Kaelen stepped cautiously toward the pedestal, his boots scuffing against the smooth stone floor. His gaze flicked between the shard and the glyphs that spiraled outward from its base. “Oh, this is cozy,” he muttered. “A secret room filled with ancient magic and a relic that probably wants to kill us. Absolutely my favorite way to spend an evening.”
Lyra, padding beside him, flicked her tail in irritation, her silver eyes fixed on the shard. She crouched low, her fur bristling as she scanned the chamber. Something felt off. The silence here was too perfect, too still. It wasn’t the calm of peace but the tension of a predator lying in wait.
Kaelen’s hand tightened on the hilt of his blade as his gaze swept across the room. “These symbols mean something,” he mused, his voice quieter now. He stepped closer to the pedestal, his eyes tracing the intricate glyphs that adorned its surface. “These glyphs aren’t just decorations. They’re locks. Old ones, by the look of it.”
Lyra tilted her head, her ears swiveling toward him as if urging him to continue. He crouched beside the pedestal, his gloved fingers brushing lightly against one of the glowing glyphs. A faint vibration pulsed beneath his touch, and the symbol flared briefly before dimming again.
“Interesting,” he murmured, his tone thoughtful. “The magic’s layered. These glyphs are interconnected—solve one, and it’ll either reinforce or break the others.”
Lyra’s gaze sharpened, her tail flicking once in silent acknowledgment. She prowled around the pedestal, her eyes scanning the room with renewed intensity. The glyphs on the walls seemed to respond to her movements, their faint glow brightening and dimming in a pattern that felt almost alive.
Kaelen straightened, his expression grim but focused. “It’s a sequence,” he said. “We have to trigger the right glyphs in the right order to unlock the shard.” His silver eyes met Lyra’s. “And if we’re wrong...”
The unspoken consequence hung in the air between them, heavy and undeniable.
“Best not be wrong, then,” Lyra said, her voice low but steady. She moved to stand beside him, her presence a quiet but firm reminder that they were in this together. Her silver eyes flicked to the shard, then back to Kaelen. “Start with the glyphs closest to the base. The patterns there are simpler—they’ll guide us.”
Kaelen nodded, his hand hovering over the pedestal as he studied the intricate web of glyphs. The faint hum of magic grew louder, the air thickening with tension as they prepared to test the ancient lock.
The cavern’s air shimmered faintly, thick with the hum of latent magic. Kaelen and Lyra stood amidst a complex interplay of glowing glyphs etched into the walls, floor, and pedestal, each radiating an energy that seemed almost alive. Their task was clear: decipher the ancient puzzles to secure the Shard of Eterna. The stakes were equally clear—one misstep would unleash the traps laced into the magic, likely destroying the cavern and them with it.
Kaelen’s gaze lingered on the glyphs: spirals, crescents, starbursts, and jagged lines. They pulsed faintly, with varying intensities and rhythms that seemed to communicate a hidden pattern. Beside him, Lyra, the celestial nymphryn, tilted her head. Her luminous eyes traced the glowing lines that connected the symbols, her wings rustling softly in anticipation.
Lyra padded forward, her fur catching the soft glow of the glyphs. Her claws tapped the floor lightly, as if testing the energy thrumming beneath the stone. Each glyph seemed to resonate with her presence, glowing faintly brighter as she passed.
“They’re connected,” Kaelen murmured, following her gaze. “The symbols on the walls flow into the pedestal. The magic here isn’t static; it’s alive, almost like a river. It flows from one glyph to another.”
Lyra paused in front of a spiral glowing a steady blue, its brightness stronger than the other symbols. Kaelen stepped beside her, his silver eyes narrowing as he studied the glyphs, trying to recall the ancient texts he’d studied with Eryndor. The ancient glyphs were part of a forgotten magical system from the Age of Zenith, when the Fae ruled not just the earthly realms but the astral planes as well. According to legends, these caverns, known as the Labyrinth of Eterna, had been created by mystics to guard relics that could tip the balance of power in the cosmos. The language of the glyphs, Celestium, was believed to be linked to the stars.If you encounter this tale on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.
Kaelen knelt, tracing the spiral with a gloved hand. As he touched it, the glyph flared, sending a pulse of energy rippling across the room. The threads of light connecting the walls to the pedestal brightened momentarily before settling into a steady glow.
Suddenly, a bright box of text appeared.
<hr>
System Notification
<ul>
<li>Progress Update:</li>
<ul>
<li>Step 1 Complete: Spiral Activated.</li>
<li>Hint: Opposing glyph located on the right wall.</li>
</ul>
</ul>
<hr>
“Well” Kaelen said dryly “if the system’s deciding to give hints, I’m a fan.” Kaelen glanced at Lyra, who had moved to the right wall, her luminous eyes locked on the crescent symbol. Unlike the steady glow of the spiral, the crescent flickered faintly, its light waning like a moon in eclipse. “That must be the opposite,” Kaelen said, stepping forward.
