Over Ten-Thousand Years ago, the Year Before

"Step lively, Eliazar. The gloom here is restless and has no respect for stragglers. It's hard enough as it is navigating through this muck without your help," the elder admonished, his voice echoing through the dark, misty cave. His torch flickered hesitantly as he descended the primeval stone steps, casting wavering shadows that danced on the spiraling staircase leading into the mouth of an abyss. "Remember, the hands of time never tire."

"So much for expecting any help from the goddess, huh?" retorted Eliazar, the shorter, curly-haired priest, trying to keep pace with the cloaked sagely man. "I thought she would have at least helped you; you are her favorite!" Eliazar said. His voice trailed off in an uneasy chuckle that ricocheted off the cold stone walls, dissipating into the foreboding darkness.

Ignoring the jibe, Sahashrala hoisted his torch, illuminating the intricate murals etched on the walls, barely discernible through the relentless decay of time. Dusty cobwebs and desiccated moss clung defiantly to the remnants of ancient, chiseled stone. "Every challenge she casts in our path molds us into beings worthy of the divine. She can no longer intervene. That task is left to us, her faithful servants. With each trial overcome, we inch closer to enlightenment so that we may understand the mysteries of creation," he mused, his eyes reflecting the ancient tales inscribed on the walls.

Eliazar leaned in closer, his curiosity piqued by his words. As he teetered on the brink of a misstep, Sahashrala's firm grip saved him from a nasty tumble. "Hold your footing, man. This temple is a relic of a bygone era, teeming with traps as subtle as a viper's strike. Look around you," he warned, holding out the torch. The flame, once vibrant and resilient, now flickered with a deathly pallor, waning like a dying sun. "See how the flame withers?"

Eliazar gasped in surprise. "But how... What could possibly...?" He struggled to frame his bewilderment as the torchlight dimmed prematurely, succumbing to an unseen force.

"There's old magic here," Sahashrala whispered, his voice barely a breeze in the surrounding silence. "This place is awash with secret sorcery. Magick, the ancient ones called it. It's as if the very shadows conspire to feast on our light." He raised his hand to reveal a tiny gem glimmering mysteriously in the dim light. "And so, our only beacon in this impenetrable darkness will be the keenness of our senses and this singular grain of Soul Stone."

"Soul Stone?" Eliazar's eyebrows knitted together in intrigue, his face barely visible in the dwindling torchlight.

Sahashrala nodded solemnly. "Indeed. Here in this forgotten world, where magic thrives, we'll meet it with magic of our own. Only then may we have a chance to survive the peril that awaits us." His words hung heavy in the air as the two men pressed on, guided by the soft radiance of the Soul Stone, their hopes pinned on its ethereal glow.

Tossing the lifeless torch aside, Sahashrala forged ahead into the swallowing darkness, leaving behind a trail of quickly vanishing footprints in the age-old dust. Eliazar squinted, his eyes straining to follow the old man's form within the scant halo of light that the Soul Stone emitted. "Your tiny pebble there doesn't really do much, does it?" he grumbled.

Sahashrala groaned at his complaining. "It does enough, and I implore you to keep pace, Eliazar," he retorted, not missing a beat as he navigated the stone labyrinth with catlike agility that belied his age.

Eliazar huffed in exasperation, his brows creased in a frown. "Sorry, Sahashrala. It's just, you walk so darned fast, it's like you're possessed by something. What in the name of the goddess is drawing you to this ill-gotten place? For the life of me, I can't understand it..."

"If only..." Sahashrala halted abruptly, his hand raised to command silence. Eliazar, taken aback, stuttered out, "What? What is it?"

"Shh... We're not alone..." Sahashrala murmured ominously, his gaze scouring the unseen corners of the dark abyss.

Eliazar paled at his words, gulped, and spoke up nervously. "Why me!?" he whined.

"It's alright... Whatever is watching us can't hurt us. Only spectate." "Spectate?"

"Yes, beings from the Shadow Realm. Neither good nor ill. Watchers, the ancients called them. Guardians of destiny. Apparitions created by ancient magic to protect places deemed unfit for mortal eyes."

