The ancient hall remained silent beneath pale blue flames.
Massive black pillars stretched endlessly upward into darkness while the colossal deity statue loomed over everyone like a forgotten god witnessing the return of humanity after centuries of silence.
No one moved.
No one dared.
The pressure radiating from the guardian alone had already surpassed anything most expedition members had experienced before.
It was not ordinary mana pressure.
It felt older.
Heavier.
Like standing before something that had survived entire civilizations.
The guardian quietly observed Kel after hearing his request.
And then—
He laughed again.
"Hahahahaha…"
The laughter echoed throughout the gigantic hall strangely.
Not entirely mad this time.
Amused.
Interested.
The pale blue flames surrounding the chamber flickered softly while the ancient entity slowly descended several steps from the base of the colossal statue.
His silver-black hair drifted unnaturally around him while glowing inscriptions moved faintly across his ceremonial robes like flowing stars.
"You truly are unusual."
The guardian's glowing eyes narrowed slightly.
"Most humans who enter ancient ruins seek only power."
His gaze slowly shifted toward several expedition members carrying treasure containers.
"Gold."
"Weapons."
"Artifacts."
Then he looked back toward Kel.
"But you…"
A faint smile formed.
"…seek history."
Several members of the expedition remained tense despite the calm conversation.
Hands still rested upon weapons.
Mages maintained active mana circulation.
Because no matter how polite the guardian sounded—
The atmosphere still felt terrifying.
Kel remained calm beneath the enormous deity statue.
Silent.
Still.
Then the guardian finally asked—
"What is your name, mortal?"
The question echoed softly through the ancient hall.
And for the first time since the conversation began—
Kel paused slightly.
Because names held weight.
Especially before ancient beings.
He could not reveal "Kel von Rosenfeld" here.
Too dangerous.
Too many witnesses.
Yet simultaneously—
Using "Heral" felt disrespectful somehow.
False.
Especially before a guardian who had protected this temple for centuries.
Sairen's soft voice echoed through the soul-link.
"…Careful."
Kel internally agreed.
The guardian continued watching him patiently.
Amused.
Curious.
Finally—
Kel answered calmly.
"I am merely a mortal."
The ancient guardian's smile widened slightly.
Kel continued softly—
"You may call me whatever name pleases you."
Silence followed briefly.
Then—
The guardian laughed once more.
Not mockingly.
Genuinely entertained.
"A nameless mortal…"
His glowing eyes sharpened slightly.
"…interesting."
The ancient being slowly circled around Kel beneath the towering statue while observing him carefully.
Then finally—
He stopped.
"I shall call you…"
A faint pause followed.
"…Aster."
The name echoed softly through the hall.
Ancient sounding.
Foreign.
Several expedition members exchanged confused glances quietly.
Kel himself remained calm.
Aster.
Sairen softly murmured through the soul-link.
"…Star-born."
Kel's eyes narrowed faintly.
So the name carried meaning.
Interesting.
The guardian smiled faintly seeing the reaction.
Then finally—
He turned toward the gigantic deity statue behind him.
And for the first time—
The ancient entity's expression softened.
Not fear.
Not worship alone.
Devotion.
"Our civilization…"
His voice echoed quietly through the massive chamber.
"…once flourished beneath these mountains."
The pale blue flames dimmed slightly.
And as he spoke—
Ancient mana began shifting across the hall walls.
Images appeared.
Faint.
Transparent.
Illusions born from memory.
The explorers gasped quietly.
Entire cities emerged upon the black stone walls.
Magnificent cities.
Towering black temples.
Silver rivers flowing through colossal civilizations beneath skies filled with floating crystal structures and gigantic winged creatures soaring between mountains.
People dressed in layered ceremonial robes walked through glowing streets illuminated by ancient mana formations.
The civilization looked impossibly advanced.
Far beyond current humanity.
The guardian's voice echoed softly beneath the illusions.
"We were called the Vaelari."
The images shifted slowly.
"We were not born in this world."
The hall froze instantly.
Several expedition members visibly stiffened.
Even Kel's eyes sharpened slightly.
The guardian calmly continued.
"Long ago…"
A faint pause followed.
"…before your kingdoms existed…"
"…before your empires rose…"
"…before humans ruled these lands…"
The illusionary cities expanded across the walls beautifully.
"Our world collapsed."
Silence.
The guardian's pale eyes reflected ancient grief now.
"War."
"Divine conflict."
"Catastrophe."
The images changed violently.
Flames consumed enormous cities.
Gigantic shadow-like creatures tore through skies while mountains shattered beneath impossible forces.
Entire civilizations burned.
Several expedition members unconsciously stepped backward seeing the scale of destruction.
"Our people fled."
The guardian's voice lowered softly.
"We crossed dimensional gates seeking survival."
And suddenly—
The illusions showed portals.
Massive fractures in reality connecting worlds together beneath storm-filled skies.
Kel quietly observed everything.
And inwardly—
The pieces finally aligned.
The wilderness.
The portals.
The ancient mana.
The Vaelari were refugees from another world.
The guardian continued calmly.
"When we arrived here…"
The illusions shifted again.
"…this land was empty."
Ancient forests.
Untouched mountains.
Dragons flying beneath silver skies.
"We built civilizations."
"Temples."
"Cities."
His glowing eyes lifted slowly toward the giant deity statue behind him.
"And we worshipped Him."
The illusion focused upon the six-armed deity.
Not monstrous now.
Majestic.
"Our God of Passage."
The hall grew colder afterward.
"He guided our people across worlds."
The guardian whispered almost reverently.
"He protected us during the collapse."
"He gave us sanctuary."
Then—
The images darkened again.
"But humanity came."
Silence.
The illusion showed primitive human tribes appearing gradually across the lands.
Growing.
Expanding.
"At first…"
The guardian's voice remained calm.
"…we coexisted."
The images showed trade.
Communication.
Shared knowledge.
Then—
Fear appeared.
Human armies.
Religious conflicts.
Betrayal.
"They feared us."
The illusionary cities burned once more.
"They called us demons."
Several expedition members visibly lowered their gaze hearing that.
Because suddenly—
Their earlier assumptions felt shameful.
The guardian laughed softly.
Bitterly.
"Perhaps we looked monstrous to them."
His pale blue eyes slowly moved across the gathered humans.
"Different races."
"Different gods."
"Different magic."
The illusionary war intensified.
"And eventually…"
A faint pause followed.
"…our civilization died."
The magnificent cities collapsed.
Temples burned.
The Vaelari vanished beneath endless war and time.
Only the wilderness remained afterward.
Silence filled the hall.
Heavy.
Ancient.
Then Kel quietly asked—
"And you?"
The guardian slowly looked toward him.
"Why were you chosen?"
The ancient being smiled faintly.
Sadness lingering beneath it.
"Because I was weak."
Several explorers blinked faintly.
The guardian laughed softly again.
"I was not a great warrior."
"Nor a priest."
"Nor a king."
His pale eyes lifted toward the deity statue once more.
"I was merely a temple scholar."
The blue flames flickered gently around the chamber.
"When the final war came…"
His voice lowered quietly.
"…everyone else stayed behind to fight."
The illusions showed countless Vaelari standing before collapsing cities beneath burning skies.
"And I…"
A faint pause.
"…was ordered to survive."
Silence.
"To preserve memory."
The guardian whispered softly.
"To guard this temple."
"To ensure our civilization would not vanish completely."
His glowing eyes slowly moved toward Kel again.
"And so…"
A faint smile appeared.
"…for thousands of years…"
The ancient guardian spread his arms slightly beneath the enormous deity statue.
"…I remained alone."