Chapter 13 - Part 3

["They have shown us mercy and forgiveness." Danil said between sobs.]

Dimly lit hallways from the same strange light stones as outside went on forever. The colossal pyramid was a maze of doorless hallways made of metal sheets. Danil brushed his hands over the cold metal walls feeling it's fine striations that made geometric patterns barely visible.

"Volyk, do you think you can do it on metal?" Ad'hm asked. Volyk took a moment of consideration and nodded. Danil looked confused but remained quiet and observed.

"I'll try."

"Volyk..." Ha'tri abstained on voicing her concern but her eyes betrayed her.

"I will be fine." he replied, brushing her hand in comfort. He took lead and dropped to his knees. His raised hands dropped with a dull painful thud on the metal flooring. Vibrations reverberated throughout the surrounding area. They came back to him forming a mental map. It was limited. He barely got to see past the upcoming bend in the corridor. Volyk tried to stand up, but his feet did not fully cooperate making him fall backwards. And as always, Hat'ri was there to catch him.

"Thank you, Hat''ri." he said with a heardend breath.

"Anything?" Ad'hm asked.

"Not much, I'm afraid. I can't get through this metal. It's not steel, or iron, or any other metal I've seen. But I found something interesting." He said and turned to his left facing the wall. He felt around the geometric lines.

"What is it?" Danil said curiously closing in and observing his his hands and placement on the lines.

"There are rooms inside. These are not just hallways, empty corridors." he answered in a whisper as if someone on the other side could hear them.

"We need to search thoroughly, we cannot afford to have any room left unchecked. The womb is here. The Emperor is certain of it." Ad'hm confirmed. "Find a way to open the doors." With that, he relied once again on his empathic abilities and scanned the area for any signs. There was nothing he could feel around him, but the pyramid was too big for his reach to be enough. At least he breathed relieved that no surprises awaited them in the room.

"These were made by Creators. They won't open if they did not intend us to enter." Danil said.

"You mean the guys that we just incinerated? And seemed to die from the Ophio infection?" Then added rolling her eyes again at the man. Something about his fanatical way of speaking irked her to the point of disgust.

"Not even moments ago you were bawling your eyes out for those guys, young lady." He looked at Ad'hm knowling as he put an awkward emphasis on 'young'. Ad'hm cleared his throat and nervously laughed.

"Let's avoid any useless quarrels, shall we?" he added. Then turned her back to Ad'hm, watching Volyk carefully. Hat'ri stayed watched. She had careful eyes on both their way in and the bend of the corridor. She was wary of the place and it rubbed her the wrong way. She felt that something was wrong, she felt it in her gut. And she never ignored her instincts, that's what made her a fearsome warrior.

Volyk knocked softly on the metal sheeting of the wall. Some parts sounded hollow while others not. There was no visible door handle or anything that would indicate how to open it. He turned to the others and shook his head. "I don't know,"

"Let's just break it." Hat'ri pushed Volyk aside and reeled in her hand in claw. In the blink of an eye the air in the tunnel became dry and unpleasant as her hand was encased in sharp ice knives. She put all her might into one blow, tearing through the metal like butter before Volyk or the others could protest. The sound of metal ripping appart was ear shattering.

"Hat'ri! That was uncalled for." Volyk said looking over her shoulder. Everyone stared blankly.

"It's empty." Ad'hm said calmly.

"We can't go around destroying every wall we see! They contain invaluable glyphs left over from the Creators!" Volyk protested.

"Indeed." Called Danil from the back. "Why not just open them?" he said with a smirk on his face. Everyone turned to him only to see Danil standing next to an open door, beyond which there was another empty door.

"How!?" Volyk demanded.

"I guess he has more uses other than a walking shield." Then remarked.

"It's all Fios!" Danil said excited. He moved up ahead the hallway to another set of geometric lines. "Here, watch. I'm filling these lines with my Fios." He brushed his hand over the lines following the pattern from the exterior to the interior. And the wall simply dissolved to the sides. Again, another empty room.

"Incredible." Volyk and Ad'hm whispered at the same time.

"How do you suppose they work?" Volyk asked curiously, as if Danil had some divine connection to the Creators and would know.

"I don't know. But, this is beyond what we mere humans would ever be capable of. The power our Creators held is indeed limitless."

"Volyk," Ha'tri called out. Waiting for the rest to move ahead. "I'm sorry. I..."

"It's alright Hat'ri." His eyes never broke contact with her baby blues. "Your desire for results and need to action is one of the things I love about you, Hat'ri." He whispered and squeezed her hands then followed the rest.

