The deafening shriek of the artifact was now so loud it was physically painful, forcing Vivian to press the heels of her hands against her ears. The overwhelming white light turned the chamber into a sterile, terrifying forge.
"It's a countdown!" Vivian screamed over the noise, looking at the control panel. "The Disconnection is accelerating! We have seconds, not minutes!"
Ethan pulled the two wrongly inserted keys out. The control panel registered the failure, displaying a sharp, non-translated glyph that resembled a broken chain. He looked at the keys—four brass rectangles.
Key I: Engraved with the symbol of the Crescent Moon and the Roman numeral I. Key II: Marked with a radiating Star (Sunburst) and the numeral II. Key III: Bearing a stylized Orb (Planet/Central Eye) and the numeral III. Key IV: Depicting Two Intertwined Rings (Orbit/Binary System) and the numeral IV.
"The prompt demanded the 'Sun Key'!" Ethan shouted, focusing his tactical mind on the logic puzzle.
Vivian, despite the panic, forced herself to think through the ancient language structure. "The codicil's cosmology! The 'Sun' was not just a star; it was the Golden Limit! The central point of the system they built!" She lunged, snatching the keys from Ethan's hand. "It's not the Sunburst, Ethan! It's the Central Orb! The one marked III!"
She shoved Key III, the one with the stylized Orb/Central Eye, into the third slot.
The crimson alarm on the panel did not stop, but the shriek from the artifact momentarily dropped in frequency, allowing a terrifying, synthesized voice—cold and genderless, speaking the dead language—to boom through the chamber:
PROTOCOL: ACCESS CONFIRMED. LIMITS INITIATED. SUN KEY REGISTERED.
"It worked!" Ethan felt a surge of relief, but it was immediately replaced by renewed dread. The control panel now displayed the final, critical message in the translated archaic text:
INITIATE TRANSFER. REQUIRES ORDER.
"Order? What order?" Ethan leaned over Vivian's shoulder, trying to read the panel's tiny script.
Vivian pointed frantically to the remaining three slots and the three unused keys: I (Moon), II (Star), and IV (Rings).
"The order of their appearance in the codicil! The first restriction mentioned the Moon's shadow on the Star! The final ritual described closing the Binary Rings! We need to place them in the correct sequence of the Great Restriction!"
The artifact roared again, its white light intensifying to an unbearable level. The floor around the pit began to glow faintly. Ethan could hear the tearing metallic groan of the chamber sealing completely behind them. There was no retreat.
"Moon, Star, Rings!" Ethan yelled. He snatched the remaining keys and, with Vivian guiding his hand, inserted them in the correct slots in a terrifying blur of motion:
Key I (Moon) into Slot 1.
Key II (Star) into Slot 2.
Key IV (Rings) into Slot 4.
The moment the final key clicked into place, the blinding white light vanished. The high-pitched shriek cut off instantly, replaced by absolute, echoing silence. The only sound was the heavy, final CLUNK of the massive door sealing completely behind them, locking them in.
The artifact reverted to its original, soft, pulsing blue glow. The panel turned back to a steady, operational green, and the message changed one last time:
TRANSFER INITIATED. SYSTEM STABLE. GOLDEN LIMIT ACTIVE.
"We did it," Vivian whispered, slumping against the cold concrete wall, trembling violently. "We initiated the final protocol. But... what is the Transfer?"
Ethan didn't answer. He was staring at the artifact. The intricate geometric patterns on its surface were now moving, flowing like mercury beneath the dark metal. He noticed that the cylindrical object was beginning to slowly descend into the circular recess in the floor—into the deep, black pit below.