บท 364: The Temple of Events
Charlie had heard whispers of the Aval Alliance long before he reached Krafal, but seeing them in action was something else. On his first day in the city, he had witnessed them clashing with one of the local powers. The confrontation had been tense, the air thick with hostility, and from what Charlie overheard, the conflict revolved around something connected to the temple.
That day, he had stood back, watching from the shadows while the two groups traded veiled threats and sharp words. It was clear that the Aval Alliance was no pushover. Their determination was evident in the way they carried themselves, and the look in their leader's eyes suggested they wouldn't stop until they claimed whatever opportunity the temple offered.
[TL Note - The fight in the alley???]
Even now, as Charlie strolled through the bustling market outside the temple, their name lingered in his thoughts.
While he was deep in thought, a nearby vendor's voice interrupted his musings. The man was loudly explaining something to his customers, his words punctuated by exaggerated hand gestures.
"It's all rumors!" the vendor declared. "I'm telling you, it's the Second Alliance of Krafal hosting the meeting, not Aval! Their leader is the one with the key to the temple. That's what everyone's saying. The news only leaked recently, but I heard he's had it for years!"
Before Charlie could process this new information, another vendor stepped up, his expression skeptical.
"Come on, man," the newcomer said, crossing his arms. "If the leader of the Second Alliance already had the key, why wouldn't he just study the temple's secrets on his own? Why waste time holding some big meeting and inviting half the planet? Doesn't make sense."
The first vendor huffed, clearly annoyed. "You don't get it. The key isn't enough on its own! From what I hear, Aval has another piece of the puzzle. Without it, the Second Alliance can't unlock the full secret. The leader probably got as far as he could and realized he needed Aval's help to go any further. That's why he's calling in outside forces. He's trying to force Aval's hand!"
The second vendor frowned, rubbing his chin thoughtfully. "Okay, but if that's the case, why not just negotiate with Aval directly? Why bring in so many outsiders?"
"That…" The first vendor hesitated, his confidence faltering. After a moment, he shrugged. "Look, I'm just a vendor. Big players like him have their reasons. I don't pretend to understand their politics. All I know is that my information is solid."
The second vendor snorted. "Sure it is."
The two men began bickering, their voices growing louder and more animated, but it was clear to Charlie that neither of them had any real answers. Their conversation was nothing more than speculation, and he had no time to waste on baseless rumors.
He moved on, weaving through the crowded market with practiced ease. The air was filled with the sounds of haggling merchants, the clinking of coins, and the occasional shout of a frustrated customer. Stalls lined both sides of the street, their colorful awnings fluttering in the breeze. The vendors sold everything from fresh produce to intricate trinkets, but the most popular items by far were maps and guides to the temple.
Charlie paused at a few stalls, examining the goods on display. Each map claimed to hold the key to navigating the temple's labyrinthine corridors, but they were wildly different from one another. Some were detailed and precise, while others were little more than rough sketches.
He purchased copies of everything he could find, using the star coins he had looted from the Cantel camp. After scanning the maps into his armor's AI system, he discarded the physical copies. He had no intention of relying on them anyway—they were just raw data for Aya to analyze.
The temple itself loomed in the distance, a massive structure that dominated the landscape. At first glance, it appeared to be a grand and ancient building, its towering spires and intricate carvings hinting at untold secrets. But as Charlie drew closer, he realized the truth.
The outer structure was a façade, built by later generations to conceal the temple's true entrance. Beneath the ornate stonework and gilded arches lay a simple hole in the ground, dark and unassuming.
Charlie descended into the hole, his armor's boots making soft thuds against the stone floor. The air grew cooler as he moved deeper, the faint sounds of the market fading behind him.
The temple was unlike anything he had ever seen.
No one knew exactly how long it had been there. It was older than the cities, older than the stars that lit the sky above Krafal, and perhaps even older than the very people who now roamed the astral plane. When it was first discovered, it had appeared as a series of scattered holes—some large, some small, some close together, and others miles apart.
Each hole was an entrance, but no two led to the same place.
The temple's size was beyond comprehension. Countless explorers had tried to measure it over the years, but their efforts always fell short. Some claimed it was as large as a city, while others argued it was closer to the size of a small moon. What made it truly unique, however, was its constant motion.
The temple was alive—or at least, that was how it seemed. Its corridors shifted and changed without warning, rearranging themselves in an endless dance. Even entering through the same doorway twice didn't guarantee the same path.
It reminded Charlie of the ruins discovered on Earth years ago. Those ruins, too, had been in motion, but they were nothing compared to this. If the ruins on Earth were a small, clockwork toy, this temple was a colossal machine—a Transformer of unimaginable scale.
Despite its chaotic nature, the temple wasn't entirely uncharted. Generations of explorers had dedicated their lives to understanding its movements, creating navigation plans that allowed others to traverse its halls with relative safety.
Charlie had scanned these plans into his AI, but he didn't need to study them himself. Aya, the advanced AI from the Green Lantern Corps, had already analyzed the data and synthesized it into a cohesive strategy.
Her guidance was flawless.
As Charlie moved deeper into the temple, his helmet's display lit up with a clear path forward. Arrows and markers appeared on the screen, guiding him through the shifting corridors with ease. It was almost too simple, like following a GPS on a quiet country road.
The walls around him were made of a smooth, black stone that seemed to absorb light. Strange symbols glowed faintly in the darkness, their meaning lost to time. The air was heavy with a sense of history, as if the temple itself was watching him, waiting to see what he would do next.
Suddenly, a faint noise caught his attention. Voices echoed through the halls, growing louder with each step.
Charlie slowed his pace, his hand hovering near the weapon at his side. He didn't know who—or what—he was about to encounter, but he wasn't about to be caught off guard.
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