NOVEL NEXT Ch50.1 Dilinur: Moondust, Awaken (Scene 1)
Osram Time: 11:30, February 24, 2295
Antechamber, 888 kilometers beneath Door Kaamos, Vault of Primal Urges, Osram
The lift stopped with a metallic shudder that Dilinur felt in her bones. Massive doors, five stories tall, loomed before them. She stepped onto the antechamber's obsidian floor, followed by her soldiers - lines of Bloodtroopers and Amber-Eyes protecting Conjurers and Peons.
Ancient warrior statues lined the towering walls. Each statue stood like a sentinel, carved from the same dark stone as the walls but with hints of deep blue that suggested something beyond normal metal. They wore horned helmets with glowing eye slits, and held strange weapons that seemed half organic, half mechanical. Some stood with arms crossed, looking both regal and threatening.
Dilinur's gaze followed the murals to the center - a massive scene of cosmic battle. Beyond that, something pulsed. It was a giant crystal, as tall as the doors behind her, jutting from the ground like a piece of frozen sky. It glowed blue, scattering light in complex patterns. The inside seemed alive - shifting and refracting like it contained a storm.
Dilinur had to look up to see its full height, taking in the jagged structure that narrowed to a sharp point. Cracks ran through it, but instead of looking weak, they seemed to radiate power. A faint hum filled the air, as if the crystal was breathing.
As she adjusted to the sight, she realized what it was. The Moondust Crystal.
"The projection in our data didn't do it justice," Kaori said, her high voice echoing off the walls. "See those cracks near the bottom? I bet someone was here before and cut away a piece."
As they approached, Dilinur felt dread growing in her chest. The guardians she'd read about were waking up.
Hulking forms began to move in the shadows. At first they looked like part of the walls, but then stone cracked and shifted, revealing massive limbs. Each golem stood nearly three meters tall, with bodies made of gray stone streaked with glowing blue lines.
The light pulsed as they moved, slow and deliberate. Their hands were huge and clawed, scraping the ground. Their heads looked insect-like, with segmented plates and single glowing orbs for eyes. Each step made the ground shake.
"Stone Guardians, Prefect," one of the Conjurers said. "The data mentioned they're - extremely protective."
"Disturb not the sanctity of what lies within," boomed a deep voice from the golem facing her. The words resonated in her bones rather than her ears. Its eye glowed as it spoke. "For the Moondust Crystal is not meant for configuration by mere Earth-dwellers."
Energy rippled from the Crystal. Dilinur noticed how the light intensified when Joon-Seok moved closer, the cracked surface rippling with possibilities.
She gripped her Psi-Fan tightly.
"Bloodtroopers! Advance!" Dilinur commanded. Her troops surged forward, breaking formation. Their boots pounded the ground, leaving dust clouds behind. Their Thermal Battleaxes gleamed in the crystal's light.
Their strikes landed hard, but the ancient guardians didn't budge. Their rocky bodies seemed immune to the attacks. Sparks flew where metal hit stone, showing how futile the Imperial Legion's efforts were.
"Concentrate on the joints!" Dilinur shouted over the noise of battle. But her words were lost in the chaos; the Bloodtroopers continued their useless attacks against the Stone Guardians.
A Guardian swept its massive arm in a wide arc. Troopers went flying, crumpling under its power. With each effortless move, the ancient giants decimated her forces, sending soldiers sprawling across the floor with dented and broken armor.
"Numbers mean nothing here," Joon-Seok said quietly, almost to himself. He rested his hand on his Psytum Sword. "But we will not relent."
"No. We try another strategy," Dilinur looked at the eleven archers behind her, their black armor accented with red.
The archers held their Kinetic Crossbows steady. Their dark hair was tightly braided, their faces focused and determined. The crystal's light reflected off their intricate armor, casting sharp shadows.
"Amber-Eyes, to formation!" she called, raising her folded Psi Fan. "On my count - fire in sync!"
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"Chā!" The Amber-Eyes responded in unison as they took position precisely. They waited for her signal.
Beside her, Joon-Seok nodded in approval.
"Three... two... one... release!" Dilinur commanded, pointing her Psi Fan forward.
A volley of bolts flew through the air, trailing kinetic energy. They struck with deadly accuracy, piercing the Stone Guardians' rocky bodies. One of the five giants stumbled, cracks spreading across it before it crumbled into rubble.
A wave of triumph passed through the ranks. Dilinur turned to Joon-Seok with a fierce grin.
