"Are you guys talking about the same beheaded statue you discovered back at the ruined temple?"

Aureleah asked, her gaze lingering upon the colossal six-winged knight towering over the crypt.

"Yeah..." Vaelorin nodded. "It’s the same one."

This confirmation caused several of them to glance toward the immense guardian once more. From a distance, the similarities had merely been noticeable.

But standing before it now, there was no longer any doubt. The armour was identical, the sword planted before it was similar, and even the posture was the same. The only difference was that this statue still possessed one thing intact... It’s head.

Its features remained hidden beneath an elaborate helmet crowned with wing-like protrusions, making it impossible to determine whether the sculptor had intended to represent a man, a woman, or a different entity entirely.

Veyrath crossed his arms as his amber eyes swept across the crypt.

"But what kind of people bury their dead with a bunch of statues? I mean, look at this place. There are dozens of them. What’s the point?"

Kaeloris adjusted his cracked spectatcles before replying. "Perhaps to us, there isn’t a point..."

The failed Gnost slowly examined the rows of stone knights standing vigil around the chamber. "...But perhaps it made perfect sense to them."

"And what does that mean?" Veyrath asked.

"When we discovered the ruined temple, we also found traces of an ancient language known as Taegaryean..."

Kaeloris paused briefly before explaining further.

"Though calling it merely a language would be inaccurate as it is best to describe it as a cultural foundation. You see, according to surviving records, many ancient societies shared certain customs derived from Taegaryean traditions. And one of those customs involved burying the dead alongside symbolic objects."

"And why exactly would anyone do that?" Valmyr queried.

"I’m getting there..." Kaeloris replied. His gaze drifted toward the statues as he continued further.

"You see, their belief was quite simple. The journey to what they called the "afterlife" was long, dangerous, and uncertain. So they buried their dead with things meant to accompany them; you know, so they won’t be lonely in death."

"well, that just sounds ridiculous. Why bury the dead with objects simply because you are afraid they would be lonely?" Veyrath asked with derision lacing his tone.

"It might be ridiculous to you, but it probably sounded normal to them." Kaeloris countered.

"Besides, don’t modern people burn paper money for the deceased? In fact, some even go as far as placing food beside garves. Compared to all of that, I’d say creating stone guardians isn’t particularly strange."

"You do make a fair point." Caelestra acknowledged calmly. Then her brows furrowed as she asked.

"You just said that Taegaryean was a culture right? Then, doesn’t that mean whoever built this place belonged to it?"

Kaeloris immediately shook his head. "No, that’s wrong."

"And why is that?"

The failed Gnost adjusted his spectatcles once more before explaining patiently.

"Because language and nationality aren’t the same thing. There are merchants from distant principalities that speak fluent Valorian when they trade within the kingdom; just like there are scholars who study our customs and also travelers who spend decades living within our borders. But tell me something, does all that automatically make them citizens of Valoria?"

Caelestra maintained a thoughtful silence before she eventually shook her head. "No, it doesn’t."

"Exactly. Language can be spread, tradition can be copied, different cultures can influence one another. So just because those people followed Taegaryean customs doesn’t necessarily mean they were Taegaryeans themselves." Kaeloris said conclusively.

His explanation was actually reasonable enough that the group had to maintain considerable silence to process it...

Suddenly, Veyrath’s eyes drifted toward the gigantic six-winged knight standing behind the sarcophagi and a strange expression appeared on his face.

"Do you want to know what actually confuses me more than burying the dead with statues?"

The group turned toward him when they heard his question. Then the failed Alchemist continued.

"You guys spoke about this thing like it’s some sort of deity. So why would anyone place their god inside a tomb? Isn’t that basically wishing death upon it?"

Kaeloris chuckled softly while shaking his head. He took a few steps closer to the edge of the dais before answering Veyrath’s question.

"Not necessarily. You see, in ancient traditions, gods weren’t merely worshipped; they were also seen as guardians, protectors, and guides of mankind."

The failed Gnost then pointed at the three sarcophagi before continuing.

"Some culture believed their dead would travel to another realm after death. So placing the image of a divine guardian beside them wasn’t consider an insult, instead they saw it as protection."

