Despite its location on the edge of a volcano, the city of Arcadia enjoyed unprecedented tranquility. Its flourishing economy and the hospitality of its inhabitants made it an exceedingly pleasant haven. Its low crime rate attracted numerous families to settle there. Furthermore, the media praised its university, which was ranked among the best in the world. Everything was perfect. At this point, one could almost say that a divine influence was pampering the metropolis.

Fortunately, Éden Ramsay had the opportunity to grow up in this paradise. At twenty years old, the young woman harbored the dream of becoming an archeologist. Therefore, she worked tirelessly to succeed in her studies. Her efforts had even earned her a place in a prestigious organization. However, nothing could prepare her for the day that was to come. For some time, a piece of news was circulating in the region. The local museum’s employees had unearthed something unusual. As a result, the apprentice was mandated to examine it. All that was left for her to do was to listen to the last explanations of her teacher, presenting a series of images using a projector.

“In conclusion, here is a mural depicting K’inich Janaab’ Pakal, the famous Mayan ruler of the ancient city of Palenque. I advise you to do as much research on this as possible. You will have to submit a dissertation to me at the end of the semester. That said, I will not keep you any longer. You may go home.”

Upon hearing these words, the students got up. For her part, Éden sighed in relief. With the arrival of the weekend, the young woman would have a little more freedom. Consequently, she grabbed her things and withdrew from the classroom. Now, her goal was to exit the establishment. Clearly, another task awaited her.

Once outside, the city dweller had to endure the whims of the wind. Each gust sent her shoulder-length white hair flying. The apprentice archeologist then made her way to the parking lot. Only thirty seconds passed before a car with an azure coating entered her field of vision. At the same time, she pulled out a set of keys from her sweatshirt, the color of which reminded her of the vehicle, and unlocked the driver’s door.

While stepping inside the cabin, the twenty-year-old girl tossed her backpack onto the back seat. Then, she started the engine. Numerous people were expecting her at the Arcadia Museum. Moreover, rush hour was about to begin. Therefore, Éden did not want to get caught in traffic.

While maneuvering her vehicle, the student decided to turn on the radio. Her favorite station would keep her company during the trip. Unfortunately, given the circumstances, music was scarce. The presenter preferred to discuss the main topic of the day.

“All of this is exceptional. A sarcophagus entirely composed of obsidian is an atypical find. The members of the M.A.R.O. must be rejoicing right now. And for the listeners who might not be familiar with our corner of the world, know that tourism is largely based on the Velcaèm ruins, a civilization that once inhabited the region. This exhumation would allow us to learn more about their burial rites.”

In total, it only took about twenty minutes before the silhouette of the building became more clearly defined. Its glass facade, coupled with its architecture, gave it the impression of being a sumptuous crystal palace. This was an advantage that captured the interest of visitors. Consequently, the young woman ventured into the parking lot. Alas, it was crowded. Fortunately, the administration had found her a spot to immobilize her car. All the white-haired driver had to do was to go there. Once that was done, Éden left the metallic machine and walked towards the main entrance. Once inside, the reception desk was the first thing that caught her cerulean gaze. Therefore, a stop was obligatory.

“Welcome to the Arcadia Museum,” the attendant greeted her. “What can I do for you?”

“I am here to examine your sarcophagus,” declared the archeologist in a curiously monotone voice.

“Oh, Miss Ramsay! It won’t be very long. I will let the director know you’ve arrived.”

After saying these words, the employee grabbed the phone from her kiosk and dialed her boss’s number. A few seconds later, a verbal exchange occurred:

“Ms. Evani, I have your recruit in front of me. Should I send her to your office?”

A silence filled the room, indicating that the subordinate was getting instructions. Nevertheless, she hung up quite promptly before addressing her interlocutor again.

“You can go ahead. She is expecting you.”

“Thank you.”

This is how the young woman delved into the depths of the building. Out of the corner of her eye, she glimpsed the entryway to various exhibitions. These were globally renowned for their splendor. Moreover, the most astonishing aspect was that some of the displayed objects possessed strange powers. On many occasions, the student had admired them. However, she had a specific goal in mind and could not abandon it. Someone was waiting. It was important to be courteous. Luckily, the apprentice archeologist soon reached her destination. After navigating a myriad of corridors, a mysterious door slip into her field of vision. Its bluish surface bore a four-branched star symbol, adorned with letters. It was the logo of the group that had enlisted her, then tasked her to examine the recent find.

“It is me,” she declared, knocking gently on it.

“Yes! You can come in!” a female voice intervened immediately.

Hearing this permission, Éden entered the room. The cozy setup made her daydream. Such a place would be perfect for studying in tranquility. Unfortunately, she could not afford such a luxury. All the apprentice could do was to sit on the chair facing her host’s desk.

