673 Fear Me (3)
Having found the tomb, they stepped inside, their footsteps echoing in the silence. The walls were adorned with ancient symbols and glyphs, and the air was thick with an unnatural presence... It almost felt like someone or something was watching them.
As they ventured deeper, the darkness intensified, and the temperature dropped even further. So much so that even Anna, a pyromancer, couldn't maintain her body temperature.
In Ashton and the twins' case, they simply depended on their vampiric and undead genes to mitigate the cold. As such, Ashton took off his armoured jacket, wrapping it around Anna's shoulders.
"I don't like this place," Anna shivered. "It reeks of power, but it's not a welcoming power. It's like something is telling us to stay away."
"Be as it may, we don't have an option," Ashton reminded them. "The medallion might be one thing, but the tomb itself could hide unimaginable secrets."
"Oh, come on, this tomb must have existed for thousands of years," Irina shrugged. "If nothing happened till now, nothing should happen in the future either-"
"Your flawed logic is why humans didn't prepare for what happened in Egypt in 2780," Ashton stated. "Who could have imagined a swarm of never before seen insects would just burst out of hibernation and spread a disease that took more than a billion lives."
As Ashton said those words, it even shocked him. Not because he was unaware of the disaster that had struck humanity before the mutants but because he remembered the event in such detail as if he had lived through it all.
Even Anna was surprised because they were rarely taught about human-related things in school or otherwise. But since Ashton was born and lived as a human for most of his life, she chalked it up to the humans, sharing their knowledge to keep it alive.
However, the truth was much different. Ashton didn't know this, but the moment he stepped inside the tomb, the tomb began analysing him, interacting with his brain.
It was also the reason why Astaroth had gone silent. The tomb was suppressing his presence while it scanned Ashton's brain to know who the intruder was and what action the burial ground should take.
During the scanning process, memories that had been forgotten or thrown in some corner of Ashton's mind, reappeared. The same thing happened with the girls, but the tomb found Ashton's lineage more interesting than the rest and focused on him instead.
"Forget what I said and stay close," Ashton mumbled, shaking his head as he sensed something was off. "We don't know what we might encounter."
They soon came upon a grand chamber protected by a massive stone gate adorned with intricate patterns and guarded by two imposing statues.
The statues depicted giants, each wielding a pair of dual-bladed weapons. Their stony eyes seemed to follow them as they entered the room, but the figures remained stationary.
"Be careful... there's something off with these statues."
Following Ashton's warning, the group unveiled their weapons, ready to fight if necessary. Once they were prepared, they headed towards the massive doors blocking their path ahead.
Without warning, the statues sprang to life, their massive stone bodies moving before them, stopping their advance. Ashton and the girls braced for an attack, but instead, the statues bowed before Ashton, their movements regal and respectful, akin to the reverence his summons had for him.
"Ma'lai," one of the statues rumbled, its voice deep and calming.
Although none of them had ever heard the term *Ma'lai*, Ashton had no trouble understanding that the statues were welcoming them, or him in particular.
'Since they are welcoming me... I should step forward, right?'
As Ashton stepped closer to the gate, the statues gracefully moved aside, allowing him to pass. However, when Anna and the twins tried to follow, the figures blocked their way, their expressions tenacious.
"Wait! What's going on?" Anna demanded, frustration lacing her voice.
Ashton looked at the statues and knew their welcome was extended only to him, not the girls. That said, he was a stubborn bastard and wouldn't let some statues stop his teammates.
He summoned his loyal summons, who were stronger than ever thanks to his ascension. They appeared all around them, inside and outside the gate, ready to face the statues.
However, before they could make a move on the statues, a voice echoed inside Ashton's mind, clear and commanding.
"Fear not, Son of Jo'Han," the feminine voice echoed. "Your companions will be safe outside the sacred temple. Please, continue down the path, and you shall know all you've been wanting to..."
"Who are you?" Ashton asked, but there was no reply.
The lack of response made him feel like he had no choice in the matter. He glanced back at the gate, where Anna, Irina, and Verina watched him.
"We'll be fine," Anna called out. "We have the summons protecting us, so just do what you must, and we'll wait here for your return. Just be careful in there."
With a reluctant nod, Ashton turned away from his friends and stepped into the tomb's depth or, as the voice called it, the sacred temple. The statues closed the gate behind him with a heavy thud, leaving him in eerie silence.
The passage ahead led to a vast chamber illuminated by an ethereal, bluish glow emanating from intricate patterns etched into the walls.
At the centre of the room, atop a raised platform, stood a colossal statue of a figure that resembled Ashton, albeit in regal attire and with an air of authority.
Ashton didn't take long to recognise his father's face, at least the one he saw in his dreamlike state when he killed his morphed form. It made sense why Ashton was pulled towards the tomb, temple, or whatever... it was related to his father.
"Is this it?"
He reached out to touch the statue, and as his fingers made contact, a surge of energy coursed through him. Visions flashed before his eyes—memories of a time long past, of a people forgotten by history.
The feminine voice reappeared, but this time, it was followed by the silhouette of a woman. She wore similar attire to that of his father.
"Ma'lai, you have returned to us..." she mumbled, kneeling before Ashton. "As per the final request of Lord Jo'Han, the guardians are now yours to command."
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