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I smile and know he’s telling the truth. For now, this iswhat we have. And we should enjoy it while we can. I lean forward and kiss him.
He reacts in kind, his hand already fumbling at the front of my blouse.
I smile and reach down to begin unbuttoning it when something catches my eye. It takes a moment for me to realize what I’m looking at — if it is anything at all.
I frown and lean forward for a closer look at the ancient table’s underside. The surface, initially appearing nondescript, reveals an intricate array of carvings and symbols upon closer inspection.
These aren’t just random etchings; they’re deliberate, purposeful, and eerily familiar. It’s as if they echo the designs we’ve seen throughout the maze, yet distinct in their own right.
M’ijel nuzzles my neck and kisses me there before noticing I am distracted. His eyes follow mine. He traces the patterns with a mix of fascination and concentration.
"Do you think it could be important?" I ask.
“I don’t know,” he says.
The carvings form a complex, interlocking pattern that seems to tell a story or convey a message, but it’s in a language neither of us understands.
The symbols are alien, yet they exude a sense of antiquity and wisdom. It’s clear that this table, and what it holds, is integral to the history of this place.
I run my fingers over the carvings, feeling the age-old grooves and ridges. There’s a tactile history to them, a sense of connection to the past inhabitants of this world. “Do you think this has something to do with the Mating Games?” I ask, looking up at M’ijel.
He nods thoughtfully. “It must be. Everything in this maze is part of their Game, a piece of the puzzle we need to solve.”
My finger comes to the center of the intricate design. There’s a small circle that sounds out from the rest of the carvings. “Is that… Is that a button?”
I press it. And that’s when everything went crazy.
M’ijel
There’s a low whirring noise as the button, and then the engravings, illuminate, turning bright white, until it consumes the whole underside of the table.
I scramble out from under it and hastily help Zoey to her feet. We step back as the light spreads out from the table and across the entire temple peak, down its sides, and then throughout all the ruins.
The light glows intensely before finally fading, reverting back to the carvings on the table’s underside. The only thing that remains illuminated is the button Zoey pressed. It throbs continuously, almost as if it’s breathing.
“Even after a millenia, this view never gets boring.”
We spin around, trying to locate the source of the voice. It’s disorienting, the sound seeming to emanate from the air itself, seeming to echo off the pyramid’s stone floor.
“Who’s there?” Zoey calls out, her voice steady despite the eerie situation.
The voice chuckles, a sound that seems to reverberate through the very ground beneath our feet. “I am the guardianof this place, a caretaker of sorts,” it responds, its tone rich with an ageless quality.
I step protectively in front of Zoey, my posture tense. “What do you want from us?” I ask.
The guardian’s voice softens, almost sounding amused. “I am here to guide those who seek the truth of this place. You’ve activated the ancient signal, a call that hasn’t been answered in many cycles.”
I feel a mixture of fear and fascination. “What truth? What signal?”
“The pyramid you stand upon is more than ancient ruins. It is a gateway, a nexus of paths to different realities, different possibilities. You’ve shown the courage to explore, to question. That is the first step to understanding.”
I exchange a look of disbelief with Zoey. A gateway to different realities?
“What do you mean?” I ask.
“The Malquarans’ Games have disturbed the balance,” the voice explains. “Their entertainment is a mere shadow of the true purpose of this place. You’ve been chosen to restore what has been lost.”
“Who are you?” Zoey asks. “How do we know you’re not a part of the Malquarans’ twisted Game yourself?”
