The ship's landing pod touched down gently on the cracked surface of Lyris. Atmospheric sensors registered breathable oxygen, but the air felt stale and heavy with memories. The horizon was bathed in twilight, and pale mist floated over marble ruins carved with musical staves and note-shaped glyphs. Broken columns rose like paused choruses. Faded murals depicted choral assemblies and orchestral gatherings, long silenced.
Jungkook peered through the pod hatch. "It's beautiful. Sad too."
Yoongi stepped beside him, voice quiet. "Sad, yes. But not lifeless."
Jin scanned the perimeter. "Look at this architecture. These stones... they seem to... breathe."
Taehyung's eyes widened. He drew in a slow breath and hummed a low note. Immediately, one of the ruins glowed faintly, lines of ancient script shimmering into view. "They're listening."
Namjoon nodded. "This moon responds to sound. Like it was built to sing."
A moment later, Jimin let out a soft tone. The walls behind them shifted, opening like a book to reveal a courtyard lined with columns that arced inward, pointing toward a central dais.
Hoseok smiled. "Welcome to the first trial: the puzzle of harmony."
They stepped into the courtyard. The stone dais glowed with pale blue light. Around its edges were carved indentations shaped like instruments with the shape of a drum, stringed lyre, and flute. In the centre was an engraved staff with one glowing blank note slot.
Jin crouched, studying the carvings. "We need to compose something. A key. Vocals plus instruments."
Jungkook reached for a glowing lyre resting against a broken pillar. Its strings hummed faintly. "Does it accept our sound?"
He plucked a chord. The note rang out. The staff on the dais shimmered in response. One symbol lit up on the pedestal, matching the shape of the lyre.
Taehyung joined with a soft reed flute found nearby, playing a long, clear tone. Another staff slot glowed in green. The dais hummed softly.
Namjoon spoke calmly. "We each contribute our voice and instrument. Then together we form a chord that unlocks the relic."
Hoseok stepped forward next, touching a drum set that rolled into place with ancient mechanisms. He began a rhythmic pattern, his voice echoing as a syncopated drumbeat. A third glow followed.
Jimin smiled as he stood in front of the dais. "I'll add emotion." He began to sing a gentle, heartfelt melody that wove around the notes already playing. The dais responded, shifting to a gentle pink.
Yoongi found a metallic tuning pad embedded in the dais. He tapped a low techno beat, subtle and precise. The pad pulsed in rhythm.
Jin closed his eyes and began vibrational humming, matching pitch with the stone walls, guiding them into harmonic resonance.
Finally, Namjoon stepped forward, lifting his voice to speak the words of unity: "One song, seven voices, one purpose." He added a deep, spoken-pitch resonance that merged with their sound and caused the dais' central blank note to glow brightly.
A deep chime sounded. The stones trembled. The courtyard shifted around them. Pillars turned, floor plates rotated. A hidden archway opened, revealing a vaulted chamber beyond.
They exchanged excited looks.
Jungkook grinned. "We solved it. We opened it."
They entered the chamber, stepping onto a balcony overlooking a large inner hall. Within the hall, an enormous crystalline structure floated above a mirror-smooth floor. It glimmered in moonlight and pulsed softly in time with their harmonics.
Jin moved closer, awe in his voice. "That must be the relic."
As he approached, the crystal began to shimmer in their presence. It cast prismatic reflections across the walls, lighting up ghostly frescoes of singers and priests reaching to the sky in worship.
Hoseok gestured to surround himself with the others. "Each of us holds a piece of the Prism. Together, we activate it."
They each stepped forward as one. The pulses they created in the courtyard returned, but stronger. Their voices layered, rhythms combined, words united with melody. The crystal vibrated in response. Beams of light connected it to each of them, forming a glowing prism between stone columns.
The moonlight shifted, and the hall vibrated with deep resonance. It shook them gently, but with power.
Namjoon whispered, "This is it. The first relic awakened."
As the crystal's glow intensified, the entire inner dome lit brilliantly, then faded until all was still.
Taehyung exhaled. "It accepted us."
Yoongi cracked a rare smile. "It recognised our chord."
Outside, the wind carried a single echo through the ruined city. Just one note, sustained. It faded into a promise.
Namjoon turned to his team. "One down. Six to go."
They stood together, hearts pounding, voices still echoing in the stone.
Lyris had remembered them.
And they were reborn as more than survivors.
They were legends.