It was only a small blip from reality, filled with light then stillness. They arrived without resistance moments later.

The moment their feet touched the ground surface of the top island, the surroundings just felt... holy.

Lilith stepped forward first, her gaze already lifting and for the first time, she paused in her steps because of what stood in front of her.

"So this is it..."

The massive temple-like building rose from the island. It seemed as though the passage of time had done a number on it.

It carried this ancient aura but was broken in other places but not fully destroyed

The structure rose in layered tiers, each level supported by pillars made of the same pale stone.

Cracks ran down its surface section, some sections had collapsed and parts of the outer walls had long since started to crumble away.

But through all that, its core seemed to be intact. The entrance stood open as though waiting for them to enter its grounds.

Atheline stepped beside her, his eyes narrowing slightly as he took in the scale of it.

"How did they build this building to have managed to endure time without losing its essence?"

"Reinforced with aether, " she stated the obvious.

Atheline shrugged since he knew she was right.

His gaze shifted upwards, tracing the height of the structure. Four levels of a cracked but intact building.

Lilith stopped a few steps from the entrance, her gaze assessing the building through the open doors.

This time, she was more skeptical, the temple gave her a somewhat familiar and unfamiliar feeling the moment she stepped onto the island.

Beside her, Atheline was also doing the name but he found nothing really remarkable since they were still outside. 𝓯𝙧𝓮𝓮𝒘𝓮𝙗𝙣𝒐𝒗𝒆𝓵.𝓬𝓸𝒎

"Do you feel anything?" He asked her after noticing her hesitation.

She shook her head.

"It just feels familiar, like the other islands, " she quietly said," let’s go."

For a moment, neither of them moved, then she stepped forward.

There wasn’t the expected big change the moment they stepped inside, except that the air had gotten colder, and the feeling she had had only gotten stronger.

Behind her, Atheline paused slightly his eyes scanning what was before them.

The interior was vast, the first floor stretched outwards into a wide hall supported by pillars.

Unlike the white exterior, the interior was dark, polished long ago but had now become dull.

At first glance, it looked like an abandoned temple but on second glance, Lilith paused.

There was something wrong with the floor. Lilith frowned slightly her gaze drooping for just a moment.

The small uneven crack before her suddenly changed and repaired itself, the ground becoming polished again.

She blinked, and just as quickly the crack was back on the floor.

"Is something wrong?" Atheline asked noticing her odd behaviour.

She glanced back at him then looked forward shaking her head.

"Nothing, " she said though her tone suggested otherwise.

They continued forward, but this time Lilith paid closer attention.

The deeper they stepped into the hall, the heavier the tension became. Their footsteps were the only source of sound in the quiet hall, loud ones at that.

Then, the first sign of movement came. The shadows along the pillars shifted, the perfect blend fully revealed.

Lilith noticed the shift immediately.

Atheline’s hand raised, his posture snapping into tension as the first shadow pealed from the pillar.

’Isn’t this how she uses her power ’

The thought passed through his mind, but he didn’t have the time to explore it.

The shadows stood between the pillars, blocking their way forward.

They were humanoid in shape but taller, with no distinctive features.

Lilith tilted her head slightly.

"They’re not attacking," he said.

"No," she said irritation mixed in her tone," they’re herding us."

As if to confirm her worst, another shadow pulled from the walls and stood before another exit, blocking it in a defensive posture.

It was clear they were not welcome.

Her lips curved faintly.

"Annoying. "

She stepped forward. Magic circles appeared before the constructs her shadows raising from within.

As expected, the construct moved with effective precision, attacking the shadows.

It was over in under a second. Her shadows tore through the constructs as if they were mere papers.

Fragments struck the ground with each fall, a faint clinking sound accompanying them.

Atheline blinked and stepped closer once the threat had been erased.

"Moon crystals, again, " he murmured, clearly exhausted, " it seems they power everything in this island. "

She didn’t respond right away. Half-buried in the crumbled constructs remains was a small piece of armour.

Her gaze sharpened.

Atheline noticed her change, his eyes falling on the armour.

"How is that even possible?" He asked," Can you do that,"

She was quiet for a moment.

"Artificial," she said quietly, " they aren’t made like this. "

"Then turned?" He suggested.

"Something like that."

More constructs moved. She didn’t give them a chance to gather.

The second wave ended faster than the first, shadows torn apart before they could move with the moon crystals littering the ground in uneven patterns.

Silence returned to the hall, the last of the constructs having been killed.

"This place, just keeps getting more and more interesting," he said, referring to the whole island.

Lilith nodded once.

"I’m starting to slowly understand why I was sent here," she quietly said.

Atheline glanced at her, getting what she was saying.

"Still want to go up?" he asked lightly, though his eyes flickered towards the staircase ahead.

She turned without hesitation.

"We didn’t come this far just to stop at the door."

Atheline chuckled, following after her. The ascent to the second floor was uneventful.

"What do you think is inside here?" Atheline’s side, breaking the silence.

"Something that has to do with my element," she replied her gaze observing the empty walls.

"I’m getting a bad feeling about this." He quietly said.

She glanced back at him, stopping two steps from the top.

"We can’t go back now, can we?" She quietly said.

Atheline shook his head.

"No.. no... I’m just being paranoid, I do not wish for us to back," he met her gaze," I know you’re curious, so am I."

She stared at him for a fraction, then continued forward.