The silence that followed the temple's disappearance was almost deafening. The absence of the desert wind had left an unsettling void, as if the entire landscape was holding its breath. Richard stood motionless, clutching the small stone chest against his chest while staring at the spot where the ancient structure had stood moments before.
Marcus paced nervously back and forth, muttering to himself while consulting his maps and notes with growing frustration.
"This defies all scientific logic," he finally said, stopping in front of Richard. "A temple of those dimensions doesn't disappear without leaving a trace. Sand can't cover a structure like that in a matter of minutes, and certainly not in such a... perfect manner."
Richard avoided his gaze, focusing on controlling his breathing. The system had remained silent since they had escaped the temple, but he could feel that Emily's amulet was still emitting a slight vibration, as if it were processing what had happened.
"What's in that chest?" asked Marcus, pointing to the object that Richard was protecting so vehemently.
"I'm not sure," he replied, though he noticed that the system had just silently updated his information:
[**Object: Guardian's Chest**]
[**Status: Sealed**]
[**Requirements for opening: Blood Ritual and Knowledge**]
[**Required Level: 2**]
"Richard," Marcus's voice had turned cold and calculating, "I've been patient with you, but this has gone too far. People disappeared investigating this place. Colleagues of mine lost their sanity after spending weeks studying these symbols, and now an entire temple vanishes before our eyes while you..." he paused, measuring his words, "while you seem to understand exactly what's happening."
Richard swallowed, feeling the weight of the accusation.
"It's not that simple, Marcus. I don't understand everything that's happening either."
"Don't lie to me," snapped the archaeologist, his academic tone completely vanished. "I saw you interact with those symbols, I saw you react before the 'shadows' appeared, as if you knew what was going to happen. And that amulet..." he pointed to the object hanging from Richard's neck, "it's not just a trinket, is it?"
The silence extended between them, dense and loaded with tension. Finally, Marcus sighed deeply.
"I'm sorry, Richard, but I can't allow you to continue on this expedition. Whatever is happening is putting the entire project and potentially the whole team at risk."
"Are you expelling me?" asked Richard, though he knew the answer.
"For your safety and ours. Tomorrow morning you'll head back to the city. One of our drivers will take you."
Richard wanted to protest, explain, defend his position, but what could he say? That an ancient magical system was granting him abilities? That he could see echoes of the past and read inscriptions indecipherable to others? Any explanation would make him sound deranged or like a fraud.
That night, in the solitude of his tent, Richard examined the chest more closely. The symbols engraved on its surface seemed to subtly change when he observed them, reorganizing themselves into patterns he could almost understand. He activated his Basic Arcane Reading skill, consuming one unit of his mana:
[**Basic Arcane Reading activated**]
[**Mana: 12/13**]
The symbols began to reveal part of their meaning:
*"Knowledge is the key, blood is the seal. Only those with the guardian's lineage will be able to access the secrets of the bridge between worlds."*
As Richard contemplated these words, he received a message on his phone. It was from Emily:
**Emily:** *Are you okay? I had a strange dream last night. I saw you surrounded by hooded figures in an ancient temple. The amulet was glowing. Richard, this is going to sound absurd, but my grandmother used to say that when the amulet finds its rightful bearer, it would begin to "remember".*
Richard remained still, feeling his heart rate accelerate. Did Emily know more than she had revealed? Was her family connected to the temple, to the system, to all this mystery?
Before he could respond, the system projected a new message:
[**Warning: Hostile energies approaching. Protect the Guardian's Chest.**]
[**Recommendation: Meditation to recover mana**]
Richard closed his eyes and practiced the meditation technique he had discovered earlier. He felt his mana slowly regenerating, reaching its maximum capacity just before dawn.
---
The return journey began in an uncomfortable silence. Richard occupied the back seat of the jeep, watching as the desert landscape stretched endlessly under a clear sky. The driver, a middle-aged local man with a sun-weathered face, seemed as uncommunicative as the one who had brought him.
After almost an hour of travel, the man finally spoke:
"It's not common for someone to be expelled so quickly," he commented, adjusting the rearview mirror to briefly observe Richard. "What did you do to anger Dr. Henshaw so much?"
Richard hesitated before answering.
"We found something that... disappeared afterward."
The driver let out a dry laugh.
"Disappeared? In this desert, many things appear and disappear. My grandfather used to say there are places where the veils between worlds are thinner. Places where the impossible becomes possible, where past and present intertwine."
Richard carefully observed the driver, wondering if this man knew more than he appeared to.
"Do you believe those stories?" he asked.
"It doesn't matter what I believe," the man replied. "The desert has its own laws, its own guardians. And some secrets should remain buried."
Before Richard could inquire further, he noticed something on the horizon: a black vehicle that seemed to be waiting in the middle of the road.
"Are you expecting someone?" he asked, suddenly feeling a sense of danger.
The driver didn't respond, but slowed down as they approached the vehicle. When he finally stopped, several men dressed entirely in black descended and approached the jeep.
