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Chapter 53 – Temples of the Forgotten
When Fin opened his eyes again, he was no longer in the rattling, rune-bound carriage.
Instead, he stood barefoot in a realm untouched by time or logic.
The air was weightless.
The ground beneath her feet glowed with swirling celestial runes, hovering just above a pool of infinite stars. Vast galaxies spun around her ankles like tame fireflies. he could feel each one breathing—alive with stories, screams, and silence.
Seven robed figures floated in a perfect circle around her. Their faces were hidden by endless light, but their presence was overwhelming—as though he stood before thoughts older than gods.
For a long time, none of them spoke.
Then, the one at his direct front leaned forward.
"We meet again, One said."
Fin blinked. "I… I remember this place. I can't believe am here again."
"No," another corrected in a whispery voice, neither male nor female. "You only brushed the veil. This… is the True Crossing. Only few walk here twice."
" Am still not convinced why you picked me?" Fin asked, his voice dry and cracked. "I'm not some chosen warrior. I'm just your average kid who makes a living from stealing or killing. A survivor."
"And that," said a third, "is why you are worthy."
The circle shifted, the figures trading positions fluidly as if their very identities warped with movement.
"You seek ....," said the first again. "You seek the Relics of Creation. The shards that remain after the destruction of the Divine Layer."
Fin nodded. "Yes. For Asher. My new lord told me to get it. To fight Lysar… and if I don't my mom will be in danger."
A fourth voice spoke, deeper and vibrating like thunder. "The Relics are not simple stones, child. They are not weapons or treasures. They are truth. Memories of the world before logic ruled."
The first figure raised an arm, and the realm darkened.
Above Fin's head, a celestial map unfolded—an infinite canvas of constellations, glowing lines forming the outlines of seven massive continents.
Each continent was marked by a unique rune, pulsing like a heartbeat.
"These are the lands you must walk," the figure intoned. "And in each, lies a Temple of the Forgotten. Hidden. Sacred. Alive."
Fin's eyes locked onto the glowing marks.
"Where are these temples?"
The map zoomed in, revealing glimpses of strange terrains: icy ridges, floating islands, sunken deserts, even underwater fortresses.
"They are scattered across the world," the second figure said softly. "Each temple was built to house a Relic of Origin. No two are alike. Each one is protected by Trials—not traps, but manifestations of your own truth."
Fin frowned. "So we have to pass tests?"
"More than tests," a fifth voice answered. "The Temples are sentient. They speak in riddles, bend the mind, shape illusions from your memories, regrets, sins."
"And if what if I fail?"
"You do not die," one said coldly. "You are forgotten. The Temple erases you from time. From memory. Not even your own blood would know you ever lived."
Fin stiffened. "Then how will we know when we're near one of these temples?"
The hooded figure directly before him stepped forward. The shadows on their robes shifted like ink in water.
"You will feel it. A tremor in your soul. A pull in your thoughts. When you are close, the Temple will whisper to you. Its relic will call."
"Only the chosen can hear it," said the sixth figure. "You may be sleeping. Eating. Fighting. But when the time is right, you will stop and feel it—like a memory that doesn't belong to you."
Fin looked back at the map. "There are seven continents. Does that mean there are seven temples?"
"Yes," said the seventh for the first time. His voice was chilling and ancient. "There are more. Some temples are buried beneath others. Some drift in dimensions forgotten by gods. But the first seven are the keys. Awaken them, and the rest will follow."
Fin exhaled, trying to memorize the locations.
One temple was hidden in the Ashen North dominated by few vampire nomads, buried under a mountain of frozen corpses.
Another rested in the Whispering Reef, an underwater realm filled with breathing coral and dream-walkers.
A third shimmered inside the Mirror Forest, where every tree reflected your greatest regrets.
"Who built these temples?" he asked.
A heavy silence followed.
Then, the first figure spoke. "We did. In a time before kingdoms. Before bloodlines. Before even the stars knew how to shine."
"You were gods?" Fin asked, eyes widening.
"No," said the second. "We were the beginnings who glimpsed the truth. We were broken by it. Remade by it. Then, we sealed it away so the world could pretend."
Fin felt his knees wobble under the weight of that truth.
"And now," continued the third, "the time has come to unseal it. The parasites—like the one within the demon realm—have begun to awaken. They seek the temples. They want the relics. But not to protect the world…"
"…to consume it," the last finished.
A shadowy flame ignited in the center of their circle. It hovered, crackling with white and gold embers.
"You must find them before they do."
Fin took a step forward. "What happens if I collect all seven?"
"The same thing that happens when a river meets the sea," one of them said cryptically. "The world will change. It will either be born again…"
"…or die forever."
The flame began to shrink, dimming the map above.
"Wait," Fin called out, desperation rising. "Can I take anything from here? Anything to help us?"
The figures exchanged glances. Then, the fourth stepped forward and extended their arm.
In their hand was a ring—simple, silver, engraved with ever-shifting runes.
"This is the Seal of Echo. It will resonate when you are near a temple. It will burn when danger is near. But most of all, it will allow you to whisper to us when the veil is thin."
Fin took it slowly. The moment his fingers touched it, the ring latched onto his hand, vanishing into his skin like a brand. he gasped, but felt no pain.
