A/N: I have this nasty habit of getting ideas for new stories before I finish my other projects. But, the muse has struck and no matter how many times I try to make it go away it just comes back...and with a vengeance. This little AU story was born out of the lyrics of The Phoenix by Fall Out Boy. This story has gone through many revisions to get to where it is now, and I hope you all enjoy it. Hopefully I'll be able to get back to my other projects soon, too.

Disclaimer: I own nothing, only the OCs

A gentle breeze brushed the hilltop, combing the ruins. A small team of archeologists chipped away at the remnants of a once great temple that was now buried beneath layers of rock and sand. The lead archeologist, a tall emerald green skinned turtle studied a series of hieroglyphs on an outer wall. A sand colored mask was tied around his deep, amber eyes. A fedora was tilted slightly over his eyes, shading them from the sun. He ran his hand over the faded carved pictures. He had spent his entire career searching for the Elder's Temple; and now, he felt that it was within his grasp.

He had been warned about the consequences of searching for the lost temple. However, he just chalked it up to superstitious nonsense. He blinked once and the pictures morphed to become words. His eyes grew wide when he read the inscription. He looked up when he heard a loud crash, followed by a loud yell and curse. He hurried over to where the crash had come from. A large stone had fallen away, revealing an entrance to a passageway.

"We've found it. We've found it!"

"Master Hamato, please reconsider," the temple expert, an elderly human male said.

Adam Hamato stared down into the darkness of the passageway. "We've come too far, Jim. We've risked too much."

"We'll be risking even more if we proceed," Jim told him.

"I am well aware of the curse, Jim," Adam assured him. "But, this is what we've been searching for."

Jim shook his head. "No, sir. This is what you have been searching for," he argued.

"Then why did you come here?" Adam asked. "What did you come if not to be part of the greatest discovery of our time?"

"To try and persuade you to keep from bringing down the wrath of the Ancients," Jim answered. "They do not take kindly to intruders; and you have a young family. Do you really wish to burn for eternity in the Elder's Flame?"

Adam shifted the fedora on his head. "The Elder's Flame is just a fireside ghost story," he declared, grabbing a flashlight from his nearby backpack. "I will prove to you that the curse isn't real."

With that said, Adam started through the passageway; Jim's prayer of protection echoing off the stone walls. The passageway was large, the walls sloping upwards at an angle. Adam shone the light around, briefly studying the hieroglyphs carved into the stone. After a few minutes, he entered a massive room with a high, vaulted ceiling. Adam turned the light upward and took a step back in surprise when the light illuminated the eyes of a massive phoenix painted on the ceiling. Its beak was wide in a silent cry and its wings were unfurled.

Adam brought his gaze back to the room and the three doors in front of him. He walked up to the door on his left, listening to the silence. From the darkness, Adam could hear the sounds of an underground river. He moved to the arch on his right. A slight breeze could be felt; most likely coming from the outside. That only left the door in the middle. Adam pulled his fedora slightly over his eyes as he moved through the middle archway.

As he walked he could almost feel the presence of the Elders; as if their spirits still lingered in the temple. How many spells had been cast within these walls? How many rituals performed? Adam shone the light on the walls. Hieroglyphs depicted the story of the rise and fall of the Elders, the founders of magic in the lands of Asla. However, their power consumed them; turning them into monstrous creatures of flame.

Adam paused briefly to study a certain section on the wall just a few feet above his head on the right. The pictures showed several shamans absorbing the Elders into one single medallion. Adam stared at the small gold picture depicting the Ancient's Medallion. That's what he hoped to find in this temple. However, when he had set off to find the Elder's Temple, his father and teacher, a wizened rat named Splinter, had been the first to warn him of the curse that fell upon anyone who dared disturb the ancient relic. The poor unfortunate soul would be consumed by the Elder's Flame.

Adam continued walking, determined to prove to everyone that the curse wasn't real. He left the passageway and entered an even larger chamber than the one he had just come from. A stone bridge stretched across a large chasm. On the other end of the bridge was a lone pillar with a stone alter standing in the middle. Adam glanced upward. The sun shone through a giant prism at the top, directly over the alter.

Adam released the breath he didn't know he had been holding. He was the first one in over a thousand years to set foot in this room since the ancient shamans sealed the medallion away. Adam began walking across the bridge. He was walking in the footsteps of the Elders. The very thought sent a chill down his spine; at the same time a breeze from below swept up from the chasm, catching his digging clothes and chilling him even more. Adam put a hand on his hat so it wouldn't blow away. He glanced up and saw an oak box sitting in the center of the alter. He made his way over to the alter, placing the flashlight down and slowly opening the box.

He let out a small breath. The wings were solid gold, hanging from a simple thin chain that seemed so out of place for an ancient relic. The gold wings seemed to glow with energy. Adam reached inside and took out the medallion. He held it up in the sunlight, admiring the beauty in his hand. Adam undid the clasp and put the medallion around his neck. He then picked up his flashlight and made his way back outside.

When he reached the entrance, Jim was waiting nervously for him. Adam pulled the hat down over his eyes, shielding them from the harsh light of the sun after being in the dark for so long. Although, it wasn't hard not to miss the quiet curse that escaped Jim's lips. Adam looked up to see Jim staring at the medallion around his neck.

"You should not be wearing that, Master Hamato," the elderly man said. "It will only bring death and destruction upon you."

"That's exactly why I'm wearing it," Adam replied. "To prove to everyone that the curse doesn't exist."

Jim muttered something in a language Adam didn't understand; though it sounded strangely like an insult. Not that he cared. Adam was used to being insulted, and by men in his own profession. Ignoring the man's mumblings, Adam went over to where he had left his pack and picked it up; shoving the flashlight into a side pocket. He shouldered the pack and headed to the trucks that were parked nearby.

"Let's head home, men," Adam called out. "We got what we came for."

The men packed up their tools and soon the caravan was pulling out of the dusty ruins of the Elder's Temple. As he drove, Adam fingered the medallion around his neck. He couldn't believe he was actually wearing the Ancient's Medallion; at long last. Thirteen years of digging through the sand had finally paid off. Now that he had it, Adam couldn't wait to show it to his wife and father; and finally prove to everyone that the curse of the Elders was a myth and nothing more.

Reviews are welcome, flames are not