PART 1

Henry gazed around the room in horror. Every last bit of Armin and Trygve’s research was turned to ash, all hope to awaken the Ancients, lost in an instant. An overwhelming sense of devastation washed over him, threatening to steal what little hope he had left. Not only that, Kyburn was nearly killed and rested in his room above the caves. His fingers on his right hand had been broken and he suffered from a major head blow. Whoever the saboteur was, had destroyed decades of work and killed over a dozen Kligirian guards.

The room was empty now, after hours of searching, they never found the man in black or his accomplices. Trygve couldn’t give any explanation as to how they escaped further into the ruins when each pathway led to dead ends. However, he had come through the castle, the trail of dead bodies confirmed that much. How he exited, that was the question. They had found nothing, not one path that led out of the ruins.

He clenched his fist in anger as he nearly stepped into a pile of ash. They had come so close to solving the key to opening the cylinders. Walking over to the table where he had done most of his work, he couldn’t help but feel worse for Trygve. He had worked on this for over a decade, whereas Henry, less than a week.

Slamming his fist on the table Henry shouted into the empty room, echoing his frustration off the walls. He gave a heavy sigh and sat down, defeated.

Footsteps approached and Henry leapt to his feet as Erik, with a slight limp, rounded the corner and stared at him.

Erik looked at him with a confused and puzzled stare.

“What is it?” Henry asked. His frustration and disappointment showing.

He pointed without saying a word.

An instant later a noise caught his attention along with a dim light emanating from the table. His eyes went wide with shock and awe. It was mostly covered in ashes and Henry darted over to the table and brushed the debris off.

“It’s a machine!” he whispered.

“Henry.” Erik shouted in excitement. “I know how to open the pods! I can wake them up!”

The table projected images into the air above it, impossibly floating. It showed a crude map of Isulia along with dozens of red dots in certain locations.

“How is it… on?” Henry frowned. “It wasn’t doing this before.”

“Perhaps the intruder did something.” Erik guessed. “It doesn’t matter now. It’s showing us something.”

Henry immediately recognized the points of interest. One in the Fossland Mountains, another in the Durmore Mountains, along with Vori, and on the coast to Shonax. The last location was here in Riqun. Henry looked in awe of the paintings hovering in the air as Erik brushed up next to him.

“These are all the ruins on Isulia.” Henry whispered.

“Look.” he pointed. “It’s the bell from the picture.”

Henry stepped closer and whispered. “What do you think it is?”

At the bottom right corner, there was a small red bell symbol with letters above and below it.

“I can’t read it.” Henry frowned.

“Doesn’t matter.” Erik said, smiling. “This is what I saw in Fel’s mind. Armin was standing over this table and that bell was the key.”

“The key?” Henry looked confused. “But it is a floating painting. It’s invisible… see?” he ran his hand through the image, parting where his hand was.

“Huh.” Erik said, scratching his chin. “I-I don’t know.”

The bell glowed red before them as if taunting them. Erik stepped closer, reaching out his hand. “Armin did something. No… Fel did something.”

Erik let out a shout of pain and stumbled, nearly falling to the ground grasping at his head in pain. His nose began to bleed again but he kept his balance as one image popped into his mind. It was clear as day.

“Like this.” he whispered as Henry grabbed his left arm to support him.

“Are you alright?” Henry asked.

Erik stuck one finger out, pushing toward the red bell symbol, his mind racing, and heart pounding. As he touched it with his finger, the room lit up and one blare of piercing noise shook the room. Henry and Erik covered their ears in an attempt to block out the ring but it died down a moment later.

A loud voice came out of the walls speaking a foreign language. Both men bent down in fear as if expecting to be attacked. The door to the ruin closed, sealing them inside. Blue lights filled the room with single beams. Hundreds of light streams went up and down, back and forth through the room. Henry started to panic but Erik looked in awe as if he recognized something.

The beams of light disappeared and a loud mechanical female voice said something in a language unknown to them. There was a long pause as nothing happened.

“What did you do?” Henry hissed.

“I just… pressed it.” Erik whispered. “Do you know what the voice is saying?”

An instant later the voice returned but they understood it this time. Whatever it was, spoke their language and it left them both dumbfounded.

“Emergency override.” the female voice chimed. “Lifeforms known as ‘Human’ detected. Do you wish to wake the masters?”

Henry’s mouth dropped open, completely taken aback. Erik had a similar expression on his face, leaving them both unresponsive.

“Lifeforms known as ‘Human’ detected.” it said again. “Do you wish to wake the masters?” the female voice asked soothingly.

