Morning came slowly to the ruined city.
The sun rose behind distant mountains, spilling pale golden light across endless fields of snow and broken stone. Frost covered ancient streets while long shadows stretched between abandoned buildings. The ruins looked almost peaceful beneath the morning sky.
Almost.
The illusion lasted only until someone remembered where they were.
The city remained silent.
No birds.
No animals.
No signs of life.
Only ruins.
Only skeletons.
Only warnings carved into stone by people who had died long before anyone currently alive had been born.
And at the center of it all stood the temple.
The black structure dominated the skyline even more during daylight. Its massive walls rose above the surrounding ruins like the remains of some ancient mountain carved into the shape of a sanctuary. Countless pillars surrounded its exterior while weathered statues lined the enormous stairway leading toward its entrance.
Every statue remained faceless.
Every single one.
The sight continued to bother Kael.
The damage felt deliberate.
Personal.
As though someone had wanted to erase every memory of whoever those statues represented.
Aren apparently felt the same way.
The group stood near the edge of camp watching soldiers prepare equipment for the day's expedition.
The boy stared toward the temple for several moments.
Then sighed.
"I've decided something."
Nobody liked it when he announced decisions.
Lyra glanced toward him.
"What?"
Aren pointed toward the temple.
"I officially hate that building."
Selene rolled her eyes.
"You haven't even gone inside yet."
"Exactly."
The boy folded his arms.
"Imagine how much worse it's going to get."
Nobody could argue with that.
The temple looked like the sort of place where terrible things happened.
Draven adjusted the straps securing his equipment.
"At least you're optimistic."
Aren looked offended.
"This is optimism."
"No."
"It is."
The boy pointed toward the temple again.
"True pessimism would be assuming we die inside."
A brief pause followed.
Then he frowned.
"Actually..."
"Don't."
Aren wisely stopped talking.
Around them, the expedition continued preparing.
General Caelan had divided the force into several exploration groups. The majority would remain outside and establish defensive positions around the temple while specialized teams investigated the interior.
Nobody expected a simple exploration.
Not after Frostwatch.
Not after the bell.
Not after the warnings.
The city had spent two days proving that nothing here was simple.
A horn echoed through the camp.
Conversations stopped.
Soldiers immediately began moving toward the gathering area.
The time had come.
The expedition assembled near the base of the temple's enormous stairway.
Standing this close, the structure felt even larger than before.
The entrance alone towered above them.
Massive doors stood partially open, revealing nothing but darkness beyond.
The interior remained completely hidden.
It felt less like entering a building and more like approaching the mouth of some enormous beast.
Aren noticed the comparison immediately.
"I don't like that."
Nobody asked.
The boy pointed upward.
"The entrance."
A pause.
"It looks hungry."
Selene sighed.
"Buildings can't look hungry."
"They absolutely can."
General Caelan's arrival prevented the argument from continuing.
The military commander stood before the assembled expedition and looked toward the temple.
For several moments, he remained silent.
Then he spoke.
"We enter."
Simple.
Direct.
Exactly what everyone expected.
The commander looked toward the dark entrance.
"Maintain communication."
A pause.
"No unnecessary risks."
Another pause.
"If anything unusual occurs, report immediately."
Aren raised his hand.
General Caelan ignored him.
The boy looked disappointed.
The expedition began moving.
One group after another climbed the broad stairway leading toward the entrance.
The closer Kael came, the stronger the strange sensation beneath his glove became.
The mark.
It hadn't reacted since Frostwatch.
Now it was stirring again.
Not painfully.
Not violently.
Just enough to make him notice.
The feeling unsettled him.
Because it only seemed to happen near things connected to the gate.
The massive entrance swallowed them.
Darkness immediately surrounded the group.
Several soldiers activated enchanted lanterns.
Soft golden light spread through the temple, illuminating the interior.
Silence followed.
Not the silence of abandonment.
Something deeper.
Older.
The silence of a place untouched for centuries.
The entrance hall stretched far beyond the reach of the lantern light.
