Guardians of Immortal Keys

Chapter Seven: The Burning Key

Iñigo and Liana sat on the dusty floor, their attention wholly consumed by the transformed Immortal Data. The device, now resembling a complex piece of alien technology, moved with a life of its own. "Wow," Liana gasped, her eyes tracing the intricate design that seemed beyond their understanding. She was about to voice a thought when Iñigo interjected, "Yes, but I don't think it's mentioning another like us. I think it just detected you when it was activated."

"How can we know for sure?" Liana's curiosity was piqued.

"We can try?" Iñigo suggested with a mix of hope and uncertainty.

Accepting the challenge, Liana stepped out of the room, leaving Iñigo to observe the device's reaction—or lack thereof. "Is it working?" she called out from the hallway.

"No!" Iñigo's response confirmed their suspicion. The device remained silent, unresponsive to Liana's movement. When she re-entered the room, the air was thick with confusion and unanswered questions.

"It probably detected another guardian, that's now for sure. But with our current status, we can't afford to act rashly. We are too weak. Even I cannot use my powers yet," Liana reasoned. "If we are to reunite with the others, it would be easier for Obsidian to capture us all at once. It's better that we are scattered at the moment."

Iñigo felt a twinge of frustration. His desire for revenge against Obsidian was overwhelming, yet he knew Liana was right. They were not ready. Acknowledging this reality, he simply replied, "Okay."

Time passed as they sat in silence, the device offering no further clues to the guardian it had detected. Iñigo then diverted their focus, recounting how he had unlocked his fragment from the Immortal Data by placing his hands upon it, revealing his identity as a guardian.

Liana's eyes lit up with intrigue, but Iñigo quickly tempered her excitement, "But now, I don't know how to use it since it is different now."

They spent hours attempting to decipher the device, so engrossed that midnight came and went unnoticed. "I don't know how, but earlier the device showed 'Fire Guardian'," Iñigo mused. As the words left his mouth, the device stirred to life. Its core illuminated, and a hologram projected into the air, a voice emanating from within, "Fire Guardian."

Suddenly, a small dark void appeared in the space between them, revealing a small piece of a burning key. It floated, crackling with energy, as if imbued with life itself. The key, unlike anything they had ever seen, seemed to call out to them.

Driven by an inexplicable compulsion, Iñigo reached out towards the burning key. The moment his fingers brushed against it, the key dissolved into particles, vanishing into thin air. The room fell silent, the key's disappearance leaving a heavy sense of anticipation in its wake.

Liana and Iñigo exchanged a look of bewildered shock, neither fully understanding the significance of what had just occurred. The air was charged with a potent energy, hinting at the beginning of a journey neither could have anticipated.

As they sat in the dimly lit room, surrounded by the remnants of an ancient mystery, the implications of the burning key's disappearance loomed large. What had they unleashed? And more importantly, what would come next?