, landing lightly atop a slanted pillar just as the debris settled.
The Guardian wasn't fast—but it didn't need to be.
Each step it took toward him made the entire Heartchamber tremble.
Shu's breaths were shallow, his eyes darting across the chamber, analyzing every path, every surface. The golem's glowing eyes tracked him without blinking. Energy surged along its limbs—ancient tech fused with magic, or something older still. The Sky Order had built monsters not just to defend relics, but to test those who would dare claim them.
And right now, Shu was failing that test.
He dashed left, narrowly avoiding another crashing blow, then slashed at the golem's arm with one of his curved hookblades. Sparks flew—but no damage. The edge barely scraped the outer plating.
"Too dense…" he muttered.
"Yeah, you're not gonna cut through that thing," came Sera's voice in his ear. "Try not dying for ten seconds while I scan the chamber."
"Sera," he grunted, dodging another strike that cracked a support column. "Now would be a great time for one of your genius ideas."
The golem suddenly turned, and its chest began to hum. Energy coalesced at its core.
"Oh no," Shu whispered.
The Guardian unleashed a pulse of force—a shockwave that ripped outward in a dome of raw kinetic energy. It hurled Shu off his feet and into the far wall. He crashed hard, pain blooming across his back like wildfire. He coughed, blood trickling from the corner of his mouth.
Still, he pushed himself up. Always up.
"Found something!" Sera announced, a mixture of panic and excitement in her voice. "There's a power relay node above the main pedestal—see that orb embedded in the ceiling?"
Shu looked up through the dizzying pain. There it was: a small, glowing blue orb, pulsing gently above the floating Sky Key.
"Hit it with something conductive. Now."
He drew a throwing dagger from his belt—steel-tipped, copper-lined. One chance.
The golem was already charging again.
Shu took two steps forward, rolled under its swing, and launched the dagger mid-spin.
It struck the orb dead center.
The result was immediate.
The chamber's lighting shifted. Runes flared across the walls. And the golem... froze. Just for a moment.
But it was enough.
Shu leapt forward and sprinted straight for the Guardian's back. He scaled it like a cliff, using joints and gaps in the armor for leverage. The runes were glowing faintly at the back of its neck.
"Think there's a kill switch in here?" he asked, stabbing his blade into the seam.
"No kill switch," Sera said, "but that's a control junction. If you overload it…"
"Got it." He twisted the blade hard, pouring every bit of momentum into the strike.
The golem let out a soundless burst of energy—and collapsed.
Its glowing veins dimmed. The runes flickered and died. Shu dropped down and landed in a crouch, blade still in hand.
Silence returned to the chamber, broken only by Shu's ragged breathing.
"You okay?" Sera asked.
"I'll live."
"Your heart rate suggests otherwise."
"Still beating, isn't it?" he said, dragging himself toward the pedestal.
The Sky Key floated in the air, humming softly. Now that the battle had ended, Shu had time to study it. The object was crystalline, shaped like a fractured star. A constant swirl of light moved inside it, like a storm trapped in glass. When he reached out and touched it again, it pulsed—not in defense, but in recognition.
Something unlocked.
A section of the wall behind the pedestal hissed and slid open, revealing a narrow corridor etched with glowing script.
Sera whistled in awe. "Guess you passed the trial."
"Wasn't aware I was taking a test."
"Shu," she said more seriously, "whatever's in there—it's not on any map. Not even the classified ones."
"That's why I came here."
He stepped into the corridor.
The light was soft, blue, and pulsing like a heartbeat. The walls were smoother now, less like stone and more like metal—or some hybrid in between. Ancient glyphs lit up as he passed, reacting to his presence. The passage curved downward and ended at a massive circular room. A dome, lined with what looked like stasis pods.
Dozens of them.
Each pod held a figure—some armored, others draped in robes. All preserved in a deep, silent sleep.
"Who are they?" Sera whispered in his ear.
"I don't know," Shu said, awe creeping into his voice. "They look like… Sky Order sentinels."
Sera fell silent. Even through the comm-link, Shu could feel her disbelief.
"I thought they were all dead," she finally said.
"Maybe they are," Shu replied. "Or maybe they were waiting for the Key."
He looked down at it again. It no longer glowed as brightly.
Just then, one of the pods let out a hiss. Ice evaporated. Lights flickered. And inside, a pair of eyes opened.
Golden. Unblinking.
The figure inside reached up—and shattered the pod's glass from within.