Massive pillars rose toward a ceiling hidden somewhere in the darkness above. Ancient carvings covered black stone walls while enormous statues stood guard along both sides of the hall.
Faceless.
Every single one.
The sight somehow felt worse inside.
Aren stared at one of the statues.
Then slowly looked away.
"I hate it."
Nobody disagreed.
The expedition moved deeper.
Their footsteps echoed throughout the vast chamber.
The sound seemed unnaturally loud.
As though the temple resented the disturbance.
The farther they traveled, the stranger the architecture became.
The scale felt wrong.
Everything was too large.
The hallways.
The pillars.
The doorways.
Nothing appeared designed for ordinary humans.
Aren noticed.
Of course he did.
The boy looked around nervously.
"Question."
Nobody stopped him.
"Who exactly was this place built for?"
The answer was obvious.
Nobody knew.
Lyra ran her fingers across one of the carved walls.
The symbols covering the stone looked similar to those found throughout the city.
Only here they appeared more complex.
More detailed.
Entire sections of the temple were covered by them.
Stories.
Records.
History.
All locked behind a language nobody understood.
Or almost nobody.
Kael slowed.
The mark beneath his glove pulsed again.
This time the sensation lasted longer.
His gaze drifted toward a nearby wall.
Several symbols immediately caught his attention.
Not because he could read them.
Because they looked familiar.
Very familiar.
A fragmented memory surfaced briefly.
The underground chamber beneath the academy.
The gate.
The same patterns.
The same design.
A chill ran down his spine.
"Kael."
He blinked.
Lyra was watching him.
Concern visible in her expression.
"What happened?"
For a moment, he hesitated.
Then pointed toward the wall.
"The symbols."
Several people immediately turned.
"What about them?" Draven asked.
Kael frowned.
"I've seen them before."
The atmosphere changed immediately.
Aren groaned.
"There it is again."
Nobody needed clarification.
The boy pointed at the temple.
"Ancient mystery."
Then at Kael.
"Ancient mystery expert."
"I'm not an expert."
"You keep saying that."
Aren folded his arms.
"The evidence disagrees."
Before anyone could continue, a sudden shout echoed from farther ahead.
The expedition froze.
Every weapon appeared instantly.
The shout came again.
This time followed by excitement.
Not fear.
Excitement.
General Caelan immediately moved toward the source.
The rest followed.
The hallway eventually opened into an enormous circular chamber.
The sight waiting inside brought everyone to a halt.
A library.
An enormous library.
Thousands of shelves filled the chamber.
Ancient books covered every wall.
Massive archives stretched toward distant sections of the room hidden beneath darkness.
Silence spread through the expedition.
Not fear.
Awe.
Researchers looked ready to faint.
One elderly scholar actually sat down.
Nobody blamed him.
The discovery was monumental.
Aren blinked.
Then blinked again.
"Okay."
A pause.
"That's actually impressive."
The boy looked around.
"Terrifying."
Another pause.
"But impressive."
The scholars had already begun examining nearby shelves.
Several moments later, one of them suddenly shouted.
The reaction was immediate.
Everyone turned.
The old researcher stood frozen beside a table near the center of the room.
His hands trembled.
His eyes remained locked on something resting atop the stone surface.
General Caelan approached first.
Then stopped.
The military commander's expression hardened.
Aren immediately became curious.
Which was unfortunate.
The group moved closer.
And then they saw it.
A journal.
Not ancient.
Not covered in dust.
Not centuries old.
Recent.
Very recent.
The leather cover looked worn.
Weathered.
Familiar.
One of the soldiers beside Kael suddenly inhaled sharply.
His face turned pale.
"What?"
The man stared at the journal.
Then answered quietly.
"That's Frostwatch issue equipment."
The chamber became silent.
Because everyone immediately understood what that meant.
The journal belonged to someone from Frostwatch.
Someone who had reached the temple.
Someone who had entered this library.
And perhaps—
Someone who had learned what happened to the missing four hundred people.
General Caelan slowly reached for the journal.
The ancient library watched in silence.
The expedition held its breath.
And somewhere deep within the darkness beyond the lantern light—
Something moved.