Chapter 7
1159words
The top of the temple was an enormous dome, covered with glowing minerals that twinkled like stars in the night sky. The floor was paved with white marble, engraved with complex patterns depicting the evolution of the universe and the origin of life.
In the antechamber of the temple stood many stone statues of various forms—some resembled humans, some animals, some gods... But they all had one thing in common—their eyes were embedded with a glowing mineral, as if they were alive.
The statue's eyes were made of obsidian, with exceptionally smooth facets that clearly reflected Elias's face.
Standing before the "Courage" statue, he noticed that the reflection in the obsidian made him look thinner than he actually was, with a more bewildered gaze.
When he moved to the "Wisdom" statue, the reflection suddenly changed — the person inside was wearing his grandfather's expedition outfit and smiling at him.
Elias jumped in fright, and as he stepped back, he bumped into the statue behind him. With a "clang," something fell from the statue's base — a small cloth pouch.
Inside the pouch were three silver coins bearing the image of King Haakon VII of Norway, minted in 1957 — the year his grandfather first visited Norway. Beneath the coins was a note in his grandfather's handwriting: "Every statue's eyes are lying, except for the one looking at its own feet."
Elias checked each statue one by one and found that only the "Humility" statue had its head bowed down. Its obsidian eyes reflected not his image, but the stone door at the end of the passage.
Inside his grandfather's hiking boots was a pair of wool socks that had been soaked dark brown with sweat. Elias picked up the socks and smelled a familiar cedar scent—the aftershave his grandfather often used. The boot soles had some dark red soil stuck to them. He scraped off a bit and rubbed it between his fingertips, discovering tiny metal fragments mixed in, like some kind of ore.
Hidden between the pages of the diary was a faded photograph: his young grandfather standing in front of a glacier, holding up a stone inscribed with runes, grinning widely. On the back of the photo was written: "60°32' N, 6°34' W—sounds are frozen in the ice here."
Elias opened the map on his phone and found that the coordinates were located in the glacier zone of the "Jotunheim" mountain range, less than five kilometers from his current position.
When he inserted the dagger and pendant into the groove, the stone platform suddenly sank a few centimeters, revealing a hidden compartment underneath. Inside the compartment was a bronze whistle shaped like a raven. Elias picked up the whistle and blew it, but there was no sound. However, the eyes of the stone statues suddenly all turned toward him, with a layer of white mist appearing on the obsidian surface, as if they were shedding tears.
Elias walked up to one of the stone statues and examined it carefully. This statue depicted a warrior holding a spear, with a determined expression on his face and gemstones in his eyes that glimmered with a red light. Elias noticed that a line of runic text was carved into the base of the statue, meaning "courage."
He continued walking forward and discovered that each statue's pedestal was inscribed with a word: "Wisdom", "Strength", "Love", "Loyalty"... These were all virtues revered by humans.
"I see now..." Elias suddenly realized, "This isn't a temple of gods, but a hall of human virtues."
Reaching the end of the front hall, Elias found a stone platform with an ancient book and a pair of hiking boots on it. He recognized the hiking boots as his grandfather's and felt a surge of excitement. His grandfather had indeed been here!
He picked up the book and discovered it was his grandfather's diary. Elias eagerly opened the diary and began to read.
The first half of the diary documented his grandfather's research on Norse mythology and runic writing, similar to the notes he had seen before. But starting from a certain page, the diary's content changed, beginning to record his grandfather's process of searching for this underground temple.
"I finally found the 'Teeth of the Giant', and the runes on those stones indeed concealed secrets. When I aligned the runes on the copper box with those on the stones, a hole suddenly opened in the ground..."
"The underground passage was filled with traps, but relying on the wisdom of my ancestors and my own courage, I turned danger into safety time and again. Those murals depicted not stories of gods, but the history of humans, which gave me a new understanding of Norse mythology..."
"The trial of ice and fire was the most difficult test, I almost thought I couldn't make it through. But when I saw the words on the pendant, I suddenly understood that some things are more important than life itself."
The diary entries became increasingly excited, recording grandfather's discoveries and understanding of this underground temple. As Elias read, he imagined his grandfather exploring this place, his heart filled with admiration.
Reading the last few pages of the diary, Elias found that his grandfather's handwriting had become somewhat messy, as if he was excited and confused.
"... This temple was not built by gods, but by humans. Those so-called 'gods' were actually ancient Nordic people's deification of heroes and virtues. They used mythological stories to pass down their culture and values - what a wise approach this was..."
"But I still have some confusion. If gods don't exist, then how can those supernatural powers and phenomena be explained? Is everything just human imagination?"
"... I've decided to continue exploring deeper into the temple, hoping to find answers. I have a feeling that a huge secret is hidden here, a secret about human origins and beliefs..."
The diary ended there, with the last page torn out. Elias held the diary, his heart filled with questions. What exactly did his grandfather discover? Why did he tear out the last page?
At this moment, he noticed another groove on the stone platform, its shape perfectly matching the combination of the bronze dagger and Thor's hammer pendant in his hand. Elias combined the dagger and the pendant, and inserted them into the groove.
With a thunderous sound, the wall at the end of the front hall slowly moved apart, revealing a passage leading to the depths of the temple.
The passage was pitch black, with faint mysterious sounds that seemed like calls from ancient times.
Elias pulled out the dagger and pendant, took a deep breath, and walked into the passage. He knew that what he was about to face might be a truth beyond his imagination.
Whatever this truth might be, he had to face it, not only for himself but also for his grandfather.
