The temple gate was massive. Nearly five times Asvaran's height.
"Wow... this is massive. It's even bigger up close. Do you see those ruins on the gate? As far as I know, there is no historical match for it. Do you know what that means? We have found the existence of a new civilization!"
He spoke with a wide grin. His blood was rushing—his heart pounding with a wild, almost childlike excitement. He took out another camera from his bag, paused the recording on his main one, and stepped back a few paces to capture the full gate in frame.
Click~ Click~
He took multiple photographs before switching back to the handheld camera and resuming the recording. His breath came in quick bursts. He tried to steady it.
The gate towered over him like a god, black as ink. Its surface looked unnatural—far too pristine for something so old. He touched it gently. It was cold. Solid. It didn't feel like stone exactly, but it had a density, a pressure, like something that had existed longer than it should have.
'Could it have always been this black? Or... did time change it?'
No—he shook his head. The flawless carvings told a different story.
Gulp~
A sudden unease prickled at his spine.
"Although we have discovered something great, but I don't think this is openable by one person. This thing doesn't even look like it will budge at all. And I wonder if the opening mechanism still works after all this time. Maybe the door is jammed.
But it still doesn't hurt to try. Don't make a meme out of me later. I'm not thinking this will magically open.
But what if the door breaks? Given how much time has passed, that could be possible. And this material the door is made of is not something you see often. Black material."
He looked up and took out his torch. The ceiling above was covered with strange plants—growing without sunlight. Either they were parasitic, leeching off the vines above, or they had evolved into something else entirely. Even the gate was wrapped in thick, stubborn vines. He snapped a few pictures to document the state of the structure.
Then he began clearing the vines that were within reach. It took effort—his arms trembled slightly with strain—but he managed to clear some of them. The rest were out of reach, entwined far above.
'I guess I'll have to come here again… with a team.
He thought.
He tucked his gear into his pockets and approached the gate again, placing both hands firmly on its surface. He braced himself—and pushed with everything he had.
Hnnngg~
Nothing. It didn't move an inch.
But as he strained, he felt something—not with his hands, but deep within his bones.
This isn't a door.
It's a mountain.
The gate didn't just resist movement; it radiated stillness. A kind of defiance. As if it wasn't meant to be moved by mortals.
He stepped back, panting softly, his body humming from the exertion. He looked up again, not at the gate—but at what it represented.
'Maybe there's nothing on the other side. Maybe this isn't a temple—just some ornamental prank by a bored ancient civilization.
Ancients trolling the moderns. The ultimate historical meme.'
He chuckled to himself. The thought was ridiculous. But oddly comforting.
Then—
Rumble~
His smile faded.
A low, distant tremor echoed from deep within the gate.
grnnk… krk~—
Then multiple grinding noise, the turning of ancient gears.
His eyes widened. Heart skipped a beat.
He stumbled back, retreating to the stairs in case something collapsed. He stared at the gate, frozen.
Gulp~
His hands were trembling now.
'Is the temple… collapsing? Or...'
He shook his head. It was too absurd. But he can't help but be hopful.
The sound intensified. The earth seemed to pulse beneath him. The turning of gears grew louder, heavier—closer. It was like something inside the gate had awakened.
And then—
Click~!
RUMBLE~!
A loud crack. The gate shuddered. Then slowly—impossibly—it began to move.
'It's moving… The gate is actually moving…!'
He couldn't believe it. The vines snapped as the enormous black slab began sliding inward with thunderous force. Dust fell from above. The very ground trembled.
The scene was absurd. Unreal. Like a dream you don't know is a dream until you wake up screaming.
But his camera never stopped rolling.
Even in shock, Asvaran kept filming. His instincts as a content creator took over.
He stood in awe as the gate continued its slow, seismic retreat—until finally, it stopped. The rumbling faded into silence.
The passage beyond was dark. Still. Ancient.
