A vast chamber opened up before them—majestic, yet terrifying. Boiling magma hissed and spat sparks from a massive pit in the center, casting wild, flickering light across the coarse, craggy walls. From five sides of the room, melted snow dripped in narrow streams like sacred springs, collecting in a pool that looked as though it had been crafted by divine hands.
"This… is another miracle I can't begin to comprehend," Robb whispered, his eyes wide, unblinking, lost in the beauty that defied all logic.
"I never imagined a place this grand could exist… inside the heart of a mountain," Vuuxi murmured, awe in his voice.
Amid the bursts of magma that pierced the darkness, shadows clung to several corners of the room, thick and untouched.
"We've arrived… This is where Emperor Brovon was said to have meditated," Vuuxi said, scanning the space with alert eyes.
Robb narrowed his gaze. "But… there's no sign of anyone here. How are we supposed to find him?"
Without a word, Vuuxi pulled out a small igniter and lit a lamp.
Robb frowned. "Wait—why didn't you use that earlier?!"
Vuuxi just gave a faint smile. With the added light, they made their way down the stone steps toward a narrow altar in the middle of the room. More details came into focus—ancient carvings on the walls, worn stone pillars, and thick deposits of settled magma dust clinging to every corner.
"Looks like no one's been here for years," Robb muttered.
"I feel the same... But then, where is Emperor Brovon? Wasn't he supposed to be here?" Vuuxi furrowed his brow, the question echoing in his mind.
Suddenly, Robb spotted something. "A torch!" he exclaimed, lifting a wooden torch lying abandoned on the stone floor.
Quickly, he stepped toward the restless magma pit and lit the torch's tip. Fire flared to life, driving the shadows back as dancing shapes flickered across the walls.
The room revealed itself further—stalactites and stalagmites forged from hardened magma created jagged, towering forms, like nature's own haunting architecture.
Vuuxi ventured deeper, approaching a narrow corridor at the chamber's edge. His breath caught.
"Robb… He's here. Emperor Brovon." His voice was barely a whisper, a breeze of sound in the stillness.
Robb rushed to join him. The moment his eyes met the sight ahead, he froze.
Inside the narrow passage sat a man, cross-legged in eternal silence. His body had not decayed—preserved, as if caught mid-meditation. His face was calm, noble, dignified.
"Father… He looks so much like my father…" Robb murmured, eyes glassy with emotion.
Vuuxi gazed at the Emperor's body with reverence. "Even in death… the Emperor remained in meditation. This chamber must be nearly sterile—free of decay. His body remains intact, as if still alive."
Robb slowly shook his head, disbelief clouding his eyes. "Is that… even possible? A body that doesn't decompose? How?"
Vuuxi paused, then replied, "I once heard of a secret elixir… In Aeternum Vale, the elders were said to brew a formula to preserve the human body. But… I've never seen it with my own eyes. And never like this—alone."
Robb swallowed hard. "How could that be…?"
Vuuxi looked at him with a steady gaze. "Aeternum Vale is the most secretive place in all of Whiteheaven. They guard the mysteries of nature and power itself—knowledge not meant for just anyone."
Silence settled again.
Robb looked around the chamber, searching for something that should have been here. "I don't see anything… No trident. Nothing that shows he was an Emperor. Then… where do we find the Imperial Trident?"
After searching for a while, they found nothing remarkable in the grand room—nothing that marked an empire. The oppressive stillness was broken only by the occasional gurgle of magma from the pool at the far end.
"Not even a robe or an item linked to the Emperor..." Vuuxi sighed deeply, his voice hanging in the heavy air.
"Then how did he even get in here? With no supplies?" Robb frowned, confusion etched across his face.
"I've been wondering the same thing… Dressed like that? Or maybe… he threw everything into the magma?" Vuuxi stared into the bubbling pool, as if the answer might emerge from its depths.
"Looks like… we really won't find anything in this place!" Robb burst out in frustration, eyes scanning every shadow. He stormed toward the edge of the magma pool, trying to peer into it—but—
"There's nothing inside! Just four large stones, like… barriers?" Robb glanced back at Vuuxi, who was still inspecting the rough walls.
"I didn't find anything in the corridor either. Just sharp rock faces, crusted magma… and emptiness." Vuuxi wiped sweat from his brow.
"So we're not even going to find a single clue about the Emperor?" Robb sank to the ground, disappointment thick in his voice.
"Maybe not…" Vuuxi muttered, staring up at the chamber ceiling. "Perhaps the Emperor deliberately hid everything about his empire and himself… as part of his journey to moksha."
A deep silence fell between them. Only the occasional gurgle of magma broke the tension. Robb still searched desperately—anything that might offer a hint—while Vuuxi made his way to the other side of the room, where a glittering snowwater pool shimmered in the dim glow.
"There's nothing here either… Just this beautiful pool, carved from polished magma rock," Vuuxi called out, his voice echoing.
The water was pristine, reflecting the magma's fiery glow from afar. Curious, Robb drew his sword—Frostfang—and dipped its tip into the magma pool. He frowned, watching the four large stones remain utterly unmoved despite the heat and splashes.
Tick… tick… tick…Robb pierced the surface. A strange sound echoed. Like… something solid? Or maybe—"Robb! There's nothing here! We need to go back, now," Vuuxi called out, desperation lacing his voice."…Alright," Robb sighed, still clutching the torch in his hand.
They began retracing their steps toward the entrance corridor, but the darkness closed in quickly. The atmosphere turned suffocating. Occasionally, bursts of magma illuminated their faces in flashes of orange and red, dancing wildly against the stone walls.
"Robb…" Vuuxi suddenly stopped, eyes fixed on a carving etched into the wall. "I think… we can't leave.""What?" Robb stepped closer immediately.
"It says here: 'Vorth ekra zholm, nak vorth ekra thir. Zholm vek, nak nar vortha vek.'" Vuuxi frowned, then translated, "For every step forward, there is no step back. Look behind, but never return…"
"You mean…" Robb swallowed hard. "We're… trapped?"
"I'm not entirely sure… but there's clearly no exit formation here."
They tried everything—pushing, searching for seams, hidden levers—but there was nothing. No mechanism. No hope. They collapsed to the ground, worn and disheartened.
"We're out of food, Robb… And the water's gone too," Vuuxi said with growing concern."Water?" Robb suddenly perked up. "The pool! We can trace where the water flows!"Vuuxi stared at him in surprise. "What?! You're right! There must be an outlet!"
They dashed back to the snow-water pool—but something was off…
"This pool… it's never full?" Vuuxi ran his hand through the water. "No overflow, no stream… It's like the amount that melts matches exactly what vanishes."
"So… the water never overflows because the room's heat keeps the cycle in balance?" Robb murmured.
I have to be sure. Without hesitation, Vuuxi began stripping off his clothes."Hey! Have you lost your mind?! That water must be freezing!" Robb shouted, stunned."We're out of time," Vuuxi replied and leapt into the pool.
Robb gritted his teeth as he watched Vuuxi shiver, submerged chest-deep in icy water."I need to check if there's a hatch or something at the bottom… That magma pool should warm me up afterward."
Vuuxi dove, hands sweeping every edge of the basin, searching. But…"Nothing," he gasped, resurfacing and panting heavily.
Robb clenched his fists. "So… this is how we die?"
Vuuxi pulled himself out, trembling. He shuffled toward the magma pool to warm his body. Robb stood silently, jaw tight, eyes lost in thought.
Hours passed. They sat in silence, their hope slowly withering, surrounded by a stillness colder than the pool itself.