“Who are the masters?” Erik asked the room, unsure what to expect. “Are they the Ancients?”

“The masters are my creators.” it replied calmly. “I do not know what the Ancients are.”

“Who are you?” Henry asked it.

“I am called Pilgrim.” she responded. “Do you wish to awaken my masters?” she repeated the question.

“Uh… yes.” Erik said.

“Yes.” Henry said more confidently. “We wish for you to wake them up.”

“Very well.” she said with a musical voice. “Please place your palm on the identification scanner.”

“Identification… what?” Erik looked at Henry.

A light in the shape of a hand lit up on the table next to them. “Please place your palm on the identification scanner.” she repeated.

Henry hesitated, looking at Erik for guidance. “Should-” he trailed off.

“I’ll do it.” Erik said. “I started this.”

Henry nodded and took one step back as Erik shifted forward, readying his right hand to press on the table. The moving painting with the map on it had fallen to the surface of the glass table, unmoving as the hand symbol glowed red.

“Here it goes.” Erik closed one eye and scrunched his face in anticipation of a poor outcome.

For a second, nothing happened but then the womanly voice spoke again. “Scanning… ‘Human’ lifeform. Palm print initiated.”

Her voice was odd and uneven, pausing a second too long in between words. Henry didn’t know what Pilgrim was but it was both fascinating and terrifying.

“Scan complete.” Pilgrim announced. “No Thrak detected.” she reported. “Remnants of unknown blood source detected. Remnants of human blood detected. Threat… minimal.”

“Threat?” Henry looked to Erik in confusion. “Someone killed the guards. Do you know who he was?”

Erik shrugged, unsure what else to say.

“Lifeform with foreign blood source is unknown.” Pilgrim replied politely. “Additional information required to answer your inquiry.”

“Do you know where he went?” Erik asked.

“The foreign blood source guy.” Henry elaborated. “Where did he go?”

“Scans indicate he exited from a service tunnel.” the female voice chimed. “Would you like to continue with waking the masters?”

“Yes.” they both said in unison.

“Protocol #2-77-89 initiated.” Pilgrim said evenly. “Access granted. Following previous command.” she paused. “Do you wish to proceed with waking the masters?” she asked for the third time.

“Yes, we do.” Erik said quickly, trying to sound confident this time.

“Estimated time… ten minutes.” she said. “Please stand by.”

Erik and Henry looked over at the pods that contained the two Ancients, their two cylinder tanks hissing and spitting out freezing mist, covering the floors. The glass windows on the pods cleared, revealing the faces of the Ancients inside. A loud sucking noise filled the room, and Henry noticed the pods were filled with liquid. They were being drained from the tanks by something behind the walls. Not daring to get any closer, Erik and Henry simply stared in awe as they watched it unfold.

Water dripped from the excretion of the thawing tanks that held the Ancients. To Henry it looked as if it was heating up, the frost had disappeared and that’s when he realized Pilgrim was somehow unfreezing their bodies.

No one had ever seen this before, Erik and Henry were the first to ever see something like it. Another loud hiss pulled Henry from his thoughts to focus on the pods when he saw that the makeshift ladders were still in front of the cylinders.

Quickly, Henry rushed over, and pushed one aside, then turned to the other. He sighed in relief as the ladders were easily moved due to having crude wheels on the bottom. More noise from the containers made him back away again, stopping beside Erik who was still leaning on the table for support.

The pods opened halfway with a loud squeak and hiss. Two enormous and tall bodies fell to the ground before them.

The male landed in a crouch whereas the female fell flat on her face with a smack. Their bodies were covered in blue sticky liquid. Pale as a ghost, their skin gleamed from the lights surrounding them, their pale naked bodies heaved as they spat up blue liquid from their lungs.

Both Ancients were bent over, puking their guts out as Henry and Erik stared, eyes wide in shock. Henry averted his eyes from their nakedness, feeling awkward from staring but Erik gazed at them in wonder.

“Successful release from cryopod.” Pilgrim spoke from the walls again. “Vitals, normal. No lingering side effects from thawing process detected.”

Pilgrim began speaking in the Ancient’s language again, no doubt informing them of their status. He appreciated the woman in the walls was still speaking to them.

The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

The male Ancient stood to one knee, still naked and for the first time noticed them standing in front of him. He coughed and said something in his language.

“He has asked you two who you are.” Pilgrim translated.

“I am Erik.” Erik pointed to himself, then pointed to Henry. “This is Henry.”

Both Erik and Henry were conflicted by fear and joy at seeing such beings as the Ancients. All the stories. All the tales and myths. They were right.