Eliazar gulped again and faced him in the shadowy darkness. "How do you know all this? I'm a priest for goodness sake, a man of the Holy Pillar, and I haven't a clue what you're talking about. Whereas you are... You are... Well, you."

"Not a priest, you mean?" The old man smiled.

"Well, yes..." Eliazar said, straightening his shirt.

Sahashrala turned to him, a glimmer of amusement in his eyes. "True, you are the priest. But, would you say you are a good one? Truth be told, your heart has always been more fond of home's comforts rather than the fumes of eye-burning incenses, droll prayers, stiff knees, and droning on of elders at the Holy Pillar, am I right?"

Elizar groaned at the truth spoken. "Well, yes, but you don't have to rub it in."

"Very well, I won't."

"Though I must confess," the man chuckled softly to himself. "I couldn't have said it better myself. In fact, speaking of, why did you ask me to come along anyway? You know I'd just slow you down. I was perfectly happy and content at home in my cottage, wrapped in my favorite quilt, sipping a hot toddy, lost in my book. Not galivanting off after dangerous legends in the darkness trying to save the world, thank you very much."

Sahashrala chuckled, patting Eliazar's shoulder. "And that's precisely why I need you. Company, and a touch of courage to face what lies ahead. It's dangerous to go alone, and even with all your mishaps, you have a lot to prove hidden in those bones of yours. I just know it."

"You seem to know everything..." mumbled Eliazar, out of earshot as Sahashrala stepped away.

"What was that?"

"Oh, nothing..."

The sagely man continued, "You will play a big part before the end. This story is yet to be written and far greater than you could ever find in the dusty pages of those books you love so much."

"Well, that maybe, but even after a most perilous evening of being lost in my books, if I were to perish there, come the morrow's dawn I'd find myself safe and sound, warm in my bed. Not food for worms."

The old man hesitated and turned to him with a question. "But why enjoy the legends of other men? You should live the life you've been given through your own eyes, Eliazar. Don't let the years of your life pass you by, my friend. And perhaps, you'll find that you may be part of a legend of your own." The old man slowly faced him with a warm smile.

That took him aback and he quite liked the ring of that. A legend of his own. "Y-you really think so?" Eliazar's eyes widened in surprise, playing at the thought with a click of his tongue.

"No... But my musings got you to come along, didn't it?" Eliazar hung his head, but Sahashrala laid an encouraging hand on his shoulder to lift him up. "But, mayhaps... mayhaps a stake in the myth if all goes well. Posterity will want to know the role Eliazar played. And how he aided the chosen one to save the world from certain doom." With a wink, he turned and plunged deeper into the shadows, leaving Eliazar with no choice but to follow, armed with his newfound sense of purpose.

After what seemed an eternity of cautious descent into the bowels of the temple, they reached its lowest level. The air here clung to their skin with a chill, dank touch and held a heaviness that made each breath a conscious effort. Ahead of them, a solitary stone bridge spanned an abyss, its far side lost to the impenetrable darkness below. A spell was in the air that made it harder with every step they trudged forward.

"This... this place, what is it?" Eliazar asked, his voice a mere breath, trembling with the echo of fear.

"A secret that was meant to be... forgotten," replied Sahashrala, discerning what he could make out in the fathoms below. They cautiously trekked across the narrow span and afterwards was greeted to a wide corridor which ended at the chasm wall. There they met a sealed door that had an inscription marked on it, written in an unfamiliar language lost to the slow erosion of time. The cryptic carvings glittered intermittently with a strange green glow. One by one, they would dim in and out of sight before reappearing. The sagely man paused their descent and fingered his long grey beard to study the inscriptions.

"I must unravel the mysteries here if we are to make a difference," Sahashrala remarked. "Here lies the key to our salvation, but the riddles scribbled on these walls elude me even now. The answers are probably staring at me right in the face, but I am unskilled to see the truth in these markings."

Eliazar glanced at the sagely man with worry. "Well, we're in big trouble if even you can't solve them," Eliazar shrugged.

"Come, watch your step. We stand on the threshold of the true trial. Everything we've faced thus far was merely the preamble."

