6 MONTHS AGO

--UNKNOWN—

Wind howled across the snow-covered peaks. The bright star in the sky illuminates the mountains but does little to warm them. Nothing but white can be seen for miles in all directions. Each footstep of a man sinks down through the packed snowfall, swallowing each step just below his knees. He stops for a moment to regain his direction. The man looks behind him for a moment, his eyes see down from whence he came. Clouds lay below him, masking the true threat of the height of his journey. All alone, the man turns back forward and continues upward, the sound of his boots crunching over the snow barely audible through the environment. He keeps a steady pace upwards, until he reaches a small plateau, a formation of rock jutting out from the face of the mountain. The man grips the surface of the rock with both hands, getting as good of a grip as he could with thick gloves on, and hoists himself up. The newfound flat ground seemed out of place on the precipice of the slope. Its formation seemed unnatural; impossible. He knew he was in the right place.

The man scanned the surroundings: he stood upon a flat surface of stone of charcoal color in the shape of a semicircle, with the steep incline of the mountain continuing in all other directions surrounding it. Directly in front of him stood completely vertical wall, made from the same natural rock from the mountain, but with a crease down the middle, perfectly separating the stone side.

The man took off his googles and unwrapped his thick, wool scarf that wrapped around his neck and over his nose and mouth, letting his bare skin meet the frigid cold air. The man’s face was long, with sunken cheeks that exposed the structure of his face. His eyes were red, and his nose was long and sharp. The corner of lips had a small and mangled scar, which were dried out from the cold.

He began steps forward, approaching the face of the rock formation before him. The man maintained a calm demeanor, not yet ready to celebrate his discovery, although he was certain he had found what he was looking for. He stopped one step before the wall, just in front of the crevice dividing the stone. He looked up at its front, about 20 feet tall, seeing the snow from above the wall being swept off by the wind. He looked back down in between the crevice of the rock. The man took off the glove of his right hand, letting the full expertise of his touch sense free, stuffing the glove in the pocket of his jacket, and feeling the smooth stone with bare hands. He dragged his fingertips along the rock, enjoying the moment of clarity after being restricted by such thick clothes for so long. The man pressed the palm of his hand softy against the rock and closed his eyes. He shut out all other distractions, the sound of the wind slowly drowning out as he focused, the cold that was numbing his skin fading out of his mind.

Suddenly, the man’s eyes shot open with newfound energy. He stared into the blank side as if he saw something. His hand, still pressed against the stone, feeling a presence beyond its walls. He retracted his hand back to himself and retreated a step backwards. The man took one more look up and down the mysterious face of earth. He let out a deep breath, that steamed in front of him as it floated up and into the wind. He refocused his eyes back down in front of him as he took a step forward once again.

The man placed his hand on the wall, closing his eyes and feeling the presence hidden behind the earth. It seemed warm in his mind, an artifact buried for centuries. Its power radiated brilliantly, piercing through the thick rock and through his hand, all the way to his heart. As he continued to focus of the item of power, the man could almost hear it speaking to him. Communicating. Not using any language, but in a spiritual way. He felt a connection, his own force communicating with it. A smile crept onto his face as he opened his eyes.

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He found what he was looking for.

He pressed his hand firmer against the stone. He braced his wrist as he applied more pressure. He felt the palm of his hand grip the earth until it fitted in, planting strong and ready. The man took a deep breath, and focused his strength, from his legs, up through his body, and through the arm into his hand. He exhaled, and after the oxygen escaped his lungs, he pressed hard, letting out a deep grunt as he struck the rock with power. A strong burst of wind emitted from the point of contact, and a loud crack echoed through the sky. The wall, however, remained intact, with only a few cracks from where his hand was planted. The man took another deep breath in and fired his power again. This time cracking the rock, spidering along the way. Pieces of debris crumbling down, withering at the integrity of the stone. The man repositioned his hand, adjusting his grip and planting it as tightly as possible against the wall. He put his foot back, bracing himself, as he took one last final breath in, and powered his hand again. The loud crack sounded across the valley, the shockwave blasting away all the small pieces of debris that had just recently made a new home of the plateau. The wall’s fortitude broke, as it came crashing down in front of him. Large chunks of rock dislodged themselves from each other as the wall crumbled, falling down and shattering before him. Smoke and dust billowed up as the pieces fell, each one seemingly louder and louder, compounding each other’s blast into an ear deafening rumble. The man stayed stout, not even moving his hand from where it once was positioned against the wall.

Finally, the earth settled. A giant cloud of soot billowed out. As the chaos cleared, the chamber was revealed to him. A small cave, perfectly rounded, the rock was smooth along the walls; unnatural. In the middle stood a small podium made of the same smooth stone. Resting atop the podium was the piece of power the man had felt through the wall, glowing a spectacular gold-orange color. Its energy vibrated the air, and it made a faint high-pitched noise that echoed quietly through the cave.

The man began forward, positioning his boot atop a flat surface of rubble and stepping forward. He carefully chose each step as he crossed the line of debris, before reaching the other side, and stepping down. The power of the artifact only grew stronger, inviting his interest. He continued forward until he stood before the podium, looking down at his treasure.

On the podium lay a piece of metal, a bright gold, just bigger than the size of a hand, expertly crafted into the shape of a right triangle. The piece was adorned with etched writing, in a language that was unrecognizable. The words glowed in a powerful orange light, shining through the man’s eyes. The noise teemed in his ears, ringing at a low volume. The shine of the gold reflected the visage of the man to himself using the light that it’s energy emitted.

He slowly reached his hand out to the artifact, approaching it as if it was a dog that hadn’t met him before. As his hand drew closer, he could feel its power emanating stronger. His finger touched its surface; it was warm, and a pleasant sensation traveled up the man’s finger and into his body, rejuvenating his weary self from his long travels here. He stretched his hand out fully, reaching to both ends of its metal surface, and gripped it. Instantly, the noise stopped, but the glow continued strong. The man lifted the artifact up to his face, examining it closely, studying its fine details. He was fascinated by it, reading its inscriptions even though he couldn’t understand it. The light shined against his skin, brightening the dark cave just enough so the man could see his reflection against the polished gold. He took a long look at himself, reveling in his achievement.

“Gotcha,” the man finally said, smiling at his reflection.