Pilgrim spoke in the language of the Ancients and the man squinted his eyes at them then looked over to his partner. She was still spitting up mucus from her mouth when she looked up at them too. Like the male, she spoke a language unknown to them but she addressed the male, not Henry or Erik.

Pilgrim spoke to the Ancients and they nodded to each other and stood to their feet, standing their full height.

Henry looked up at them in wonder, their features were flawless. The male had broad shoulders and stood at least a foot taller than the female. His arms were thick and muscular, as was the rest of his body. His chest muscles bulged out and his six-pack abs rippled as his body shivered from the cold. He walked over to a table, placing his hand on it, which a loud beep sounded from it. An instant later the wall behind Erik and Henry opened to a huge metal rectangle being pulled from the wall.

It stopped and opened up to a jelly-like substance. The male Ancient strode up to them as they were in between him and the strange gelatin hanging from the wall.

Erik coughed and stepped aside as did Henry, trying to ignore his nakedness from so close.

The Ancient turned and stepped backward into the jelly-like substance and sunk into it, encasing him fully. It hardened and he disappeared from sight for a full minute. Reemerging, he was encased by a dark blue and metallic suit.

The armor looked like nothing Henry had ever seen. Each piece of metal stuck to him, protecting his chest, shoulders, and legs the most, tiny metal slabs surrounded his body protecting the gaps in the main pieces of armor. His helmet looked like black glass covering most of his face, metal sides formed the rest of the head, encasing the shape of his head comfortably.

Stepping to the ground, the male’s helmet seemed to remove itself, as he moved toward them. The black glass flipped over his head backward folding into the back of the neck, whereas the sides of the helmet shifted back, collapsing on itself and meeting behind the head.

The female walked past them a moment later as the male stepped out of the structure that had encased him in a suit. Her skin, still wet with the blue liquid, was so pale, Henry could see veins inside her. She repeated the process that the male had just undergone a moment ago and while they waited, the male Ancient strode past them again and spoke something at the table.

“Upload complete.” Pilgrim announced. “You can now speak the human’s language.” she said to him.

He turned to Henry and Erik but said nothing, for now, only staring at them skeptically. His stature and suit of armor was so intimidating, they both shifted in nervousness. The silence made both of them extremely anxious as they stared down the Ancient, his chiseled jawlines flexing.

Mechanical noises came from behind them as the woman reemerged, fully suited in the same strange material as the male. The suit was formed tightly around her body, emphasizing her female form, pieces of the armor were shaped to fit her perfectly. Her helmet folded backward as it had done before on the male, revealing her face once more.

Her long blonde hair was dry now and it bounced gracefully behind her neck. She gazed down at them with piercing blue eyes and for a long moment only observed them.

The female spoke first. “Erik and Henry. You have our thanks for reawakening us but we do not know who you are. Humans have not been seen this far in millennia. Where did you come from?”

“Uh.” Erik stared blankly at them.

“Here... on Isulia.” Henry replied. “What do you mean humans haven’t been seen in millennia?”

Briefly, Henry recalled the conversation with Trygve. He had said that they weren’t from this planet. Maybe the Ancients could tell them.

She frowned at them, either not believing them or distrusting their motives, “Pilgrim… how long have we been in cryosleep?”

“3,107 years.” she replied instantly.

The male Ancient cursed, turning to the table and swiping in the air. “It’s changed.” he said. “Look.”

She made her way over to her companion and bent over the table next to him. Giving a heavy sigh, her facial expression turned dark and contemplative. Henry gave them credit for having a fairly mild response for someone who just found out they had been asleep for three millennia. However, the female looked to be heavily saddened by the news.

“We knew this could happen.” the woman looked down at the table. “Pilgrim? How much of the surface was destroyed? And how did humans get here?”

“By my calculation… 15% of the continent sunk into the ocean and most of the surface was damaged. However, life on the surface survived. As for the humans, I do not know the exact date of their arrival but the first human to enter this bunker was twenty-three years ago. I can safely calculate that the humans arrived after the planet's core was rearranged.”

“I’m sorry. I’m sorry.” Henry interrupted, tired of being ignored. “Who are you? And who is the woman speaking from the walls?”

She stared down at him as if she had forgotten his presence. “I am called Yvlana. This is my brother Lamir. Pilgrim is an A.I.” her tone was filled with annoyance.

“A.I.?” Henry’s confusion clearly showing. “What is an A.I.?”

“I am an artificial intelligence designed to serve my creators.” Pilgrim replied. “My brain is stored in this bunker. I have been offline ever since the cleansing. I thank you once again for activating my core functions.”