Eliazar frowned, aghast, reaching above his ear to yank on his brown curls in nervous angst. "You mean to say we're NOT there yet? What have we been traversing this whole time then? We've been marching these confounded depths for hours now. My feet are ready to mutiny! Isn't this the temple or not?"

"These are the gates to the forsaken sealing grounds of the Holy Order. The hidden sepulcher of the lost Knights of Hylia."

"Who exactly were they? The KNIGHTs, I mean?"

"Magical warrior elites. Their lineage stretches far beyond the age of heroes, reaching back to the pre-dawn age. They were the guardians of Her Holiness when she was not only divine, but immortal, and walked amidst her cherished children on this good earth. They served in the era of ceaseless illumination, a time when shadows trembled and shrank away from the earth's surface.

"A time when the wilderness was sovereign and where enormous spires kissed the cloud-laden heavens, yet cast no shadows over the land. It was an era untouched by the taint of malevolence, before demons were torn from their imprisoning depths below. A time before the horrendous cataclysm, the seismic rupture that shattered their chains, setting them free to run rampant across the world.

"Such were the KNIGHTs, stalwart and steadfast, their history etched in the annals of time and memory, their deeds serving as reminders of an era where magic, valor, and honor reigned supreme. Though they live on, sadly, their numbers have dwindled to only a handful." He finished after leading the way for a while.

"You mean... like the Skyfyres of the Scorched Hallows? Sir-Locke and his brothers? Them?"

"Precisely. They are the last living heirs to the KNIGHT's sacred bloodline. Only they have the blood of heroes running through their veins."

Eliazar chewed on that for a minute before offering up another question. "Forgive my saying this, but why would she allow such a travesty to take place? Her Holiness I mean, With the fissures and the—"

Suddenly the ground rumbled and Eliazar and Shasrala both lost their train of thought. As soon as the tremors ceased, they continued their trek.

"What is it we're even looking for?" Eliazar questioned, his gaze darting around the oppressive darkness.

"I wish I could say for certain," Sahashrala admitted, his voice cloaked in mystery. "But something, or someone, guided us here. I trust we'll recognize what we seek when we see it," he whispered to himself as if he too was still searching for clues as to why or what divine intuition or power led him there in the first place.

"What?...You're not even sure? How do you even know—" Eliazar stammered, frustration seeping into his tone.

"I suspect we'll know when we see it. But, first, we have to solve the test to get through this door. It won't open on its own. No doubt the watchers have alerted the powers that reside here to our presence and have sealed the door. But, there is a way. We must earn our passage. That is the only way."

Eliazar's heart pounded in his chest. This was like one of his stories come alive, but he hadn't the bravery that the heroes in his books possessed. He had expected Sahashrala to have all the answers, but he seemed to be as much in the dark as him.

Sahashrala closed his eyes and placed his palms on the door. He began to mutter a small prayer, and as he did, the inscriptions started to pulse brighter with every word. The green light danced in the air as ancient energy coursed through the door.

Eliazar's eyes went wide with amazement. This was real magic - the kind you read about in old tomes but never expect to see.

Just as Eliazar was hopeful that the door would shutter open the strange glow on the door faded into silence as if they were always dark and Sahashrala opened his eyes.

"It appears my words are failing to reach the heart of those who barred the door," he said solemnly. "I want to say the inscription speaks of light, knowledge, and courage...Or something of that matter. But what?" He turned to look at Eliazar.

Eliazar's heart skipped a beat. "Well? And?"

"Give me a minute, will you? I need a moment to think... By all means, if you think you can do better, you are welcome to try." The old man snapped. Grabbed his walking staff and sauntered off mumbling more words to himself, trying to recollect himself nearby. They were both frantic for clues and the darkness around them was getting more eerie by the minute. A loom of dread began to hang in the air and neither were young men anymore. The day had grown long.

"I didn't mean to..." Eliazar wanted to say, apologetically. But even as he did the carvings on the door that weren't aglow caught his attention. They weren't spiraling ethereal words but were the hard outlines of figures. His eyes drifted over the strange runes etched in stone again, and this time, he noticed that these markings seemed to resemble weapons and shields. He scratched his head. "Wait! These symbols... aren't these representations of the weapons and shields used by the ancient KNIGHTs?"

