The shattered remains of the Buddhist bowly at our feet like a bad omen. The Man with the Mustache stared at them, his face a mask of horror.


    "This is very bad," he whispered. "Very, very bad. That bowl was supposed to be indestructible."


    I felt the weight of our situation pressing down on me. Time wasn''t on my side—I needed power, and I needed it now. Every passing minute brought Isabelle closer to whatever fate the Guild had nned for her.


    "We''re not turning back," I said firmly, stepping over the shattered pieces.


    The Man with the Mustache grabbed my arm. "Are you insane? Did you not see what just happened? Something in here destroyed a sacred artifact without even touching it!"


    I shrugged off his grip. "I don''t have the luxury of caution anymore. Every second I waste, Isabelle suffers."


    "You can''t help her if you''re dead!" he hissed.


    "And I can''t help her without more power," I countered. "If there''s anything in this tomb that can make me stronger, I''m taking it."


    The dark energy in the chamber seemed to pulse in response to my words, like a heartbeat. The whispers grew louder, more insistent.


    The Man with the Mustache wrung his hands. "This is suicide. We should leave while we still can."


    "Then leave." I didn''t look back at him as I pressed forward into the darkness. "I''m going on."


    For a moment, there was silence behind me. Then I heard a resigned sigh and hurried footsteps.


    "I must be losing my mind," he muttered, catching up to me. "If we die, I''m going to haunt you in the afterlife."


    "Fair enough."


    The passage narrowed as we descended deeper. The walls were no longer carved but seemed to be naturally formed, smooth as if melted by intense heat. The dark crystals became more numerous, growing from every surface like some alien vegetation.


    "Have you noticed how our abilities are being suppressed?" I asked quietly.


    The Man with the Mustache nodded. "The dark energy is interfering with our cultivation. Down here, we''re probably at less than half our normal strength."


    That was concerning. I was already weakened from my injuries, and now this. If we encountered anything hostile...


    The passage suddenly opened into a vast chamber. My light couldn''t reach the ceiling or the far walls, giving the impression of standing at the edge of an abyss.


    "I can''t see anything," I said, frustration edging my voice.


    "Hold on." The Man with the Mustache produced a small jade figurine from his pouch. "This should help."


    He whispered something to the figurine, and it began to glow with a soft green light. The illumination spread outward, pushing back the darkness enough to reveal whaty before us.


    In the center of the chamber stood a massive stone coffin, elevated on a tform of ck marble. Two figures nked it, seemingly corpses propped up on either side—their desated bodies preserved in a standing position, facing each other across the coffin.


    "What the hell?" I breathed.


    "Guardians," the Man with the Mustache whispered. "But they appear to be inactive."


    I approached cautiously, eyes fixed on the immobile figures. They were dressed in ancient armor unlike anything I''d seen before—not made of metal but of some dark material that seemed to absorb light. Their faces were concealed behind featureless masks.


    "Look familiar?" the Man with the Mustache asked, pointing at the masks.


    My heart skipped a beat. The design was unmistakable—identical to the mask ra had found.


    "How is this possible?" I moved closer to examine the coffin itself.


    The massive stone lid was carved with intricate symbols, and at its center was an embossed replica of the same mask. This couldn''t be coincidence.


    "ra''s mask came from this ce?" I asked, trying to make sense of it all.


    The Man with the Mustache shook his head. "No, she found hers in Eldoria. But they''re clearly connected. Perhaps made by the same entity, or for the same purpose."


    I ran my fingers over the carved mask on the coffin. "What does it mean?"


    "Nothing good," he replied grimly. "We need to see what''s inside."


    Despite every instinct telling me to leave this ce untouched, I nodded. "How do we open it?"


    The Man with the Mustache examined the edges of the coffin, looking for a mechanism. "It''s sealed with some kind of power. We''ll need to break through it."


    I summoned my golden energy, focusing it into a thin de around my hand. The effort was much harder than normal, the tomb''s oppressive atmosphere fighting against my cultivation.


    "Stand back," I warned, raising my hand.


    With a swift motion, I brought my energy-de down on the seam where the lid met the coffin. Sparks flew as my power contacted the ancient seal. For a moment, nothing happened.


    Then, with a sound like sighing, the lid shifted slightly.


    "It worked!" The Man with the Mustache hurried forward, excitement overriding his fear. "Help me push it aside."


    Together, we strained against the massive stone b. It moved grudgingly, scraping against the coffin with a sound that echoed through the chamber. When we''d created an opening wide enough, we peered inside.


    The coffin was empty.


    No body, no remains—just a small collection of objects resting at the bottom: a ck bracelet that seemed to be made of the same material as the dark crystals, a folded piece of clothing, and what appeared to be a painting rolled up and tied with a ck ribbon.


    "That''s it?" I couldn''t hide my disappointment. "Where''s the body?"


    The Man with the Mustache leaned further in, examining the items without touching them. "Perhaps there never was one. Or perhaps whatever was here has long since departed."


    I reached in and carefully lifted out the painting. Something about it called to me, a subtle pull I couldn''t exin.