"Love..." she repeated back to herself, stunned. Her face heated up and an ear to ear smile took over her pudgy face. With a nod to herself she followed assuming her battle ready stance.

The group continued knocking on the walls and each took turns opening the rooms. It was a strange sensation, unlike Wielding, it didn't wait for the Wielder to give power, but once the geometric lines tasted the power it sucked all it needed. Luckily for them it was an insignificant amount. They had ended up in a few dead ends, but resumed once they found the main corridor. It was easy to distinguish the main one from the rest. It gave a wider berth and once every few hundred feet a strip of glyph maker the walls, floor, and ceiling of the hallway. Volyk made sure he scribbled down and took notes of every detail that he had encountered. He also made a mental note to take a piece of the metal Ha'tri ripped and one of the smaller light stones. He was excited to work together with the other Mavens to figure out how they worked.

Volyk kept the time in his mind to the exact minute. They had been going through the maze for more than three hours. Ad'hm reported to Araya regularly. The emperor was becoming more and more impatient. Were it not for the opened rooms they would have accidentally tracked back and lost their way. It was as if it's confusing corridors and ways were made to be confusing.

They had finally arrived at what seemed to be the last door that was, opposed to the others, made apparent. The main corridor ended in a long hallway at the end of which a cread triangular door waited with the same geometrical lines in the middle.

"It has to be there, right?" Then asked.

"We don't know. Everything has been empty so far." Ad'hm replied but prayed in his mind to let this one be it. He could not turn up empty handed or the Emperor would have everyone's head.

"Shall we?" Volyk aside with his hand ready to open it.

"By all means." Danil replied politely. Ha'tri never broke her battle stance, ready for anything.

Volyk moved his hand along the lines feeding them his Fios. The door began dissolving in thin air into small black particles that seemed to retreat onto itself on either side. It exposed a giant gallery. A tall, wide room that was filled with black glass windows on every wall. It's roof was the point of the pyramid that aligned with a dias that held a slab of massive variegated deep purple crystal slashed with pristine white lines. Around it sixteen metal coffins with glass tops. The vast space was unlike what they had seen throughout the pyramid and the city. Unlike the impersonal bland straight lines of the city and geometric patterns from the corridors this hall was lavishly decorated with intricate details and gold everywhere. Marble slabs covered the floor in detailed patterns of off whites, browns, and blacks, so lustrous it reflected every light stone in the room. The walls were covered into what Volyk would deem as precious artifacts of worship. Unusual vases with remnants of dead flowers. Tables of polished woods and finery made out of gold and silver. Everything contrasted the black glass windows in such perfect harmony it was breathtaking. The room had multiple entrances that were dark, the only one that was closed was that from which they had come.

"Wow," Then let out.

"Indeed." Danil agreed.

"Look!" Ad'hm called out. On the crystal slab laid in gold was the inscription that Araya had showed Ad'hm. "That's...." he made a pause, uncertain. "wobm?"

Danil looked at it from a far and shrugged. "It seems like it is. Let's get a closer look, I wonder what's in those couffins." he asked himself weirdly excited and eager.

"Wait, we need to report in first." Ad'hm reached out to Araya through the bonding stone on his glove, but this time he connected the bonding stones of all of his team so that they could hear, see, and feel as well. "Araya! Araya, come in." he repeated. After a few minutes she finally replied.

"Yes, Ad'hm? I see everyone's on the line." she said calmly.

"We found the womb." he simply put, and felt the elation in Araya and relief. Her life too was on the line.

"I'm with Emperor Ryel right now, Ad'hm. I have relayed the message. Stay in contact at all times from now, you can drop the rest. Good job everyone!" silence followed and did as instructed.

The group neared the slab of crystal and noticed something more gruesome than they had expected. The coffins were not simple funerary boxes. The glass casing was filled with liquid. The first ones were empty, while a few had its glass casing smashed to pieces. One of which contained the mummified remains of a Creator. It's wrinkled thick leathered skin, was black with a face almost human were it not for the three horns that jutted out of it's skill. A strange indentation on its forehead showed a closed third eye. The being had its first pair of arms crossed over its chest and the second pair of arms over his stomach. It was extremely tall and had full body dark clothing that began to decay. Danil and Volyk dropped to their knees praying. Ad'hm had to snap them out of it with great hardship, they had a mission to fulfil and they were so close. Then held her breath as she looked at the coffins of their so supposed creators, hearing her heart beating so fast she could barely keep standing. Everyone had a lot of emotions to unpack on what they had witnessed today, but they kept them at bay some better than others. Although Voluk's face was emotionless and ready to battle just as Hat'ri, tears streamed down his face. Ad'hm wasn't sure if it was because of the confirmation their gods existed, or once existed or the sight of their death and the blasphemous acts they did to get there. He shook the thoughts out of his head, there will be time for that later.