Sahashrala's eyes widened where he stood. It was as if an avalanche hit him. The old man spun and took a closer look beside him. "By Hylia, you're right! The inscriptions... They symbolize the honor, valor, and sacrifice of the KNIGHTs. But what could it mean?"

Eliazar's gaze wandered around the far reaches of the room and then remembered the statue they had seen earlier in the darkness. A massive ancient statue of a knight that guarded corridor they entered. It depicted what was known as a Magick KNIGHT of Hylia on one knee, his sword pointing downwards touching the ground and the shield raised above his head.

"Remember the statue!" Eliazar pointed out. "The KNIGHT... his stance, it was like he was praying... an oath or something! Isn't it?"

Sahashrala's eyes gleamed with realization. "Their sacred Oath of Loyalty! It's not just a stance, it's a symbol of their vow, their fealty to the Royal Family of old! But... what were their words?"

They both stood there, puzzled. Sahashrala then also murmured, "Also, we must remember, the KNIGHTs back then not only guarded just the Royal Family but also the sacred realm."

"Wait, just hold on a minute. You mean to say that place actually exist?" Elizar was stricken by disbelief of such a thing.

"Well, of course. The keys to the kingdom lie hidden there."

"I thought that was just something they sang in the songs and fables. They do make such grand stories." He said wistfully, wishing he were home again, able to blow his ocarina for a tune or two.

"Do you remember that old limerick you used to read, the one passed down through ages?" Sahashrala's voice was soft but urgent. He patted the curly haired man's shoulder. "You were quite fond of that book, if I recall."

"You mean 'Three be the virtues, bound as one; In courage, wisdom, light is won'? That old children's rhyme?" Eliazar looked puzzled.

"Yes! It wasn't just a limerick; it's a clue. This is your moment, Eliazar!" Sahashrala looked at him intently. "Yes, that children rhyme as you say comes from an old KNIGHT's scripture, made easy to remember for young boys so that they could aspire to be KNIGHT's one day. C'mon think. What did your book say? The rest of the words."

Eliazar hesitated but relented to slowly approach the door. For a long moment he squinted and rubbed his temples for recollection. With all his might, he tried but the entire passage evaded him. "Three be the virtues, bound as one; In courage, wisdom, light is won...Ugh, confound it, I can't remember the rest."

"Please, you must. I know you can do this...Eliazar. This is your moment."

"I know, I know. Hold on, you had your moment to think, now this is mine."

Suddenly, like it never left him at all, it all came back. Every word. Easy as the rising sun. Eliazar coughed as to clear his throat and began again, Sahashrala pulled on his shoulder for him to hold off. "Wait, first..." The old man knelt and made a similar pose to that of the ancient statue performed nearby guarding the corridor. His aching knees creaked and croaked in protest, so much so to echo throughout the chamber of the chasm. He cued his companion to do the same.

Eliazar bowed his head and proceeded to mimic him and with a firm voice whispered the words he knew by heart, but now with conviction he had never felt before, "Three be the virtues, bound as one; In courage, wisdom, light is won. In valor's might, the KNIGHT's stands tall, Vigilant eyes guard, never to fall...In Victory's name, our blades do shine, Forever woven through the threads of time. With loyalty's heart, we serve the crown, Guarding the holy realm, we are duty bound."

As he spoke, the glowing symbols on the door began to pulsate with an increasing intensity. With the final word, a blinding light enveloped them. When they opened their eyes, the once-sealed door was now wide open, revealing an ancient hall that was hidden for centuries. With awe and determination in their eyes, Sahashrala and Eliazar stepped forward into the unknown. A grand, round chamber with a massive ceiling that seemed to stretch into an eternity of darkness above. The room had a strange hum in the air, almost like distant music or chants from an unknown tongue that made the hairs on their back stand up uneasy.

They were the first to set foot in this lost sanctum of the KNIGHTs in ages, a place where time itself seemed to be held at bay. What lay before them was both the culmination of their journey and a testament to the legacy of the guardians that once walked these halls.

