The Nightkeeper temple was in a severe state of disrepair.
Moss covered every inch of stone pillars that had been chipped away and weathered. Chunks of brick were strewn across the ground and overgrown by brush. Ivy was creeping up every vertical structure.
The place looked like it had been abandoned for a hundred years, rather than 15.
Ophelia walked up the cracked stone steps, stopping in a large archway that marked the entrance to the ruined building.
"My Lady," Argus called after her, "should we discuss who shall be going in, and who shall be staying outside?"
"I-if it's alright with you, my Lady, I would rather not go in." Said Siyah, and Beyah nodded her head rapidly in agreement.
"That is acceptable." She turned to Pandarus: "Any Nightspawn near us?"
"No," He replied, "in fact, our entire trip from the town to this temple, I did not spot a single one. It's pretty off-putting."
"It sounds like we will be safe. Can you fight?"
He raised an eyebrow at her question, then he thrust his hand forward. A long dagger fashioned out of bone appeared in his hand.
"As long as Dokkebi fights with me, I can easily pull my own weight in combat."
"That knife…" Ophelia said, "It is a Cursed Numen, is it not?"
"Yes. It was made from the bones of a certain Elysium animal. I'm sure you know what I am referring to."
"Yes." She said.
"It doesn't bother you, my lady? I would assume you would think it blasphemy, coming from Elysium yourself."
"No, it does not," She replied. "I want you and your creature to come with us into the temple." She then turned to look at Argus. "You stay with my maidservants and protect our items."
"Understood, my lady."
"Dread, you shall come with us."
"Do I have to?" He said.
"Yes. I order you to protect the girl and make sure she does not get lost." Mathew sighed as he felt the contract activating, while the impulse to protect Era Belle with his life was drilled into his body.
"I was going to do that anyway." He muttered and kicked a loose piece of stone, sending it skittering across the ground.
"The matter is settled," Ophelia said. "Let us all go inside together."
Pandarus held out his arm, and Dokkebi flew over to perch on it. He looked at Ophelia, and she nodded in confirmation.
"My lady, take this lamp," Argus said, handing the oil lamp to her.
"W-wait… Don't leave us in the dark…" Siyah protested.
"Worry not. I shall build a fire for all of us." Argus soothed.
That was the last Mathew heard of their discussion before he entered the temple.
Upon entering the temple, all noise from the outside was silenced. The conversation, the sound of wind and rustling leaves; none of it reached his ears.
Dokkebi made a few panicked chirping sounds, and Pandarus hushed him.
"What in the world…" Mathew said, his voice echoing in the large entry chamber.
"That is quite strange." Said Pandarus.
"You know, you have been saying that a lot lately, and it's making me nervous. Aren't you supposed to be our guide?"
Pandarus chuckled.
"Well, I have run into more strange occurrences traveling with your lot than I have in all the last few years." He said.
"That doesn't make me feel any better."
"Dread, cease your complaints," Ophelia ordered, which activated the contract. Mathew found it aggravating, as complaining helped him deal with his anxiety. He knew his strange body could take unnatural levels of damage and be fine later, but there was so little he knew about this world.
He didn't even know what he should be prepared for.
Everyone in his group seemed just as clueless as him, despite being native to this world. That is, everyone except one.
"Girl, it is time for you to guide us. I am looking for an iron door, with a large golden mechanism on it."
"Yes, I recall the place you are speaking of. I will lead you there." Era Belle walked forward to the middle of the chamber and began tapping her foot on the ground. It lasted for about five minutes.
Just when Mathew was going to ask if she had lost her mind, one of the stones she touched pressed down into the ground with a click.
A grinding sound echoed through the room as a large portion of the floor opened up, revealing steep stairs leading downward.
"It's this way." Said Era Belle. Ophelia and Pandarus headed down without a word of discussion.
Mathew went next, but as he made it to the first step, his contract compelled him to offer his hand to Era Belle. She hesitated for a moment, but then obliged, grasping his hand in hers.
As soon as their skin made contact, she jerked her hand away, and he grabbed his own hand in agony.
"So Cold!" He shouted
"So Hot!" She yelped at the exact same time.
He regarded her with suspicion and saw an expression that was a mixture of surprise and curiosity on her face. It was the most emotion he had seen from her so far.
"What is up with you? That was excruciating… like my fingers were going to freeze right off. Are you made of liquid nitrogen or something?"