Out of the sixteen coffins only one was intact and had a perfectly preserved. Just like those mummified in other coffins, this one floated in the liquid. Its skin, not black, but pale blue with rich dark markings dusting the bridge of his nose. It had a rather too small nose for its big face, with a jaw sharp as a blade. Its lips a perfect shape that curled upward in a resting smile. This one had four horns, two bigger on the sides and two smaller inwards, next to the bigger two. It had long white hair braided in a neat tail that floated next to him. One of the most striking features it had was his tail that was thick at the base and thinned into two digit like appendages. It coiled down it's left leg. The Creator too had fully body clothing but in gray.

"He's beautiful." Danil said in a sharp intake of breath. He could not control his emotions. His eyes affixed on the perfect features of the being that laid before him. He wiped his hand clean on his robe and touched the glass gently as if stroking its cheek. He was transfixed, looking the Creator up and down in a greedy appreciation for utter maginifance.

Then and the others cringed inwardly in disgust at Danil's display, but they hid it well. Everyone except for Danil turned their gaze towards one of the entrances right in front of them as something slithered through the hallways beyond it.

"Danil, on your guard." Ad'hm warned but he ignored it. He was mesmerized. With a tremor of the chamber an impossibly sized serpent burst out of the entrance forcing them to back away. Ad'hm grabbed Danil and pulled him away. The massive serpent coiled its dark blue scaled body around the slab of crystal and the coffins with the gentleness of spring sunlight. Its bright yellow eyes that burned with fire watched them carefully. It's mane slicked back on its head turning in a ridged electric white bristle. It surprised everyone when the serpent pulled two small hands from itself and carefully ancored itself on the marble flooring. It watched, as if assessing, contemplating. Its body filled the room, coiled gently against the furniture, riches, coffins and their target, the crystal slab.

Everyone had raised their shields and got ready for battle. Ad'hm felt immense pressure coming from the creature that could swallow them whole without even trying. His empath senses were on fire.

"Be ready for anything." Ad'hm warned as he creased his eyebrows trying to ignore the alarm singles that went off like explosions in his head. But something unexpected happened as soon as he said it. A thunderous rumble filled the room, shaking everything in sight. They almost lost their balance from the intensity. The serpentine creature laughed.

"And what a handful of Humh'ine can prepare for against one such as myself, Hava'sat'ra the awakened." the serpent asked bemused. Ad'hm and the rest were stunned at the creature, they had no words. "Well, go on. Answer my question." it followed up.

Ad'hm cleared his throat and tried to plea. "Great Hava'sat'ra," he began, "we do not seek idle battle." He lowered his head. The serpent laughed again.

"Oh, how I missed you Humh'ine. Your people always knew how to make an old awakened like me laugh. You say you don't seek idle battle, yet you barge in a sanctuary not for your kind and intend to steal the belongings of my masters." he laughed again.

"Great Hava'sat'ra," Danil began. "We seek only answers and to fulfil our Emperor's wishes, one appointed by the Creators." He said with his head lowered.

"Answers?" the serpent asked and laughed again. "Your Emperor no longer bears the blood of the first of your kind. It had long been lost through the milenia." He said. "I have no obligation to respect your Emperor's wishes, Humh'ine.

"How do you know! You've been locked here for all this time!" Ha'tri spat back.

"Hat'ri, please stop. Don't anger him." Volyk warned, but the serpent just laughed.

"I like her." He lowered his heavy head down to hear and inspected her closely, she froze and forced herself not to do anything rash. "A Yunubur, I see." He retreated, his tongue lapping the air. "I know more than you will ever know, Humh'ine. The layine keeps me fed and also feeds me visions of the outside. I know." he simple put.

"Layline...?" Volyk broke through his stupor and asked. The creature laughed again.

"You Humh'ine extinguish so fast, you don't get to experience what E'a has to offer. The Sanctuary sits on a layline, exit points of wild Fios, as you call it, unlimited, pure, the will of E'a herself." It laughed again.

"What happened?" Then asked. The creature was in the mood to answer questions so she tried her hand at it as well. "What happened to the Creators back there?"

The serpent reeled back. It looked saddened by the question. "A mistake. Something that was not supposed to happen, but such is the will of E'a."

