[The Unseen Forces]

The room felt even colder now. The box on the pedestal seemed to hum with power, its strange glow pulsing in rhythm with my heartbeat. I stood there, frozen, not sure if I should reach out and open it or wait for some kind of sign.

Lyra was quiet beside me, her eyes never leaving the box. I could see the tension in her posture—her hand still gripping the hilt of her sword, ready for anything.

The old man was still staring at the box too, but his face was unreadable. He didn't seem worried or excited; he was simply waiting, as if he had already seen this happen before.

I wasn't sure how much longer I could stand the silence. The anticipation was getting to me, pulling at my nerves. The question was simple: What was inside that box, and what did it have to do with me?

But something inside me told me I wasn't ready yet. I needed more answers. The man who had brought us here, the one who seemed to know more than he was letting on, hadn't said much. I wanted to ask him more, but I didn't know where to start.

"What happens if we open it?" I finally asked, breaking the silence.

The man looked at me, his eyes unreadable. "It will reveal the next step," he said simply. "The power you seek. But it will not be an easy path. Not everything in this temple is meant to be understood at once."

Lyra shifted, clearly uneasy. "What do you mean? Are you saying we're not supposed to open it?"

The man didn't respond right away. Instead, he walked around the pedestal, inspecting the symbols on the walls. "There are forces here beyond our comprehension," he said after a moment. "Some things are better left undisturbed until the time is right."

I frowned. That wasn't exactly reassuring.

"So, what do we do now?" I asked.

"We wait," the man replied. "The temple will reveal what you need when it is time."

I wasn't sure how I felt about that. Waiting had never been my strong suit. But I had a feeling he was right. Whatever was inside that box wasn't something I could force open. The temple had its own rules, its own timing. And I had no choice but to play along.

We spent what felt like hours in that chamber, each of us lost in our own thoughts. I kept thinking about the power the old man had mentioned, the power I had been searching for ever since I died and came back. I wasn't sure what it would look like or how it would feel, but I knew one thing: I needed it.

Lyra's voice broke through my thoughts. "What do you think is inside?" she asked quietly, her gaze still fixed on the glowing box.

"I don't know," I said, shaking my head. "But I have a feeling it's something important."

"Important how?" she pressed.

I paused. I wasn't sure how to explain it. There was something about the box, about the temple itself, that felt… alive. Like it was watching us, judging us, testing us. I wasn't sure if I could trust it, but I knew we had to see this through.

Before I could say anything more, a low hum filled the air. The sound seemed to come from everywhere and nowhere at once, vibrating through the stone floor and the walls. The box's glow brightened, casting eerie shadows around the room. I could feel the hairs on the back of my neck stand up.

"What's happening?" Lyra whispered, her voice tight with concern.

"I don't know," I replied, my eyes locked on the box. The hum grew louder, and I could feel the power within it, swirling like a storm waiting to break. It was unlike anything I had ever felt before, both exhilarating and terrifying at the same time.

The man stepped forward then, his expression calm despite the growing tension in the air. He didn't seem surprised, as though he had been expecting this. He placed his hand on the pedestal, and the symbols on the walls flickered, reacting to his touch.

"This is it," he said, his voice low and steady. "The temple has chosen."

I glanced at him, confused. "Chosen for what?"

He didn't answer immediately. Instead, he turned back to the box, his gaze focused on it. "You must open it now. The next step awaits."

I hesitated, looking at the box once more. There was no turning back. The power I sought, the answers I needed—they were all locked inside this glowing, mysterious box. And the temple had chosen this moment for me to open it.

With a deep breath, I reached out and placed my hand on the lid. It was warm, almost too warm for stone. As my fingers brushed the surface, the hum in the air grew louder, vibrating in my chest.

I lifted the lid.

The moment I did, a blinding light burst from the box, filling the entire chamber. I had to squint against the light, shielding my eyes with my arm. The force of it was overwhelming, like a wave crashing over me. The ground beneath me seemed to shake, and I felt a strange pressure on my chest as if something was pulling me forward.

The light slowly faded, and I lowered my arm. When I opened my eyes, I could hardly believe what I saw.

Inside the box was a small, dark crystal. It was no bigger than the palm of my hand, but it seemed to absorb the light around it, drawing everything into its depths. The crystal's surface was smooth, almost liquid-like, and as I stared into it, I felt… a pull. A connection. Something deep inside me stirred, something I couldn't name.

I reached out and took the crystal in my hand, the moment my fingers touched it, the world around me seemed to shift. The temple walls seemed to dissolve, replaced by a vast, endless sky. I was floating in the air, weightless, as though I were part of the universe itself. I could feel the raw energy of the world coursing through me, rushing through my veins like fire.

But it didn't last long. The feeling was gone as quickly as it came, and I was back in the temple, standing on solid ground.

Lyra was staring at me, wide-eyed. "What was that?" she asked, her voice trembling.

"I don't know," I said, holding up the crystal. It felt heavier now, like it was full of power. "But I think we've just taken the first step."

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End of Volume 1

[I know the Volume's short but dw the other ones are longer]