“Did the journey go well?” asked the thirty-something woman, who sported short, azure-tinted hair.

“Partly. I’m starting to get tired of the radio stations only talking about your discovery.”

“Ha, ha, ha!” laughed her superior, adjusting the glasses that highlighted her light blue irises. “Do not hold it against us. We are filled with pride and had to announce it to the rest of the world. I know you received the news with a bit of indifference. That is exactly why I requested your presence. You will be less blinded by your emotions. Take it in a good way. You have just joined the Mythical Artifacts Research Organization. This task will prove your worth.”

“I am aware. Why do you think I agreed to help you?”

“In that case, let’s not delay any further. I will escort you to our analysis laboratory.”

Upon these words, Angelina Evani rose from her chair and headed towards the exit. Promptly, her guest followed suit. Subsequently, the duo left the room and entered the corridor.

“I want to warn you that you will have some onlookers. Some of our agents are particularly curious to see you in action.”

“Great,” sighed the main subject sarcastically. “I can definitely say goodbye to my peace and quiet.”

When this remark reached the ears of her companion, a nervous smile formed on her lips. Éden Ramsay was known for her monotony, as well as her love of calm. Disturbing this peace irritated her to the utmost. Furthermore, her character had earned her only a few friends. The head of the M.A.R.O. understood this perfectly well. That is why she refrained from commenting. In this situation, silence was her best ally.

Thus, the two women continued to walk. Nevertheless, they arrived at their destination in about twenty seconds. Two swinging doors were located at the end of the same corridor. Therefore, they passed through without uttering a single word. The place annexed to it housed a multitude of devices designed for the study or restoration of ancient objects. However, Éden abruptly broke her quietness upon seeing what stood in the center of the vast room.

“Hell! You did not tell me it looked like this!”

Astonishment rooted her to the spot. It was not just a sarcophagus made of volcanic gems. Its blackish, meticulously polished appearance gave it an enigmatic aspect. That said, what made it even more unique was the plethora of ornaments adorning it. At this point, one might almost speak of it as a work of art.

“And here I thought nothing could surprise you,” suddenly declared a voice from the back of the laboratory.

This last comment was sent from a teenager who was navigating on his smartphone. His purple irises, fixed on the screen, danced from left to right. For her part, the university student simply squinted her eyes in displeasure. The tone used towards her had greatly upset Éden. Despite this, she did not utter any retort to express her irritation.

“Come on!” Angelina interjected to lighten the mood. “Éden Ramsay, meet Benjamin Rooks, our most effective agent.”

“Are you serious?” asked the young woman, raising her eyebrows. “One of your agents is a twelve-year-old kid!”

“Fourteen,” the boy corrected as he put away his mobile device. “I cannot help it if I am too perfect.”

The playfulness with which he articulated this phrase annoyed its recipient. Clearly, it was going to be a long day. As for the director, she scratched the back of her head to show her discomfort.

“Well, I think I will leave you two. Say hello to Agent Warren for me.”

If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, it's taken without the author's consent. Report it.

Immediately after, Angelina Evani executed her plan, abandoning her recruit in the company of the teenager. From then on, the poor girl could only let out a deep sigh of weariness.

“I am warning you, kid. You can look, but do not touch anything.”

“That is easier said than done,” Benjamin declared with a wink. “Lately, my curiosity has been particularly insatiable. If I must touch something, nothing will stop me.”

Mutterings came from his interlocutor. Clearly, the impertinence of her comrade was completely causing her to lose her cool. To remedy the situation, the learner put on a pair of latex gloves, before delicately passing her fingers over the sarcophagus lid. Her investigation would allow her to distract herself.

“Interesting.”

Alas, the calm was short-lived, as the adolescent struck again with another comment. Obviously, the archeologist could not maintain her concentration.

“If you are talking about the slight vibration, we already know. No need to dwell on that.”

“Listen up, you brat,” Éden snapped coldly, raising her head to face him. “I have been tasked to examine this damn sarcophagus, so I will do what I am asked to do. Your suggestion, you can shove it where I think.”

“Oh, what vulgarity!” the boy chuckled immediately, brushing his chestnut hair.

Suddenly, their conversation was interrupted by the sound of footsteps echoing from outside and approaching significantly. A woman then cheerfully entered the room, carrying a box and a cup holder in her hands.

“Hey! I brought you some coffee and donu…”

She instantly stopped speaking when she saw the strange obsidian tomb. Just like the university student, she was impressed by its appearance. Her sapphire-colored eyes, complemented by black glasses, could not look away. Thus, she could not help but exclaim:

“Wow! That is incredible! It does not even show that it is several thousands of years old!”