"Richard Wonder," one of them said with an authoritative but emotionless voice. "Please, come with us."
"Who are you?" asked Richard, instinctively clutching his backpack where he had stored the chest.
"Let's just say we're people interested in the same discoveries as you," the man replied. "We have questions about what you experienced in the temple."
The system issued a silent warning:
[**Warning: Individuals detected with knowledge of the System. Threat level: High**]
[**Recommendation: Temporary cooperation while seeking escape opportunity**]
Richard quickly evaluated his options. They were in the middle of the desert, with no possibility of escaping on foot, and these men seemed to know exactly who they were looking for.
"I'll go with you," he finally said, "but I want to know who I'm dealing with."
"You'll know soon," replied the man, gesturing for Richard to get out of the jeep.
The driver didn't even look at him as the men escorted Richard to the black vehicle. Richard noticed that his expression had subtly changed, as if all this had been planned from the beginning.
"Do you work for them?" Richard asked as he passed by the driver.
"We all work for someone, Mr. Wonder," the man replied without emotion. "Sometimes without knowing it."
---
The interior of the vehicle was surprisingly spacious and equipped with advanced technology. Screens displayed maps of the desert and what appeared to be energy readings of the region. Richard was seated across from one of the men, who seemed to be the leader of the group.
"My name is Nathaniel Reed," the man introduced himself, removing his dark glasses to reveal penetrating eyes of an unnatural blue. "I belong to an organization dedicated to the study and containment of certain... ancestral phenomena."
"Containment?" asked Richard, keeping one hand near Emily's amulet and the other on his backpack.
"The power you've begun to awaken is not something that should circulate freely in the modern world," Reed explained with disturbing calmness. "For millennia, our organization has monitored the manifestations of the System, ensuring that it remains in the shadows of history."
Richard felt a chill run down his spine. These men not only knew about the system; they had been watching it for centuries.
"How do you know about...?" Richard began.
"The System?" Reed completed with a humorless smile. "Let's say our relationship with it is... ancient and complicated. What matters now is that we understand what triggered its activation in you, and what you retrieved from the temple before it concealed itself."
Richard maintained a neutral expression, but he could feel the amulet vibrating slightly against his chest, as if it were responding to Reed's words.
"I don't know what you're talking about," he replied. "I was just helping with an archaeological excavation."
Reed looked at him fixedly for several seconds, as if he could see through his lie.
"Interesting. Your level of resistance to verbal interrogation is unusually high for an initiate," he commented, more like a scientific observation than an accusation. "But soon we'll have time to explore that in more detail."
The vehicle finally stopped in front of what appeared to be a modern, minimalist facility, perfectly camouflaged among the rocky formations of the desert. Richard was escorted inside, where he immediately noticed that the walls were decorated with subtle but unmistakable symbols, similar to those he had seen in the temple.
As they walked through the sterile, well-lit corridors, Richard began to catch fragments of conversations:
"...fluctuating mana levels across the sector..."
"...the temple has changed its location again according to analyses..."
"...the guardians' lineage may be resurfacing..."
Reed finally led him to a minimalist interrogation room: a metal table, two chairs, and walls that seemed to absorb both sound and light.
"I'll leave you for a few minutes to consider your situation," said Reed. "When I return, I expect full cooperation. Especially regarding the object you found in the temple."
Once alone, Richard quickly assessed the room. There were no visible cameras, but he felt he was being watched. The system projected a new message:
[**New mission available**]
[**Objective: Escape from your captors**]
[**Reward: Ability unlocked: Wind Steps**]
Richard read the ability description: it would allow him to move with supernatural speed for brief periods but would constantly consume mana while active. With his current level, he could only maintain it for a few seconds before depleting his reserves.
[**Condition: Recharge your mana to maximum before attempting to unlock the ability**]
Richard examined the room more carefully, looking for something that could help him. He noticed that in the corners of the room there were small, almost imperceptible engravings. Activating his Arcane Reading, he discovered they were suppression seals, designed to inhibit arcane energies.
"They know about mana," he thought, "and they've designed this place to contain it."
He decided to try meditating to recover his mana before they returned. He sat in the chair, closed his eyes, and began to focus on his breathing, visualizing energy flowing through him as the system had taught him. However, the seals in the room seemed to significantly slow down the process.
[**Meditation hindered: Presence of suppression seals**]
[**Mana regeneration reduced by 75%**]
[**Current mana: 8/13**]
Richard knew he wouldn't have time to recover all his mana, but it would have to be enough. He remembered Emily's amulet and discreetly took it out. Perhaps it could amplify his meditation as it had done in the temple.
Holding the amulet between his hands during meditation, he felt a slight increase in his mana regeneration speed. The symbols on the amulet seemed to partially resist the effects of the suppression seals.
[**Meditation with catalyst: The amulet is partially counteracting the suppression**]
[**Improved mana regeneration: Reduction now 50%**]
[**Current mana: 10/13**]
That's when he heard footsteps approaching the room. Time was running out.
