With the schematic for the Temporal Anchor and Concordant Nexus now imprinted in their minds, the immediate question was the "Aetherial Matrix" – the Ayleid artifact needed to complete the design. Elara immediately turned her attention to the supplementary consoles around the central orrery, hoping to find more information.
"The Aetherial Matrix isn't just any Ayleid artifact," she explained, poring over ancient texts projected onto glowing screens. "It's the heart of a 'Chronomancer's Crucible' – a device designed to stabilize temporal energies for advanced scrying and manipulation. It's usually found within a personal chamber, or crypt, of a master Chronomancer."
Her eyes widened as she pointed to a specific glowing diagram on one of the screens. "And look! The Chronosymbrium itself has sub-levels. There's a section here, marked 'Chronomancer's Repository,' with a direct link to a personal sanctum. This must be it! The Crucible is likely there, and the Aetherial Matrix within it."
A map of the Chronosymbrium's lower levels, previously hidden, materialized on the holographic projection of the central orrery. It showed a descending spiral path, leading to a sealed chamber deep beneath them.
"So, another trial," Marius observed, adjusting his bow. "Not a mental one this time, I suspect. More physical, or security-based."
"Given the Ayleids' paranoia about their temporal secrets, it's bound to be heavily warded," Elara confirmed. "Traps, constructs… perhaps even some of the Ayleid 'guardians' we encountered outside."
They located a discreet, almost invisible entrance near the base of the Chronosymbrium's central orrery, a section of the wall that slid away silently as Jason, still holding the now-warm Temporal Resonator, approached it. The air beyond was cooler, drier, and carried the faint, metallic tang of ancient magic.
The spiral path descended into a vast, circular chamber, its walls lined with alcoves holding what appeared to be preserved Ayleid corpses, or perhaps hyper-realistic statues. They were robed figures, almost identical to the constructs they had fought earlier, but these were unmoving, seemingly in a state of suspended animation. At the center of the chamber stood a large, ornate sarcophagus.
"A crypt," Kaelen murmured, his hand already on his greatsword. "And those aren't statues, are they?"
Elara cautiously approached one of the alcoves. "No, they're Ayleid Chronomancers," she whispered, her voice filled with a morbid awe. "Preserved by some temporal stasis field, kept in a state of 'temporal suspension' to protect their knowledge, even in death." She reached out a hesitant finger, but didn't touch the figure. "They're incredibly powerful. We should be careful not to disturb them."
As she spoke, a low, ominous hum began to resonate from the central sarcophagus. The lid, intricately carved with celestial motifs and flowing lines of light, began to slowly slide open, revealing the form of a single, majestic Ayleid. This figure was larger, more imposing than the others, clad in robes of deeper azure, and its hands, crossed over its chest, held a staff similar to the ones wielded by the automatons, but thicker, crowned with a multifaceted crystal that pulsed with an internal, violet glow.
This was the master Chronomancer, the keeper of the Crucible.
"He's not dead," Marius breathed, his arrow already aimed. "He's waking up."
As the Chronomancer's crystalline staff pulsed brighter, the other preserved figures in their alcoves stirred. Their eyes, once lifeless, now flickered to life with that same unnatural luminescence. The robed forms began to move, stepping out of their alcoves with the familiar, jerky gait of the Ayleid automatons. But these were different. These were the true masters, imbued with an ancient, formidable intellect.
"These aren't mindless constructs," Elara warned, stepping back quickly. "They're… reanimated Chronomancers. They'll have access to spells we've never encountered."
The master Chronomancer in the sarcophagus finally stood, its head slowly rising. Its face, though ancient, was perfectly preserved, a testament to the stasis field, but its eyes glowed with an alien intelligence, devoid of human emotion. It raised its staff, and the air around them shimmered, distorting reality.
"Intruders. Violation. The Crucible must not be touched," a voice echoed directly in their minds, cold and resolute, tinged with the temporal whispers they had heard from the Guardian. This was not a pre-recorded message; this was a living (or unliving) sentience.
"It's guarding the Aetherial Matrix!" Jason shouted, drawing Dragonbane. He felt a surge of cold determination. They had come too far to be deterred by a few reanimated corpses, no matter how powerful.
The Chronomancers lunged. Unlike the more basic constructs outside, these moved with a chilling precision. One immediately raised its staff, and a wave of pure chronological force washed over Kaelen. The Nord warrior found himself momentarily frozen, not physically, but as if time around him had slowed to a crawl. He struggled, his movements agonizingly sluggish, leaving him vulnerable.
"Kaelen!" Jason shouted, instinctively Shouting a burst of Unrelenting Force, scattering a few of the lesser Chronomancers.
Another Chronomancer targeted Marius, its staff glowing with a sickly green light. Marius ducked, but the beam struck the stone behind him, causing the rock to instantly age and crumble into dust. "Temporal decay!" he yelled, realizing the danger.
Elara was already countering, conjuring a fiery storm to engulf a cluster of the Chronomancers. Her wards flared brightly, deflecting blasts of temporal energy that warped the light around them.
The master Chronomancer, however, was focused on Jason. It raised its staff, and the ground around Jason began to ripple, the very stone twisting and warping. He felt a strange pulling sensation, as if his past and future selves were being tugged in different directions. He knew, instinctively, that if he allowed this spell to take hold, he would be unmade, scattered across time.
"No!" Jason roared, focusing his Thu'um, letting out a partial Shout – Dragon Aspect – causing ancient scales to appear along his skin, his eyes to glow, empowering him with the strength of the Dragonborn. He charged the master Chronomancer, Dragonbane arcing with the combined energy of its enchantments and his Thu'um. He had to reach the sarcophagus, to seize the Crucible and the Aetherial Matrix, before these formidable guardians could overwhelm them. The trial of fortitude was far from over.