At that moment, Benjamin dashed towards her and snatched some of the donuts she had bought. Their aroma seemed to have deeply enchanted him.

“You are truly an angel, Samantha,” he said, moving one of the pastries to his mouth. “I do not understand why you have not found a boyfriend yet.”

“Hee-hee. You are a bit too young to worry about that. Nevertheless, I appreciate it. I wanted us all to have a nice time.”

After emitting these words, the M.A.R.O. member approached the one who was assigned. While handing her the cardboard cup holder, she introduced herself. It was the most important step to take.

“Nice to meet you, Miss Ramsay. My name is Samantha Warren, and I specialize in Mesopotamian civilizations. Please, help yourself. This coffee is from one of the best bistros downtowns.”

“Mesopotamian civilizations?” her interlocutor asked in surprise while grabbing the first of the three drinks. “I do not see how a Velcaèm sarcophagus would captivate you. We are far from Ur and Babylon.”

“That is true,” her colleague chuckled. “It is just that my thirst for knowledge was stronger than me. Obsidian is a poor construction material. It deteriorates fairly quickly, and a simple knife can scratch it. So, I am astonished by the state of preservation of your artifact.”

“Yeah!” chimed in the underage member of the group with a mouthful. “None of this is normal! We have definitely struck gold!”

“You, shut up!” Éden snapped at him, casting a hateful look.

These events provoked a smile on the face of the young woman with long black hair. For the moment, she put her belongings on the adjacent table before sitting on a chair. Many questions hammered in her mind. Changing the topic was inevitable.

“So? What do you think it contains?”

“Probably the shriveled mummy of a Velcaèm warrior,” the archeology student speculated as she continued her inspection.

“Unless it is something supernatural?” joked the teenager. “Who knows, we might trigger the apocalypse by opening it.”

“It is already underway,” her monotone colleague complained. “I am forced to work with you, and it is a real nightmare.”

“Ha, ha, ha, ha, ha! I did not think you were this funny, Agent Ramsay. You should become a comedian. It would suit you well.”

This teasing did not amuse the target at all. On the contrary, a look of anger swiftly dominated her face. If Benjamin had not been a child, Éden would have slapped him. Instead, she clenched her fists and kept doing her assignment.

“If you could shut up, Benjamin Rooks, that would help me a lot.”

The young woman then took hold of a curious device, which she placed on the blackish lid. With a calm gesture, she connected it to the nearby computer via a USB cable. The learner wished to proceed to the next stage of the analysis.

“Let’s see what is inside.”

As she activated it, a series of sounds rang out. However, an unexpected event suddenly occurred. The screen turned blue and displayed an error message. The process did not seem able to complete successfully due to too many interferences.

“Try again,” advised Samantha. “Maybe there was a glitch in the system.”

To her great regret, the second attempt ended the same way, as did the third and fourth. For some unknown reason, the scanner could not generate a preview of the content. The group had no choice but to change strategies.

“What a shame. I did not want to risk damaging it, but we will have to open it with the old-fashioned approach. Agent Warren, can you help me?”

“Certainly,” the latter confirmed, putting on disposable gloves.

Thus, the two women placed their hands on the surface of the mortuary chest and began to push with all their might. Despite this, even combining their efforts, nothing budged. It was as if something was keeping their discovery tightly shut.

“Damn, this thing is really well sealed!”

“Indeed,” her bespectacled assistant agreed, panting.

Suddenly, their attention was drawn to Benjamin, who had started laughing at their struggle. The boy took a sip of coffee and stated plainly:

“It is not going to work. I have already tried.”

“And why is that?” Éden asked sharply. “What have you already tried?”

“Well, before you arrived, I did a preliminary analysis. And I must say the results were very interesting.”

After enunciating this, the youngest member pulled a crowbar out of one of the room’s cabinets. Consequently, the reaction of his two collaborators was instantaneous. He had a plan up his sleeve, and his companions anticipated a catastrophic outcome.

“Benjamin! Put that away immediately! This thing is thousands of years old! You cannot just open it like that!”

Sadly, the adolescent completely ignored them, and the ensuing scene was one of the most nerve-wracking. Without hesitation, he positioned the end of the metallic tool under one of the volcanic glass edges, then forced it to pry open the cover. However, neither Éden nor Samantha expected what unfolded next. Nothing compared to the scenarios their imagination had conjured up. A violent explosion of energy knocked back the crowbar, breaking it in the process. Additionally, the shockwave literally threw the trio to the ground as all the lights inexplicably began to flicker.

“You see!” the young agent boasted, getting up vivaciously. “I told you this sarcophagus is supernatural!”