At the opposite side of the hall was a massive pillar of translucent stone or crystal, engrained into the wall as if it were a part of it. Though the stone was transparent, it was impossible to peer into inside due to a black fog that swirled like ripples in the ocean inside. But before they could investigate that further, to their front stood an even more magnificent sight: seven knight statues standing atop pedestals arranged in a circle. In the middle of them lay a slightly raised platform. Each statue was brandishing a different weapon - a sword, a spear, a bow, a hammer, a staff, a shield, and an axe.

"Hmm," Sahashrala mumbled to himself, pacing around the room. His gaze was fixed on the walls, where faint inscriptions portraying the sacred relics of the golden power were - Courage, Wisdom, and Power - were carved.

"This is a trial of alignment and discernment," Sahashrala announced. "It has to be."

"How can you be sure?"

"I'm not—"

"-Then?"

"What other option we have. Look, these markings—"

"Can you read them?"

The sagely man was getting annoyed, but kept his composure. "Not in its entirety...But, I can make out some symbols. Now, if my judgement is correct, it wants us to solve the riddle to the room. 'Only a true KNIGHT may enter'. That's what it says...Or at least, that's my understanding from these two portrayals here."

"Well, that isn't good. Neither of us are true KNIGHTs! We'd have to come back with Locke or—"

"-Shh, not necessarily...Just a moment please."

Sahashrala took the time to circle about the room and with a flick of luminous stone to light his way he studied each statue before him. "There must be something...Aha!" The old man nearly jumped and ran back to his companion. He had an epiphany.

"Each of these KNIGHTs represents a different virtue, and they must be aligned with the trinity's virtues. For it is said only a true KNIGHT may enter. Then that means... there is something or someone who does not belong here."

Eliazar frowned. "Seven knights. Three virtues. That math doesn't add up."

"Indeed," Sahashrala replied. "We must look for clues. Like this for instance, look, here the staff and the axe are not traditional knight weapons."

"But, they have used them before right?"

"Well, yes...But, oh, you're right, just keep looking then!" So, for several minutes that felt like an eternity they scoured each of the stone apparitions separately.

Eliazar shivered. "Sheesh, this place makes my skin crawl. And must they stare so coldly?"

"Just keep looking, the sooner we come for what we are looking for the sooner we can get out of here." He was tired too. And just as the old man was about to give up, he had another revelation. "I get it," He muttered under his breath. "Eliazar, this is the key. I understand now. Six KNIGHTs must be divided up to their corresponding virtue."

Meanwhile, Eliazar's own eyes widened as he studied the statues from at a further glance. He noticed that the knight with the staff was wearing a cloak adorned with images of wind and clouds, while the other six all wore traditional armor. In fact, the one with a staff didn't have the build of the others as either and seemed to be a person of frailty.

"Wait a minute," Eliazar interrupted. "The staff! It's the Sage's Staff of Winds! That statue is not a knight; it's a sage, like from the old stories!"

Sahashrala's eyes widened. "By Hylia's grace, you're right! Excellent work, Eliazar. Here, help me move them to face where they belong and get that impostor out of the way."

"Impostor? The sage of Wind?"

"That is no true sage of wind. See the marking on his back? The crest, it's all wrong. I thought you said you were a priest?"

"Well, I thought, I—"

"It's quite alright." Sahashrala smiled at him. "You were clever enough to decipher the riddle here so I mustn't complain. But, yes, this room was trying to tell us something. A story perhaps, one that I've never heard, nor shant I think anyone has, even Locke the valiant who is of their blood probably has heard of such a tale."

"Are we going to move this thing or are you going to prattle all day—" Elizar was heaving sliding the statue by his lonesome before getting some help.

"Oh, my, yes, sorry."

Thusly, they navigated the statues into position, drawing a line in the dust with the blade and the spear in such a way that their gazes intersected with the symbol of Courage etched into the stone. It was an ancient proverb well known to Sahashrala of the KNIGHTs, spoken in hushed reverence: 'Tis by the blade that Courage is learnt, and by the spear of faith it is strengthened.

Next, the bow and the shield, each an emblem of its own virtue, were carefully rotated to face the triangular crest of Wisdom. It was wisdom, they said, to let the wind guide the arrow's flight and to patiently await the moment to release it. Wisdom too, was in the ability to know when to brace behind the shield, to deflect and defend, rather than to lunge headfirst into danger.