"Reload! Ready your bolts!" she called, raising her hand. The sound of crossbows reloading echoed through the cavern.
"Chā!" The archers announced as they finished reloading together.
"Two - one - release!" Dilinur gestured with her fan.
Another wave of bolts hit the remaining Guardians. Two more shattered and fell.
"Only two remain! Reload!" Dilinur's voice rang with pride and excitement.
The cavern shook as the two remaining Guardians moved closer together, casting long shadows.
They began to chant in an ancient language, their deep voices filling the chamber.
"Kavacham!" they intoned.
Dilinur's heart raced as she watched. Their words formed a shimmering barrier around them, pulsing with energy.
"Two - one - release!" she commanded again.
But when the archers fired, their arrows bounced off the barrier and flew back toward them. Bolts struck her own troops, piercing through armor and helmets.
"Velum Purpureum!" Joon-Seok reacted quickly. His hand rose as he whispered the spell. Red energy gathered at his fingertips, forming a bubble around himself and Dilinur just as a bolt nearly hit them.
Chaos erupted as three archers fell behind them. Dilinur caught her breath.
"Stay close," Joon-Seok said calmly despite the chaos. His arm wrapped around her for balance, pulling her against him. Her pulse quickened at the sudden closeness.
She leaned into his chest, their robes brushing together. In the middle of chaos, they found a moment of calm.
"Thank you," she whispered, her cheeks warm not from battle but from their contact.
"Kaori. Is your Phoenix Submachine Gun ready?" Joon-Seok asked, his voice steady despite maintaining the shield.
Dilinur recognized the term. The Imperium's variant of compact machine gun was one of the weapons that their society had inherited from the old world. Only a few individuals knew how to operate it while tolerating the recoil.
"Always!" Kaori replied, drawing her weapon.
Her custom-made Phoenix SMG gleamed under the red light - a beautiful weapon with rich red lacquer and intricate patterns on the stock and barrel. In the eyes of the uneducated, it could at times be mistaken as an assault rifle. She loaded a magazine with a sharp click.
"Fall back! We will handle the rest," Joon-Seok ordered the remaining Amber-Eyes. They retreated toward the cavern entrance.
The two Stone Guardians stood tall, casting long shadows across the chamber.
Joon-Seok looked at Dilinur intensely. "Dinu, your Tarim Aytün."
"Yes," Dilinur's cheeks flushed. She nodded and moved from his embrace, holding her weapon at chest height.
With a flourish, she unfolded her Psi Fan. Its silver surface glittered as red psychic energy flowed from it, rippling through the cavern.
They stepped away from each other, ready to fight.
Dilinur's heart pounded as the Stone Guardians advanced.
"Rakta Phiniks, hanatu!" Energy swirled around her as she moved her Psi-Fan. With a flick of her wrist, a phoenix-shaped energy wave formed and flew toward the Guardians.
Beside her, Joon-Seok ignited his Psytum Sword, slicing through the air. Each swing broke the Guardians' gray limbs. Where their attacks crossed, the Crystal pulsed differently, as if trying to combine their powers.
Kaori laughed wildly as she fired her SMG, chipping away at the rocky armor. Her grin was fierce, her amber eyes bright with battle-lust.
As Dilinur fought, she felt the distance between herself and Joon-Seok. Their movements were in sync but separate, allies by necessity but divided.
"Rakta Unmāda!" she shouted over the noise, casting an enhancement spell on Joon-Seok.
"My power knows no equal," he said as ruby energy surrounded him, strengthening his attacks.
"Agni Śūla Hana!" she chanted, sending a scythe-shaped flame of psionic energy at the last Guardian, shattering it.
Joon-Seok's jaw tightened, briefly looking contrite. "My apologies, Dinu," he said sincerely, though his eyes remained intense as he moved closer. "My attitude at Door Kaamos was...inappropriate."
The promise hung between them amid the battle.
Standing shoulder to shoulder, Dilinur muttered, "It's alright, Joon-Seok. I'm just glad to be by your side."
As the last guardian crumbled, Dilinur noticed the Crystal's light changing. Its steady pulse now seemed more complex.
The surviving Amber-Eyes, Bloodtroopers and Conjurers emerged from the shadows, their black-and-red armor dulled by the fight. They moved purposefully back into formation.
"Secure the perimeter," Dilinur ordered. The archers and soldiers nodded and moved into position.