Chapter 295: Phanetium
The chamber continued to shake.
RUMBLE!
Cracks spread across the floor, and Arthur looked down. The stone beneath his feet was breaking apart. "Everyone, move!"
They barely had time to react.
CRACK!
The entire floor shattered, and Arthur dropped. "Whoa—!"
The others fell with him.
Mithra shouted. "Arthur!"
Sun grabbed Kong. Athena reached for Athy. Luna clutched the Light Mirror. Vedas simply laughed as they plummeted into darkness. "This is new!"
Arthur couldn’t help laughing too. "You’re enjoying this?"
"Of course!"
They fell through the collapsing chamber, broken pieces of ancient stone tumbling around them, the golden carvings flashing as they disappeared into the darkness.
Then, BOOM! Arthur hit the ground. Dust exploded around him, and he rolled several times before finally stopping.
For a moment, nobody moved. Then Sun groaned. "I hate this place."
Kong climbed off him and shook the dust from his fur.
Mithra sat up. "Everyone okay?"
"I’m fine," Athena answered.
Athy fluttered out from behind her. "I’m okay."
Eden floated up from the dust. Luna slowly stood. "The Mirror is fine."
Vedas rose from the ground, brushing dust from King Maker.
Arthur looked around. Then his eyes widened. They weren’t in the Guardian’s chamber anymore. They had fallen into something much deeper.
A massive chamber stretched before them, the ceiling so high that darkness swallowed it, ancient white stone covering the walls, golden symbols running across the floor. And at the center, Arthur stopped breathing.
There it was. A massive hammer rested upright upon a gigantic stone platform, enormous, the head alone larger than Arthur’s body, its surface covered in ancient markings, each one glowing faintly beneath the metal, golden light flowing through cracks along its surface.
Arthur’s eyes widened. He knew it. He had seen its name. He had seen its place within Vedas’s future. And now it was standing directly in front of him.
Arthur whispered, "That’s the hammer." He took a step forward. "Phanetium."
Everyone turned toward him.
Sun blinked. "Phanetium?"
Arthur’s eyes remained fixed on the weapon. "That’s it."
Mithra looked at the enormous hammer. "This is the weapon Halburn mentioned?"
Athena stepped closer. "It has to be."
Sun stared at it. "Okay..." He looked at Arthur. "What are we supposed to do with that?"
Arthur turned toward him, an almost childlike excitement in his eyes. "What do you think?"
Sun frowned.
Arthur pointed at the hammer. "Of course we go pick it up!" Before Sun could say anything else, he skipped forward.
"Arthur!" Sun called, but he ignored him.
Mithra laughed. "He’s really excited."
Vedas smiled. "Let him."
Arthur reached the stone platform, and the closer he got, the heavier the air became. The markings across Phanetium began glowing, one by one, then all at once.
WHOOM!
Light exploded through the chamber, and everyone shielded their eyes as the golden radiance flooded outward. At the same moment, the Miasma outside the chamber suddenly recoiled, pulling away from the ancient ruins as though something had frightened it.
Luna’s Light Mirror reacted violently, shaking in her hands.
"Luna!" Mithra shouted.
"I know!" Luna struggled to hold it steady, the Light Mirror’s surface becoming brighter than ever before.
Arthur stared at Phanetium. He finally understood. The Light Mirror wasn’t simply resisting the Miasma through ordinary light. Phanetium wasn’t simply a giant weapon. It possessed both powers.
Light. And Creation.
Arthur slowly approached, the markings on the hammer continuing to glow, his heartbeat quickening. This was it. The weapon connected to everything they had discovered. The Miasma. The Light Mirror. The ancient ruins. Halburn. Creation. And the mysterious power that had once reshaped the land itself.
Arthur reached out. His hand touched the hammer.
The world changed. Pressure crashed down on him, and Arthur’s eyes widened. "Ugh—!" His knees almost buckled. The hammer was unbelievably heavy, not simply physically heavy, something deeper pressing against him, as though the entire weight of the earth had been placed onto his shoulders.
Arthur gritted his teeth. "Come on..." He wrapped both hands around the handle, his muscles tightening, and he pulled.
Nothing.
Arthur’s expression hardened. He pulled harder. The stone platform didn’t move.
"Arthur?" Mithra called.
"I’m fine," he said, his voice strained.
Sun stepped forward. "Do you need help?"
Arthur shook his head. "No." He wasn’t going to let go. He pulled again.
Nothing. The pressure increased. His arms trembled. His legs shook. Sweat rolled down his face.
Arthur clenched his teeth. "Come on..."
The hammer remained completely still.
Then everything disappeared. The chamber. His companions. Phanetium. The ruins. Everything.
Arthur opened his eyes. He was standing beneath a blazing sun. A massive boulder rested in front of him, a steep hill stretching ahead.
Arthur stared at it. "What...?"
A voice echoed through the empty world. "Move it."
Arthur looked around. "Who said that?"
No answer came.
He looked back at the boulder. It was enormous. Arthur placed both hands against it. "Seriously?" He pushed.
The boulder moved. Slowly. Arthur gritted his teeth and continued, one step, then another, the hill becoming steeper, the sun becoming hotter, his breathing growing heavier. But he kept pushing.
The boulder rolled upward. His arms began to ache. His legs trembled. He kept going.
Minutes passed. Then hours. The sun remained directly above him. Arthur’s clothes became soaked with sweat. His palms began bleeding. Still, he pushed.
The hill seemed to grow longer. Arthur frowned. "This hill wasn’t this long before." He looked upward. The top was still impossibly far away.
He pushed harder. His body screamed in protest. His shoulders burned. His legs felt like they were being torn apart. Arthur stumbled. He nearly fell. But he caught himself against the boulder. "No." He pushed again.
The boulder moved. One inch. Then another.
Time continued passing. There was no food. No water. No rest. Only the boulder. The hill. And the sun.
Arthur’s vision began blurring. He couldn’t feel his fingers anymore. His breathing became ragged. His entire body was shaking.
Still, he pushed. "I can..." His voice cracked. "...keep going."
The boulder moved another inch.
Arthur collapsed to one knee, his arms nearly giving out. He stared at the ground. His body was exhausted. Every muscle hurt. He couldn’t remember how long he had been doing this. Hours? Days? Weeks? It no longer mattered. The hill had become endless. The sun had become endless. The boulder had become endless.
Arthur slowly tried to stand. His legs failed. He fell again. His vision darkened.
He was finished.
Arthur’s fingers dug into the dirt. He tried to push himself up. Nothing happened. He couldn’t do it anymore.
Then a hand rested against his back.
Arthur froze. He knew that feeling. He slowly turned his head.
Someone stood behind him. A familiar figure. Golden armor. A familiar smile.
Vedas looked down at him.
Arthur’s exhausted eyes widened. "Vedas?"