His voice echoed softly through the crypt as he spoke further. "In other words, the statue wasn’t buried with them, it was built to stand watch over them."

Understanding finally dawned upon the failed Alchemist’s face. "Now that makes more sense than burying people with statues."

Suddenly, the fourteen-years-old’s silver eyes sparkled with a mischievous light as she finally spoke.

"Well, are we going to keep staring at the coffins all day or would we actually do something? You know, I read in several stories that raiding tombs is a very lucrative business. Who knows, we might get lucky and find some treasure inside them."

Valmyr had a wretched grin on his face as he rubbed his hands together.

"Finally! Someone who thinks like me. So, what are we waiting for, let’s go..." The failed Vanguard said gingerly.

Caelestra rolled her eyes as she muttered. "Of course, why wouldn’t you agree with the suggestion?"

Nevertheless, none of them bothered disagreeing with the idea as they all began ascending the obsidian steps leading to the dais...

Each footfall echoed throughout the immense hall as they drew closer to the sarcophagi...

From afar, they had merely seemed impressive, but up close, they were overwhelming...

The central coffin stretched nearly twelve feet long. Ancient engravings covered every end of its stone. Perhaps of all of them, only Kaeloris could understand the markings on it...

The two smaller sarcophagi flanking it were only slightly less imposing. Dust blanketed everything, yet despite the passing of years, the stone from which they were carved remained flawless.

There was not a single crack nor signs of deterioration on it, as though time itself had been denied authority over them.

Also, surrounding the three coffins was something far more astonishing than anything they had seen in the hall.

It was an enormous formation which has been carved directly into the obsidian floor. Its design resembled a vast eight-point trigram...

Countless lines intersected with geometric precision, forming circles within circles and triangles woven into larger patterns. Also, ancient symbols were engraved in every available space...

At the outermost parts of the formation rested eight crystal pylons. Each crystal was roughly the size of a human skull. Though dim, faint pulse of crimson light still flowed within them like the heartbeat of some slumbering beast.

The formation itself glowed weakly beneath the layers of dust accumulated through the years.

The sight of the formation caused the octet to halt before the coffins.

"What the hell is this?" Veyrath asked, his amber eyes staring warily at the symbols on the ground.

Kaeloris crouched slightly and examined it. "It’s a Mummification Array."

"What’s a mummificating whatever?"

The failed Gnost let out a low sigh as he explained. "Mummification Arrays are special formations set up around coffins to prevent the bodies in them from decaying. Simply put, it is an Aetheric method of preserving a corpse."

Then he turned toward the failed Alchemist. "As an alchemist, aren’t you supposed to know about this?"

Veyrath didn’t reply, instead it was Vaelorin who spoke next.

"Hold on. Are you trying to tell us that with this Array, the corpses laying within those coffins might still be fresh?"

The idea of decades years old corpse being fresh was enough to send a chill down the failed Pyromancer’s spine.

"Not necessarily..." Kaeloris shook his head. Then he pointed toward the eight crystals surrounding the formation and continued.

"If the Array was fully operational, all eight nodes would be glowing. But looking at these, it is clear that it has remain inactive for several years."

Hearing that, Valmyr’s eyes gleamed brightly. "In other words, the treasure inside the coffins are free for the taking, right?"

Then before anyone could stop him, the failed Vanguard stepped forward, directly into the formation.

"Wait! Don’t...!" Kaeloris shouted immediately...

But it was too late...

The instant Valmyr’s boot crossed the threshold, the Mummification Array suddenly erupted as a blinding scarlet light exploded across every carved line...

Veyrath nearly jumped out of his skin.

"I thought you said it was inactive!"

"Inactive doesn’t mean broken!" The failed Gnost shouted, staring in horror at the blazing formation. "Mummification Arrays possess detection mechanisms built in them so they can sense the presence of intruders."

"And what happens when they detect an intruder?!" Caelestra demanded.

Kaeloris paled. "Well... Let’s just hope we never found out..."

He was yet to even complete his sentence when...

RUMBLE!!!

The entire crypt shook violently...