"I don't know what that is." She said. "I thought my hand was going to catch fire… How can you be so hot, and not give off smoke?"
"Well, whatever is going on, let's avoid making physical contact again for now."
"Alright."
"How about you just walk in front of me, and I protect you from behind?" She nodded and began heading down the stairs.
"Dread! What in the goddess's name are you doing?" Ophelia yelled from down below.
"We're coming." He called back. The two of them arrived at the bottom and were met with Ophelia's glare.
"You are too slow." She complained. He sighed in response, throwing his hands up in the air. Then Ophelia turned to Era Belle. "Forward?"
"Yes." She replied.
The group continued onward, with Era Belle guiding them. Every time they made it to a crossroads, she would tell them which direction to go.
The entire adventure through the labyrinth, Dokkebi was surprisingly docile, making not a single chirp.
After a while, Mathew realized it would have been a nightmare to go down there without her.
He felt a satisfaction in the fact that he was continuously proved right in his choice to save the girl, though he wished Ophelia was also bothered by the fact that the person she wanted to abandon had turned out to be useful.
He shook himself. That line of questioning was selfish. He couldn't let his own spite taint his desire to save someone.
While going down a particularly long stretch of hallway, he asked Era Belle a question:
"How do you know the door you are leading us towards is the right one?"
"It is the only door that matches the description I was given… It is also the only door in this labyrinth."
"Really? This whole Labyrinth was built to protect a single room?"
"We used to play down here all the time, and when we were told to stop, we asked why it was so dangerous. The answer given was that we could be lost down here. But that wasn't true. We came across a strange door, one that was supposed to be sealed. My mother told me it was never to be opened, and doing so would endanger us all."
"Is that right?" Mathew asked. "Here that, Ophelia? Trying to get that thing you want is dangerous."
"That is why I asked you to protect the girl, Dread," Ophelia replied back.
"Yeah, Yeah. Whatever you say, mistress."
"The door is just around this corner." Said Era Belle.
And so it was. It was a large iron door without a handle, most likely one that could be pushed inward. Attached to the door was a large, round device made of gold that reminded Mathew of a sundial.
"Hey, I've seen one of those before. There was one at my temple." He said.
"A Sigillum," Ophelia said. "A sealing device."
"So it keeps the door locked?" He said.
"More or less," said Pandarus. "A Sigillum is a special Blessing that was mass-created by the Elysium god of protection. The wielder attaches the device to anything that can be perceived as a 'portal' or container', then they assign a pass-phrase, and the device seals what it's attached to. This makes it nearly impossible to open without knowing the pass-phrase."
He rubbed his chin in thought, then continued:
"Very powerful Numens can also break Sigillums, but most things made by the god of protection are notoriously difficult to damage."
"Then how are we going to open it? Do we need to go get Argus?"
"There is no need of that," Ophelia said. "This door should open easily."
"But you guys just said—"
"Fifteen years ago, almost every blessing created by the god of protection weakened significantly, or ceased to work completely. We do not know the cause, but because of this, some of the most secure vaults in the world became obsolete."
To prove her point, she reached out and pushed against the door. It swung inward with little resistance.
"Huh. Well, I do vaguely recall being told the one of my temple wasn't working right, or something." Mathew admitted.
What really could be the cause? Was the protection god intentionally letting his creations fail?
He quieted his mind as they entered the room before them. It was large and round, and in the center was a surprisingly bright light source.
A large podium stood in the center of the room, and resting on it was a peculiar-looking lantern.
Its ornate outer frame was pitch black, the glass case was clear, and within it was a brilliant magenta flame that seemed to be burning without any candle or oil of any kind to fuel it.
It had to be what they were looking for. Mathew could tell in an instant that it was some kind of powerful blessing, and more than that, the strange pink flame was familiar to him.
"What is that on the other side of the room?" Asked Pandarus, directing everyone's attention with his finger. There appeared to be some kind of human-sized box set vertically against the wall made of transparent crystal.
"I guess it wouldn't hurt to go look?" Mathew said as they all stepped fully into the room. Immediately, the door slammed shut behind them. Mathew heard the sound of a locking mechanism activating. "That can't be good."
Dokkebi made a series of low growling sounds, seeming distressed.
3 Large sections of the wall around the room opened up, much like the floor had when it revealed the stairs in the entry chamber.
Out of each opening emerged terrifying creatures Mathew hadn't seen before.
And each one looked strangely like him.