Chapter 6
792words
On the left side of the cavern was a glacier, emitting bone-chilling cold; on the right side was a magma pool, with rolling magma giving off an orange-red glow, and the air filled with the pungent smell of sulfur. In the middle was only a narrow passage connecting the two ends of the cavern.
"Ice and fire in one place..." Elias murmured, "Is this the 'Trial of Ice and Fire' mentioned in grandfather's notes?"
He walked to the passage and found that the ground was very slippery, covered with a thin layer of ice. Elias cautiously took his first step, immediately slipping. He quickly steadied himself by grabbing the nearby rock wall.
There was nothing to grip on either side of the passage, and the rock walls were smooth and cold. Elias took a deep breath and began to walk forward slowly. With each step, he first tested the ground, ensuring his footing was secure before taking the next step.
Halfway through the passage, Elias suddenly heard a rumbling sound. Looking up, he saw a crack appearing in the glacier on his left, with large amounts of ice blocks sliding down from the crack, crashing toward the passage.
Startled, he quickly hastened his pace. Ice blocks continuously crashed to the ground behind him, making tremendous noise. Elias didn't dare look back and could only run forward desperately.
Just as he was about to reach the end of the passage, his foot suddenly slipped, and his entire body began falling toward the lava pool on the right. Elias instinctively reached out his hand and grabbed a rock at the edge of the passage.
He hung in midair, his body only a few meters away from the churning lava, the scorching heat waves making his skin burn with pain. Elias's arms began to ache, and he knew he couldn't hold on much longer.
At that moment, the Thor's hammer pendant around his neck suddenly fell off and dropped into the lava pool. Elias watched helplessly as the pendant sank into the boiling lava, feeling a wave of loss.
This pendant was the only keepsake left to him by his grandfather, and it held extraordinary significance for him.
"No!" he shouted. In his desperation, he used all his strength to swing his body toward the side of the passage. His foot made contact with the edge of the passage, and he quickly seized the opportunity to flip himself back onto the passage.
Elias slumped to the ground, gasping for breath. Just then, he suddenly noticed something shimmering at the edge of the lava pool.
Looking closely, he realized it was his Thor's Hammer pendant.
Surprisingly, it hadn't melted in the lava, but instead was glowing faintly at the edge of the molten pool.
Elias hesitated for a moment, then carefully reached out and retrieved the pendant from the edge of the lava pool. The pendant was still cool to the touch, as if unaffected by the lava. He examined it carefully and discovered a small inscription on the back: "Memory is eternal."
This was his grandfather's handwriting. Elias suddenly understood - his grandfather had left this pendant not only to protect him, but also to remind him that although some things disappear, as long as we remember them, they exist forever.
He hung the pendant back around his neck, stood up, and continued walking forward. At the end of the passage was a stone door with a huge rune carved on it, meaning "Rebirth."
Elias pushed open the door and found himself in an enormous underground hall. In the center of the hall was a circular pool with water so clear you could see to the bottom, reflecting the stalactites on the ceiling. Around the pool stood many stone statues, similar in form to those he had seen in the judgment hall earlier, but with smiles on their faces.
At the far end of the hall was a massive door engraved with an image of the night sky, featuring numerous stars and constellation patterns.
Elias knew that behind this door lay the "Celestial Temple," the destination of his journey.
He approached the door and discovered a notch on it that matched the bronze dagger in his hand perfectly. Elias inserted the dagger into the notch and gently turned it.
With a loud boom, the door slowly opened to both sides, revealing the passage behind. The passage was pitch black, and one could faintly hear some mysterious sound, like the breathing of the universe.
Elias drew his dagger, took a deep breath, and walked into the passage. He knew that what he was about to see might be a truth that would overturn his understanding.