Richard quickly put away the amulet and adopted a relaxed posture, as if he had been simply waiting. The door opened and Reed entered, accompanied by a middle-aged woman in a lab coat and an analytical expression.
"Richard Wonder," she said, studying him with clinical interest. "I am Dr. Eliza Vega, specialist in System manifestations and their effects on uninitiated bearers."
"I don't know what you're talking about," insisted Richard, maintaining his calm. "I'm just an archaeology student."
"A student who developed the ability to read indecipherable inscriptions, who experienced visions of the past, and who somehow managed to make an ancestral temple disappear after extracting an artifact from its interior," Dr. Vega replied with a tense smile. "Don't insult our intelligence, Mr. Wonder."
Reed placed a metallic device on the table. It looked like some kind of advanced scanner.
"This instrument detects fluctuations in mana," he explained. "It will allow us to determine exactly what level you've reached and what abilities you've unlocked so far."
Richard felt his heart rate accelerate. If that device worked as they said, they would discover that he had been recharging his mana just before they entered.
"Before we begin," continued Reed, "I'll give you a chance to cooperate voluntarily. Where is the object you took from the temple?"
Richard maintained a neutral expression, but his mind was working at full speed. The system had warned him about the danger these people represented, and now he understood why. They didn't just want information; they wanted the chest.
"I don't know what you're referring to," he responded.
Reed exchanged a look with Dr. Vega, who nodded slightly.
"Very well. We'll do this our way," said Reed, reaching for the scanning device.
Richard knew it was now or never. In a fluid motion, he activated the new ability offered by the system:
[**Ability unlocked: Wind Steps**]
[**Mana: 10/13 (active consumption: -1/second)**]
He immediately felt as if the world around him was slowing down. His movements acquired a supernatural speed and fluidity. Before Reed could react, Richard had already stood up, dodged Dr. Vega, and was heading for the door.
"Unauthorized activation!" shouted Reed, but his voice sounded distorted and slow to Richard's ears.
Within seconds, Richard was in the hallway, running at a speed that made the walls around him become blurry. He could feel his mana depleting rapidly, but he kept the ability active while looking for an exit.
An alarm began to sound, and voices shouted orders everywhere. Richard took a sharp turn, dodging two guards who seemed to be moving in slow motion from his perspective.
[**Mana: 5/13**]
He continued running, guided by intuition more than by a concrete plan. Finally, he reached what appeared to be a hangar with several vehicles. One of them, a motorcycle designed for desert terrain, had the keys in it.
[**Mana: 2/13**]
With his last reserves of mana, Richard reached the motorcycle and started it. The guards were converging on the hangar, but still slowly from his accelerated perspective.
[**Mana: 0/13**]
[**Wind Steps ability deactivated**]
The sensation of super-speed abruptly disappeared, and the world returned to its normal pace. Richard accelerated the motorcycle just as the guards began to fire. He didn't know if they were real bullets or some kind of tranquilizer darts, but he didn't stay to find out.
The motorcycle roared through the hangar's exit ramp and plunged into the desert at full speed. Richard could see through the rearview mirror that several vehicles were being prepared to pursue him, but he had a slight advantage.
As he moved away from the facility, Richard felt Emily's amulet vibrating intensely against his chest, almost as if it were guiding him. Following his instinct, he swerved sharply toward a rock formation that seemed impenetrable, but which surprisingly revealed a narrow passage once he approached.
The passage became increasingly narrow, until the motorcycle could barely advance. Finally, Richard had to abandon it and continue on foot, entering a natural stone labyrinth that seemed to change around him.
Exhausted, without mana, and disoriented, Richard finally stopped in a small cave, where he collapsed to the ground, breathing heavily. The chest in his backpack seemed to vibrate in unison with the amulet, as if the two objects were communicating.
[**Mission partially completed: You have escaped from your captors**]
[**Warning: The Veil Society is looking for you**]
[**New mission available: Find a safe place to recover and open the Guardian's Chest**]
[**Time limit: 36 hours**]
Richard took out the chest and examined it again. Now that he was far from the suppression seals, he could feel its energy more clearly. This small object, for which he had risked so much, held secrets that entire organizations wished to possess.
As he caught his breath, he decided to send a message to the only person he felt he could trust now:
**Richard:** *Emily, I'm in trouble. There are people after the amulet and after me. I think you know more than you told me. Please, I need answers.*
The response came almost instantly:
**Emily:** *Stay hidden. I'm on my way with Jake and Elliot. My grandmother wasn't just "superstitious" as I led you to believe. She was a Guardian. And I think you are one too.*
Richard looked at the screen in amazement, then at the chest in his hands, and finally at the desert stretching beyond the cave. The truth he had been seeking seemed increasingly close, but also more dangerous.
The adventure was no longer about a simple academic mystery. It had become a race for his life, for answers that could change his understanding of the world, and for a power that seemed to be awakening both within him and around him.
And according to the system, he had only 36 hours to discover what it all meant before the Veil Society found him again.