Storm Ruins

I gathered an even stronger gale to protect them, and slowly walked towards the building not far away. As we got closer, I discovered its true form: a ruined temple. 👤💝 💀👹

The temple was built of dark blue stone, and its surface was dilapidated, but it stood firm in the storm without showing any signs of collapsing.

"Where is this place, Big Guy?" Lili asked Dick.

"I don't know either. It doesn't look newly built. I often come to this area and I've never heard of any ruins here."

"It looks like a lost city caught in a storm. Let's go in and take a look!"

Lili went inside without asking our opinion. We exchanged glances and followed her, but stopped at the door.

It is said that fear stems from the unknown, and this scene proves it true. The surrounding black storm was frightening enough, but the pitch-black temple was even more unfathomable, with not a single ray of light inside.

Despite having gone through so many life-and-death ordeals, I still feel a little apprehensive facing this enigmatic ruin.

"What are you dawdling for? Hurry up and follow us, or you'll get lost!" Lili turned around and urged us on. We had no choice but to bite the bullet and go inside.

The moment we stepped into the temple, it fell silent behind us. I quickly took a step back, only to find that the entrance had vanished!

Now we're stuck, unable to leave even if we wanted to. Luckily, the storm has subsided, so we don't need to bother gathering more gales anymore.

There was visibility of several meters outside, but now it's less than a few centimeters. I put my hand up to my face, and I couldn't even see a few fingers.

"You guys hold hands and follow behind me, don't get lost," Lili's voice came from ahead again.

"Aren't you going to hold our hands? How are we supposed to follow you then?"

"It's enough that I can see you all. Just listen carefully to my footsteps."

And so, the three of us held hands, crossing the street as cautiously as kindergarten children. It was very quiet around us; the only sounds besides our footsteps were the pounding of our hearts...

"Stop!"

After what seemed like an eternity, Lili suddenly shouted "Stop!" and we quickly stopped.

"You all stay here and don't move. I'll go look around."

After Lili finished speaking, she left. I listened to her footsteps fading into the distance, and gradually only the sound of our heartbeats remained in the air.

"It's eerily quiet! Let me sing you a song! I have the best singing voice in the tribe!" Dick suddenly said, making me both laugh and cry. What's going on? You still have the mind to sing?

"Great, great! This will definitely lift the spirits here!" Riven's ideas are always different from mine...

Brave warrior

Undeterred by rugged terrain, undaunted by towering mountains

Will not back down, will not wail

Falling into the abyss is the caress of the gods.

Moving forward bravely is the song of the living.

Reach the summit and break through the limits of the ordinary.

Looking far into the distance, I shattered the mockery of the weak.

Even if the body is shattered

Maintaining a steadfast style

Still upholding the glory of perseverance

Because of us

It is a vivid portrayal of Freljord.

Because of us

A fearless hero forged in ice and snow.

Because of us

They are the king's subjects, the king's pride.

I couldn't stand the rough voice without any background music. Fortunately, the darkness concealed my disdainful gaze, but Riven's encouragement made him sing it again, and this time, the two of them sang together!

→

No, I can't take this anymore! Just as I was about to explode, the surroundings suddenly lit up!

Although the light was still dim, the surrounding scenery was now visible.

"Yasuo, what's with that look?" Riven noticed the look of disgust on my face.

"It's okay, if you keep singing, I'm going to applaud you, but I'll clap my hands in your faces."

Once the light came on, I realized we were in a spacious hall.

It wasn't as scary as I had imagined. There were many exquisite sculptures all around, and although the patterns on the walls were faded, they still looked delicate and beautiful.

There are several passageways around the hall, including the one we came in through. The passageways are all pitch black, and this little bit of light can't penetrate them at all.

The light emanated from the hands of the sculptures. In each of the four corners stood a human-shaped sculpture, several meters tall, resembling robed monks. It was precisely because the sculptures were so tall that the light appeared dim.

The temple didn't look very tall before I entered, so why is it so spacious inside?

Forget it, they're all magical things anyway, hard to explain with common sense. I'm not going to think about them anymore.

Suddenly, Lili jumped down from a high place and landed beside us. "Looks like it wasn't a coincidence; the storm led us in."

"Are there other people here? For example, the owner of the temple?"

"No, I can't sense the presence of the living."

"Perhaps the dead are more terrifying!"

"Hmph, what's there to be afraid of in the dead? If I remember correctly, I've been here before, but something feels a little different. Maybe it's because so much time has passed."

"That's great, now that you've been here, I feel much more at ease."

"Haha, don't think like that. This place used to be our paradise, but now it might become our grave."

"Don't scare us, I don't want to die in a place like this."

Lili shook her head. "I don't know how to leave either. I came with my sisters, but I haven't been back since they died, and I can't remember many things."

"When did you say you were here before? How long ago?"

"Well... I've forgotten, anyway, I was young back then."

I was speechless. Although Lili didn't say exactly how long, I felt it must have been many years, because the park had become so dilapidated!

"Don't worry, let's follow these passages and maybe find a clue to get out."

Lili beckoned, and the light source on the sculpture gradually fell, revealing a lotus-shaped candlestick with no candles, yet burning with a ghostly blue flame.

She took one for herself and passed the rest to us. "Each of you hold one."

Although the road ahead was unknown, the light made us feel much more at ease. We entered the leftmost passage and walked inside.

The passageway was very flat, and like the outside, it was built with bluestone slabs, which made it much easier for us to walk.

The walls are carved with intricate murals, but due to their age, many parts have peeled off and the specific content is no longer discernible. However, they resemble the scenes I saw at the Sunon Temple before, probably depicting people living in primitive natural conditions.

There were many protruding spots on the walls of the passage, each holding a lotus candlestick just like the ones we were holding. One of them lit up every time we passed by, which was very eerie!

After walking for a while, I finally emerged from the passage, but the scene before me took me by surprise!

Because the hall at the end of the passage is exactly the same as the one we just left!