Beyond the Gate

The tension in the air was palpable as Amon and Ying Yue ventured deeper into the library. The towering shelves of books gradually gave way to an open chamber, filled with strange, metallic figures.

Robots-hundreds of them.

Some were humanoid, sleek and tall with joints that gleamed under the faint light. Others resembled animals, their forms intricate and lifelike. All of them lay dormant, scattered across the floor in various states of disrepair. Dust coated their surfaces, and cobwebs stretched between their limbs, a testament to centuries, perhaps millennia, of inactivity.

"Are these... ancient constructs?" Amon asked, crouching next to a humanoid figure with a cracked chest plate. Its head hung limply to one side, exposing a tangle of wires beneath its neck.

"Looks like it," Ying Yue replied, her eyes scanning the room. "But none of them are functioning. Just relics now."

Amon ran a hand over the smooth, cold surface of the robot's arm. "Relics, sure. But I wouldn't mind taking one of these home. Imagine the kind of power something like this could have."

"Focus," Ying Yue said sharply. "We're not here to collect trophies."

As they pushed further into the chamber, the atmosphere grew heavier, the faint hum of mana in the air intensifying. Ying Yue's steps slowed, her brows furrowing as she examined her surroundings. Something felt... off.

It wasn't until they reached the far end of the room that it happened.

Ying Yue froze mid-step, her left palm suddenly glowing with a soft, golden light. She held it up, her eyes wide with alarm and confusion.

"Amon," she said, her voice low.

"What now?" he asked, turning toward her. His eyes landed on her hand, and his jaw dropped. "Uh, are you doing that?"

"No," she hissed, gripping her wrist with her other hand as if trying to suppress the glow. "It's reacting to something."

Before Amon could respond, the chamber shuddered. A low hum filled the space, building into a rising crescendo. One by one, the dormant robots began to light up not with movement, but with flickers of electricity running through their exposed circuits.

"Uh, Yue…" Amon said, stepping back toward her. "You might wanna stop glowing."

"I'm not in control!" she snapped, her palm pulsing brighter with each passing second.

The lights in the chamber suddenly flared to life, flooding the room with brilliance. A voice echoed from somewhere above, calm and mechanical:

"Authentication complete. Owner verified."

"What owner?!" Amon yelled, looking around wildly.

The ground beneath them rumbled as a section of the wall began to shift. Stone and metal groaned as an enormous panel slid aside, revealing a hidden passageway. A faint blue light emanated from within, pulsing rhythmically like a heartbeat.

Ying Yue's glow faded, and she stared at the now-open passage with wide eyes. "What… just happened?"

"I think the library just decided you're in charge," Amon said, his voice tinged with both awe and apprehension.

The robotic voice spoke again, its tone unchanging: "Welcome, designated owner. Access granted to the Inner Vault."

"Inner Vault?" Ying Yue repeated, more to herself than anyone else.

Amon exhaled sharply and glanced at her glowing hand. "Yue, I don't know what's going on with your palm, but I'm starting to think we just stumbled onto something way bigger than a couple of books."

Ying Yue clenched her fist, the glow gone but its warmth still lingering. "Let's find out what's inside."

Amon hesitated, his eyes flicking between her and the passageway. "You know this is probably a terrible idea, right?"

"Probably," she admitted, stepping toward the passage. "But it's why we're here."

"And here I thought we were just gonna read some dusty scrolls," Amon muttered, following her.

As they entered the passage, the air shifted. It was cooler here, almost sterile, and the blue light grew brighter with every step. They could feel the hum of energy vibrating through the walls, resonating deep in their bones.

"This place feels alive," Amon said, his voice barely above a whisper.

Ying Yue didn't answer. Her focus was on the end of the corridor, where the blue light was brightest.

When they reached the end, the sight that greeted them took their breath away.

A massive room stretched out before them, its walls lined with glowing panels of text and images. In the center of the room stood a single pedestal, and atop it, a cube hovered in midair, spinning slowly. Its surface was covered in shifting runes, and its glow matched the pulse of light that had guided them here.

"What is that?" Amon asked, his voice hushed with awe.

Before Ying Yue could answer, the robotic voice returned, echoing through the chamber:

"Primary archive unlocked. Prepare for data transfer."

"What does that mean?" Amon demanded, backing away.

The cube pulsed once, then twice, before a beam of light shot out from it, striking Ying Yue directly in the chest.

Her eyes widened as the light enveloped her, and she gasped, her body stiffening as the energy coursed through her.

"Ying Yue!" Amon shouted, rushing toward her, but an invisible barrier stopped him in his tracks.

The cube's glow intensified, and the voice spoke again: "Data synchronization initiated. Welcome, custodian of knowledge."