    "Be careful with that," the Man with the Mustache warned. "Ancient artifacts are often trapped." <b ss="meta-ref-static">Enjoying the story? Discover more on *.</b>


    I untied the ribbon, allowing the painting to unroll slightly in my hands. It depicted andscape I didn''t recognize—mountains shrouded in mist, with a temple or pce barely visible at their peak.


    "Is this important?" I asked.


    The Man with the Mustache squinted at it. "Hard to say. It could be a map, or it might hold hidden messages. Some cultivation techniques were disguised as art to prevent them from falling into the wrong hands."


    I rolled it back up and secured it inside my robes. If there was even a chance it contained something useful, I wanted it.


    "What about the bracelet?" I nodded toward the ck object.


    "I wouldn''t touch that if I were you," he said warily. "It radiates the same energy as the crystals around us. Extremely dangerous."


    I hesitated, then decided he was right. The painting might be valuable, but the bracelet felt actively malevolent. Better to leave it where it was.


    "Let''s go," I said, stepping back from the coffin. "We''ve found something at least."


    The Man with the Mustache nodded eagerly, clearly relieved to be leaving. "Yes, yes. Let''s not press our luck any further."


    We turned toward the passage we''d entered through—and froze.


    The two corpses that had been standing motionless beside the coffin were now blocking our exit. Their masks seemed to stare at us despite having no eye holes, and a faint dark aura surrounded their desated forms.


    "They were dead," I whispered. "I''m sure they were dead."


    "They still are," the Man with the Mustache said, his voice shaking. "They''re animated corpses—guardian constructs."


    I summoned my golden energy again, preparing to fight our way out if necessary. The power came sluggishly, hindered by the tomb''s dark energy.


    "Can we get past them?" I asked.


    Before he could answer, the guardians raised their arms in unison. A shimmering barrier materialized between us and the exit, filling the passagepletely.


    I hurled a bolt of golden energy at the barrier. It struck with a sh of light but dissipated harmlessly against the surface.


    "That''s not going to work," the Man with the Mustache said, backing away. "These aren''t ordinary guardians."


    "What are they then?" I demanded, frustration mounting.


    His face had gone deathly pale. "Beings who have transcended even the Mighty Realm. We can''t defeat them—not here, not in their domain, with our powers suppressed."


    The guardians took a synchronized step forward. Though they made no sound, I could feel their intent—we had vited this sacred space, and they would not allow us to leave with what we''d taken.


    "The painting," the Man with the Mustache hissed. "Put it back!"


    I hesitated, clutching the rolled canvas tighter. "And if that doesn''t work?"


    "Then we''re dead anyway!" His voice rose with panic.


    I was about toply when the guardians moved again—not toward us, but to either side of the barrier. They took up positions as if standing sentry, their masked faces turned toward us in silent judgment.


    The whispers that had followed us through the tomb grew louder, coalescing into a single voice that seemed toe from everywhere and nowhere at once.


    "You seek power," it said, the words somehow forming directly in my mind rather than reaching my ears. "Yet you understand nothing of what true power demands."


    The Man with the Mustache fell to his knees, clutching his head. "It''s her," he gasped. "The one from the legends."


    I stood my ground, though fear threatened to overwhelm me. "Who are you?" I called out. "What do you want?"


    "The question," the voice replied, "is what do you want, Liam Knight? What would you sacrifice for the power to save your beloved?"


    My blood ran cold. It knew my name. It knew about Isabelle.


    "Everything," I answered truthfully. "I would sacrifice everything."


    A coldugh echoed through the chamber. "So eager to offer what you do not understand. But perhaps that is why you were permitted to find this ce."


    The guardians shifted slightly, their masks now focused directly on me.


    "You carry her mark," the voice continued. "The girl with the void in her soul. Tell me, how fares my little sessor?"


    ra. It had to be talking about ra.


    "She''s alive," I said carefully. "She''s safe."


    Anotherugh, this one sharper. "Safe? No one touched by the mask is ever truly safe. Especially not one born with a pure dark energy body."


    The Man with the Mustache tugged frantically at my sleeve. "Don''t engage with it," he whispered urgently. "This entity is beyond ourprehension."


    I ignored him. "What is ra to you? What does the mask do to her?"


    "It returns what was always hers," the voice said cryptically. "A legacy older than your civilization."


    The guardians stepped forward in perfect unison, their movement fluid despite their desated state. The barrier remained in ce behind them.


    "You have taken something that is not yours," the voice said, growing colder. "Return it, and you may yet leave this ce alive."


    I clutched the painting tighter. "What if I need it? What if it can help me save Isabelle?"


    "It was not meant for you," the voice replied. "It was left for one who bears the mark of the void. For the girl you call ra."


    The Man with the Mustache was practically hyperventting now. "Give it back," he pleaded. "For gods'' sake, just give it back!"


    I hesitated, torn between desperation for any advantage and the very real danger surrounding us. The guardians took another step closer.


    "Last chance," the voice whispered, now seeming toe from directly behind me. "Choose wisely, Liam Knight."