Ten years ago:
"Whee!" Young Damian exclaims in excitement as he's seen playing a game of catch with his Dad, Professor Basil in the backyard, laughter echoing through the open expanse as the ball soared through the air. It was a pure bliss of father and son bonding as the two goes back and forth that is, until a black tesla cyber truck pulls up by the fence line.
Both father and son paused, exchanging curious glances as the car door swung open, two figures emerged—a man and a woman both dressed in black suit attire, their expression unreadable. Professor Basil, now focused on the two figure, shielded his eyes from sunlight to get a better view of them. Damian, the son, stood by his side, clutching the ball with anticipation.
With a purposeful stride, the visitor made their way towards the father and son. Professor Basil's brow furrowed slightly, a mix of curiosity and caution flickering across his body language. He soon squats over to Damian's height telling him to stay still while he handles things with guest.
And as the guest drew closer, he also approaches them in a polite but wary manner, stopping few feet away. Damian, still wondering the reason for the sudden intrusion in his play time watched and listened intently, his curiosity piqued by the mysterious conversation unfolding.
After what seemed like an eternity, the visitors concludes their discussion, handing a document to the father who accepts it with a solemn but sad nod. Damian witnessing the whole conversation, watched how the visitor turned to take their leave, their car pulling away from the fence line and disappearing down the road.
"Damian!" A female voice calls out, dragging his attention over to his mother who spite the environment with the warmth and aroma of her freshly baked pie.
"Friends from work I presume?" She asked, walking over to her husband.
"Federal agents." He said, motioning to the envelope in his hand.
"Turns out they found a mysterious monastery back at Samothrace and they were recruiting archeologist with deciphering skills." He tells his wife with a sad look.
"That means you'll be traveling?" She questioned.
"Sadly yes, and it has to be tomorrow." He replied, turning over to young Damian who has a rather curious look on his face.
The afternoon sun washes away from the sky, paving way for the evening sky. The night would pass on, leaving us with a clear and bright morning sky (an endless blue canvas untouched by clouds, as far as the eyes could meet). Like the early bird setting out to find a worm, Professor Basil sets out for work, bidding farewell to his wife, leaving with promises to return swiftly. But before leaving, he urges young Damian to mind his mom in his absence. Then with a pat on the head he turns to leave.
The scenes would later shift to Samothrace island main dock, 'THE SANCTUARY OF THE GREAT GODS.' Where we see a small group waiting by the shoreline, their expression etched with impatient and concern, the leader, a female federal agent dressed in a gray suit glanced at her watch for what felt like the hundredth time.
"He's late." She tells, her voice carrying a hint of anger and frustration.
"We can't afford any more delay." Another of the agent informs, his eyes scanning the horizon for any sign of arrival.
"We have no option but to wait, after all, Professor Basil research is crucial to this operation." Agent Gabriella, leader of the research party remind the group.
Just then a low Hum! Reverberated through the air as a small cargo ship emerges from the mist, arriving at the dock only a few minutes later. The ship's arrival seems to herald a sense of relief mixed with heightened urgency among the agents. As the ship ramp lower to shore, figures began to emerge from within. Among them a man stood out, Professor Basil- a scholarly figure with a determined stride. His presence seems to command respect, as we see in the brisk efficiency with which the federal agents welcomes him.
"Professor basil, good to see you." Agent Gabriella steps forward, extending her hand towards him.
"Apologies for the delay. The journey was longer than anticipated." He explained, taking the handshake.
"We're just glad you made it." She replies, her tone conveying a mixture of relief and urgency.
"Time is of the essence. Let's brief you on the situation at hand on the way to the runes." Agent Gabriella insists, leading the team away from the shore.
As they walked away from the shore line, the conversation turned serious, voice lowering as they discussed the significance of the archeological site they were about to explore. They brief him on their new findings, a mysterious temple hidden away in the deeps of the runes. She goes further explaining that the entrance is sealed, and how the walls of the runes contains a foreign inscription they believe holds the key to unlocking the temple. And more importantly the chaos at the other side of the monastery.
It wasn't long before they arrived at the rune, going through a cave that lead to an underground tunnel. Within this tunnel, different glowing stones unlike any on earth could be seen present lighting the way down the tunnel. Some miners could be seen at the scene mining for these precious stone. They took a straight road down for what seemed like forever before arriving at the entrance to the temple. Towering before them was a massive door blocking the entrance to the temple. Yet behind it a sight scene that tell you the end of the world is approaching.
Professor Basil paid little attention to this as they walked towards the entrance of the monastery.
"Intriguing, I must say. This language, test and characters, they're like nothing I've seen before and trust me when I say I know every foreign and ancient language that has ever existed but this, this is something new." Looking around, Professor Basil notices the foreign inscription they talked about as he trails it down to the massive door.
"Ever tried mining through the walls to bypass the massive door?" He asks, a hint of sarcasm in his voice.
"Yup, we've tried that. However, the wall proved immune to anything we could throw at it. And also, we don't want to risk damaging runes text when we know nothing about it." One of the agents replied.
"Well, that's enough sightseeing for now, let's get you settled in." Agent Gabriella cuts in, walking away from the scene with everyone following behind. But just as Professor Basil was about leaving, he stops to notices something odd about the door's interior design but shrugs it off, following the team from behind.
.
.
.
As the month went by, Professor Basil would make progress on his work that would eventually lead him back to the massive door. Staring at it, he couldn't denial the feeling of familiarity the crest on the door's interior design brought to his mind.
He once again stood before the massive door staring and studying it intensively. His eyes locked on the crest as he tries to recall where he's seen it before. However, nothing comes to mind. It was a symbol of a box with the shape of the sun embalmed into it, an arch bridge slightly above the edges.
"Where have I seen this before?" He thought to himself, stepping backwards to get a better view at the door.
He then looks away briefly turning his attention to the runes on the wall as he trails it back to the door. Only this time, he runs his hands through it.
"Judging by the shape and structure, these arch bridge looks out of place." He said reaching for the arch bridge, trying to correct the error. With intense applied force, the arch bridge twist, causing a chain reaction that causes the sun emblem to rotate before the door slides open, to reveal another part of the runes bearing a similar resemblance to an ancient monastery.
He stood at the threshold of the newly discovered chamber, his hand hesitating over the cool surface of the partially revealed door. The sight before him was both awe-inspiring and daunting—a hidden monastery preserved within the depths of the earth, waiting to unveil its secrets to those daring enough to enter.
The air felt heavy with history as he took a deep breath, trying to shake off the feeling of apprehension that gripped him. With a resolve that masked his inner doubts, he steps forward, his footsteps echoing in the air. The entrance to the monastery loomed before him like a portal to another world—a world untouched by the passage of centuries.
The interior of the monastery opens up into a vast chamber, where shafts of light filtered through glowing rocks attached to the wall like a torch, illuminating the dust motes suspended in the air. The remnants of an altar draped in cobwebs, and the faded murals that adorned the walls.
He moved cautiously, looking around. Each step brought him closer to the heart of the monastery where he notices the same crest imprinted around the alter. But sitting on the alter was a certain box artifact, untouched by dust or cobwebs. It was the same box crested on the door and heart of the monastery.
With a mixture of trepidation and determination, he reached out to touch the box, but at that moment it hit him, it was a few years back when he had visited his mother in-law, he came across a certain book with the same crest on the front cover. When he had tried to read it, he was stopped by his mother in-law who told him the book holds secret of her family's heritage, and him not being a direct descendant of her family, he had no rights to open it.
With this revelation, it dawned on him that he was now looking at the family crest belonging to his wife side of the family.