"Why are you here, Great Hava'sat'ra?" Danil asked.

The serpent pondered until it finally said. "I simply was at the wrong or right place at the wrong or right time. I do not know which, only E'a does. But I suppose I can tell you that I have taken it upon myself to protect the Sanctuary until my masters return again."

"So you've cast the barrier around the...Sanctuary?"

"Indeed I have, not my best work, I must admit, but it has done its job admirably."

Danil reached out to the other via his glove. If he's funneling his energy into that massive barrier he can't have much strength left. We can take him.

The serpent laughed immediately. "You really think you can take me, Hava'sat'ra?" The serpent rose in a striking position.

"Fuck! He can hear us through the bonding stones! Shields up!" Danil shouted. Before he could even finish Hava'sat'ra sent a condensed beam of light towards Hat'ri breaking through her shield and knocking her back without warning. It stroke at her with great speed. Volyk dashed towards Hat'ri using a force blast to propel himself just in time. But he was too slow to cast a shield. The serpent's mouth landed around Volyk's extended arm wrenching it off completely.

"Volyk!" Ha'tri pierced through the commotion with her scream. Tears streaming down her face she pulled Volyk away and healed what was left of his shoulder. "My love, she whispered."

"Hava'sat'ra! Please, there's no need for this!" Ad'hm pleaded, but the great serpent only laughed. No words needed as its eyes said everything. As it dashed towards Ad'hm, Then threw ab arrange of condensed force blasts that bounced back its tough scaly skin, but managed to push push him enough to miss Ad'hm.

"Everyone, we need to fight together! Danil! Protect us, we'll throw everything we have at him!" Ad'hm shouted. Danil broke his daze and raised the most powerful barrier he could as they grouped together. Hava'sat'ra shot another beam of light directly at Danil's shield, but it was deflected and hit one of the black glass windows. The serpent hissed as it saw the glass breaking.

"How dare you!" it boomed writhing through the air in fury.

"Then, the black windows! Quick!" They shot pure force blasts at them shattering in millions of pieces. Hava'sat'ra spazzed in anger at them. "NOW! Annihilation! Pour everything you got!

Ad'hm, Hat'ri, and Then pooled their fios in a localized area outside Danil's barrier. He hated using this spell but he had no choice. They focused on an infinitely small mote within the area, the smallest possible thing they could feel with their Fios. It vibrated and was unstable. Perfect. The three of them ripped through the mote, releasing a flood of energy which they directed with great hardship straight at the serpent. It was pure energy that disintegrated everything in its path and wreaked havoc even long before it's gone. Their aim was bad, controlling such burst of intense energy was almost impossible but with three of them, they could barely do it. They destroyed a great deal of the lavishness of the vast hall before it reached Hava'sat'ra. The serpent screamed in pain but took the full brunt of the blast. Its scream made their ears bleed with pain, but somehow they maintained focus. It took several seconds of direct energy from the Annihilation spell but the great serpent was stronger than they thought. It fell to the ground with his once shiny and proud deep blue scaly skin now but burnt carbon. Its mane singed and ruined and his eyes burned with pure rage as it watched them from the ground.

"Quick!" Ad'hm mobilized his team. Both Then and Hat'ri were sweating, with reserves of Fios almost depleted. "Ad'hm turned to Volyk who was delirious with pain.

"I'm so sorry." Hat'ri whispered. "I've never been a good healer." Ad'hm took quick care of Volyk, first shutting down his pain, then began stitching his skin and muscle together to stop the bleeding as fast as he could. He would get the chance to take a better rook at it once they're safe on the surface.

"Don't let your guard down!" Ad'hm shouted, he was visibly tired and his breath was heavy. Annihilation spell takes a crazy amount of Fios and up until this day he had never had to use this spell in live combat.

Hava'sat'ra shoot another beam of light from the ground into Danil's shield but this time it was weaker and dissipated before it could bounce off, but Danil felt the force and rage behind it. He too was weaker from the last blast. If it was just a fraction more powerful his barrier would have failed. The great serpent slowly rose to strike again. Everyone prepared to help enforce Danil's barrier with everything they got, but as the serpent looked at them with intense anger and just as he was about to strike something short of a miracle stopped him. Confusion over took him then calmness. His rage had dissipated out of nowhere. The snake simply said. "Understood." and retreated back from the entrance he once came.

Everyone collapsed on the ground in relief. "Rest, but don't let your guard down!" Ad'hm said as he approached the center, eyeing carefully the slab of crystal and the coffin.