“They are primitive.” Lamir said. “They will not understand our technology.” noticing their confused stares, he walked over to Henry and handed him a thin glass slab that lit up with words on it. “This will tell you what you want to know. I doubt you will understand, however.”

“Th-thank you.” Henry said in bewilderment. “A-are humans and Ancients allies from where you're from. Are there more of you on Isulia?”

“We have not seen humans for millennia but yes we once were allies.” Yvlana bit her lip. “Do you refer to us when you say Ancients?” her eyebrows furrowed in disapproval.

“Uh.” Henry thought aloud. “Yes. That is what we call you. We believed that the Ancients were our great ancestors from long ago. Finding your ruins and technology caused us to believe we descended from you. Is that…” Henry paused for a long moment. “Is that not the case?”

“I see.” Yvlana said with a subtle tone of mockery. “No. We are a completely different species from humans. Your kind has not been seen in this galaxy for thousands of years. Finding you here is most… peculiar. We are called Emarine… not Ancients.” Yvlana spat that last part. “As for your previous question, Isulia used to be an Emarine outpost but after three thousand years and judging from your medieval presence, I doubt there are others like us here.”

“Awake.” Lamir added. “There could be others who survived.”

“I’ve seen one of your kind in a vision.” Erik stepped in. “He was a man. Alone.”

“What!” Yvlana whipped her head around. “Where!” her voice was venomous.

Erik and Henry jumped back in shock and placed their hands on their weapons instinctively.

Yvlana’s posture stiffened by their reaction to her hostility. “Forgive me.” she said simply, but her face revealed annoyance. “But it is very important that you tell me.”

“Very well.” Erik said, relaxing a bit. “I’m not entirely sure if what I saw was real but… I only know a name and had a glimpse of a face.”

“What was the name?” she asked, Lamir stepping up beside her, placing a hand on her shoulder to calm her.

“They have helped us.” Lamir whispered. “Control yourself, sister.”

The siblings towered over them, expecting a name. Their presence was threatening which made Erik far more nervous than Henry was.

“I need to know something first.” Erik said slowly.

“What do you wish to know?” Lamir asked.

“Will you help us?” Erik questioned. “There is an evil brewing and we fear the worst. W-we were sent here to wake you so that you would aid us in our fight.”

Yvlana sneered. “Humans never change.”

“What evil do you speak of?” Lamir questioned more calmly.

“This.” Henry shoved the sketchbook at them. The page, open to reveal the picture of Thrak and humans fighting.

The Emarine glared at the page, hatred filling their eyes. “They survived! He died for nothing!” Yvlana clenched her fists and gritted her teeth.

“How do you know of the Thrak?” Lamir asked, still calm and collected, though his face looked deeply saddened. “Do they still roam this planet?”

“We don’t… not exactly.” Erik coughed. “I just have a feeling and when I saw this I knew, from some distant memory, that they were evil and we have little time.”

“That they are.” Lamir said.

“Evil is putting it mildly.” Yvlana scoffed. “If they are here, we are doomed.”

Lamir turned his gaze at her and glared daggers. She fell silent.

“Have they surfaced yet?” Lamir asked. “When was the last you saw them?”

“We haven’t seen them in over thirty years. Do they live in the ground? How will we know if they are going to come to the surface?” Henry quizzed. “We’ve only heard rumors and hearsay. Historians throughout our history have described them but not much is known about them. What are they exactly?”

“The Thrak are an alien species that invade and consume. They have destroyed every planet they have come across.” Lamir said. “They are able to travel through space in the Ocaid, consuming each planet’s core. The Thrak can somehow, in a way, eat the energy from worlds.”

Both Erik and Henry looked at each other in bewilderment.

“Ocaid? What is that?” Henry started, his face contorted in confusion. “They can travel through space? What do you mean they eat worlds? How do they travel in space? Can you travel in space?”

Yvlana rolled her eyes but Henry ignored her, focusing on Lamir.

“The Ocaid are another alien species.” Lamir started, but he too looked annoyed with all the questions. “Enormous in size and can travel at incredible speeds. The Thrak use them to jump from planet to planet.” Lamir answered their questions patiently. “To you, they resemble large squids. They have giant chambers inside their bodies where they store the Thrak. If the Thrak are on Isulia, then the Ocaid must be also.”

“Enormous bodies with long tentacles?” Henry stuttered questioningly.

“Yes.” Lamir nodded. “Have you seen them?”

“Partially. We’ve found their remains.” Henry answered instantly. “Two to be exact.”

