The sun had barely risen when their boat drifted into the shallows of a coastline shaped like a jagged crescent. The air here was different—thick with ancient whispers, dust carried by winds that had crossed deserts, cities, and empires long dead. Ahead of them stretched a land sculpted by two pantheons at war: Greek marble ruins half-swallowed by Egyptian sandstone, statues of Horus fused with cracked pillars of Zeus, hieroglyphs dancing around fragments of Olympian inscriptions.
Ayo stepped off the boat first, sand crunching beneath his boots. His eyes narrowed as the Aether inside him stirred—not in warning, but in recognition. There was something here that called to his blood. Something older than myth.
Reina appeared beside him, brushing grit off her knees, her crimson eyes studying the towering structure in the distance. "That must be it," she whispered. "The Temple of Broken Crowns."
Kasai slung his pack over his shoulder. "You know… for a sacred ruin, it looks like someone dragged two different worlds into one and said 'make it work.'"
Kaito snorted. "That's because they did. This land was one of the crossroads—one of the places where gods clashed for dominance. The energy left behind… it twists everything."
Ayo looked back at them. "Stay sharp. If gods fought here, their monsters stayed behind."
The path to the temple was long, winding between statues that stared down with cracked stone eyes. Some had Greek armor; others wore Egyptian crowns; some had the heads of jackals or hawks atop human bodies. Each one seemed alive. Watching. Waiting.
The team walked slowly, tension tightening their chests. Even after the Leviathan, this land felt heavier—like each step dragged a piece of their souls into the dust.
Kasai broke the silence first. "Why does it feel like something's… judging us?"
Kaito didn't answer immediately. Instead, he placed a hand on one of the statues. "Because it is. These guardians were made to test worthiness. Only those with divine resonance could even enter the temple."
Reina crossed her arms. "But all of us have divine resonance. We'll be fine."
Ayo frowned. "It's not about power. It's about your heart."
Before anyone could respond, the ground shook. The sand swirled violently, rising like a localized storm. A deep growl rolled across the ruins, vibrating through their bones.
From the sand emerged a creature with a lion's body, an eagle's wings, and the tail of a scorpion—its eyes glowing with molten gold. A Sphinx Chimera. A forbidden creation, born from a god's fury and another's arrogance, cursed to guard secrets no mortal—or divine—should ever uncover.
Reina drew her claws instantly. "Incoming!"
The chimera lunged with terrifying speed. Reina dodged, slicing across its flank. Kasai ignited his fists, flames swirling into spirals as he struck the beast's side. Kaito warped the patterns of space, guiding Kasai and Reina's movements with surgical precision, opening windows of attack.
Ayo stood still at first, watching. The creature's movements were deliberate—not just animalistic fury but intelligent strategy. It didn't fight to kill. It fought to judge.
The chimera roared, wings spreading wide. A shockwave blasted outward, sending Reina crashing into a column and Kasai tumbling across the sand. Kaito barely managed to bend the shockwave around him, but even he staggered.
Ayo moved. His Aether flared, the resonance of Ogun, Apollo, Shango, and countless buried bloodlines pulsing through his veins. He dashed forward, shielding Reina with a barrier and intercepting the chimera's sting.
The creature pinned him with its golden eyes.
"A bearer of many flames… yet burdened by truth unspoken," it said, voice like stone grinding against stone. "Your heart is fractured."
Ayo's fingers tightened. "What do you mean?"
But the chimera didn't answer. It attacked again, tail whipping around like a spear. Ayo blocked it, sparks exploding where Aether clashed with divine venom.
Reina rejoined the fight from behind, her movements sharp and furious. "Stop talking to the monster! We kill it!"
"No," Ayo said through clenched teeth. "It's testing us. Not trying to destroy us."
"What kind of test breaks bones!?" Kasai shouted, flames swirling as he charged again.
But Ayo saw it now—the chimera mirrored their flaws. It grew stronger whenever they fought with impatience or anger, its golden glow intensifying. It was shaped by chaos, and chaos fed it.
"Kaito!" Ayo shouted. "Center them!"
Kaito understood instantly. He dropped into a low stance, let his powers swell, and released a stabilizing sigil that expanded like ripples on water. It was calm, steady, grounding.
Reina's breath slowed. Kasai's fire steadied. Ayo's heart synced with theirs.
Together, they attacked—fluid, unified. Reina struck its wings, Kasai its legs, Kaito its tail, and Ayo landed a final blow to its chest.
The chimera froze, golden cracks spreading across its body. Then it lowered its head.
"You have passed."
With a soft rumble, it crumbled into sand, scattering in the wind.
The entrance to the temple shuddered, ancient gears turning. The doors opened, revealing a warm golden glow that seemed to pulse like a heartbeat.
Reina wiped sweat from her brow. "If that was the guard… what the hell is inside?"
Kasai chuckled weakly. "Hopefully something that doesn't roar."
Kaito exhaled. "We enter together."
Ayo looked at the glowing interior of the temple. His chest tightened with something he didn't understand—a pull, a warning, a memory he didn't have.
"Sensi knew this place," he whispered unconsciously.
Though he hadn't meant to say it aloud.
Reina turned sharply. "How would he know this?"
Ayo didn't answer.
Because he didn't know either.
But the temple seemed to hum in response to his presence.
It knew him.
It recognized him.
And somewhere deep inside, the truth of his blood… waited.
"Let's go," he whispered.
Together, they stepped into the Temple of Broken Crowns.
And the doors sealed behind them.