Lastly, they maneuvered the statues bearing the hammer and the axe towards the inscription of Power. For these tools were the emblems of unadulterated strength, demanding fierce might in wielding and using well upon the battlefield.

The statue with the staff was pushed aside onto a floor tile that didn't match the hue of the ones that were in the circle.

"There," Sahashrala said. Suddenly, the ground shook, and the mismatched tile quickly revealed itself to be a hidden floor switch.

Suddenly at the center of the gathered statues, in the empty space lifted a column and for a brief second, the room was filled with a golden light emanating from the breach in the floor, and a majestic chime like the ringing of a thousand small bells tolled. And when they opened there eyes revealed to them upon the pedestal lay an ancient scroll. Eliazar couldn't contain his excitement and pushed his way past his friend to marvel at the scroll that revealed itself to them.

The older man followed closely behind as his friend unraveled it, hoping to reveal its secrets. It looked to be a map of some kind from what Eliazar could deduce from his standing.

Sahashrala breathed, a glint in his eye. He gently laid a small piece of soul stone as he stretched out the parchment. The light of which illuminated the markings that were written in an ancient script with depictions of locations and strange creatures. Seven runes for seven beasts and laying in the center was a depiction of a crystal shard. "This is why we came here..."

"Can you read it? Do you understand what it says?" Eliazar danced where he stood, tracing his fingers over the craftsmanship and script work, anxiously while the old man presses his beard out of the way to study it. Eliazar loved such fine antiquities, especially old maps and such.

"Heavens no, man. But, we are not without hope, there are those who did and more importantly they left the keys to decipher such mysteries."

"Well, that's good then," he gulped. "Then I guess we best get going then. After all, we came for what we came for, so how about we get out of here before the dead here take us to join them in their forever slumber?"

"Certainly," Sahashrala said. But just then Eliazar did something he didn't intend and rolled the old scroll back up and stepped away from the column.

"No, wait!" Sahashrala exclaimed but it was too late. The damage was done. In taking the scroll beyond the sacred round seal of the pedestal the room rumbled and a smokey hiss seeped out from the massive stone encapsulation they had forgotten about in the darkness toward the rear of the chamber. We weren't supposed to remove the parchment, yet. He wanted to say, but that was too little too late now.

Eliazar tried to remedy his mistake by placing the old paper back but it was for naught. "Um, is that supposed to do that?" he said, slowly pointed to the massive crystal shard looming behind them, daunting and impressive.

Sahashrala turned his attention to where he was pointing and his eyes darted around the chamber, taking in every minute detail. His aged brow furrowed as he observed the enigmatic designs etched into the walls surrounding the colossal crystal shard above and below it. It was then he realized as he gulped a dreaded thought.

"What? What is it?" Eliazar prodded, nervously. The ground shook again. Suddenly, the black fog that spilled forth plumed into small billows and dissolved in the air around them. At their edges they would materialize right before their eyes into green magical wisps that danced around them.

"I had not anticipated this..." Sahashrala muttered, his voice carrying an edge of alarm that Eliazar had never heard before. The old man went to approach the massive crystal. All he could see into it was a thick, green darkness. Like staring into a black lagoon. Suddenly, the smoke around them ceased and now there were nothing but ghostly, green energy whispering around them.

"What? What is it?" Eliazar queried, his gaze following Sahasrala's.

"This place, it is not what the citadel has led us to believe."

"What? What are you saying?" A shiver rattled up Eliazar's spine.

Then, the sudden realization struck the old man like a fist from a Talos. "This is no tomb to honor fallen heroes... It's... a prison." Sahashrala said with dread. His eyes wandered over the crystal-stone encasing that had been protected by old sorcery. "But, for who? Or what?" he whispered silently to himself. His companion was getting restless, and his words weren't making him feel any cozier.

"Then why did we come to such a wretched place? What drew you here?"Eliazar's voice quivered. "And what do you mean, you don't believe this is a tomb any longer?"