“I thought you were joking!” the Mesopotamian expert exclaimed in frustration. “You knew what would happen and did not even warn us!”

“Heh, heh. It would have spoiled the surprise if I had.”

Meanwhile, the white-haired woman gradually regained her composure. This mishap had deeply intrigued her, so she refrained from scolding her colleague. She preferred to save her vitality for something else. However, a question quickly echoed through the analysis lab’s walls:

“And how many crowbars did you break doing that?”

“At least four,” the teenager replied proudly.

This response could only be met with a sigh. For the moment, the female archeologist dusted off the dirt on her blue jeans before making a remark that brought the group back to reality.

“In that case, there must be a particular method to open it.”

“Probably,” Miss Warren agreed.

“Affirmative! There must be a mechanism or something like that!”

After this declaration, the young boy began feeling around the different ornaments. Unfortunately, one of his teammates immediately stopped him. They could not afford another incident catching them off guard.

“Let us handle this! You have done enough for today!”

So, the two women started the examination while their colleague merely sat and watched. Any clue now could perhaps unravel the mystery of their discovery. After what had just happened, curiosity had flared up. Nothing could hinder this small research group.

“Oh! I think I have found something!”

This announcement prompted a gathering around Samantha Warren. She then pointed to a strange bas-relief that stood out from all the others.

“It is hard to notice, considering the complexity of the pattern, but something is off. Usually, the Velcaèm are known for their love of symmetry. However, this decoration is not aligned correctly.”

The embellishment in question consisted of two golden discs adorned with intriguing winged creatures, but one of them was slightly askew compared to its neighbor.

This detail immediately captivated Éden, who carefully reached out her palm to touch the faulty circle. In that moment, her astonishment gave her a curious expression. The object appeared capable of rotating. With a bit of strength, it could be put back into its proper position, and she seized the opportunity to do so.

Once done, a short click triggered an impressive explosion of light, forcing everyone to shield their faces with the back of their hands. Now, the surface of the sarcophagus had changed, displaying a myriad of symbols and photogenic drawings. Confronted with such a spectacle, the archeology student could only raise her eyebrows.

“That is interesting.”

Samantha, meanwhile, was mesmerized by this other magical surprise. It only took her a few seconds before she revealed it verbally:

“Marvelous! This makes me even more eager to see what is inside!”

Among the numerous patterns, the relief of a map soon instigated their attention. The dot in its center indicated a location that could not be ignored.

“I recognize that place,” Benjamin said with a slight smile. “It is where the sarcophagus was unearthed. I would bet my shirt there are things the research team missed. It deserves a closer look. What do you think? Maybe we will find a key there.”

“No way I am going anywhere with you,” Agent Ramsay grumbled, rolling her eyes.

“Hee-hee,” giggled their bespectacled colleague. “I do not see any problem with it. Miss Ramsay can get a preview of the expeditions entrusted by the organization. I will guard the lab while you take care of the excavation site.”

A grimace adorned the face of the white-haired apprentice archeologist. She had nothing against fieldwork, but the presence of the teenager would hinder her productivity. Thought, there were no other options. So, she swallowed hard and turned towards the exit.

“In that case, come along, you foolish kid.”

“Great!” exclaimed Benjamin Rooks, following her lead. “You will see, Miss Ramsay. They do not call me the most effective agent for nothing! We will be back before Samantha finishes her coffee!”

With those words, the adventuring duo left the Arcadia Museum for their new destination. However, the day still carries its share of surprises, as Éden Ramsay had now sealed her fate. Without realizing it, she was about to trigger something that would change her life permanently. What secrets did this enigmatic obsidian sarcophagus held to warrant such a protective system?

To be continued…

_______________________________________

Author’s note(s)

- There you go, people! This was chapter 1 of Relics (formerly known as Reliques), entirely translated from French to English. Thank you so much for reading it. If you liked it, feel free to leave likes, comments, or subscribe to me. It encourages me to continue writing stories like this.

- Many thanks to RedMuffin on Royal Road for the proofreading.

- If you still see some mistakes in this chapter, do not hesitate to tell me and I will rectify them right away.

- Originally, the M.A.R.O. was called the O.R.A.M. in the French version, but since I had to translate the meaning of this acronym, I had to change it. I will not hide the fact that I like this new name better. XD

- So… What do you think is inside this mysterious obsidian sarcophagus? :P

- Lastly, feel free to join my Discord server. You’ll find exclusive information and bonuses about my stories. Plus, you’ll have the chance to make friends, participate in various activities, and benefit from some writing-related support resources. To access it, all you have to do is take a look at this page that gathers all my social media. Just make sure to choose the right one, as I also have one for my French-speaking readers.