"Do not abuse it," the voice warned. "Speak only when the moment matters."
Then, the entire realm began to shake.
"Wait! Just one more thing!" Fin shouted.
The seventh figure turned slowly. "Yes, child?"
"Who… or what… is inside the demon realm?"
The answer came from all of them at once—seven voices layered like crashing waves.
"The Firstborn Lie."
Fin's breath caught.
Before he could ask more, the stars folded inward. The platform cracked. Light swallowed everything.
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Back to the Carriage
His eyes snapped open.
Selena jumped. "Fin! You're back!"
Asher leaned forward from across the carriage. "What did you see?"
Fin sat up, heart racing, forehead drenched in sweat. His hand trembled as he clutched his,chest.
"Wonders.... It was heavenly."
he looked down. The ring now shimmered faintly on her finger.
"There are temples… across every continent. Living temples. Guarding relics tied to something ancient… something terrifying."
Asher narrowed his eyes. "Did they tell you how to find them?"
Fin nodded. "I'll feel them. The ring will guide us. But…"
He looked up.
"We're in a race. Their are some demons after the relic's … Their a vessel for something called the Firstborn Lie."
Asher's expression darkened.
Selena leaned back, visibly shaken. "What… what kind of name is that?"
"One," Asher whispered, "that belongs to the kind of being that are not supposed to exist but force their self into existence …" Repeating what the demon told him.
He looked at the horizon, where the Vampire Continent awaited, hidden in mist and dusk.
"THEY ARE BEING WHO HAVE NO CREATORS AND REFUSES TO GO EXTINCT." Stee'zz concluded.
Meanwhile the Order of Existence remained behind in the realm beyond realms, the Circle of Stars sealed from mortal perception. Watching Fin from above.
The silence in that void of splendid light was heavy, sacred.
Until the Seventh, the one with the oldest voice—the one who had last spoken the name Firstborn Lie—broke it again.
"Should we have told him the full truth."
The First lowered his hood slowly. His face was ancient and worn like stone carved by time, his eyes like black stars with molten gold pupils.
"he is not yet ready."
The Second, a tall, limber figure wrapped in silk-like shadow, stepped toward the center of the circle.
"The boy, Asher… he's not merely bonded to Stee'zz. He is being woven by him."
The Fifth clenched their fingers tightly behind their back, frustration leaking into their voice.
"Stee'zz is not a servant. He is not like the lower demons bound in blood rituals. He is a survivor of the Collapse. He once fought beside the Firstborn Lie before turning on him. That kind of mind…" the figure paused. "…will never bow. Not truly."
The Third scoffed. "Perhaps. But for now, he aids the boy. He has given him strength, knowledge, memories beyond human understanding. That cannot be ignored."
The Sixth turned toward the others, her voice clear and calculating. "And when the moment comes, Stee'zz will want to consume the relics… or worse, become one."
The Seventh remained quiet for a long time before speaking.
"The Seal on Stee'zz is failing. Slowly. Each time Asher uses gravity beyond his own limit, Stee'zz learns more. Grows more."
The Second leaned on their staff. "The truth, then, is that Stee'zz is only pretending to serve. He watches. He waits."
The Fourth—the youngest among them—shifted uneasily. "So why not we warn Fin? he was strong enough to walk here. he saw the map. he survived the Echo."
The First's expression darkened. "Because if he knew now… How would he would act."
A projection of Fin appeared between them, a silhouette of starlight echoing his spirit.
"he would make the mistake of warning Asher. And the demon would know."
The Third added quietly, "And if the demon knows we see him as a threat, he will… react. He will isolate Asher. Or worse… push him further down the path of dependence."
A long silence followed.
Then, the Sixth said: "But we cannot delay this forever. he must kill Stee'zz eventually. It is the only way the world will be free from imbalance."
The Seventh raised his hand slowly. "Yes. But he will not be ready until he understands the difference between saving someone, sacrificing another …" his eyes burned with ancient fire "…and killing every other."
The Fourth seemed to shudder. "That day may come too late."
The First nodded. "Then let us prepare him. Train his mind. Guide his steps. Let him grow alongside the relics. When he has seen what the demons are willing to do to the world… then he will understand the necessity."
The Second asked, "And if he doesn't?"
The Seventh answered with steel in his voice. "Then we will choose another and he will have to face the consequences."
The circle grew still again, each member lost in the weight of fate and prophecy.
A new projection formed—Asher's face, youthful yet etched by scars of experience and wrath. His expression was distant, unreadable, like a storm held in stasis.
The Fourth broke the silence once more.
"He is not evil."
"No," the First agreed. "But he is broken. And demons always build their empires on the broken."
"Will he fight back?" asked the Sixth.
The Seventh stepped closer to the projection.
"He already does. Every time he hesitates. Every time he saves someone instead of destroying them. That is his rebellion."
"But for how long?" the Fifth muttered.
The Third's shadow lengthened across the celestial floor.
"For now, Stee'zz is hiding. Observing. The moment we tip the balance… the real war begins."
The First raised his hand once more.
Light returned.
The galaxy around them spun faster, and with a final unified word, they sealed their meeting.
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