Yvlana twitched her fingers impatiently as her brother explained to them.

Henry instantly thought back to his travel to Xerixes after he had left Zulin. Gus’s books mentioned a creature so large and massive, just their skeletons would be bigger than a castle. Many of the fossils they dug up must be these very aliens Lamir spoke of.

“We don’t know how, but the Thrak burrow into planets and absorb the energy.” Lamir frowned, unsure how else to explain it.

“What is a squid?” Erik asked dumbly.

“This is ridiculous, brother!” Yvlana smacked his arm to pull his attention. “We are getting nowhere by educating these primitive humans.”

“Peace, sister.” Lamir calmly replied. “They have helped us.” he repeated through gritted teeth. “We… will help them.”

“Forgive us.” Erik addressed them. “We do have many questions. Perhaps we can save them for later.”

Henry looked at Erik with disappointment, his curiosity screaming at him.

“What of the Vog?” Lamir asked, pointing to Armin’s book. “Do you know how they came to be here also? They were not here when we entered our cryopods. In this drawing, the Vog fight alongside us and you humans. What does it mean? Who drew this image?”

“The Vog have always been here.” Henry answered slowly. “The drawing is from a king who was bonded with one. That’s how we came to find this place and how we accidentally... activated Pilgrim. Your A.I.”

“Bonded with a Vog? A human?” Lamir frowned, disbelief in his voice. “That sort of strain would kill you.”

“I assure you, it's quite possible,” Erik frowned, knowing of the pain it had already caused him. “I saw what to do through a Vog’s mind.”

“That…” Yvlana glared. “Is not possible.”

“Believe it or don’t, I don’t care.” Erik glared back. “The Vog have invaded my kingdom and I need your help in taking it back. For whatever reason, I believe Fel-Felkuru wanted us to wake you. That is why he gave me clues. With you by our sides, I’m more than confident Felkuru will be more open to the idea of my people returning home.”

“We will not involve ourselves in a war that is not our own.” Lamir scolded. “The Vog were our allies, why would we fight them now?”

“You were allies?” Henry interrogated. “Were you fighting the Thrak together? What planet are they from?”

Lamir gazed down at the young boy, narrowing his eyes as the questions blurted out rapidly.

“No more questions! Tell me the name.” Yvlana burst out. “What name did you see in your visions?”

Erik hesitated, unsure if the Emarine could even be trusted but he said he would tell them if they answered his questions. “Kaladin.” he replied after a moment of pause. “The name was Kaladin.”

Yvlana gasped, “Then he is alive.” she whispered. “Where is he?”

Erik hesitated again, “Vori. I think.”

“Who is this… Vori? Take me to him!” she demanded, pointing to the floating map.

“Vori is a place, not a person. It’s located in the far north.” Erik corrected her. “If you help us. We will show you.”

Lamir looked at Yvlana and they both nodded. “Very well. We will help you, humans, in return, you will take us to Vori.”

PART 2

“The door won’t open?” Trygve asked, surprise on his face. “What are they doing in there?”

“Yes, Regent.” Hazam said. “We not know how long they down in ruins.”

“This is troubling.” Trygve said, biting his lip and scratching his chin. “After losing over a dozen men, the assassin escaped, and now this? They could be trapped or conspiring against us.”

“Kyburn almost killed.” Hazam mumbled. “Why conspire with assassin? Henry work with you many days. Not make sense.”

“I suppose you’re right.” Trygve scratched his chin again. “I want that door open, Hazam. Whatever it takes. What else did you want to report to me?”

“Scout report small village.” Hazam said. “They find hole in ground. Thousands.”

“Holes?” Trygve frowned, confused. “What are you talking about? Where?”

“Villager find hole in ground. Not normal. Something deep down come out of ground.” Hazam reported. “Scout come back here. Not know what is cause. Is close to mountain.”

“Send a full scouting party to investigate. Twenty men at the most.” Trygve said. “I want to know what animal is digging giant holes in the ground. Tell them to be cautious though.”

“Yes, Regent.” Hazam bowed.

As Hazam left the room, Trygve let out a heavy sigh. Writing letters to the wives and families of the slain soldiers was a grueling task, yet he wrote each a personal note in honor of his fallen men.

His worries were piling up faster ever since the Vulkirian king and the Xerian soldiers had arrived. Now the door to the ruin was shut tight, barring anyone from entering it. Whether it was the doing of whoever was inside was a mystery but he felt a sickening feeling wash over him.

A sense of dread crept up his spine and he couldn’t shake the feeling.