As he pressed his palm to the crescent, it flared with light, and the lines connecting it to the spiral grew brighter. The pedestal emitted a low hum, and the Shard of Eterna glimmered faintly.
“Two down,” Kaelen muttered.
With the first two glyphs activated, the magic within the room shifted. The lines connecting the symbols began to rearrange themselves, forming a new pattern. Symbols that had previously been dormant now pulsed with faint light, their rhythms growing more erratic.
Lyra’s ears flicked at the change, and she stepped back to observe the room as a whole. Kaelen joined her, his gaze following the glowing threads. “The flow’s changed,” he said. “The magic is rerouting itself. We need to find the next pair, but it won’t be as simple as picking opposites this time.”
<hr>
The remaining glyphs are:
<ul>
<li>Starburst</li>
<li>Jagged Line</li>
</ul>
Clue: “The order flows from light to shadow, but the star must guide the way.”
Which glyph would you choose next, and why?
<hr>
Kaelen’s eyes narrowed as he studied the starburst glyph. It flickered erratically, brighter than the jagged line but less steady than the spiral had been. “The starburst,” he murmured. “It’s brighter than the jagged line, but it’s not as steady. The flow is guiding us from one state to another—light to shadow. The star is the transition.”
Lyra padded forward, her tail brushing against the pedestal as she examined the starburst. She pressed her paw to it, and the glyph flared brightly, sending another pulse of energy through the room. The lines connecting the glyphs reconfigured again, forming a complex web that centered on the pedestal.
<hr>
System Notification
<ul>
<li>Progress Update:</li>
<ul>
<li>Step 2 Complete: Starburst Activated.</li>
<li>Hint: Next glyph lies opposite but must follow the same flow.</li>
</ul>
</ul>
<hr>
Kaelen’s mind wandered briefly to the legends of the Star Court. The symbols were embodiments of cosmic forces. The spiral represented creation, the crescent transformation, the starburst guidance, and the jagged line destruction. Together, they formed the Cycle of Eterna, a balance that governed the ebb and flow of magic in the universe.
“Creation to transformation, transformation to guidance, guidance to… destruction,” he muttered. “That’s the flow.”
Lyra tilted her head, her sharp eyes following the threads of light that now connected the starburst to the jagged line on the opposite wall. Kaelen nodded, stepping toward it.
<hr>
The jagged line pulsed faintly, its rhythm slower than the other glyphs. Clue: “Follow the flow, but beware the trap—destruction requires precision.”
<hr>
Kaelen hesitated, studying the jagged line closely. Unlike the other glyphs, this one was surrounded by faint traces of runes that seemed to pulse out of sync with the rest of the room. “It’s a test,” he said. “If we activate it too soon or too late, it’ll destabilize the whole system.”
Lyra crouched low, her fur brushing the glowing lines on the floor. She tapped the glyph with one claw, and a faint pulse of energy rippled outward. Kaelen watched as the runes flickered, their rhythm momentarily syncing with the rest of the glyphs.
“Now,” he said, pressing his hand to the jagged line.
<hr>
System Notification
<ul>
<li>Progress Update:</li>
<ul>
<li>Step 3 Complete: Jagged Line Activated.</li>
<li>Hint: Final glyph lies at the pedestal.</li>
</ul>
</ul>
<hr>
The Pedestal’s Secret
With all four wall glyphs activated, the pedestal itself began to glow. The symbols carved into its surface rearranged themselves, forming a new sequence that spiraled inward toward the Shard of Eterna.
Kaelen knelt before it, his gaze tracing the new pattern.
Lyra stepped beside him, her silver eyes narrowing as she studied the pedestal. The lines connecting the symbols pulsed faintly, forming a sequence of three: spiral, crescent, starburst.
“The Cycle of Eterna,” Kaelen murmured.
<hr>
The pedestal displays the sequence Spiral > Crescent > Starburst but leaves the final glyph blank. Clue: “The end is the beginning.”
What is the final glyph?
<hr>
Kaelen reached for the spiral, pressing it gently. The glyph flared, followed by the crescent and starburst. As the sequence completed, the pedestal’s final glyph illuminated—the spiral, symbolizing the endless cycle of creation and destruction. “One down, ten to go” Kaelen said dryly.
<hr>
System Notification
<ul>
<li>Puzzle 1 Complete:</li>
<ul>
<li>Lock 1 unlocked,</li>
</ul>
<li>Proceed to Puzzle 2 to unlock Lock 2.</li>
</ul>