Rahim, Karim, and Farid stood in front of the second door deep inside the underground ruins.
Cold wind slowly came from the darkness ahead.
The golden lights on the walls became dimmer.
Karim looked nervous.
"I don't think this place likes visitors," he said quietly.
Farid looked serious.
"These ruins were built to test people. Only the worthy can move forward."
Rahim tightened his grip on the crystal.
"Then we keep going."
The second door slowly opened with a loud sound.
GRRRR…
A dark passage appeared in front of them.
Farid stepped forward first.
"Stay close to me," he said.
The three of them entered the passage carefully.
The tunnel was colder than before.
Strange symbols glowed faintly on the walls.
Karim touched one carefully.
"These symbols look different," he said.
Farid replied,
"They tell the history of the desert guardians."
Rahim asked, "What kind of guardians?"
Farid looked ahead while walking.
"People chosen to protect ancient powers from falling into the wrong hands."
Karim looked at Rahim and smiled slightly.
"Sounds familiar."
Rahim laughed softly.
"Yeah."
After walking for some time, they reached another large room.
This room was circular.
In the middle stood three stone pillars.
And above each pillar floated a glowing orb.
One orb was blue.
One was red.
And one was golden.
Karim looked amazed.
"How are they floating?"
Farid said softly,
"Ancient energy."
Rahim looked around carefully.
"What is the trial here?"
Suddenly, the stone door behind them closed loudly.
BOOM!
Karim jumped slightly.
"I hate when doors do that."
At that moment, a deep voice echoed through the room.
"To continue… choose wisely."
The three glowing orbs became brighter.
Karim whispered,
"I don't think this is going to be easy."
Farid nodded.
"This is the Trial of Wisdom."
Rahim looked at the pillars carefully.
Each orb had symbols under it.
Farid explained,
"One path leads forward."
Karim asked nervously,
"And the others?"
Farid replied,
"Danger."
Rahim stepped closer to the blue orb.
The crystal in his hand started glowing softly.
Karim noticed it immediately.
"The crystal is reacting."
Rahim nodded slowly.
"Yes… but not strongly."
Then he moved near the red orb.
Suddenly, the crystal's light became unstable.
The room shook slightly.
Farid quickly said,
"Step back."
Rahim moved away immediately.
The shaking stopped.
Karim sighed with relief.
"That definitely looked wrong."
Finally, Rahim walked toward the golden orb.
The crystal suddenly glowed brightly.
Warm light filled the room.
Farid looked surprised.
"The crystal has chosen."
Karim smiled.
"So golden is the correct answer?"
Rahim nodded carefully.
"I think so."
He slowly touched the golden orb.
For a second—
Nothing happened.
Then suddenly, the orb released a wave of golden light.
The entire room started glowing.
Karim covered his eyes.
"That's bright!"
A hidden staircase slowly appeared from the floor.
Farid smiled slightly.
"You passed the second trial."
Karim looked proud.
"We're getting better at this."
Rahim laughed softly.
"Maybe."
The deep voice echoed again.
"Wisdom opens the path."
The staircase led downward into deeper darkness.
Farid's face became serious again.
"The next level is below."
Karim looked down the stairs.
"It keeps getting deeper and deeper…"
Rahim said,
"And more dangerous."
They carefully walked down the staircase.
The air became colder with every step.
The crystal continued glowing softly.
After a long walk, they finally reached the bottom.
There, they saw something unexpected.
A giant underground lake stretched across the darkness.
The water was perfectly still.
In the center of the lake stood a black stone platform.
And on top of the platform—
There was a silver box glowing faintly.
Karim whispered,
"That must be important."
Farid looked worried.
"Yes… very important."
Rahim asked, "What is inside it?"
Farid stayed silent for a moment.
Then he answered softly,
"Something that should never fall into the wrong hands."
Suddenly—
The calm water began moving.
Small waves appeared across the lake.
Karim stepped back nervously.
"Uh… I don't think we're alone."
A low growling sound echoed from beneath the water.
The surface slowly started rising.
Rahim held the crystal tightly.
Then—
Two glowing eyes appeared in the darkness beneath the lake.
Karim whispered fearfully,
"Rahim…"
Farid's face turned pale.
"The lake guardian has awakened."