Snow crunched beneath their boots, each step disrupting the delicate silence of the early twilight hours. A solemn climb through the serene stillness led them toward the ancient Temple, a monument of forgotten ages perched against the grandeur of the Eruarata Mountains. This sacred site, weathered by the relentless march of millennia, had survived only through the boundless expanse of Elvish oral history.
As they approached the entrance, a subtle shift in the air seemed to announce their arrival. The very atmosphere grew heavier, charged with an ethereal energy that thrummed like a silent heartbeat. Ochrea paused, her breath visible in the frigid air, and glanced at Theodas, whose eyes were alighted with a mixture of awe and determination. He reached out, placing a hand on the rough stone wall, feeling the ancient power that pulsed beneath its surface. It was as if the Temple itself was alive, a sentient witness to the passage of time and the countless pilgrims who had sought its mysteries. The sound of distant echoes, like whispered secrets, filled the cavernous entrance, giving the impression that the Temple was murmuring its own ancient incantations in response to Theodas's presence.
As the sun’s first light crept over the horizon, it touched the stone runes etched into the entrance of the cave, causing them to glow with a faint, mystical illumination. Theodas traced the intricate carvings with a reverent hand, reciting ancient incantations that spoke of bygone eras and lost civilizations.
Metallic fingers gripped the bag resting at Ochrea’s feet, its heft not inconsiderable, but the tactile feel of the weight didn’t click into place until it hit the biologic nerves of her shoulder. However, the gravity of its contents went far beyond that of its actual poundage.
Theodas broke the silence with urgency. “We must move quickly. The doors are opening, and our time is fleeting.”
Ochrea met his gaze with a playful smirk. “Just waiting for your royal summons, Your Majesty,” she said, bowing with exaggerated deference.
Theodas sighed, a half-smile playing on his lips. “You and your games,” he muttered, but there was a note of affection in his voice. They were partners in this endeavor, bound not just by duty but by a shared understanding of the world’s hidden layers. His eyes flicked to the heavens, where the twin stars, Skyla and Charidisis, began their celestial dance. The moments of alignment were rare, and the opportunities they presented were even rarer.
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An illusory wall shimmered and dissolved, revealing a hidden passage. The two of them hurried into the antechamber, where alternating streaks of red and blue painted the walls with an otherworldly light. At the far end of the chamber, a stone altar rested on a raised dais, ensconced within a transparent pyramid.
Gemstones peeked through geometrically arranged apertures around the base of the pyramid. "Quick, set up the mirrors. We can use the available light to navigate the apertures and manipulate the timing," Theodas instructed, his voice tense with anticipation.
Ochrea moved with swift precision, her fingers deftly aligning the mirrors. As she did, the light refracted in strange, mesmerizing patterns, casting long shadows that seemed to dance along the walls. It was as if the room itself was alive, a silent witness to the unfolding events. The air thickened with an unseen energy; an invisible current that made the hair on Ochrea's arms stand on end. This was no ordinary chamber; it was a place where reality and dream converged, where the boundaries between what was and what could be blurred and intertwined.
Making minor adjustments, Theodas explained. “This temple itself is a pocket dimension. It’s the same reason you can’t put a dimensional bag within a dimensional bag. The opening to your bag would lead to the dimension outside of this room and implode. What we are really after is the altar itself. It is believed to be a focal point to the Outer Realm where the gods live. However, the gateway is only open during the eclipse when the suns red and blue shift.”
Red and blue shift?" Ochrea inquired, her curiosity piqued.
Theodas gave her a wry smile. "Do you even listen to anything I say?"
"To be fair, I don’t grasp half of your arcane mumbo-jumbo, but you look endearing while you try. I just smile and nod."
Theodas chuckled, shaking his head. "Very amusing. Let’s focus. Our stars, Skyla and Charidisis, shift colors depending on their proximity. Skyla is seen as blue and Charidisis as red, though their hues change as they move closer or further away, much like a flame’s color changes with distance."
"Elvish lies. Even goblins could tell one is always red and one is always blue."
"Goblins, really? Goblins? They are the measuring stick you want to justify your reasoning behind? If you haven’t noticed, the races that usually live underground don’t have the best sense of color. Next time you see a Dwarf, ask them if they can tell the difference between pink and periwinkle or if they know that periwinkle is a color. Look, imagine a flame; the closer it gets, it has a blueish-green hue, but move it away, you have a red flame. Even further away, it becomes yellow and further still, it slowly becomes just a white dot in the darkness. Our suns are the same, just like flames in the sky."
“Makes about as much sense as anything else, but what is so important about this particular eclipse verses any other one?”
“Legends would have you believe that the gateway between this world and the land of the gods can only be accessed through a rift. The magic surrounding this temple is supposed house an alter to the gods and predicts the time this rift will be its strongest.”
“Believed to be, where the gods live? After this journey I was hoping for something more definitive than believed to be.”
“Between the stories, legends, and this very real room I would say my belief is very proportionate to the evidence. As so should yours. However, we’ll find out soon anyway the aperture is lighting up.”
“I love you”.
“Love you more. Now make sure you grab everything. It’s time to make a baby”.