The massive doors closed behind them softly. The sound echoed throughout the chamber like the sealing of a tomb. For several moments, none of the four moved.

The room before them was enormous. Far larger than the corridors and the Sanctuaries they had passed through to reach it. Pillars rose endlessly towards the ceiling while endless roots crawled all over the walls.

Fragments of pale blue light floated through the air, like fireflies.

At the centre of the chamber rested a huge beast skeleton. Its body sprawled across the ruined floors like the remains of an ancient dragon mixed with a wolf. Its enormous ribs arced outwards. Black roots pierced through the bones in countless places, spreading across like parasites.

The skull alone was larger than a house. Empty eye sockets stared silently towards the entrance.

Cassian exhaled softly.

"I really hoped it was an empty room."

Caius’s eyes narrowed towards the skeleton.

"It looks old."

Yander stepped forward carefully, flames flickering faintly around her hand.

"No Aether signatures. "

Atheline remained silent but his mind was racing.

’What’s up with all these skeletons’

The last ruin had been the same but this was not even a ruin, it was more of an abandoned temple in the middle of the forest.

If it had been a ruin, it would have attracted far more attention and a phenomenal would have happened. He couldn’t really place the area but Lilith had warned him about the centre.

’I should probably ask her when we get back’

His gaze moved slowly across the room. Broken chains lay scattered across the floor near the skeleton limbs, each one large enough that several people together could barely wrap around it.

Whatever the creature had once been, it had not died easily. His thoughts drifted a little back to what Lilith had said. It had been the same with the darkness sovereign. His death hadn’t been pretty.

Cassian looked around cautiously while shadows drifted beneath his feet.

"So..." he pointed vaguely at the skeleton." Do we investigate the horrifying dead monster or pretend we never found one in the first place?"

Yander ignored him completely. Instead, she moved towards ancient carvings etched into one of the pillars nearby.

Caius walked towards the gigantic skeleton itself, studying the black roots spreading through the bones.

Only Atheline noticed it.

Near the far end of the chamber, half hidden beneath stone beside the skeleton ribcage was an egg.

It was small compared with the monstrous remains surrounding it, roughly the size of two hands combined. Dark silver patterns shimmered faintly across its surface beneath layers of dust and ash.

Atheline glanced at the others. Caius was standing a few steps from it, Cassian was staring at the skeleton while Yander was a few steps away but none of them seemed to notice it all.

It was as though they genuinely couldn’t see it.

’What the hell’

Atheline’s eyes narrowed slightly.

’This is interesting.’

Cassian’s voice echoed from nearby.

"These carvings are disturbing."

Atheline moved quietly while the others remained distracted. He walked towards it unhurriedly as though uninterested in what was happening around him.

He stepped between broken stone near the skeleton ribs before crouching beside the egg.

Up close, it radiated faint warmth despite the freezing chamber. It seemed to be barely alive, he could feel the life signature from it but faintly.

The moment his fingers touched it, a small pulse spread through his body. He didn’t know what it was but it felt ancient. Which didn’t surprise him with the environment they were in.

The egg flickered once before vanishing instantly into his spatial ring without his consent.

Still, none of the others noticed this.

Atheline stood up normally and returned to the group.

Then, Caius spoke quietly near the skeleton.

"These roots are keeping it intact."

Everyone looked towards him.

Golden light glowed softly around his hand while he studied the black roots spreading through the ribcage.

Cassian frowned slightly.

"What does that mean?"

Caius expression hardened.

"These bones should have decayed a long time ago."

Yander’s eyes narrowed slightly.

"Something is feeding Aether into it but there is no Aether signature in the air. Something is producing all this Aether floating in the air but I can’t find the source. ."

Silence followed after her words, then, the temperature seemed to reduce even further.

A small cracking sound broke through the silence echoing through the chamber. It was like old bones grinding against each other.

All four froze instantly.

The gigantic skeletal claw twitched slightly against the stone floor.

Cassian stared blankly.

"... No."

The roots spreading through the bones suddenly pulsed as though something was passing through them. Blue flames ignited within the skeleton’s empty sockets.

Pressure exploded throughout the chamber. The entire temple shook violently as a result.

Yander stepped backwards immediately as fire burst out of her body.

Caius drew his sword instantly, radiant light illuminating the chamber.

The skeleton moved. It was slow at first then it turned violent. One gigantic forelimb slammed against the floor as the creature forced itself upwards, its bone grinding loudly while black roots stretched between fractured ribs like replacement flesh.

The skull lowered towards them. The blue flames inside its eye sockets burned fiercely now.

Staring at the monstrous skeleton, Atheline got a familiar feeling from it.

The thing was the forest lord, he had almost died at its hands. He wasn’t sure if the skeleton was the forest lord or the roots that were puppeteering the skeleton since it was the one providing Aether to it. It might have also killed the forest lord and taken over.

Atheline shook those thoughts away, it wasn’t time for that yet.

The creature roared. The sound shook the entire chamber while Aether pressure crashed against them like a physical force.

The attack followed right after. The gigantic claw descended first. It was fast enough to blur despite its size.

Caius intercepted immediately, planting himself on the ground below it. Golden light exploded around his blade as he swung upwards two-handed.

The impact detonated throughout the chamber.

The floor beneath Caius shattered instantly while the cracks spread across nearby pillars.

His expression tightened slightly.

The skeleton monster was as expected strong, far stronger than the guardians outside.

Cassian shadows surged upwards immediately afterward, wrapping around the skeleton’s forelimb to slow its movement.

"Move!"

Yander already had. She dashed sideways across broken stone while flames spiraled around her sword.

Then she slashed upwards.

A massive crescent of compressed flames exploded across the skeleton’s ribcage. The bones cracked apart as a result. 𝚏𝕣𝕖𝚎𝚠𝚎𝚋𝚗𝐨𝐯𝕖𝕝.𝕔𝐨𝕞

But instead of collapsing, the black roots tightened, immediately dragging the broken ribs together unnaturally.

This caught the four by surprise. They didn’t even know how to call it. Regeneration or something close to it.

"Light!" Caius muttered to himself.

The skeleton roared again.

The roots exploded outwards, hundreds of them bursting across the chamber floors like living spears.

Atheline moved immediately.

Wind exploded around the group, redirecting several roots sideways while Earth erupted upwards to intercept the others.

Lightning flashed.

He appeared atop one of the broken ribs directly above the creatures, arrow drawn. Water condensed instantly around the projectile before lightning fused into it.

THWIP!

The arrow pierced directly through one glowing eye. Electricity exploded throughout the skull violently enough to make the skeleton stagger.

The skeleton swung its tail sideways immediately afterwards in rage. A gigantic wall of bone and roots tore through the chamber forcing everyone to retreat.

Cassian vanished into the shadows moments before the impact shattered several pillars completely.

Caius blocked it directly.