The guardian's eyes burned with ancient fire as it stared at Marcus.
"You cannot stop them," the guardian repeated, its voice echoing through the chamber. "The First Ones are eternal. They have existed since before humanity took its first breath. They have seen empires rise and fall. They have watched civilizations burn."
Marcus lowered his weapon slightly, his mind racing. "If they're so powerful, why were they imprisoned? Why did they need the dark energy to protect them?"
The guardian's expression flickered, a moment of something that might have been pain. "They were not imprisoned by their enemies. They were imprisoned by their own kind. The Architects feared their power. They feared what the First Ones would become."
Marcus felt a cold knot form in his stomach. "What do you mean?
