A/N Ahh, another day, another chapter. I hope you guys enjoy this!

R&R!

Chapter 16: The Forge Of Creation

For a moment, Lincoln took in the sphere of light, the constellations and stars marked out for him to grab at.

"But which ones?" He hesitated, his eyes jumping from star to star, hoping to find the answer. "Winter and summer… the seal has to deal with those…"

Three of the stars began to twinkle, before quickly disappearing into the abyss of the darkness. "Three glowing stars…"

His eyes soon widened, the realization taking over him.

"What's the solution, Lincoln?!" Lily jumped on top of Jordan to try and reach for the stars.

"The seal is the winter and summer triangles!" He quickly jumped on top of a roach and scanned the horizon. "Look for three bright stars!"

Lily jumped up, "Like that one?!" Before she touched it, causing a burst of magma to force its way up from the rim. "Uhh! Is that supposed to happen?!"

Lincoln replied by hitting a star. "Deneb!" Causing the same effect to occur on his side. "Yes! Find two more stars to complete the triangle!"

Jordan centered herself, doing her best to keep distance from the flowing lava. "All you Lily, come on!" Nervously, the young girl scanned the sky, her heart racing as she reached out and-

Nothing. The next star didn't react. Instead, more lava burst forth, causing more flow to overtake them. "Lily! Bad one! Try another!"

"Uhh, uhh!" She stammered, unable to choose.

"Dang it," Lincoln grit his teeth, before jumping and hitting two more stars. "Vega and Altair!" Suddenly, the lava cooled, before his sphere of light disintegrated, leaving only the Summer Triangle in its wake.

He quickly turned and bolted across the room, wasting no time jumping through the barrier and into the center island. "Come on…"

"Hurry Lincoln!" Jordan cried out.

"I just finished the winter triangle. That means that…" he jumped up, taking in the already hit star. "She got Belteguese…" before hitting two more. "Procyon and Sirius!" Before he landed and stumbled, nearly falling into the boiling magma before it instantly cooled and the sphere dispersed, leaving the winter triangle in its wake.

"Close call," Jordan let out a breath in relief, while Lincoln pushed himself back up.

"Yeah, you can say that again," He dusted himself off before looking up. For a moment,t he two triangles seemed to simply pause, before turning and bolting towards each other and unleashing a pillar of light.

The central pillar receded into the ground, before the large doors gave way, revealing a long hallway filled from end to end with equipment and stone carvings.

Lily smiled for a moment, before sighing in defeat.

Quickly, Lincoln climbed out of the hole and helped his two companions up. "Come on, let's get in there before-"

"Up, up, up!" A familiar voice called out, before the soft sounds of a cane hitting the stone filled the air. "Don't be too hasty now!"

The trio turned back, their eyes filling with disbelief.

The Collector gave a small chuckle. "Don't look at me like that, you knew that I was going to be coming. I already knew that you would be here and I prepared accordingly."

"Grr, leave us alone! This is our treasure!" Lily raised her fist in defiance… only to stumble causing Jordan to do so as well.

Lincoln stepped forward, placing his arms to defend his companions. "What do you want from us?"

"Shall I terminate them?" Alex readied himself, only for the Collector to shake his head.

"Unnecessary," He stepped close to Lincoln, towering over him for a moment. "They have proven themselves capable of solving these puzzles without the assistance of the notebook," He put on a sinister smile. "That may prove useful."

Slowly, the man lowered his weapon.

"My mercy comes at a price however," he offered his hand to the young man. "The key."

Lincoln glanced back, taking in the fear that filled Lily and Jordan's eyes cutting through his very being. " I have to do something…" He gulped, before slowly reaching into his shirt and pulling out the key. He hesitated, wondering if there could be anything else he could do, before he sighed and placed the key in the old man's hand.

"Splendid! I'm glad you were able to see things my way!" He clutched the key before stepping passed. "Come along now, we have much to do!"

Alex raised his rifle, motioning for the trio to follow.

And so, they complied and entered through the double doors.

Unlike the stony exterior rooms, the interior was well-decorated, with murals and shapes of all sizes scattered across the walls.

"Whoa…" Jordan whispered, her eyes taking in the image of a falling star and a glorious city. Giant people and war.

While Lincoln focused on the route ahead.

"Tell me, boy, do you know anything of this place?" The old man asked.

