Chapter 14: The Sanctuary of Forgotten Time
The air was thick with the scent of damp earth and something ancient—something untouched for eons. Kiran, Aadhya, Barry, and Unit 37 stood at the edge of a sprawling ruin, staring at towering stone structures that stretched toward the sky. Glowing symbols pulsed faintly on the walls, their meaning unknown.
Aadhya ran her fingers along the carvings. "This place… it feels different. Like it's alive."
Barry, still clutching the now-dimmed crystal, nodded. "It should. This is the Sanctuary of Forgotten Time—a place that exists outside the normal flow of history. It was designed to store knowledge that the universe itself has forgotten."
Kiran folded his arms. "And how exactly do you know that?"
Barry smirked. "I read a lot."
Kiran groaned. "Of course you do."
Unit 37's eyes flickered as it scanned the surroundings. "There is no record of this location in any known database. It exists beyond conventional space-time."
Aadhya exhaled. "So we're in some kind of hidden library of the universe?"
Barry nodded. "More than just a library. This place holds things that should have been erased. Secrets that no one was meant to find."
Kiran frowned. "Like what?"
Barry's smirk faded. "Let's find out."
---
The Hall of Echoes
They walked cautiously through the ruins, stepping over broken stone slabs covered in strange symbols. The deeper they went, the quieter everything became. The sound of the wind disappeared. Even their footsteps felt muffled, as if the very air absorbed noise.
Then, they saw it—a vast chamber lined with floating crystal tablets, suspended in mid-air, glowing faintly. Each one hummed with an eerie energy.
Barry approached the nearest one. As he reached out, the crystal flickered, and a voice echoed through the chamber.
"The fall of the Astral Kingdom… the betrayal of the First Oracle… the birth of the Unseen One..."
The words sent shivers down Kiran's spine.
"What the hell was that?" he muttered.
Barry exhaled. "A memory. This place doesn't store books—it stores moments in time."
Aadhya frowned. "And what exactly is an 'Unseen One'?"
Barry shook his head. "That's what we're going to find out."
---
The Keeper Appears
Before they could investigate further, a deep rumble echoed through the chamber.
Something was waking up.
From the shadows, a massive figure emerged. At first, it looked human—draped in tattered robes of shifting colors. But as it stepped closer, its features became wrong. Its face was blurred, as if reality itself couldn't fully define it.
Then, it spoke.
"Outsiders. You tread upon forbidden ground."
Kiran instinctively reached for his weapon, but Barry stopped him.
"Wait," Barry whispered. "This is the Keeper."
The entity turned its shifting gaze toward Barry. "You know of me."
Barry nodded. "You guard the lost knowledge of the universe."
The Keeper was silent for a moment, then said, "And yet you seek to take it."
Barry took a slow step forward. "Not to take. To understand."
The chamber pulsed with an unseen force.
"Knowledge is power. Power is danger. Those who came before you sought the same. They are gone."
Kiran clenched his fists. "Then why keep the knowledge here at all?"
The Keeper turned toward him. "Because even the forgotten must be remembered."
Aadhya took a deep breath. "Then let us remember."
Silence.
Then, the crystals in the chamber began to glow brighter.
The Keeper raised a hand. "One trial. Succeed, and you may glimpse what has been lost. Fail, and you will become part of the forgotten."
Kiran swallowed hard. "Why do these things always come with a trial?"
Barry grinned. "Because the universe loves a good challenge."
The chamber trembled. The trial had begun.
To Be Continued…