The Shadows of the Forgotten Temple

Chapter 10

The City of Ashara was unlike anything Elena had ever imagined. Carved into the walls of a massive canyon, its spires and arches were worn but still majestic, a testament to the ancient civilization that once called it home. The buildings glowed faintly, their surfaces etched with glyphs similar to those in the fortress, pulsing faintly like veins carrying energy. The sheer scale of the city was staggering; it felt alive, as though it had been waiting for centuries for someone to return.

Jax peered over the edge of the canyon wall, his usual sarcasm replaced by genuine awe. “It’s like something out of a dream… or a nightmare.”

“More like both,” Mateo murmured. “How do we even begin to explore something this massive?”

Elena clutched the staff, its glow steady as it pointed toward the heart of the city. “We follow the staff’s guidance. It’s brought us this far—it’ll lead us to the answers we need.”

Isabela frowned, her machete drawn. “Answers or more danger?”

Elena’s gaze remained fixed on the city below. “Both.”

The descent into the canyon was treacherous. Loose rocks gave way beneath their boots, and the walls were sheer in places, forcing them to use ancient, crumbling stairways carved into the rock. Every step was a reminder of how precarious their journey had become.

When they finally reached the canyon floor, the city loomed around them, its structures even more imposing up close. The air was thick with an unnatural stillness, the faint hum of the glyphs the only sound.

“This place doesn’t feel abandoned,” Jax said, his voice low. “It feels… occupied.”

Elena nodded, her eyes scanning the shadows that danced at the edges of their torchlight. “Stay alert. We don’t know what we’re walking into.”

The staff led them through narrow streets lined with towering statues of the shadowy figure depicted in the fortress murals. Each statue seemed to watch them, their empty eyes following their every move.

“This is creepy,” Mateo muttered, gripping his machete tightly.

As they approached the city center, the streets opened into a massive plaza dominated by a towering obelisk similar to the one they had encountered in the jungle. But this obelisk was different. Its surface was covered in cracks, and a faint, dark energy seeped from it like smoke.

“Whatever happened here, it wasn’t good,” Isabela said, her voice tinged with unease.

Before Elena could respond, the staff’s glow intensified, its energy pulling her toward the obelisk. As she stepped closer, the ground beneath her feet shifted, and a low growl echoed through the plaza.

“Uh, guys?” Jax said, raising his pistol. “I think we’ve got company.”

From the shadows emerged figures—humanoid but twisted, their bodies a grotesque fusion of flesh and shadow. Their eyes burned with the same dark energy as the obelisk, and they moved with unnatural speed.

“Get behind me!” Elena shouted, raising the staff.

The creatures charged, their shrieks piercing the air. Jax fired his pistol, but the bullets had little effect. Mateo and Isabela swung their machetes, their blades slicing through the creatures but doing little to slow them down.

Elena focused on the staff, feeling its power surge through her. She slammed it into the ground, and a shockwave of energy erupted from its tip, sending the creatures flying. The glyphs on the obelisk reacted, their light flickering as though trying to counteract the staff’s power.

“They’re tied to the obelisk!” Elena shouted. “We have to destroy it!”

“Easier said than done!” Jax retorted, firing at another creature.

Elena gritted her teeth, channeling more energy into the staff. The light grew blinding, and the creatures screeched as they were consumed by the energy. With a final surge, the obelisk cracked and crumbled, the dark energy dissipating into the air.

The plaza fell silent once more, the faint hum of the glyphs the only sound.

With the obelisk destroyed, the staff’s glow shifted, pointing toward a massive temple at the far end of the plaza. The group moved cautiously, their nerves on edge after the battle.

The temple’s entrance was framed by massive stone doors covered in glyphs that glowed faintly. Elena placed her hand on the surface, and the glyphs shifted, forming a pattern that pulsed with energy.

“It’s reacting to the staff,” she said, holding it up. The doors groaned as they opened, revealing a dark corridor that led into the heart of the temple.

The air inside was heavy, and the walls were covered in more glyphs that seemed to tell a story. Elena traced her fingers along the carvings, her eyes widening as she pieced together the narrative.

“This temple was a sanctuary,” she said. “A place where the people of Ashara recorded their history. They knew their civilization was doomed, so they left behind their knowledge for whoever came after them.”

“Doomed by what?” Jax asked, his tone uneasy.

Elena pointed to a series of carvings depicting the shadowy figure from the obelisk. “Him. Or it. The being they called Ashara. It was their creator, but it turned on them when they tried to harness its power for themselves.”

“And now we’ve got its staff,” Jax said grimly. “Fantastic.”

The corridor opened into a massive chamber filled with rows of stone tablets and glowing glyphs. At the center of the room was a pedestal similar to the one in the fortress, but this one held a crystalline orb that pulsed with light.

Elena approached the pedestal cautiously, the staff’s glow intensifying as she neared. “This is the heart of the temple,” she said. “Whatever answers we’re looking for, they’re here.”

As she reached for the orb, the glyphs on the walls flared brightly, and a voice echoed through the chamber—a deep, resonant tone that seemed to vibrate through their very bones.

“Who dares disturb the legacy of Ashara?”

The group froze, their eyes darting around the chamber. The voice seemed to come from everywhere and nowhere, its tone both commanding and filled with anger.

“We mean no harm,” Elena said, her voice steady. “We seek knowledge. Answers.”

The voice laughed, a sound that sent chills down their spines. “Knowledge comes at a price. And you have already paid dearly to reach this place.”

The light from the orb intensified, and the chamber was suddenly filled with images—visions of the ancient civilization of Ashara. They saw a thriving city, its people working in harmony with the power of the obelisk. But then came the betrayal. The people sought to wield the power for themselves, and Ashara, their creator, turned on them, unleashing a darkness that consumed the city.

The visions faded, leaving the group in stunned silence.

“That’s what happened here,” Elena said, her voice barely above a whisper. “They tried to control the power of the obelisk, and it destroyed them.”

“And now we’re walking the same path,” Jax muttered.

The voice returned, its tone darker. “You have awakened the power of Ashara. Now you must prove yourselves worthy of wielding it.”

The chamber shook, and the orb began to glow brightly. From its surface emerged a figure—a towering being made of light and shadow, its form constantly shifting.

“Prove yourselves, or be consumed,” the voice said.

The group barely had time to react before the figure attacked, its movements swift and fluid. Elena raised the staff, its light clashing with the figure’s shadowy energy. The others scrambled to defend themselves, but their weapons were useless against the incorporeal foe.

“This isn’t a fight we can win with brute force!” Elena shouted, struggling to hold her ground. “We have to outsmart it!”

“Any bright ideas?” Jax yelled, dodging a swipe from the figure.

Elena’s mind raced as she analyzed the glyphs on the walls. They pulsed in rhythm with the staff, their light reacting to the figure’s attacks.

“The glyphs are the key!” she said. “They’re connected to the staff’s power. If we can activate them, it might weaken the figure.”

“On it!” Mateo said, rushing to the nearest wall. He began pressing on the glyphs, their light intensifying with each activation.

The figure roared, its attacks growing more frantic as the glyphs lit up. Elena focused all her energy on the staff, channeling its power into the chamber. The light grew blinding, and the figure let out a final, ear-piercing scream before disintegrating into smoke.

The chamber fell silent once more, the orb’s light fading. The voice returned, its tone softer.

“You have passed the trial. The power of Ashara is now yours to wield. Use it wisely, or suffer the same fate as those who came before you.”