The Ruins (2)
The number “three hundred years” sounds simple enough, but it represents an absolutely staggering stretch of time. Standing before a temple that had preserved its perfect form across all those centuries made my chest tighten with awe. I wasn’t a historian, so why did the sight of it set my heart racing? The moment I stepped inside, I understood.
“By the gods…”
The first thing that greeted me was a row of divine statues. They appeared to have been carved based on the legends of the Sun God—tales of how He had taken living form and descended to rebuke humanity. Those stories all carried deep moral lessons, so they had been adapted into children’s fairy tales. Kids naturally assumed the tales were fictional, but the truth was far more sobering: every story was based on real events, carefully sanitized to suit a child’s understanding.
These particular statues, however, were genuine holy icons sculpted in the exact forms the Sun God had used during His manifestations. Why would something like this be inside the Labyrinth?
They were masterpieces so exquisite I would have been tempted to carry them out if it were possible. After losing myself in their beauty for a moment, I shook off the trance and turned my attention elsewhere. The wall murals were equally striking. Closer inspection revealed baby angels above, and beneath them, humans writhing in agony. In the next scene, one of the angels was lowering a small vial toward the suffering people.
The images clearly carried meaning. I studied them intently.
“It seems to hold some significance,” I murmured.
Sister Melody had come to stand beside me, examining the same mural. She, too, had sensed there was more to it than simple decoration.
“Yes. Let’s move deeper inside.”
She had apparently noticed something important. At her urging I reluctantly pulled my gaze from the wall and followed. The rest of the team, who had also been spellbound by the statues and murals, quickly moved ahead to secure our path.
“It’s safe. No monsters at all.”
We had entered braced for combat, yet there were no hidden creatures lying in wait. Honestly, what monster would choose to nest in a place like this? A temple literally overflowing with divine power.
Once we confirmed the area was clear, I could explore without tension. The sheer precision of the architecture suggested it had taken years to complete. I found myself wondering what the Labyrinth had been like three centuries ago. They must have reshaped the terrain every three months even back then…
Three months would never have been enough time to raise a structure of this complexity. Had they imprisoned workers here solely to build it? It’s a mystery.
Such a sacred, wondrous space didn’t feel like the kind of place born from tragedy. If I were ever given the chance and the talent to create something like this, I would probably cooperate willingly.
Of course, knowing how beautiful the finished temple would be might be influencing my thoughts. Still, the artistic power of the place itself was almost hypnotic.
“What a shame. In my heart, I wish we could move every piece of this outside.”
Sister Melody seemed to share my sentiment; her voice carried clear regret. I felt the same, but I also knew greed had no place here.
“The fact that they built it inside the Labyrinth must mean it holds significant purpose.”
“Yes. That must be it.”
Our ancestors would not have constructed something this grand without reason.
“It is simply unfortunate we must leave a place like this abandoned. If the terrain did not shift every three months, we could have stationed caretakers here.”
“It may be neglected now, but traces of consistent maintenance remain.”
Cleaning tools and signs of human habitation could be seen throughout the temple.
“Was there no method to preserve it?”
“It would have been good if there were…”
“Let’s search for clues.”
We continued exploring, hunting for any hint or record. Along the way we gathered the relics we discovered, and the collection grew surprisingly large.
“Whatever this place was originally built for, it was clearly no ordinary temple.”
“This appears to be everything.”
I had expected something truly extraordinary, yet nothing of that scale had appeared. The artifacts we found were certainly valuable, but the extraordinary nature of the space had inflated our expectations too high.
“Shall we return?”
Part of me wanted to linger. The abundant divine power alone was soothing both body and mind. Hmm?
Even considering its age and proximity to a relic, was it normal for this much divine power to radiate so strongly?
“I believe we have not yet found everything.”
I stopped the team members who were preparing to leave.
“Pardon?”
“Do you sense something, Priest?”
“Sister Melody, you feel it too, don’t you? The divine power filling this temple.”
