The secrets of the crystals

Maria's eyes slowly opened, and she found herself lying on a cold floor of the temple. Her head was aching, and her mind was reeling from the visions she had seen.

Having passed out twice within a short span of time, she felt her energy almost completely depleted, she struggled to sit up, she saw John and Kanaq standing over her, their faces etched with concern.

"Maria, are you okay?" John asked, helping her to sit up.

Maria nodded, trying to clear the fog from her mind. "I saw things," she said. "Visions of the past and the future."

Kanaq's eyes gleamed with interest. "The crystal has shown you its secrets," she said. "You have been chosen to receive this knowledge."

"What does it mean?" Maria asked, her voice barely above a whisper.

Kanaq's smile grew wider. "The crystal holds the secrets of the universe," she said. "It holds the knowledge of the ancient ones, and the power to unlock the mysteries of the cosmos."

As Kanaq spoke, the crystal began to glow with an even more intense light. Maria felt herself being lifted out of her body, and she saw visions of distant worlds and civilizations.

She saw the birth and death of stars, and the dance of galaxies across the cosmos. She saw the secrets of time and space, and the mysteries of the human heart.

And then, everything went black again.

When Maria woke up, she was lying on a soft, feathered bed. John was sitting beside her, holding her hand.

"Where are we?" Maria asked, her voice weak.

John smiled. "We're in a room deep within the temple," he said. "Kanaq brought us here after you...after you saw the visions."

Maria's mind was reeling as she tried to remember what she had seen. She knew that she had been given a great gift, a glimpse into the secrets of the universe.

But she also knew that she had been warned, warned of dangers and challenges that lay ahead.

As she looked at John, Maria knew that she was not alone. She had him, and together they would face whatever lay ahead.

But as she looked deeper into his eyes, Maria saw something there that gave her pause. A hint of fear, a glimmer of uncertainty.

And Maria knew that she was not the only one who had been changed by the visions. John had seen something too, something that had left him shaken.

As Maria realized this, the room began to darken, as if the shadows themselves were closing in around them.

And Maria knew that they were not alone in the temple. Something else was here, something that did not want them to leave.