Sahashrala's hand shook as he pointed towards the particular pattern of swirling green magic emanating off the the geological strata. "Look here, this symbol represents imprisonment. And that one, above you, it means banishment by the blood of the chosen."

The realization dawned upon Sahashrala's face, and his eyes widened in terror. "By the heavens, this must be the Eternal Seal, crafted by the ancient KNIGHTs themselves to contain an unthinkable darkness!"

The ground shook again, this time much more violently. "What is happening!?"

"I don't know, but I think this was a mistake." Sahashrala whispered to himself. "We have to go! Now!" he yelled.

"RUN!" Sahashrala's voice carried a level of urgency that made Eliazar's heart skip a beat.

Before they could react to depart in all due haste, ghostly figures clad in the armor of ancient KNIGHTs emerged from the statues, their ethereal weapons drawn and cold green flames flickering in their empty eye sockets. "These spirits guard the chamber! They are a final line of defense left by the KNIGHTs to protect its secrets. We have to flee now!"

"But how are we going to get through them?!" Eliazar shouted back, his eyes wide with fear.

Sahashrala took a deep breath and then began chanting. The words were old, echoing with the weight of centuries. The spectral KNIGHTs hesitated for a moment, then turned their ghostly gaze towards Sahashrala.

"Now! Grab the scroll!" Sahashrala yelled to Eliazar. "Quickly, now!"

Eliazar, summoning every ounce of his courage, dashed towards the pedestal, dodging ghostly swords and ethereal shields. And grabbed the scroll.

As he turned to run back toward the entrance they came, a ghostly sword swung towards him. At that very moment, Sahashrala's chant reached a crescendo and a barrier of light appeared, blocking the sword just inches from Eliazar.

"Go! Go! Go!" Sahashrala cried out.

Eliazar darted past the apparitions and rejoined Sahasrala, scroll in hand.

With one final word, Sahasrala summoned a powerful gust of wind that blew them back through the entrance of the chamber. The sealed door slammed shut, and the runes upon it glowed briefly before fading away.

The two stood panting in the corridor leading back to the surface, the echoes of the ethereal guardians slowly dying down behind them. They could hear the chamber they left being buried into silence as the rumblings of crumbling walls and stone sealed the area shut forever.

"You were incredibly brave, Eliazar," Sahasrala said, out of breath and a glimmer of pride in his eyes. "You faced the spirits of ancient KNIGHTs and lived to tell the tale."

"Oh yeah? And since when did you know magick?"

"I don't—"

"-But, the words, those chants, how did you? I saw you!"

The old man shook his head wearing a grin. "He knew magick." His long white beard fluttered in the cavern wind. The sagely man, unfurled his cloak and revealed a gold medallion clutched tightly in his grasp. "Sir-Locke granted me this just before our journey. Through this I was able to summon up powers of those far greater than my own. The ability to command the Aether was just one of many the ancient warriors of his line were able to harness."

"Tell me, if they are so powerful, then why didn't they lead this quest? Why have us, two old goats galivant looking here?" Eliazar huffed and wheezed.

"Because a KNIGHT's place is by the Queen's side. Dark times are here again, and I fear those who wish her ill will would seize on an opportunity if they lacked in their absence. You and I were capable enough."

"Oh yeah, well, speak for yourself. My knees are scratched, and my feet are killing me."

"Stop bellyaching, old friend, we have made it in one piece, and more importantly, we have what we came for."

Eliazar sighed and relented, smiled and looked at the scroll in his hands and then back to Sahashrala. "That indeed we have. Now, if you don't mind, let's get out of here before anything else decides to wake up."

Sahashrala chuckled softly at that, nodded and patted his friend on the back as he helped him to his feet.

With newfound determination and the sacred scroll in their possession, Sahasrala and Eliazar made their way back through the temple and toward the surface, vowing never to speak of the secrets they discovered deep within the earth until the time came for them to be revealed.

Authors Notes: This was a short one and I hope you enjoy it. I will be going on a hiatus now to work on my youtube channel for several weeks. When we return, it's back to Zelink before the trial of the flame! Let me know your predictions. I hope you are excited and please, lots of you have yet to comment, if you do like, please do me a huge a favor and say so in a comment. It really helps me and motivates me to continue on the hard days.