He took a breath, trying to calm the storm inside his chest. He wasn't ready to speak—not yet. Not when words would only dilute what he felt.
With heavy steps, he approached the threshold.
The air beyond was still… too still. The darkness inside felt like it wasn't just absence of light, but presence of something deeper. A hunger. A depth that wanted to pull him in.
But he didn't stop.
He gritted his teeth, steeled his nerves, and raised his torch.
Then stepped inside.
His boots echoed softly as he walked forward. The moment he crossed the threshold—
Fwoosh—
Flames burst to life one by one, lining the walls in a chain reaction of fire.
The hallway lit up like a grand procession. It was immense—larger than the exterior had suggested. The ceiling arched high above. The corridor stretched far, with smaller doors on either side and a grand one at the far end.
"...The modern people worked their ass off to invent sensors but still isn't perfect. And here we are, in an ancient temple that has sensors and automatic door opening system and lighting system. Great, just great."
His voice was flat. Too numb to be sarcastic.
He had seen such things in movies. But now? Now it was real. His brain struggled to catch up.
"This civilization is too advanced. Their technology works even after thousands of years. Or maybe even more... just what powers these things? What do you guys think? How does this actually work? What kind of energy they use that can last thousands of years?
And what kind of mechanism they used to make the sensor work even after thousands of years? Let me know your theory in the Discord. Whoever's theory is most sound will be rewarded. I will announce it when I'm home."
He continued walking, slowly. His voice was hollow, but his eyes were focused. The camera in his hand captured everything. Ancient symbols. Wall carvings. The shimmer of metal.
But the place… it didn't smell like a ruin.
There was no dust. No cobwebs. No decay. The air carried a faint scent of burnt wood—like a campfire that had only recently gone out.
His heartbeat quickened.
Someone… or something… was here. Thats what it seemed like. But the door was infested with vines. It wasn't possible for the vines to grow this fast. Unless one knew magic. Which is impossible... or is it.
The floor was inlaid with beautiful reliefs—so intricate it felt wrong to walk over them. The ceiling above depicted murals—glowing faintly in the firelight. Cities. Mountains. Rivers. Homes.
And then the walls. They sparkled like gold.
"Wait! Gold!?"
He rushed to one side and ran his hand across the surface. It was cool. Smooth. The feeling of touching a metal.
"No way... guys, I think this whole wall is made out of gold. Or something that looks similar."
He checked the opposite side. Same feeling.
"Wait, let me check. I have tools for that."
He set up the camera against the wall, dug through his bag, and pulled out a leather pouch.
"This is a new product I bought online. It is extremely helpful for explorers who like to explore volcanic regions. There are chemicals that can help you identify what kind of situation you're dealing with. You can use this to identify if there are any harmful substances in the air, water, or in a material.
You can also check if there is any valuables like gold or silver. You just need a sample, put it here, and drop a droplet of this chemical. If it turns green, it's poisonous. If gold, then it is something valuable. Or has the same type of atomic structure."
He walked back to the wall, scraped a small sample, and placed it on the test surface.
"Alright, moment of truth guys, let's see if this is actually gold or not. And if you have any doubts about this item, you can search this on YouTube. There are plenty of reviews and most of them are good. Alright. Let's do this."
He dropped the chemical onto the sample.
It slowly turned gold.
"...It really is gold. Just how much gold is there in this whole place?"
He stared, stunned. The carvings weren't just decoration—they were writings. Lines of organized ruins—script, not art.
A true language.
This wasn't a civilization that told stories with pictures.
It was one that wrote in words.
"This civilization is getting more and more absurd with each discovery. They have technology that works even now, have a proper literary system. I don't even know what to expect anymore."
He packed his things, his thoughts spinning in a storm of wonder and unease.
"Alright guys, let's start exploring the real deals. The rooms. I hope they open on their own as well."
He slung his bag over his shoulder, camera rolling.
And walked deeper into the unknown.
-To Be Continued