“Yes.”
“Where could it possibly be coming from?”
“The statues and sacred symbols, perhaps?”
“Did none of you feel refreshed and lighter the moment you entered?”
“Well… my body does feel lighter.”
“It felt so pleasant I wanted to stay indefinitely. It was warm and comforting, almost like lying in bed.”
Answers came from several directions; it seemed everyone had noticed something after all.
“For it to exert this much influence, there must be a catalyst. This is not a normal phenomenon.”
I understood that this was a meticulously constructed temple. After centuries, it made sense for divine power to have accumulated. But still—
“There is something here. Something that generates this much power…”
My intuition was practically shouting at me to keep looking. I could not ignore it.
“Let’s search. If you feel that strongly, we should continue.”
Fortunately the party agreed. The leader even instructed the team to examine every inch with care.
“Nothing unusual on the surface. We checked the exterior as well—nothing out of the ordinary.”
The investigation resumed. Yet as time passed, no one found anything meaningful. It seemed my hunch had been wrong after all.
“It appears I was mistaken. Let us leave.”
If there truly was something here, the experts dispatched by the Holy Empire could find it later. There was no need for me to discover it myself.
“No. I suspect there may be a hidden mechanism. There are a few places that feel suspicious.”
“Suspicious places?”
“This way, if you would.”
I followed the leader closely.
“This is…”
“The entrance.”
“Yes. And you believe something is here?”
“Look at that statue.”
I stared at the one he indicated.
“???”
“Look at its eyes.”
“The eyes… are looking downward?”
“Correct. Every other statue faces the same direction. This is the only one whose gaze is different.”
“Are they all looking at the same thing?”
I had not previously checked where each statue was gazing. Upon closer inspection, they were all focused on the large mural—the one depicting the vial saving the suffering humans.
“At first I assumed the clue would be near the mural since they all faced it. But there is no hidden chamber behind it, nor any concealed device.”
“Hmm…”
“Only after searching for other discrepancies did I notice this statue alone looks elsewhere.”
The reasoning was sound. I approached the statue.
I peered at it from every angle, but nothing stood out. Touching it revealed only ordinary stone. Convinced I was wasting time, I started to turn away—then decided to try one final thing.
I channeled divine power into the statue.
“The reaction…”
Of course.
“As if that would work.”
There was no response whatsoever. I had hoped a hidden mechanism might react to holy energy, but it seemed I had been wrong again.
After yet another dead end, I shook my head and turned to the leader.
“It seems you were mistaken—ah?!”
Rumble—!
“Ow, ow, ow—”
My backside stung fiercely. The fall had not been from a great height, yet I had landed squarely on my rear. Rubbing the sore spot, I looked around. I should have realized that an underground space like this implied there could be even more below.
“Priest! Priest Arthur!”
“What happened? What is it?”
“The priest fell through!”
I could hear the leader and team panicking above me.
“I’m all right! Please don’t worry!”
After reassuring them, I raised the torch I still held and examined my surroundings. I sensed no other presence, so it appeared safe for the moment.
“It’s larger than I expected…”
The underground chamber was surprisingly spacious. A passage wide enough for one person ran ahead—actually a flight of stairs leading downward.
“Are you unharmed? Are you injured anywhere?”
Sister Melody dropped lightly down from above, having apparently rushed the moment she heard the news. She immediately checked me over.
“Ah, you’re already here? I’m fine. No injuries at all.”
“What happened?”
“I’m not sure myself. The floor suddenly collapsed. I’m sorry for startling everyone.”
I felt genuinely apologetic for frightening her.
“It was my negligence.”
She seemed to blame herself for stepping away briefly while we examined the temple.
“It doesn’t appear particularly dangerous. There are stairs over there. It looks like a passage leading somewhere.”
“Yes. It does.”
“Aren’t you curious where it leads?”
“You are not thinking of going immediately, are you? It is too dangerous for you to go in person, Priest.”