Lincoln didn't reply.

"Of course you don't, you and your girlfriend are in way over your heads," he glared at him for a moment, before returning focus to the path ahead. "This is no ordinary treasure hunt."

A moment after that, they came across a massive room cut out deep into the air. From what they could see, it was filled from end to end with green crystals and organized into mines of sorts. Lines of glowing liquid flowed along, illuminated by the incandescent crystals.

"The book stated that this place was once a fore, creating weapons and armor of all kinds for armies that would dwarf our modern day equivalents," He shook his head, before turning and making his way along the upstairs balcony. "I doubt this, but I do not doubt that the civilization capable of building places and temples such as these did not have at least a source of their wealth."

"Why are you even telling us this?" Lincoln glanced back. "Aren't you gonna just kill us once we get to the second seal?"

"On the contrary," He shook his head. "I am aware of your actions against my men and the information you have refused to concede to me. But, I am a forgiving man, and I do not see a purpose in ending you three."

"Well that's reassuring," Lincoln mentally added.

"I simply want you to give me everything you know and I'll let you go free, no questions asked, you can simply move on and live a normal life," He continued, his voice fearing up, filling with a hint of sincerity.

For a moment, Lincoln considered the idea. Go back? What could he go back to? Worried parents, an angry family, an uncertain future? Who knows what'll happen to them if they went home, it was hard enough to convince the family to even agree to let them continue the hunt in the first place!

Yet, a part of that felt… alluring. To just be able to go back. They had already seen the craziness of a sort of conspiracy and even almost died a few times!

Slowly, his eyes fell upon Jordan, her slowly growing abdomen reminding him of what he would have to deal with upon his return. They couldn't come home empty handed, could they? Chuck needed to be paid back for the transport he provided…

"Tick tock," He went. "I'll let you decide as we unlock the second seal," Before he stopped in front of a small crystalline pillar. "The book said that there used to be hundreds of these forges scattered around the world. But alas, this is the only one that remained in relatively untouched condition."

He then took the key and inserted it into the pedestal. "Now then, puzzle time, and tick tock, I saw that light sphere thing you had to deal with. Finding stars was interesting and all, but I don't think that'll help you much here."

With that, he turned, causing another pillar of light to burst forth from the pillar, before nine spheres appeared surrounding what appeared to be a small version of earth.

For a moment, Lincoln looked up, unsure of exactly what he was supposed to do next.

"The book did not say what the answer to this puzzle was," The old man put his hands behind his back. "But it did mention 'heaven' as the answer."

"Heaven?" Lincoln looked down and rubbed his chin.

Lily meanwhile stood up and began to grab at one of the spheres, pushing it along, before it bounced into the brightest sphere. "Heh, fun."

"They move…" he hit his head, racking his brain for an answer. "Book, book, book?!"

"Huh… why is the sun and the moon there?" She tilted her head. "This is like that solar system thing Lisa has in her room!"

"Solar system…" Suddenly the realization hit him. "Of course!"

"Err Lincoln…" Jordan raised an eyebrow in confusion.

"In Dante's Paridiso, he visited heaven, which was made up of nine heavenly spheres surrounding God!" He then stepped over and began to order them. "First the moon, then Mercury, Venus, the Sun, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn and the fixed stars!"

A moment passed, before the pillar confirmed and released a beam of light.

After that, the sphere reacted, forcing itself free from its baggage prison, and basking in the light of the pillar, marking the second point, before it descended, allowing Lincoln to take it in his hand.

"Good, such an easy task for you, yet, you best be on your way now," The Collector smiled, before motioning for him to hand over the orb. "Now give it here and I'll set you free."

Lincoln looked down at the sphere, unsure of his next move.

Jordan placed a hand on his shoulder. "I'm with you no matter what."

Lincoln clutched it, before shoving it in his pouch. "Never! This is our treasure hunt and we're not gonna give it up!"

The old man let out a breath and shook his head. "Bad choice. Why do people always have to make it difficult for us?" He looked to his body guard. "Alex, terminate them."

With that, he raised his rifle and aimed down sight.

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A/N The second seal has been unlocked! But Lincoln, Jordan and Lily are in quite the pickle! Will they get out? Who knows?! I'll answer that tomorrow!

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DreadedCandiru2: Yep! Only 14 more chapters to go now.