Afterward, with footsteps not as steady as before, Kiran began to walk through the dimness of the cave again. He moved forward, step after step, and, fortunately, no mechs or Shadowrift Abominations blocked his path this time. A deep silence was the only thing that accompanied him, until his eyes finally caught sight of the temple complex that was his destination.

Built on a granite foundation arranged in three tiers, the complex consisted of smaller temples placed at four points, aligning with the four cardinal directions. They encircled a larger central temple, forming a mandala-like formation.

The main temple, the largest of them all, stood with three levels that grew smaller toward the top. Its roof, often referred to as the temple’s crown, was adorned with a statue of a strange creature—a figure with a human body but two large wings and the head of an eagle, crowned like royalty.

Kiran slowly ascended the stone steps that led to the main temple’s entrance. Once at the top, he found himself mesmerized by the intricate carvings etched into the second tier, commonly called the temple’s body.

The reliefs depicted creatures unlike anything Kiran had ever seen before—beings with the head of a tiger and the tail feathers of a peacock, winged horses, ox-headed humans, and several other cryptid-like figures.

His eyes then wandered to the lower tier, known as the foot of the temple.

Here, the carvings showed humans bowing and making offerings to these mysterious creatures, as though they were worshiping them as gods. The stories carved into the stone intrigued Kiran, raising questions about who these beings were and what they had to do with his journey.

Without wasting any more time, Kiran made his way into the temple’s interior. Inside, the space was nearly empty, except for a large andesite stone table situated at the center of the room.

He approached the table quickly, and as he drew closer, his gaze fell on the series of words etched into the surface of the stone.

The light of the Majestic Red Luminary has been extinguished, leaving the Garuda hiding in darkness. The Emberlight Celestials remain only as shadows. As a result, the creatures of Aetherialium slumber under the grip of the Time and the Queen of the Underworld Darkness. The stars of the Luminous Remnants were born from the fragments of their light and now carry the blessing of heaven’s rays to the world.

Kiran frowned, feeling a deep sense of confusion. Although the inscription was written in Kawi, a language he was familiar with, only the term Luminous Remnants resonated with him. The rest—Majestic Red Luminary, Emberlight Celestials, Aetherialium, Garuda, the Time, and the Queen of the Underworld Darkness—were completely foreign. He couldn’t picture any of the entities behind those names.

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Briefly pushing aside the confusion creeping into his mind, Kiran shifted his focus to the other side of the stone table. That was when his eyes caught a long-dried, brown-black stain. He immediately recognized it as dragon serpent blood—a substance closely linked to the Darkconian empire.

And when it came to the Darkconian empire, the first thing that came to mind was cunning. The presence of the inscription table, containing crucial information, meant that there was certainly a trap somewhere in the temple’s inner chamber—an inevitable price for the knowledge he had just acquired.

But where was it?

His eyes swept the room, searching for anything unusual.

Grinddd...

Kiran’s head snapped toward the noise, and in that instant, he realized his mistake. The only entrance to the main temple had been sealed off by a massive stone door, which had been concealed within the temple walls. The ancient mechanism had automatically activated, triggered by a hidden detector that sensed the movement of anyone passing through.

Remaining calm, Kiran approached the granite door. His attention shifted downward to the stone floor beneath him. There, near the base of the door, was a small crack he hadn’t noticed earlier. The fissure, just the size of a finger, was releasing a thin stream of black smoke. Kiran instantly recognized it as black magic—a dark energy signature unmistakably tied to the Darkconians.

He could easily destroy the door with a single, well-placed attack. But Kiran hesitated.

If he recklessly blew the door apart, there was a strong chance the entire temple would collapse. And with it, all the critical clues—or worse, the path to The Undead—could be buried and lost forever.

Logical thinking led Kiran to examine the room once more, searching for a door-opening mechanism. As his eyes skimmed over the surface of the stone door, they caught sight of a palm-sized rectangular ornament embossed in its center.

The word ‘North’ was carved into the ornament, marking the direction the door faced.

Kiran glanced toward the other three walls, positioned to the south, east, and west. He immediately noticed similar rectangular ornaments, each inscribed with their respective directions: east, south, and west.

It became clear to him that of these four, one was the door’s release mechanism, while the others likely activated traps—deadly ones, no doubt. Kiran’s mind buzzed with possibilities, trying to solve the puzzle.

Knowing the temple was a creation of the Darkconians, Kiran considered the empire’s most defining trait. His thoughts raced through every aspect of the empire until he recalled its territorial might. The Darkconian empire was vast, controlling the entire continent after crushing smaller kingdoms beneath its rule. Emperor Ardika had long been obsessed with expanding his dominion, a fact Kiran couldn’t ignore.

Could the key lie in the western territories, the core of the empire’s power?

With a mix of calculation and hesitation, Kiran approached the western wall. His hand hovered briefly over the carved ornament that read ‘West,’ before pressing it.

Grinddd... Grinddd... Grinddd...

Shit!